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President Barack Obama Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney California Florida presidential campaign
WASHINGTON — Fresh off his strongest fundraising month this year, President Barack Obama is looking to raise millions of dollars from celebrities and wealthy donors in California with just one month left in a tightening race.
The two-day swing through the solidly Democratic state highlights the critical role that fundraising will play in the campaign's final weeks as Obama and his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, escalate their barrage of television ads in competitive states like Ohio. The president is to return there Tuesday.
Romney, campaigning in up-for-grabs Florida, sought to build on the momentum from a debate performance last week that even Democrats conceded was "masterful." The Republican told a crowd of about 12,000 in Port St. Lucie that he had enjoyed himself, ticking off a list of Obama shortcomings he said he had exposed during the first debate.
"Now of course, days later, we're hearing his excuses," Romney said. "And next January we'll be watching him leave the White House for the last time."
As Romney finished speaking, someone in the crowd of supporters behind him held up a giant Israeli flag alongside smaller American flags, underscoring the amplified role that foreign affairs and the Middle East is playing as the presidential race draws to a close. Romney on Monday plans a major foreign policy address at the Virginia Military Institute, intended to throw Obama back on his heels over his handling of unrest in Libya and elsewhere.
Obama campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki, dismissing what she called Romney's fourth or fifth attempt to explain his global intentions, said the bar is high for Romney to convince voters he's prepared to be commander in chief.
"We are not going to be lectured by someone who's been an unmitigated disaster on foreign policy every time he sticks his toe in the foreign policy waters," Psaki said aboard Air Force One as Obama made his way to California.
Even as Romney sought to reap further rewards from his debate performance, a string of good news for the president threatened to steal the former Massachusetts governor's spotlight.
A jobs report Friday showing unemployment at the lowest levels of Obama's presidency was quickly followed Saturday by a fundraising report showing Obama and Democrats had raised $181 million in September. It was their best fundraising month of the campaign, but fell short of their record $190 million raised in September 2008 as the president campaigned for his first term.
Romney's campaign has not released its report for the month, and Republicans sought to downplay Obama's financial advantage. The party's national chairman, Reince Priebus, said he had been counting all along on being outraised by Obama and Democrats.
"This isn't going to come down to money. This is going to come down to heart," Priebus said. "We'll beat them on the ground, and we'll have all the money we need to be competitive."
After trailing Romney in the money race for most of the summer, Obama is back on top and pulling out all the stops to keep it that way. In what will be his final fundraising trip out West this election, Obama is enlisting his celebrity pals — from actors to singers to chefs — to donate to his campaign and encourage their fans to do the same.
In one event alone, a late-night soiree high above the Los Angeles skyline, Obama expected to rake in $3.75 million. Wolfgang Puck's WP24 in the Ritz-Carlton hotel will host the $25,000-per-person event for about 150 supporters.
Former President Bill Clinton was to join Obama earlier Sunday for a more intimate gathering with elite, longtime donors at the home of entertainment mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg. Then on to the main event: A star-studded concert at the Nokia Theatre with entertainment by actor George Clooney and musical guests Stevie Wonder, Jon Bon Jovi and Katy Perry.
As Obama played for California cash, his surrogates took to the talk shows to pound the theme that Romney's success in last week's debate was propped up entirely by dishonesty.
The president "was a little taken aback at the brazenness with which Gov. Romney walked away from so many of the positions on which he's run, walked away from his record," said David Axelrod, a top Obama strategist. "That's something we're going to have to make an adjustment for in these subsequent debates."
At the same time, Ann Romney was working to soften her husband's image, a frequent refrain as Romney's campaign seeks to broaden his support among centrist voters in the race's final weeks. Introducing her husband on Sunday, Mrs. Romney called him "a good and decent person" who had helped others throughout his life.
"Now we're going to get a chance for him to really care for others, because we're going to have the chance to see him get people back to work again," she said.
Both campaigns were prepping their running mates for Thursday's vice presidential debate — and working to keep expectations low lest their candidate underperform.
On Sunday Priebus called Vice President Joe Biden "a gifted orator," while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., who challenged Romney in the GOP primary, suggested Paul Ryan would hold back on any hostility out of respect for Biden's status as a senior statesman.
While in California, the only official presidential business for Obama comes Monday in Keene, Calif., where he will designate as a national monument the home of Latino leader Cesar Chavez, the founder of the United Farmworkers Union who died in 1993.
Yet even that move has political overtones, resonating with some Hispanic voters — a crucial bloc in Obama's 2008 coalition and a critical component of his 2012 plan to keep Romney at bay.
Priebus spoke on CNN's "State of the Union." Axelrod spoke on CBS' "Face the Nation" and Gingrich on NBC's "Meet the Press."


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We've reached that point in the election where corporations are trying to capitalize on the situation and increase brand awareness with PR stunts.
Case in point: Jakks Pacific creating a set of Cabbage Patch candidates (as well as VP and Michelle Obama dolls) and auctioning them off to eBay. The Barack Obama and Mitt Romney dolls come with matching suits, patriotic flag pins and graying hair; Obama sports a Democrat blue tie while Mitt is wearing Republican red. The chubby-cheeked dolls with cheese ball smiles look more like used car salesmen than candidates. They're definitely more creepy than cute. What do you think?
All proceeds from the sales will go to Rock the Vote, a nonpartisan organization that aims to get young people politically involved, according to USA Today.
How much will these dolls go for? Jakks held a similar auction last year with the Obama Cabbage Patch selling for $8,400, and the Sarah Palin doll pulling in an impressive $19,000, reports USA Today.
Jakks plan is certainly working because before seeing a news story about the dolls I didn't realize that the well-loved "kids" from the 80s (people used to line up to buy these things) were still being produced. Yes, Babyland General, where all Cabbage Patches are born, is still up and running in Cleveland, Ga.

subset: commoncrawl


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Things that make you fat, based on a Google news search of the last few days.
Genes/faulty dopamine receptors
A history of dieting (hallefuckinlujah!)
And things that make you thin…
Please note that with the exception of genes and a history of dieting, every single thing on the list of things that make you fat (IT'S SCIENCE) is something judgy people frown upon in its own right. Could it be that some folks are using the vague threat of fat to push their own moral agendas? MY GOD.
Also, I'm thinking this will be a weekly feature. Maude knows we'll never run out of material.


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Sure, it wasn't the greatest of Star Wars games, but The Force Unleashed didn't suck. Which in terms of recent Star Wars releases, made it special. So special it's sold a ton.
Lucasarts announced today that since going on sale almost 18 months ago, the game has sold over seven million units worldwide.
I only really got into the game last month, when I picked it up at a post-Christmas sale. It's fun for the most part, but seven million is a job well done for a game with controls like that, even with a Star Wars logo on the box.
[via Industrygamers]


