text:
Larry Long's 'White Sheets in the White House' is a quiet but fierce protest song
Timely though it may be, Larry Long wrote "White Sheets in the White House" before the latest expression of America's racist white underbelly exposed itself for all to see.
The veteran Minneapolis songwriter, educator, and activist wrote the tune before Donald Trump tweeted "America First!" (a slogan historically favored by the Ku Klux Klan). Before the photo of the smug white Catholic school kid and native elder became the official which-side-are-you-on? portrait of America 2019. Before "The red MAGA hat is the new white hood" started trending on Twitter.
Long chatted with City Pages about "White Sheets in the White House," which he said was inspired by Billie Holiday's 1939 song "Strange Fruit" and recorded at Creation Audio in Minneapolis, and rush-released two days later.
City Pages: Not many songwriters are putting their necks out there like this. Talk about the courage it takes to write a song like this in these times.
Larry Long: After the last election, I had told myself, "I'm just going to write love songs," and that's what I've been doing because the world was in need of, and I was in need of, love songs. And reminding myself of what life is really meant to be about, which is take care for others and have others care for you and family. But the chorus line to "White Sheets in the White House" hit me and I thought it was an interesting hook. I ran it by some friends of mine and asked if I should be pursuing this. Some people from within the community of color in particular really urged me to proceed, because as a white man coming up with such privilege, and 70 percent of the white community voted for this guy, so it's really a white issue because the majority of people of color didn't vote for this guy.
I proceeded to write the lyrics, and they went all over the map, and then I spent a month getting the lyrics down and being really thoughtful and hoping that this song would not just be about my race, but that it will impact other people. I'm also hoping that people who did vote for this guy would bring them into some sort of reconsideration about why they did so. It took some pretty deep reflection, because some people felt like I shouldn't do it. But in terms of my life work, this song is no different than "Polk County Blues" that I recorded 40 years ago and the response to the times that we were in then.
CP: Does it feel odd to you that, given the current administration and the tradition of protest songwriting, there haven't been many new tunes that have made a dent?
LL: That was a strong basis for why I did it. I've noticed that there's been kind of a void. The best work came from Eminem. His piece of work was incredible, and you'll hear it coming out of the hip-hop community and other places, but a definite void on the scene as well, even in the folk community. So I felt an obligation and I thought, "This is just off the chain, what's going on." It's brutal, and every day is an assault on core values of what I hope to be true of our children and myself and what I expect from others and what others expect from me. I just thought, ten years from now if I look back and there is no statement that comes out from me as an artist, I'm going to feel pretty badly about it. And that was a strong calling for completing the song and recording it.
CP: What do you hope to happen with the tune? What impact?
LL: My hope really is that it inspires others do the same and plus, in a small way, it breaks the silence. I mean, the fact is I've had over 20,000 hits on this song in a week, which tells me that there's a need and from the generous and kind comments people have made, it's [been appreciated]—along with the hatred coming out. Some people cut like a knife blade and don't think about the words they use.
CP: Who would have ever thought that you'd be writing a song about the Klan in the White House, or white supremacy and the growing white nationalism and anti-Semitism being emboldened by the president of the United States? You're one of the few white men standing up in public and singing about it all.
LL: I was reflecting on it yesterday, and Donald Trump is merely a limb grown from the roots of historical trauma of our nation. His name is not mentioned in the song, and that's with intentionality. People obviously know who I'm talking about. He's a liar and he's a bigot, and he's using the old playbook that goes back to Adolf Hitler. If you tell a lie long enough, people start to believe it.
CP: Woody Guthrie did not think twice about writing a song like this. Did he inspire you?
LL: I did think about Dylan's "Masters of War" as I wrote it. I met Pete Seeger because of Governor Elmer Benson, who was a farmer-labor governor of Minnesota after Floyd B. Olson. Governor Benson called Pete and said, "There's somebody out here in the farm community who's doing what you and Woody did." Pete called me on the phone, wanting to meet me, and Pete and I got connected because of the connection of building community through song. It wasn't about the style of music you played, it was about what we can do as fellow musicians to make the world better.