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The role of robotics within security continues to increase, as the technology can act as a force multiplier, expand the scope and effectiveness of security around and within a perimeter, including everything from small to expansive areas. Drones, for example, have come a long way in just a couple of years, and are starting to be used in commercial and industrial senarios, as well as in and around home.
With drone technology advancing at a fast rate, FAA regulations loosening, and more accessible off-the-shelf solutions available, we may be at a turning point when it comes to increased adoption of drones within security, according to a recent whitepaper, Drones in Security & Surveillance, by FlytBase, an enterprise drone automation company.
"The physical security market is primed for drone automation and scaling — the time, cost and safety benefits of autonomous drone fleets can create significant business value for this industry," FlytBase CEO Nitin Gupta, said in the announcement of the white paper. "Drone patrols will augment human guards and enable security agencies, risk managers, security directors, system integrators and other stakeholders to make faster, better decisions for real-time incident response, remote security operations, event management, disaster response and more."
The ability to deploy in a multitude of 24/7 security and surveillance use-cases is helping to drive increased demand and adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), said Flytbase, noting that UAVs address many user/customer pain points, including: • High turnover of security guards; • Operations at night and in hostile scenarios; • Surveillance of hard-to-reach locations; • Liabilities associated with human and helicopter patrols; • CCTV blind spots; and • Need for real-time situational awareness in emergencies, etc.
"The time for aerial security is now ripe because the prosumer drone market has matured so rapidly in the last few years that commercial-off-the-shelf drones can be used commercially, instead of (expensive, monolithic, low reliability) custom drones, in all but the most demanding security and surveillance use-cases," according to the white paper. "The physical security market is one of the most compelling target segments for the commercial drone industry. As automation technology is adopted for industrial and commercial security, drone fleets will play a central role, given that they can be deployed autonomously, at scale."
The two obvious obstacles for driving broad adoption of drones in aerial security use-cases tended to be: • Hardware (battery life, sensor quality, flight stability, etc.); and • Regulation (especially for beyond visual-line-of-sight i.e. BVLOS operations)
However, these are now turning enablers, with the emergence of: • Reliable, off-the-shelf drones that are affordable and programmable; and • FAA integrated pilot programs, EVLOS relaxations, Part 107 certifications and UAS Remote ID.
As UAV regulations mature, security agencies in particular are expected to rapidly adopt drones to substantially reduce their operating costs, improve perimeter coverage and awareness, and to minimize occupational, health and safety risks to human guards. Despite a variety of relevant use-cases, the enterprise adoption of drones in this sector remains at the proof-of-concept and pilot stage; for production deployments to become widespread, three enablers are needed:
1. Drone-in-a-box hardware that is cost-effective and yet reliable; 2. SaaS solutions that automate drones, are scalable and yet hardware-agnostic; and 3. Integrated offerings that require low investment, & hence pay back in < 1 year.
"For VLOS and EVLOS security operations, the drone-in-a-box requirement is less critical," the white paper noted. "Thus, security agencies, domain consultants, drone system integrators, managed service providers and end users can all get started with off-the-shelf, prosumer-grade drones and existing SaaS offerings, and eventually add docking stations and charging pads to their autonomous drone security operations."
Click here for the complete white paper.
Some people are calling it "social control," some believe it's exploiting the poor; others are saying it will "criminalize and marginalize" residents, while Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley mentions "rampant biases" especially with "women and people of color." Sounds like "it" should be banned, right? Well, what if I told you I am talking about facial recognition biometric technology? Would that influence your decision to ban or not to ban this technology?
For the first time ever, a piece of proposed federal legislation addresses limits on biometric technology and tenants of public housing — the No Biometric Barriers to Housing Act of 2019, introduced by Congressional Democratic lawmakers Yvette Clarke from New York; Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib from Michigan.
Here's what the legislation would do: prohibit the use of biometric recognition technology in most public and assisted housing units funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and require the department to submit a report to Congress. Required in the report would be the following:
Several organizations support this legislation including:
POGO went so far as to pen a letter to the Congresswomen, citing facial recognition systems have "registered false matches over 90 percent of the time in multiple law enforcement pilot initiatives," and Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers, the America Civil Liberties Union and an FBI expert found "facial recognition technology is less effective in properly identifying women and people of color, raising civil rights concerns."
Thus far, this legislation would only affect HUD housing; however, it could very easily trickle into other landlord/tenant situations as the hot topic surrounding public security seems to revolve around privacy.
It finally happened. Temps reached into the 100s in Dallas as Cyber:Secured Forum helped some security professionals stay cool inside The Westin Dallas Park Central while learning actionable takeaways and best practices related to maintaining and improving cybersecurity of security systems and solutions. While I gather my thoughts to bring you a detailed rendition of the past two days, now would be a great time to do a cybersecurity risk assessment on your system.
Here are my "4 Preliminaries" (4Ps) to help you get started on your assessment:
Once you've completed the 4Ps, google the phrase "cybersecurity risk assessment checklist." This tool is available for free from different organizations and businesses. Choose the checklist that resonates most closely with your business, or take bits and pieces of a variety of checklists to create a custom list. Then, using the information you've already gathered from the 4Ps, get started answering the questions. You'll be well on your way to learning exactly where your company is postured for cybersecurity as well as areas that need improvement.
Security industry confidence continues to rise with the summer temps, according to The Security Industry Association's latest Security Market Index, a bimonthly measure and outlook for the security industry.
While confidence in the state of the market had already seen a bump in May with a Security Market Index (SMI) of 63, up from the March SMI of 60, hopes are even higher this month with a July 2019 SMI of 71, SIA reported, noting that any Index above 50 indicates that conditions within the industry are largely positive and that security industry professionals are predominantly confident in their business outlooks.
Special focuses of the July 2019 SMI include:• A continuously climbing SMI for security consultants;• Despite other sectors' increases, a dip in confidence for the video surveillance SMI;• Integrators increasing spending among decreases in overall confidence in business conditions; and• Expected security spending increases in government and education.
For its July SMI, SIA found that 48 percent of security professionals rated current business conditions as "excellent," and 45 percent said they were "good." Only 7 percent said conditions were "average," and no Security Market Index respondents considered current conditions to be "fair" or "poor." In May 2019, 49 percent of respondents said conditions were "excellent," and 38 percent rated conditions as "good." Eight percent said conditions were "average," 5 percent rated conditions as "fair" and no Security Market Index respondents rated conditions as "poor."
SIA noted that multiple respondents said that there is a strong demand from customers for security system upgrades, as well as new installations, while others pointed out the strong acquisition activity currently happening within the security market. And while the responses were mostly positive, some pointed out what they see as current issues in the industry. "While the economy appears strong, we're seeing a lot of pressure to cut prices," said a respondent working in the access control sector, who rated current business conditions as "good." One respondent who works as an engineer in the industry rated current business conditions as "good," but expressed worry over the U.S. president's relations with Europe, saying, "Unnecessary business risk results."
While numbers remained steady in most key factors (new orders; product/service sales; new product intro; and capital equip spend) this July, SIA found that the percentage of respondents who said they plan on increasing their number of employees or hours worked jumped to 76 percent, when only 56 percent said so in May.
Within the next three months, 90 percent of security professionals believe business conditions will be either "much better" or "a little better," SIA found, with 10 percent expecting no change to business conditions, and zero Security Market Index respondents expecting conditions to be worse. This is slightly more optimistic than in May, when 87 percent expected improved conditions within three months.
When SIA asked which vertical market they think has the most potential for increased security spending in the next five years, many respondents to the July SMI answered government and education, with 24 percent answering government, and 21 percent answering education. Other answers included healthcare (17 percent), cannabis (10 percent), office buildings (7 percent) and energy (3 percent). In regard to increased government business, SIA referenced a Dec. 2018 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, Federal Building Security: Actions Needed to Help Achieve Vision for Secure, Interoperable Physical Access Control, which pointed out the need for improved security in government buildings and a government-wide approach to regulate access to controlled areas in federal buildings using access control systems such as card readers.
"Implementation of physical access control systems at federal agencies represents a significant federal investment," stated the report. "For example, over the next five years the Transportation Security Agency plans to spend about $73 million to implement physical access control systems . . . In addition, according to GSA officials, GSA has spent millions of dollars to test these systems."
School security has also proven to be a booming market for the security industry, with bills requiring security spending in schools and grants for security systems in schools being introduced at a rapid rate, SIA reported. The education sector of the market for security equipment spending and services reached $2.7 billion in revenue in 2017, according to a 2018 report from IHS Markit, School Security Systems Industry – U.S. Market Overview. The market is expected to grow an average of 1 percent annually, reaching $2.8 billion by 2021. However, the report warns that since so much progress has been made in securing schools over recent years, security spending may actually slow in the market.
For the full Security Market Index, including a breakdown by segment click here
Being born in the late 70s, it's been amazing to watch the evolution of computers, the Internet, cyber and the like. I remember sitting in my junior high computer class—7th grade, I believe. Working with Basic on an Apple 2e, I created white coding on a black screen that made a man (stick figure) jump, dance and run when the user got the correct answer to the math problem presented on the screen. That, my friends, was high tech!
Now, the graphics are realistic and some even interact with voice; data is being produced and shared at the rate of zettabytes; and computers are turning into machine learners, all of which is absolutely amazing but at the same time scary as bad people have turned it into a free-for-all of mass hacking that is detrimental to people and society.
Human security experts work tirelessly each and every day to keep people like you and me, and the world safe; however, being human, they have their limits. For example, cybersecurity involves repetitiveness and tediousness, scouring through big data to identify anomalous data points; long, exhausting hours of data analysis; and relentlessly monitoring data going in and out of enterprise networks. Enter the age of artificial intelligence (AI) penetrating into the cyber realm in terms of security, obviously known collectively as cybersecurity. Working along-side humans, AI can complement cybersecurity by performing the repetitive, tedious tasks; it can be trained to take predefined steps against attacks and learn the most ideal responses going forward; and AI is fast and accurate with data analysis. This enables and empowers human security experts to use their talents and skills on other projects to further enhance cybersecurity.
Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, recently published "Reinventing Cybersecurity with Artificial Intelligence Report," finding 61 percent of enterprises said they cannot detect breach attempts today without the use of AI technologies. That's over half of the 850 senior executives surveyed from IT information security, cybersecurity and IT operations in seven sectors across 10 countries. And if that's not eye-opening enough, check out these findings:
With numbers like these, it's easy to see AI and machine learning are essential to cybersecurity now and into the future. So, here at SSN, we've taken a huge step to bring you the latest and greats cybersecurity news with the addition of a "cybersecurity" tab on our website. Yep, that's right … a whole section dedicated to all things cybersecurity!
To get a taste of our cybersecurity content check out the articles "Federal government aims to modernize physical security practices" and "Data forensics: time is of the essence," and as always, we value your feedback.
For the past few years here at SSN we have been paying more and more attention to cybersecurity and its role within physical security, looking at it from as many different security perspectives as possible — end user, consultant, specifier, commercial integrator, supplier — you name it and we've probably written about it!
With cybersecurity playing such a prominent role in physical security today, we have added a section on our site that is completely devoted to our cybersecurity coverage. The convergence of physical and IT security is happening, and what better place to stay up to date on the latest happenings in the cybersecurity space than right here at SSN.
Some of our recent cyber-related stories include a great piece from SSN Contributing Editor Lilly Chapa, who attended the recent SIAGovSummit, about how the federal government aims to modernize physical security practices. As she points out, government agencies intend to evolve their security approach to address changing technology, threats and budgets, including working closer with cybersecurity and IT professionals.
Another interesting story worth checking out is by SSN Managing Editor Ginger Schlueter, who spoke with Cyber Criminologist Dr. Peter Stephenson about the art of data forensics.
Plus, she will be attending Cyber:Secured Summit at The Westin Dallas Park Central, July 29-31, and providing full coverage of the event here on the site as well, which you can find by just clicking on the Cybersecurity tab at the top of the site.
Dive right in here.
I've spent the last two days in Montreal, learning all about Genetec but also learning tidbits of powerful information about the security industry. I will be sharing my thoughts, observations and knowledge in the days to come, so stay tuned to our website. Here is a preview of what's to come:
We sometimes take for granted how "precious an average day is and how much it takes just to make a day average," Andrew Elvish, vice president, marketing & product management, Genetec said when it comes to ensuring safety and security each and every day. Further, we have to "make sure everything happens every day."
Genetec does its part to ensure everything happens every day by creating security solutions as well as partnering with others who do the same. The company has a global footprint in which they grow organically and currently, it employees 1,500 people of whom speak 23 different languages. The company also invests 28 percent of their topline into R&D. Expansion efforts are focused on entering a market at the right place at the right time with an emphasis on building channels and channel partners.
Yesterday was filled with open, authentic discussions around hot topics within the industry with Genetec employees as well as people from outside the organization who work with Genetec. Topics of discussion included: the role of privacy in a digital democracy, the future of AI in security, privacy matters in security, ALPR and the role of parking in cities and a panel discussion about cannabis and security.
Today, I get the unique opportunity to visit the Montreal Casino's command center to see security in action, demonstrating how everything happens every day.
Again, stay tuned to SSN's website and print publication for in-depth coverage and knowledge sharing of this event.
The increasing focus on safe cities and securing sports events and concerts in stadiums is aiding expansion of the global Stadium Security Market.
The global market was valued at $6.2 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $16.1 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 12.8 percent during the forecast period, according to a new report from Fortune Business Insights based in Pune, India.
The report, titled "Stadium Security Market: Global Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2018-2025," offers insights into the market and the rising importance on public safety and security in stadiums across the world. According to the study, stadium owners are now installing well-equipped security systems including metal detectors, intrusion alarm systems, access control systems, CCTV cameras, facial recognition systems and fire alarm systems.
"Technological advancements such as adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) in stadium security systems is expected to enhance the spectator experience," noted one of the lead analysts on the study. "Upgradation of stadium security plan can offer a convenient and personalized experience to spectators and simultaneously ensures complete security." Moreover, IoT adoption helps in the effective management of stadium infrastructure, contributing towards the growth of the market, he said.
As per seating capacity, stadiums with capacity between 30,000 and 50,000 are anticipated to grow at a rapid pace driven by rising number of events and concerts, growing at a CAGR of 13.4 percent and. On the other hand, stadiums with a capacity of less than 30,000 seats are projected to account for the highest share in the global market. However, this segment is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 12.5 percent during the forecast period. North America is expected to lead the global Stadium Security Market in the forecast years. Predominantly, Canada and the U.S are on alert for terrorist attacks, which compels the stadium owners to adopt stadium security solutions. Rapid technological advancements in stadium security systems and growing demand for maintaining stadium infrastructure are driving the market in North America. The market in Asia Pacific is expected to gain an impressive share in the forecast years. Increasing terrorist threats and pressing need for ensuring public safety are compelling companies to develop innovative and smart stadium security measures. "To gain an edge over strong competition, several leading players are installing stadium security systems at some major stadiums to maintain their position in the global market," the research firm found.
The top 10 players covered two-third of the share in the global market in 2017, the study noted, including:• Avigilon Corp.• AxxonSoft• BOSCH Security Systems• CISCO Systems Inc.• Dallmeier• Genetec Inc.• Honeywell International Inc.• Intel Corporation• NEC Corporation• Rapiscan Systems
Fire is the biggest risk for both residential and commercial properties, followed by burglaries, which tend to spike in the summer and winter months, according to a new study completed by American Alarm and Communications of verified alarms from homes and businesses across Greater Boston and central New England.
"Given our monitoring footprint in New England, and our systems for tracking alarm events, we use this data to understand local trends and to help people better manage risk in their homes or places of business," Wells Sampson, president of American Alarm, said about the study. "When we decided to look at five years of data, and saw the results, we felt there would be public benefit if we released the information so everyone in our region is aware of these trends."
The study, entitled "Regional Security Report: Five-Year Study of Verified Alarms, 2014-2018," analyzed data collected at the company's monitoring center that tracks activity from its professionally installed and maintained security and life-safety systems at nearly 30,000 locations, primarily in greater Boston, central Massachusetts, Rhode Island and southern New Hampshire.
During the five-year period studied, 1,644 verified alarms occurred, including 532 fire alarms, 333 burglar (intrusion) alarms, 224 elevator entrapments and 185 panic alarms (also called hold-up alarms). A verified alarm is defined as a signal caused by an actual event that posed a threat and required intervention.
The following is a summary of results:• Fire is the biggest risk for residential and commercial property, followed by burglary;• Fire alarms spike in January and February, doubling the monthly average;• Burglar alarms are more frequent during the summer and winter months;• Burglar alarms are concentrated in late evening and overnight hours;• Panic alarms peak in the mornings and afternoons at banks, and in the late evenings at gas stations and convenience stores; and• Elevator alarms are mostly from commercial buildings and clustered during business hours.
For more information on the types and timing of alarms, see the report here.
Featured in Time magazine's "Top 10 Public-Service Announcements," the popular one from the 1960s, 70s and 80s went something like this: "It's 10pm … do you know where your children are?" Being the ripe age of 42, I vaguely remember the tail-end of this campaign where a celebrity or publicly known person — Joan Rivers, Jane Seymour, Darryl Strawberry, Paul Stanley, etc. —would appear on the TV screen at 10pm or 11pm, depending on location, and ask this almost sinister-like question of moms and dads waiting for their dose of the nightly news. During this time, several cities across the U.S. had adopted new curfew laws and this was the late-night reminder to parents.
Since then, it's been parodied several times: CNBC asks, "It's 4 o'clock … do you know where your money is?" while Monster.com asks, "It's 6 o'clock … do you know where your career is?" And, my personal favorite: "It's 10am … do you know where your coffee is?" While these are fun and playful sayings and marketing tactics, there's a lot of truth to be discovered by answering that simple, historical question that remains ingrained in society. So, I ask you, the IoT manufacturer, the security installer, the IoT user: "It's 10pm … do you know what your IoT devices are doing?" If you can't answer that question, you may have a security/privacy issue.
In response to IoT devices, their security/privacy issues, and the lack of laws and governance of these little electronic baubles, several organizations have developed IoT "guidelines" to help developers create, manufacturers build, and consumers purchase and use more secure IoT products:
Security Systems Engineering: Considerations for a Multidisciplinary Approach in the Engineering of Trustworthy Security Systems
By: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
This publication, targeted toward security engineering professionals, provides principles and concepts, and how these can be effectively applied to the creation of IoT devices and other security-related device. It is recognized that no system can be engineered to by absolutely secure and trustworthy, but rather, the focus should be on "adequate security," making sure the device address the users security concerns.
With several free, downloadable publications related specifically to IoT security, the IoT Security Foundation is on a mission to "Build Secure, Buy Secure and Be Secure." They offer a tool called "IoTSF Compliance Checklist" that helps IoT manufacturers create devices that are within contemporary best practices. The checklist opens as an Excel document, with tabs that take the person through the entire process of compliance, starting with assessment steps; includes device hardware, software, operating systems and interfaces; and concluding with issues such as encryption, privacy, cloud and network elements and device ownership transfer.
IoT Security Guidance
By: The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)
With the familiar look of a Wikipedia page, this guide speaks directly to IoT manufacturers, developers and consumers, offering specific and general recommendations. It's laid out in an easy-to-read chart and bullet point format. It addresses 10 key categories such as insecure web interface, poor physical security, privacy concerns and insecurity cloud interface; tells what security issues the manufacturer, developer and consumer should be aware of; and offers recommendations to remedy such issues.
Future Proofing the Connected World
By: Cloud Security Alliance's IoT Working Group
This PDF guide offers 13 steps to developing secure IoT products, but it also describes exactly why IoT security is needed and addresses some of the common security challenges for IoT users. The 13-step process starts with developing a secure methodology and ends with performing internal and external security reviews.
IoT Security Guidelines and Assessment
By: GSMA
The goal of these guidelines and assessment is to help create a secure IoT market with trusted, reliable and scalable services. The guidelines include 85 secure design, development and deployment recommendations; security challenges, attack models and risk assessments, and examples while the assessment, based on a structured approach yet providing a flexible framework, address the diversity of the IoT market while addressing the whole ecosystem.
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On the Editor's DeskPaul Ragusa
News and notes
Monitoring MattersGinger Hill
Guest Blog
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Tactical nuclear weapons "should constantly be aimed at the United States"
Paul Joseph Watson
March 4, 2013
Retired Russian General Leonid Ivashov told Pravda in a recent interview that America must be held at gunpoint by means of of tactical nuclear weapons which "should constantly be aimed at the United States."
Ivashov was former chief of general affairs in the Soviet Union's Ministry of Defence before becoming vice president of the Academy on Geopolitical Affairs.
"Tactical nuclear weapons that are constantly threatening the United States must become the factor that will deter large-scale aggression. Holding it at gunpoint – this is the deterrent," Ivashov told Pravda.Ru editor-in-chief Inna Novikova.
Ivashov went on to explain that Russia remains suspicious of China as an ally because Beijing continues to make decisions with the United States behind Russia's back, but that China and Russia remain the primary targets of America's geopolitical aggression.
"In America, it is all vice versa. On October 18, 2003, Bush signed a directive on the concept of Prompt Global Strike. A priority was not a first massive nuclear strike, but a strike with the use of high precision technologies. Glide bombs then finish it off and a country is presented with an ultimatum. If this country does not agree, it will repeat all over again. It is clear that the first target for this potential attack is Russia. But Russia – accidentally or not – may launch its strategic nuclear arsenal," said Ivashov, explaining how both Russia and China will struggle to repel a U.S. attack.
"To attack China or Russia, cruise missiles will be used. A third of them come with nuclear warheads. Nowadays, four-class "Ohio" submarines, the largest American subs, that had 24 intercontinental ballistic missiles on board, are being reequipped. They remove the ICBMs and replace them with 158 cruise missiles on each sub. The same thing happens to "Virginia" subs. They develop a strategic cruise missile, the range of which will be not less than 5,000 kilometers. Its speed will be equal to two sonic speeds. It will be the type of arms that no one will be able to destroy – neither Russia, nor China or anyone else," he said.
Ivashov went on to argue that Russia's only deterrent to the threat of a U.S. attack were tactical nuclear weapons that, "should constantly be aimed at the United States," suggesting Cuba as a potential site for such weapons, an alarming throwback to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, which marked the closest moment that the world came to World War III and a potential nuclear holocaust.
The former General expressed the need for Russian leaders to "reformat the world" in a different mould to the Anglo-American model in order to avoid a "disastrous scenario" that would be "catastrophic" for the planet.
Ivashov called for the UN Security Council to be expanded as a counter-balance to American hegemony, adding, "The next step is to develop the Euro-Asian continental union, which includes Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization."
In essence, Ivashov is re-iterating the call for a multi-polar world to replace the 'new world order' model led by America, Britain and NATO powers. However, his call for that model to be enforced by tactical nuclear weapons aimed squarely at the United States is sure to stoke concern amongst military leaders in the west.
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a host for Infowars Nightly News.
By the way, people who know what's coming are taking advantage of our healthy & delicious storable food!