Pete went through the blacklist of the McCarthy years, and that is the tradition I chose to walk in years ago. Meeting Pete was transformational, because everything you would hope Pete to be, he was, and even more so. I got drawn to Pete of course by Woody, because Woody was the romanticized minstrel who wrote a lot of hard-hitting songs and he died young. Woody's now institutionalized with the Woody Guthrie museum in Tulsa and Dylan's archives are right next to him, but there's a problem with institutionalization.
CP: Good that there are songwriters like you out there, free of the institutionalization, alive and well and writing.
LL: I've been doing this a long time, as you know, and I've somehow gotten away with it. At 67, I have incredible gratitude for that. But I worked as an educator for several years, and as an educator it wasn't my job to speak out like I did on "White Sheets in the White House." It was my job to give voice to young people and for them to speak their truths. The question is still always the answer, but I stepped out of doing that work two years ago, and I'm back to doing this—really working out melodies and lyrics and hopefully helping educate people, along with myself.
My new record, Slow Night, just came out, and I've been working on my art as a musician, and I think that came through on this recording. The other thing is, all these musicians—Joe Savage, Daryl Boudreaux, Sid Gasner, Robert Robinson, Van Nixon—these people all donated time. And I'm going, "I sure hope they're OK with what they stepped into here."
It was recorded on a Sunday, and we had it out in two days as an artists' response to Donald Trump's speech to the nation and justification for the wall. It was done pretty rapidly, and Creation studio gave us that space at no cost because [owner/engineer] Steve Wiese believed in the message. Everybody contributed with great generosity.
CP: How does it feel now, hearing it back these days as a soundtrack to what comes over our newsfeed every hour?
LL: I believe in every word I wrote, and the last verse, "Let's build a wall around you and make you pay for it, too/We'll be great again when your term is through." I did think about "Masters of War" with that verse, and it put a smile on my face and it still does.


text:
Monday, March 25, 2013
Best of the Rest! Week of 3/20/13
Daredevil #24: This was actually the high-point of this week's BotR post... Which doesn't bode well as we move forward... Basically DD is inching closer to finding out who the mystery villain who has been putting the screws to him was. Foggy learns that he had a rare type of bone tumor, and the doctors weren't sure if it had spread or not. Yeah, this comic is great, no doubt. Mark Waid has a little something for everybody here. Heroes, villains, secret plots, some drama, AND mutated dogs! What more could one ask for?! Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
X-Factor #253: We get some escalation in the Hell on Earth war, as the various devils begin to wage war upon each other on Earth. Satana tries to kill Tier(because Satana is frigging AWESOME), but Tier chases her away. Polaris decides the best course of action was to sic Tier on the Hell-Lords, since he can hurt them. And Madrox is a demon thanks to Mephisto. Sadly, this comic didn't really do it for me. I mean it was all right and all, and I LOVE that Peter David showed that other heroes were involved in battling the demons, which you don't often see in a story like this, but the narrative was kind of spread all over the place... We were in Mephisto's hell. And on the streets. And watching demons fight. And in a hotel room. It just didn't gel for me, which is very rare for this series. But hey, I'm sure I'll be heaping praise on the next issue, so one not-so-good issue isn't a big thing. Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
Saga #11: First things first, I LOVE the hell out of this series!!! With that out of the way, I have to admit, this issue didn't really do it for me. Basically Marco's father helped the group get away from the space baby, but at the cost of his life. Marco and his mom naturally don't take the death well. That's really the extent of the main storyline here. I've got to admit, Marco's dad dying here was a bit disappointing. I thought that character had some legs, and figured he'd slowly fade away as the issues progressed. Instead he popped up a few issues ago and died. If he would have stuck around a bit, the impact of his death probably would have been greater, but sadly, that's not what we got. Even though this wasn't my favorite issue of this great series, it still wasn't bad, which shows you the quality of this title. Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
Invincible #101: So yeah, Eve is pregnant again. This time though, she has a doctor who specializes in super-human biology, and learns that she can't use her powers while she's pregnant, which you KNOW will come into play down the road. Robot hates Mark, Cecil hates Nolan, and Thragg hates everybody. That about sums this one up. I hate to sound like a broken record, but again, this issue just didn't hit the mark for me... I don't know what the problem was, but I just never connected to this comic. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great... Score: 6 out of 10.