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WATCH: Man Bound, Tied, Arrested While Screaming Obscenities At MIA
Someone had their camera out at the right time this Wednesday, and captured the moment that a man yelling obscenities was arrested at Miami International Airport.
*** WARNING - Some people may find language in the video to be offensive ***
Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesman Greg Chin said the man in the video was making threats against the airport at the Concourse D check-in area.
According to witnesses, the man tried to attack a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and also tried to enter an employees-only baggage area.
At least six Miami-Dade police officers had to hold the suspect down as he screamed and cursed at them.
The suspect's hands and feet were bound as he was detained. He was screaming hysterical remarks at the time.
Airport officials said the situation is now under control.


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Tournesol vineyards are located in the Coombsville AVA. The 12 acres lie on a gently sloping bench 300 feet above the valley floor. Tournesol vines enjoy a perfect exposure to the sun with cool breezes from San Pablo Bay providing ideal growing temperatures. The volcanic composition of this soil produces muscular Bordeaux varietal wines that express its distinctive terroir.
Wine clubs are a great way to stay connected to your favorite wineries.
To join the wine club, visit www.tournesolwines.com or call 707-224-3960.
Tournesol's Inner Circle offers members two allocations per year of the Spring and Fall Release wines. Members receive a discount on wine purchases, as well as access to limited releases and library wines.
The Napa Green program is supported by a wide variety of groups including the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, and the University of California. The Napa Valley Vintners, along with Fish Friendly Farming, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, the Napa County Farm Bureau and others developed the Napa Green program. Learn more about the program at napagreen.org.
Tournesol is certified under the Napa Green Winery Program by the Napa County Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Association of Bay Area Government's (ABAG) Green Business Program and completed all the regulatory components needed for environmental sustainability. These components included developing water and energy conservation methods, preventing pollution, and reducing solid waste. In addition to developing sustainable winery practices, this program is set to become the standard for the state of California.
Tournesol is certified under the Napa Green Certified Land Program. Tournesol has created and implemented a customized farm plan with measured results that addressed all aspects of its property, vineyard land as well as non-farmed land, including practicing soil conservation, water conservation, stable drainage, riparian corridor enhancement, fisheries and wildlife habitat enhancement and long-term improvement and sustainability.
Certification - certification is granted by the Napa County Agricultural Commissioners Office of Pesticide Regulation, the Regional Water Quality Control board, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Once a year the rarest new Napa Valley wines become available under one roof at Premiere Napa Valley. Wineries throughout the Napa Valley are given one task to participate: create a one-of-a-kind wine for this event to be purchased by one lucky bidder. This event is only open to select members of the wine trade and the successful bidder is the sole owner of this unique wine.
Cases: 5
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2014
Release Date: October - 2016
Appellation: Coombsville
To purchase this wine or check on availability contact:
Buy-Rite Liquors
Holmdel NJ


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Do you use Facebook, watch MTV and have an ax to grind with an ex? Then MTV is looking for you.
The cable channel once dedicated to music is casting yet another reality show and it is in San Francisco looking for -- um -- talent.
MTV is looking for people between the ages of 18 and 28 to take part in a show called "Internet Revenge."
The requirements to be eligible for the show are quite simple.
In a posting on Craigslist, MTV writes:
Are you using Facebook or the internet for revenge!!? Have you been creating fake profiles to get back at an ex or a friend who did you wrong? Is your plan working? Have you been feeling guilty? What's your story and why did you do it? MTV is casting a new show about people who are using Facebook and the internet to get revenge. Are you ready for the ultimate confrontation!
MTV has been conducting similar searches across the country and its latest stop is in San Francisco.
The actual compensation is still up in the air but online casting agency gotcast.com reports that all expenses will be paid.
For more information or to apply for the show, visit MTV's Craigslist posting
U.S. & World


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North* Dry Box Gloves - Hypalon Dry Box Gloves; 30mil; Fit a hand size of 9-3/4 in. (25cm);3278722 : Pair Description Cuff diameters match 8in. dia. (20cm) dry box or glove box ports Fit a hand size of 9.75in. (25cm) Unsupported, with smooth-finish grips Length: 32in. (81cm) Black Neoprene Dr North Safety Products No.:8Y3032/9Q
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This useful canvas growth chart proudly displays your little one's favorite doll on its fresh blue background that's neatly trimmed with a yellow, green and floral border. Grommets placed in the four corners make them easy to hang. We provide color coordinated decorative covers that easily fit over the screw or nail you choose. A portion of the profits from the sale of this item is donated to children's charities.
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Opinions about how Fairfield Greenwich Group came to incinerate $7 billion of client cash at the hands of Bernie Madoff vary from "incompetent" to "criminally negligent" to "co-conspirators." Regardless of where the truth lies, one thing is certain: FGG was very proud of its due diligence and risk management processes.
Listen, for example, to how the firm explains its extraordinary custody and risk-management procedures in this 2006 article in Wall Street Technology:
To facilitate a holistic view of risk, FGG requires that its underlying funds afford a high-level of transparency so data on their positions can be aggregated and fed into systems for fund and firmwide risk and compliance assessments...
Currently, the firm uses two primary methods to aggregate data... The first is via direct pipelines from eight prime brokers, some of which handle multiple FGG funds. At the end of the business day, different divisions within the primes deposit files -- including transaction files, position files and gain/loss files -- to the firm through file transfer protocol (FTP) sites.
(Apparently this doesn't apply to the majority of FGG funds, which were invested with Bernie Madoff. Madoff didn't use a prime broker.)
FGG also collects data directly from the underlying managers and administrators. Again, the firm's risk group works to reconcile the multiple sources of incoming portfolio information to make sure the data is clean. In fact, FGG often prefers to receive information on its underlying funds from the third parties with which it works, rather than directly from the funds themselves.
"Independently receiving portfolio information from the managers is critical for our investment-compliance and risk-oversight function," according to Amit Vijayvergiya, head of risk management at FGG. "We rely very heavily on what we receive from those independent sources -- whether they be administrators or prime brokers." Information received directly from the managers augments the third-party data, he adds.
(Again, except for Madoff.)
One of [FGG's] main tools, called CAI... allows the firm to process the collected information, add additional terms and conditions or market data, and perform data scrubbing and reconciliation. Then FGG is able to "present a portfolio at the end of every day on what our holdings are and marry that with other market fields," explains Vijayvergiya.
CAI's investment compliance module helps FGG ensure that its managers are adhering to their mandates on a daily basis, in terms of staying within certain concentration limits as to instrument type, market capitalization, sector, industry or other parameter. The firm also monitors certain portfolio activity or turnover limits...
So should we take this to mean that FGG will soon be producing daily snapshots of how it thought the $7.3 billion of client money with Madoff was allocated? Snapshots that show each and every one of Madoff's fabricated positions, along with detailed return calculations that add up to the exact return Madoff reported each day and each month?
These snapshots will go a long way toward clearing FGG of criminal negligence. They will show that, day after day, the professionals at FGG were fooled by an amazingly intricate fraud in which Madoff figured out, retroactively, at the close of business each day, bogus trades that added up to the reported return and stayed within FGG's vaunted risk parameters--and then emailed this spreadsheet to FGG so they could feed it into their system. The snapshots will show why, unlike many other sophisticated investors, FGG's experts did not have any question about how Madoff generated his returns--because it was all there, in black and white, each and every day.
See Also:
Fairfield Greenwich Had Madoff Red Flags in 2004
Noose Tightens On Fairfield Greenwich Group


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Arielle Wiser MEd '12graduated from Portland State University with her bachelor's degree in Health Studies in 2011 and her Master's in Education in 2012.
Read the original article in the The Reflector here.
New Battle Ground High School softball coach Arielle Wiser is an accomplished player herself and is bringing some high-level collegiate experience to her alma mater.
The 2007 graduate was born and raised in Battle Ground. Wiser's only stint away from the area was the time she spent as a student, player and graduate assistant at Portland State University.
Wiser has memories from the time she was 6 years old when she was playing in Battle Ground Little League. She advanced to the Amateur Softball Association participating on club teams and on the softball team at Battle Ground High School. As a sophomore, she was recruited by Portland State University and played as a Viking for four years.
During her high school career, she gleaned many honors including all-Greater St. Helen's League three years and all-state her senior year. Her success continued at PSU, where she garnered Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC) Freshman of the Year and Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year her senior year, among a slew of other distinctions.
While Wiser describes softball as the sport she's most passionate about, the whole story would not be told without mentioning that she earned Most Valuable Player in basketball three years running at Battle Ground and made all-league her senior year. When she was very young, she even dabbled in barrel racing. To say that Wiser is a gifted and dedicated competitor might be an understatement.
Wiser had a few notable influences and experiences along the way, most recently as the head coach at Mt. Hood Community College. When she graduated with a Master of Education from PSU, she spent a year working as an assistant coach with Meadow McWhorter. She credits McWhorter as a great mentor and someone she learned a lot about coaching from.
The mainstay in her life, however, is her family, who've been her support system all through the years.
"My dad, for sure," Wiser said. "He really motivated me and always took extra time to help me out ... and he knows the game really well and then I had a couple really great ASA coaches that mentored me through and told me I had the ability to play college ball."
Aside from her coaching at MHCC, where true to form she received the 2012-2013 New Coach of the Year award, Wiser spent a year coaching softball at Madison High School in Portland. For her, coaching is fun and comes naturally. With her batting, pitching and field experience she brings a lot of personal knowledge to her new position. It's another way to have a sport in her life that she continues to play as a member of a slowpitch team.
Wiser is excited about the 2014 Battle Ground team she'll be working with.
"We've been doing open gyms and conditioning since the beginning of January. They look pretty strong," Wiser said. "There's some senior returns and some girls coming back that will be strong leaders for the team. We're really pushing, breaking down fundamentals and going hard on conditioning."
Fundamentals is an approach Wiser strongly believes in. As a player, the standout coaches in her mind broke things down to the most basic baby steps and then they drilled them again and again. For Wiser, success is all in the details.
With Wiser's enthusiasm for her new position, she's also aware that Battle Ground High School's softball team has not yet made it to the state tournament. She remembers, even when playing for the Tigers, several times the potential was there and it just didn't materialize. Having that fact in the back of the minds of this year's team is some of the motivation Wiser will be drawing from to take them to her goal of a state appearance.
Also a licensed health and fitness teacher at Tukes Valley Middle School, Wiser has a lot of facets of her personal and professional life to draw from and funnel into her coaching position.
"I want to create the culture of a program where they're being held accountable,'' she said. "A lot of the little things you learn in softball are directly related to life, basically. I feel like I can relate to the girls and give them a lot of advice and be real with them."


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In one report, the Campaign for Educational Equity, which is based at Columbia...
An education advocacy group claimed in two reports Monday that the state is not allocating enough money to schools to provide students with the Constitutional requirement of a "sound basic education."
In one report, the Campaign for Educational Equity, which is based at Columbia University in New York City, summarized which resources are required for an adequate education, based on state legal precedents. That includes a sufficient number of qualified teachers, principals and other personnel; appropriate class sizes; adequate and accessible school buildings; up-to-date books and supplies; suitable curricula; resources for students with extraordinary needs; and a safe environment.
The second report looked at 33 high-needs schools in eight areas of the state and found that many lacked some of the requirements outlined as necessary by New York's highest court.
Twelve schools were in New York City, three were in Rochester and the remaining 18 were in small cities, suburban towns and rural areas. The group did not identify which schools or the smaller districts to protect confidentiality. But the schools represent every region of the state, the report said.
"Thousands of students in our sample of high-needs schools throughout the state -- and almost certainly hundreds of thousands of students in schools like them -- are being taught by inadequately trained and ineffective teachers, are not receiving minimal instruction time in basic subjects, lack access to numerous state-mandated courses, go without necessary books and technology, endure poorly maintained and even unsafe school environments, and fail to receive the extra services and supports that the state statutes and regulations acknowledge that many of them need in order to meet the state's learning standards," the report said.
When several advocacy groups rallied in Albany last week asking for more funding, Gov. Andrew Cuomo responded to their criticisms.
"Education funding went up 4 percent this year," Cuomo said at a cabinet meeting Wednesday. "Four percent is a lot of money. That is a very, very large increase. What else in your life has gone up 4 percent? Most people's income hasn't gone up 4 percent; their home value hasn't gone up 4 percent; their savings account hasn't gone up 4 percent. That is a significant increase.
"At one point, you can't get water out of a stone," he continued.
Last year, Cuomo and the Legislature decided to cap increases in education funding at the rate of personal income growth in New York. The state allocated the maximum, 4 percent, about $800 million, for this year. New York allocates about $20 billion to schools in total.
Thirty-one of the 33 high-needs schools in the study reported that they lacked a sufficient number of certified teachers, leading to larger class sizes and the inability to offer some required courses and electives, according to the study.
In 28 schools, teachers without proper training or certifications were teaching core subject areas, such as English, mathematics, science or social studies.
Only two of the schools in the study had enough teachers with adequate training to follow the state's learning standards for the arts, health education, library and information skills, physical education, technology, foreign language and other specialty areas. Five schools, including three in New York City, had inadequate resources to teach all of these subjects.
Half of the schools did not have enough personnel to implement the state's anti-bullying and safety standards.
Smaller schools were more likely to lack resources for meeting minimum requirements.
"Schools are not willfully ignoring state mandates," according to the report on high-needs schools. "They very simply lack the basic human and material resources necessary to meet them. Most of the schools we studied spent considerable time and great efforts determining how to make the most of their inadequate resources and to stretch them to cover as many students and requirements as they could."
Campaign for Educational Equity was founded by Michael Rebell in 2005. Rebell, who authored the reports, successfully litigated a 2003 school funding lawsuit. The group that sued the state then is called Campaign for Fiscal Equity.
In that case, the Court of Appeals ruled that New York was not funding schools enough to meet basic requirements. After that decision, the state increased education funding, but began cutting when the economy declined.
Campaign for Fiscal Equity has said recently it is preparing to possibly sue again.
Read the reports here:


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Turns out video games aren't all that bad. CNN says so. They've got a story on 23-year-old Trace Curry, a student who goes to Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. Curry studies aviation. He's in a program that teaches him how to pilot unmanned aerial vehicles. And he's doing quite well, which he says is all because of video games.
"The classroom simulator came naturally to me after playing so many video games," Curry told CNN. Video games! They're not evil!