Indestructible Hulk #5: Hulk manages to defeat Attuma with some help from Lemurian rebels. Plus one of the Lemurians makes out with Hulk. Here we go again, you know the song I'm gonna be playing... I never connected with this issue... Yep, again. There was some good here, namely Attuma, who Mark Waid wrote brilliantly, but I never fell into this story. It was okay. But that's all. Score: 6 out of 10.
Dark Avengers #188: Oh boy, this comic... Um, the Dark Avengers are still trapped in an alternate Earth. There's some sort of mystery there concerning AIM(I think...) and the Spider-Man of that world is worshiped as a god by the likes of Shang-Chi and Misty Knight... But he gets killed by Tigra. Oh, and Moonstone died, but came back over the course of this comic. See, now this comic? This comic was bad. Not okay, just bad. I was willing to go along for the ride at first, I've repeatedly stated that I love alternate dimensional tales, but this one simply isn't working for me. Probably because we have like zero character development going on here. Seriously, I have NO reason to care about ANY of the Dark Avengers. We REALLY need to get away from the main story here and shine a light on the characters on this team... Score: 3 out of 10.
DC Universe Presents: Starfire #18: Basically we see Starfire as a slave, then free, then allowing herself to get caught so she can free more people. The former top dog that wanted to free everyone was jealous, so he attacked her and she sliced his hands off with his sword. Upon gaining the chance to free everyone, the slaves were so afraid of Starfire they just wanted her to go, which she did. So... useless story sadly, nothing really happened, if only it showed that Star's a tough S.O.B. and scares people. Sad thing is, Joe Keatinge's last issue that starred Roy Harper was pretty good. Score: 2/10
Captain Marvel #11: Captain Marvel's been diagnosed with a lesion on her brain that expands every time she flies, it's not fatal but if she continues to fly it'll wipe away her memories, so now she's using a hover-bike, which she hates. We find out that she has some mysterious man stalking her, and he's been sending a new Deathbird, dubbed Newbird by Carol to her apartment building. Carol heads off to find Newbird and engages her in a fight in the sky, with her hover-bike of course. This was a pretty good issue, Carol continues to be written likable and fun, and the story of her not being able to fly, after putting so much emphasis on her love of flying throughout the series has been great. Score: 7/10
Justice League #18: The League is looking for new members because a few of them are busy with their cities or ruling Atlantis. Possible recruits are Black Canary (She's on the BoP...), Black Lighting, Blue Demon, Element Woman, Firestorm, Goldrush, Nightwing, Vixen, Zatanna and Platinum of the Metal Men. Platinum goes crazy, predictably, and the League and candidates take her down, with the help of The Atom. By the way, Atom is a Hispanic woman now. The League ends up picking Atom, Firestorm and Element Woman over Vixen, Zatanna and Canary because they're stupid, and Nightwing isn't interested in joining. The issue ends with them finding out their recruitment files have been hacked, so someone has info on all these heroes now. Oops! I was flabbergasted that they didn't pick at least one of the three women I named... but whatever. That aside, this issue was kind of predictable, especially with Platinum's heel turn. Score: 5/10
New Avengers #4: With time running out until Earth crashes into another Earth, the Illuminati decide to go to the other planet and try to use their Infinity Gems to blow it up, since the Illuminati's Gems broke in the last issue. Once they arrive, they see on this planet the Statue of Liberty is replaced by a statue of the Master of Magnet himself, Magneto. They also see Galactus is already about to eat this planet, but instead of counting this as a win, they decide to fight his Thanos-like herald, because why not? This issue was fine and dandy until the weird ending where they decided to fight a villain on a planet that's dying... the same planet they came to destroy. Also, I was expecting more with the fallout of them mind-wiping Captain America but not too much came of that. Score: 6/10