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[Thinking "So, why didn't you call me?" but not wanting to waste my time asking]
Random thoughts from a Brit in the North West. Sometimes serious, sometimes not. Quite often curmudgeonly.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
[Thinking "So, why didn't you call me?" but not wanting to waste my time asking]
13 comments:
- Alfred B. Mittington said...
My dear Colin,
The last thing you ought to worry about is the quality of your blog. No matter how unhappy you may have been with it, it was never 'below par' as far as I could see. Always amusing and informative, if not in ten lines, at least in one. And remember: not every line of Shakespeare is writ in gold either!
Your friend, Al
- 3:09 pm
- Colin Davies said...
Thanks, Al. You're a sport. I take back all the bad things I've said about you to our mutual Dutch friend. None of which I hope he's passed on to you.
- 3:14 pm
- Joanna P. said...
Just to add to what Alfred said: I hope you know that, during the months when you weren't feeling up to writing anything on your blog, a lot of us continued to check every single day, and it's been lovely to see you come back in fighting form.
Please come and visit us sometime. You can even bring my dad with you ;-)
- 4:55 pm
- Colin Davies said...
Thanks you, Joanna. That's a lovely message and it meant a lot to me. Your dad and I had a great lunch yesterday. I just wish I could make my life as simple as his! I will certainly come up and sea you when back in Spanish harness. Probably with your dad. Besos. C.
- 7:31 pm
- sp said...
I'd not noticed a drop in quality, but I did miss the blog when it didn't appear - so thanks for keeping it going when it would have been easier not to.
- 10:29 pm
- kraal said...
Although relatively new to your blog I do look forward to reading it and hope you continue to write for a long time to come. I think Alfred says it all. K.
- 12:59 pm
- Colin Davies said...
Very many, thanks. K.
- 1:04 pm
- Colin Davies said...
@ Alfie. Who's this Shakespeare?
- 1:04 pm
- Colin Davies said...
@ sp. Very many thanks for your kind comments. And for your understanding of how difficult it was at times.
- 10:04 am
- Perry said...
I sympathise with your predicament.Something similar happened to me 21 years ago. Out of the blue, I went from having a positive outlook on life to being unable to empathise with people. It was a disaster. Even simple arithmetic became difficult. My GP suggested I had depression, to which I replied was impossible. However difficult certain episodes in my life had been, I was only unhappy, not helpless.
My predominant thought was that the illness was totally counter productive. I needed to earn my living, but I couldn't face going to work, which increased my stress and made me almost suicidal.
After about 18 months, I returned to some semblance of normality, but I never regained my self assurance that whatever life throw at me, I would always cope. That certainity has gone and with it, the joy of feeling refreshed each morning and being able to look forward to the day. I am not unhappy, but being carefree is long gone. Self motivation once was so easy. Now I just sits 'n' thinks. Bugger!
I wish you well and that there are no further episodes. Ask for B12 injections.
All the best,
- 11:16 am
- Colin Davies said...
Hi, Perry.
Many thanks for your kindness in writing and for your sharing your own situation. It reminded me that, not long before I was hit by the falling anvil, I had congratulated myself on being a very lucky man.
I fell sure that your confidence will return, eventually. And I certainly hope it does. CBT may be one avenue to explore for help with this, if you haven't already done so.
And thanks for the B12 link. I fancy one of my daughters has already talked to me about this.
All the best.
- 11:37 am
- paideleo said...
Xame extrañaba a min que non escribises tanto !.
Espero que todo vaia ben e sigas contando cousas. Gústame ler o que dis sobre Galicia e a xente porque dás outro enfoque distinto do meu.
- 10:58 pm
- Colin Davies said...
Muitas grazas.
- 5:25 am


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Jeff Johnson
Itawamba Agricultural High Class of 1987
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Atira Women's Resource Centre
Vancouver, British Columbia
More information coming soon!
Vancouver, British Columbia
More information coming soon!
Let us green the earth, restore the earth, heal the earth.
- Ian McHarg
Sustainability is at the heart of our work. We are committed to ecologically responsible design and construction methods, and actively seek work that allows us to incorporate rainwater management techniques, appropriate construction materials, and habitat and biodiversity enhancement strategies. Our LEED-certified professionals work on celebrated green building projects across the country. But we're also trying to do more than simply minimize our environmental impact; with each shoreline habitat restoration, living roof design, and sustainable community plan, we restore and regenerate ecological systems. Reconnecting people with natural processes opens up a world of sustainable, innovative, and joyful experiences.
Houses make a town, but citizens
make a city.
- Jean-Jaques Rousseau
Public places – places of and for people – are essential parts of the community landscape. They're where we learn, celebrate culture, and maintain civic activities. PWL understands that such places are both symbolic and highly used, providing a sense of community and identity important to all.
Our many years designing elementary and secondary school grounds have evolved to include college and university campuses, all inspiring and functional learning landscapes. Our richly textured landscapes support the activities of many cultural sites, from community centres and sports complexes to museums and cultural centres. In all this work, we never forget who we are designing for: the people.
First life, then spaces, then buildings - the other way around never works.
-Jan Gehl
We know that first impressions are important. That's why we carefully consider the elements of our corporate campus, office plaza, and commercial landscape designs. These designs concentrate on identity and rich detail but never neglect usability and durability. Our clients appreciate our cost-effective and elegant solutions for the places that are often become the faces of the companies behind them.
Perhaps a garden is best considered as a precise point of connection between a human and the earth.
-Robert Thayer
From the civic plaza animated with public events, to the neighbourhood park where friends meet and children play, parks help make our communities loved and livable. PWL has decades of park design experience, notably our work on waterfront parks. Our two decades of involvement with Vancouver's Coal Harbour waterfront makes clear our commitment to understanding local and regional character, creating fun and evolving spaces, and supporting community activities.
Meaning accrues over time.
- Marc Treib
What makes built, open, public and private places work together seamlessly? We believe it's the planning and common vision that comes before a single stone is laid. PWL's site planning work with municipalities, institutions, and developers involves an integrated approach with the client and project team to ensure success.
We find that a multi-disciplinary approach that includes the ecological, historical, and cultural aspects of the landscape produces the most robust and meaningful designs. As well as providing guidelines for future development, our work has grown to include streetscapes, greenways, and way-finding signage: all parts of well-planned and thoughtfully designed communities.
We must not build housing, we must build communities.
- Mike Burton
We proudly work with clients across the Lower Mainland on low rise, high rise, and mixed-use residential developments. Our focus on finely detailed design treatments and clever use of common materials result in highly usable landscapes that are sensory experiences at both the small and large scale. Whether for privacy, recreation, children's play, or quiet garden enjoyment, our residential landscapes create a sense of identity for these developments and allow the residences to truly become homes.
The people of cities understand the symbolic, ceremonial, social and political roles of streets, not just those of movement and access.
- Allan B. Jacobs, Great Streets
Much of public life occurs in the street. In addition to their business, social, and recreational uses, streets play an important role in sustainable city planning by contributing to the urban forest, accommodating alternative transportation options, and providing for rainwater infiltration. At PWL we endeavor to create distinct streetscapes that capture and create a street character that is unique to the location – from the vibrant neon lined Granville Street in the heart of Vancouver's downtown to the sustainable streets of Southeast False Creek.
We also believe in the need for safe and convenient infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists. The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create sustainable cities has brought this infrastructure to the forefront of many municipal and regional plans. Our extensive work on urban trails has improved the livability of streets and neighbourhoods throughout Metro Vancouver, and further developed our expertise in trail design, urban planning, public consultation, and construction.
Cities have a tremendous, and fleeting, opportunity to reclaim their waterfronts.
- William H. Whyte
People naturally gravitate to waterfronts. Around the world, urban waterfronts are being transformed from industrial brownfields to vibrant, active people places. PWL's expanding experience in the planning and detail design of urban waterfronts has helped to reknit and reconnect the urban fabric of cities to their waterfront in Vancouver, the lower mainland and abroad. Because waterfront sites often have a rich industrial heritage, our innovative designs impart a sense of the unique history and culture of each site -- celebrating the past while looking toward the future.
We've created vibrant and inspiring spaces that capture the users' imagination, allowing people to more closely and creatively connect with their waterfronts. In all our waterfront work, we strive to preserve and enhance important ecological functions and harmonize human use with natural systems.
What makes a place unique?
The small-scale spaces of a city are important to the quality of every day life. You should be able to relax—talk, sit, listen—in the intimate spaces of a city. There should be opportunities for people to connect, and for community to flourish. Once established, these spaces have a tendency to perpetuate themselves, and to add life and vitality to the city.
PWL Partnership has a way of getting extensively involved in the creation of community placemaking projects… Courtyards, parklets, wharves, public squares, you name it. In addition to providing design services, members of our team often volunteer their time to see these projects to completion. We like to really engage and connect with stakeholders on an intimate level, and these community placemaking projects allow us to do that.
This is just one of the ways we're incredibly proud of our work at PWL Partnership.


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I will never hear Kiss' "Calling Dr. Love" the same way again.
Tag Archives: Alex Pettyfer
Now showing on cable: "I Am Number Four"
Premiering on Showtime this weekend was this year's Sci-Fi movie, "I Am Number Four"
"I Am Number Four" is the story of nine alien children who escape to earth in order to hide from a hostile race, the Mogadorians, which have invaded their home planet. The nine of them were "gifted" with special powers which could help them fight back against the invaders. Now, however, the "Mogs" have found them on Earth, and are killing them in sequential order. The first three are dead. "John Smith" is number four.
It's kind of like an alien assassination game of nine-ball.


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IMF Survey Vol.31, No.13 July 2002
- Group of Eight summit: Leaders agree on action plan for Africa, more grant aid for poor countries
- Rogoff's discontent with Stiglitz
- Peace in Colombia possible with help from the international community
- Köhler welcomes progress in talks with Argentina
- IMF approves significant increase in lending to Uruguay
- Dialogue with Angus Deaton: When numbers don't tell the full story about poverty in India and the world
- Do budget cuts hurt low-income countries?
- ECOSOC: Köhler calls on richest countries to show leadership as global economy recovers
- IMF clears way for Turkish drawing
- Interview with Taye Mengistae and Catherine Pattillo: Why are African manufacturing exporters more productive than nonexporters?
- Selected IMF rates
- Recent publications
- Available on the web
Dialogue with Angus Deaton: When numbers don't tell the full story about poverty in India and the world
- International Monetary Fund. External Relations Dept.
- Published Date:
- January 2002
Show Summary Details
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Some people would file this exercise in camouflage under performance art. Others would suggest this guy has too much time on his hands. I say, why can't it be both?
This belongs to a series called Urban Camouflage, and the stunt aims to solve the mystery of disguising oneself in an urban space. I can certainly respect the high-mindedness behind the idea, but I refuse to believe the artist didn't do it part just to screw around and be a jackass (0:45 into the video is especially great). Be sure to check out more photos and video over at [Urban Camouflage via Boing Boing via Prefix]


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Reimold plays hero with 10th-inning walk-off double
Stroman brilliant over nine in duel; Navarro sends game to extras
TORONTO -- It was a pitchers' duel, but neither starter factored into a decision as the Blue Jays topped the Tigers with a walk-off win on Saturday. Marcus Stroman and Max Scherzer went back and forth, each putting together a dominant performance and a quality start, but it was Nolan Reimold who emerged the hero in extra innings.
The outfielder delivered a walk-off double against reliever Joba Chamberlain in the 10th inning as the Blue Jays edged the Tigers 3-2 at Rogers Centre.
"I feel good. I was happy to get the chance to come through," said Reimold, who took an 0-2 slider to the wall in left-center field to score the winning run. "The whole team played a great game, Stroman pitched awesome, so it's a good team win."
After a ninth-inning collapse the night before, the Blue Jays were in need of some late-innings magic, a sentiment manager John Gibbons had expressed earlier in the week.
Down 2-1 in the ninth, Toronto grinded out the tying run after Jose Reyes singled to lead off the inning against closer Joe Nathan, who was saddled with his sixth blown save. The speedy shortstop swiped second, moved to third on a sac fly and scored on an RBI single from Dioner Navarro to keep the Blue Jays in the game.
Aaron Loup took over for Stroman and worked through the 10th, setting the table for the bottom half that saw Danny Valencia single to start off the inning that led to Reimold's heroics.
"Our two new guys came through for us in that last inning, which was big. It was a great day all the way around. It was really the only way to end it," Gibbons said.
Not lost on anyone was Stroman's brilliant outing, and although he didn't get the win, he became the first Blue Jays rookie since 2004 to pitch nine innings. He allowed two earned runs on four hits, while walking three and fanning four.
Stroman, who was coming off an ugly loss to the Astros on Sunday, didn't tire as he recorded his 10th quality start. The 23-year-old said he had a good feeling his team would be able to pull out their fifth walk-off victory of the season.
"Everyone was super confident in the dugout. Guys kind of had a buzz about them that knew we were going to get the job done and it ended up working out," Stroman said. "As everything was unfolding, I was just sitting there excited."
Scherzer, meanwhile, continued his dominance over the Blue Jays despite not earning the win. He was still touching 97 mph in the eighth, and he went eight innings while allowing one earned run on four hits with 11 strikeouts.
It was his 17th quality start of the season and his fourth in as many outings. Scherzer has a 4-0 career record at Rogers Centre.
The opposing right-handers cruised through the opening 5 2/3 innings, allowing no runs and a pair of hits each. But with two outs in the fifth, both Stroman and Scherzer ran into trouble.
After retiring two in a row to open the inning, Stroman gave up a single to Ian Kinsler before walking Miguel Cabrera. Victor Martinez then slashed an outside fastball to the left-field corner, driving in both runners to break the scoreless tie and put Detroit up, 2-0.
Scherzer also stumbled in the sixth after recording back-to-back strikeouts to begin the frame. Reyes singled up the middle before Melky Cabrera brought him home with a double to deep left-center field to give the Blue Jays a run and some life.
But Jose Bautista, who entered the contest a career .571 hitter against Scherzer, went down on three straight pitches and the Tigers escaped with a one-run lead that lasted until the bottom of the ninth.
"He's good. He's pretty unreal," Stroman said of his counterpart. "I definitely felt like I had to pick myself up after he -- he was throwing 97 [mph] in the eighth by guys. He has another gear, too. "
Scherzer was equally complimentary of Stroman's performance.
"He's a terrific pitcher. He's got a lightning quick arm and he's got nasty stuff," Scherzer said. "To have only a handful of starts in the league and already look like that, he's going to be something special."
The win gives the Blue Jays their seventh win in their last 10 games at home as they improved to 4-1 against the Tigers on the season.


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You may not know his name, but you've played his games. Jerry O'Flaherty made his name as Gears of War's Art Director. He also co-founded Ion Storm and worked on Daikatana. Next up, a movie!
O'Flaherty signed on to do the feature film version of Thundercats. In 2007. Hollywood moves slowly, and that flick is apparently on hold. In the meantime, he's kept himself busy directing live action spots like these.


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I imagine the family of Elizabeth Edwards feels tremendously sad about their loss. But even though I never met her, her passing seems especially difficult for all of us who have had breast cancer. She lived with stage 4 cancer much longer than most. She faced her illness (at least in public, where I witnessed it), with a dignity and courage I have rarely experienced. Now that I am a parent, it's particularly hard for me to think about her children and the loss of their mother in their older years, when I think you actually begin to appreciate mothering.
I watched her Larry King interviews. I didn't read her books. I do remember learning that she said one of the most eloquent things I have heard. A reporter asked her what it was like to know she was going to die. She turned and said, "Well, we all know we are going to die, I just have a little bit more information than some."
Isn't that the truth of breast cancer? We hope we are not going to die today, and I wish, not for a long time. But that knowledge could change your life: how you make day-to-day decisions, what you let upset or rile you, and most importantly, how you interact with your family and friends. Let breast cancer be an instrument of peace in your daily life — if for no other reason than because we have had it.


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Here is me telling you about a thing I wrote elsewhere! For Jezebel, specifically. A sample:
So, can't I just agree to disagree with Sarah Palin – or at least to ignore her use of the term and continue to go about my business? Well, evidently not, or I wouldn't be writing this. The problem is, words mean things. I could start calling myself a red meat conservative, or campaign for those of us who are against the death penalty to "reclaim" the term "pro-life," but at some point, the relationship between your beliefs and your choice of words either passes the sniff test or it doesn't. And someone who actively seeks to restrict women's freedom calling herself a feminist is, not to put too fine a point on it, a liar. There's a difference between a big tent and no boundaries whatsoever; if Palin's "entitled to be accepted" as a feminist just because she says she's one, then the word is completely meaningless — as opposed to merely vague and controversial. And I might just start calling myself a "right-winger" because I'm right-handed, or a "fundamentalist" because I believe everyone deserves a solid primary education, or a "birther" because I once hosted a baby shower.


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I'll be flying to Halifax this weekend, so how wonderful to read in Marcus Chown's The Quantum Zoo: A Tourist's Guide to the Neverending Universe that the faster I travel, the slimmer I get.
Hallelujah to that. (Although, to be fair, runners have been telling us that for years.)
Chown's book was full of other intriguing possibilities, too.
Some men (and some women) will be pleased to know that every breath you take could contain an atom breathed out by Marilyn Munroe. People working in the penthouse suites of tall buildings will learn to their chagrin that we age faster at the top of a building than at the bottom. It's also interesting to know that a cup of coffee weighs more when it is hot than when it is cold.
My favourites, though, are these:
- Atoms are mostly empty space. Without all the empty space, the entire human race would fit in the volume of a sugar cube.
So much for needing personal space.
- If we were able to catch up with a beam of light, we would see a stationary electromagnetic wave. This is impossible. (According to some complex equations worked out by James Maxwell.) Since seeing impossible things is indeed impossible, we could never catch up with a light beam.
Infinite, elusive light. It reassures me to know that something out there can't be captured, tied down and made to conform.
It makes me wonder what else might have the same elusive quality?
"As a science writer I am constantly amazed by how much stranger science is than science fiction, how much more incredible the Universe is than anything we could possibly have invented." —Marcus Chown


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Beyond Cuteness: Scientists Deliver A Panda Baby Boom
This year, Zoo Vienna welcomed Fu Bao, or "Happy Leopard." Madrid celebrated the birth of Xing Bao, or "Star Treasure." And in Washington, D.C., the arrival of Bao Bao, or "Precious Treasure," had panda fans glued to panda cams.
In all, 2013 saw the birth of 49 panda cubs around the world, and 42 of them have survived. That's a record and an indication that captive breeding programs are working. There are now a total of 376 pandas living in captivity, most of them in China.
The steady gains in the panda population have brought not only more adorable photos, but also better science for researchers to draw on.
In July, when Zoo Atlanta's female panda Lun Lun surprised keepers with twins, the staff quickly implemented a swapping technique developed by researchers in China to keep both cubs alive.
The Chinese had observed that panda mothers would not care for two cubs at once. Given how tiny and vulnerable cubs are at birth, one would almost certainly die without care.
So in Atlanta, while Cub A was with mother Lun Lun, Cub B was kept warm in an incubator. For the first few weeks, the cubs were swapped every two hours, and later, every three to four hours.
Rebecca Snyder, Zoo Atlanta's curator of mammals, says these kinds of discoveries have really made a difference.
"I think the research has been a key reason that the captive population is doing so well now. Applying that to the wild population is not so easy," she says.
Snyder hopes visitors to the zoo will be inspired to do something for panda conservation.
"I hope that they see our cubs and then think about cubs that were born last fall in the wild, and want to do something to make sure those cubs also have a bright future," Snyder says.
Growing Numbers And Genetic Diversity
The Chinese government's last survey of pandas puts the wild population at roughly 1,600 animals. A new survey is expected to be released next year.
Jonathan Ballou, population manager at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the National Zoo, worries that the remaining panda habitat is fragmented, so pandas cannot roam from one forest to another.
"It's not 1,600 animals in some big huge forest," he explains. "It's 1,600 animals that are spread among a dozen or so forests, and some of them have very few animals. So there is going to be inbreeding and there are going to be catastrophes like landslides, which destroy the habitat."
Ballou's focus now is on preserving as much genetic diversity as possible in the captive population, with the aim of breeding pandas that, as a group, are hardier and less vulnerable to disease. The ultimate goal is to return that genetic diversity to the wild.
To determine each panda's genetic value, Ballou came up with something called a "mean kinship formula." Pandas with fewer relatives have a higher value than those with a lot of relatives. Each year, Ballou is part of a team that travels to China to make recommendations for matches based on these numbers.
The Intricacies Of Panda Matchmaking
There are some animals Ballou won't recommend for breeding, such as Pan Pan, a 28-year old male who has fathered 32 offspring and has a total of 119 descendants, including Bao Bao, the new cub in Washington, D.C. Ballou says Pan Pan's genes are overrepresented in the gene pool.
Ballou is most interested in cubs of "founders," wild-born pandas that are rescued, usually after wandering into villages hungry or sick.
"If I know the mom and dad are wild-caught animals and haven't bred before, that makes me the most excited, getting these genes into the population," he says.
In China, researchers have begun reintroducing captive pandas into the wild. Ballou believes that sometime soon they'll be talking about matching pairs of pandas to produce cubs specifically for this purpose.
Currently, the goal is to reach a total of 500 pandas in captivity, which Ballou thinks they'll hit within a few years. That's the number needed to preserve 90 percent of captive pandas' genetic diversity for 200 years.
"What happens now is going to be important in the long term for these guys," he says.
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel. And now, another number of the year. In these waning days of 2013, we've been looking at numbers that tell us something about what's happened around the world and today our number is 42. And we don't mean the answer to the question, life, the universe and everything. Forty-two is the number of giant panda cubs that were born in captivity this year and survived. NPR's Andrea Hsu explains what the number tells us and what it doesn't tell us about pandas.
ANDREA HSU, BYLINE: Madrid welcomed Xing Bao, Vienna got Fu Bao and in Washington, D.C., hello, Bao Bao.
HSU: Here she is at a checkup just shy of eight weeks. Forty-two surviving cubs in one year is a record and brings the total number of pandas in captivity to 376, most of them in China, of course. The steady gains in the panda population mean not only more unbearably cute photos to coo over, but also better science for researchers to tap.
So, for example, this summer, Atlanta's Lun Lun made this news.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: This mama panda has her paws full tonight. Workers at Zoo Atlanta were preparing for one cub birth. Well, imagine their surprise when two cubs showed up today.
HSU: And although the U.S. had never seen a successful twin birth before, panda keepers knew exactly what to do.
REBECCA SNYDER: To get them both to survive takes some work.
HSU: Rebecca Snyder is Zoo Atlanta's curator of mammals. She says they used a technique developed by their Chinese counterparts.
SNYDER: Periodically, we swap them.
HSU: When they were newborns, it happened every two hours. The Chinese had observed that panda mothers would not tend to two cubs at once. So in Atlanta, while Cub A was with mom, Cub B was kept warm in an incubator and they both thrived. Snyder says these kinds of discoveries like this have made a difference.
SNYDER: I do think the research has been a key reason that the captive population is doing so well now. Applying that to the wild population is not so easy.
HSU: So for all those hoopla over zoo births, there's still a lot of trepidation about pandas in the wild.
JONATHAN BALLOU: I think the breeding success is exciting and is really positive news. The message is we're not there yet.
HSU: Jon Ballou is population manager at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
BALLOU: We don't know how many pandas are in the wild. The last survey showed 1600 in the wild. Sounds like a lot, but put 1600 people into a football stadium and it looks like a pretty small group right there, right? And so it's not enough.
HSU: Moreover, he says, their habitat is fragmented. It's not one big forest. Wild pandas live in scattered patches of forest. They cannot roam from one patch to another so they're even more exposed to environmental threats and inbreeding. Ballou's focus now is preserving as much genetic diversity as possible in the captive population. He wants to breed pandas that are, as a group, hardier and less vulnerable to disease.
BALLOU: Up until about four years ago, the focus was really on trying to create as many pandas as possible, which is important when you have a small population because you need to get a large. But as the population becomes larger, then you can focus more on genetic management.
HSU: Ballou came up with a formula to determine each panda's genetic value. Those with fewer relatives are more valuable than those with a lot of relatives. Each year, he crunches the numbers and travels to China to recommend matches. Now, there are pandas that Ballou won't recommend for breeding.
Take prolific Pan Pan, a 28-year old male who has fathered 32 cubs. Pan Pan's descendants, all 119 of them including Bao Bao, remember her?
They all share some genes. So matter how adorable, the birth of another Pan Pan descendent just isn't that interesting to Ballou.
BALLOU: If I know the mom and dad and are wild-caught animals and haven't bred before, that makes me the most excited, getting these genes into the population. Yes, and they're cute. Okay, that's kind of an added bonus.
HSU: In the mountains of Southwestern China, researchers have begun reintroducing captive pandas into the wild. But they've told Ballou they're not releasing the most genetically valuable ones yet, given what little is known about how they'll fare.
BALLOU: But I suspect in the future we will be talking about creating pairs to produce cubs to release into the wild.
HSU: Ones with stellar genes that he hopes will insure the long term survival of the species. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Artist description:
I don't know if is correct,but I love more animals that people.....
Java Draw Created Nov 16, 2008 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2008 silvia.
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You sure captured his soul! Wonderful! 5/5 coll
Wow Fantastic draw1 What a sweet Dog,,,The emotion in the eyes is marvelous! Love it so 5/5
cutie doggy..
Cute daschund!!!! 5h + fav
Amazing draw!! faves and 5/5
It's lovely! Collection! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::♥♥♥♥♥:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
just beautiful...i love the dog's eyes and the fur!
WOWOWOWOWOW This is sooo amazing! Beautiful drawing! 5++++
i love doggies more than pple too! im adding this to my dog collection


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The Seaside Collection is a fresh approach to casual cottage style furniture. Mixing the best of cottage and country it creates an updated contemporary design. The collection mixes the best of cottage and country to create a more contemporary design. The Antiqued White finish shows some slightly worn edges and distressing which add traditional aged looked for a cozy heirloom feel. Crafted out of solid hardwoods and painted wood products to create a reliable piece of furniture. This collection is a great choice for younger girls and teenagers. This pieces are so versatile they could even be used to decorate guest bedrooms or vacation homes.
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