Red Hood and the Outlaws #18: This is Lobdell's last issue of RHATO, and after surprisingly enjoying issue 19, I was looking forward to this issue. Jason came to the realization that the reason he has lashed out at Bruce and the rest of the family is because he was trying to escape his past, but he needs to embrace it instead of run away from it. We also find out his face is going to be fine in the future thanks to Alfred's handiwork. We end things with Jason finally waking up and he's about to apologize but Bruce cuts him off and hugs him as the issue ends. I really enjoyed this issue, Jason finally being welcomed back to the fold is something I've wanted for a while as a Jason Todd fan, so this issue was a huge plus for me. Plus it really made sense for Bruce, after losing Jason once, then losing Damian, I doubt he wants to risk being distant with Jason any longer. The only thing I really had a problem with was this being billed as "Requiem" issue and Damian was never mentioned once. Score: 9/10
And THAT'S how you do a best of the rest post! Not like that farce X did last week. Anyway, I can see this being a weekly thing if mi hermano is up for it, so we can knock out even more books, considering sometimes people want info on books we read but don't review. So, look forward to me guiding X like the giant idiotic man-child he is through these posts on a regular basis. So that's it for me, until my final review of the week tomorrow. So til then, for myself and X, this is JT, signing off!
17 comments:
Alot of bad lol.ReplyDelete
I just want to say about XFactor...ReplyDelete
WHAT THE HELL! Seriously! Shatterstar gets his arm broken and they want him to carry Monet? Not to mention push his teleportation ability. When did that shorten down to an hour? Wasn't it like four the last time he used it?
OK, I'm going to try to comment on these as I read them, so sorry for the multiple posts. WTF with "New Avengers" though? So, we're here to destroy a planet so that our Universe doesn't get destroyed, but that seems like a bad guy thing to do, so we're going to try to save this planet...and destroy our universe? I mean, I get that the ethics of destroying universes is a little complicated, but saving your universe at the expense of another one seems like a pretty clear win for me. Also, why did Dr. Strange have his gem? Aren't they all destroyed? As usual with this series, a lot of confusion and a lack of fun. Why are we reading it again?ReplyDeleteReplies
No prob JW, I'm sure X doesn't mind, and I know I don't. And right?! That was absurd to me! You literally win, you don't have to pull the trigger, you don't have to blow up the planet, the problem takes care of itself, and they wanna try to save it?! It literally made no sense. And I believe all but one of the gems were destroyed, one just disappeared... so maybe that's the one he had? I'm still waiting to see what happens now that Cap has been Zatanna'd.Delete
Post away, JW! JT tried explaining this one to me, and I had the SAME reaction... Why would you save this planet when the problem was taken care of? Weird...Delete
I read somewhere someone hypothesizing that they all suddenly realized that Cap had a point, that they should be spending their time trying to save both worlds rather than destroying just one. Of course, I'm not entirely sure Cap was making that point, but it's a nice story!Delete
JT, Cap getting "Zatanna'd" cracked my shit up. Well played.
I was glad to see them show that Deathbird wasn't actually Deathbird. I mean, it's somehow more random that it's not Deathbird and instead some sort of alternate version of Deathbird being manipulated by a mysterious stranger, but at least they're owning the randomness. Also, I totally agree on the not-flying storyline. I feel like you can just enjoy it because they're not pretending that it's some permanent thing, only to leave us all rolling our eyes when she's miraculously healed in three issues. They're making it pretty clear that she's going to get cured at some point, so we can just sort of enjoy the ride. Good stuff.ReplyDelete
I sort of dug "Justice League," if only because it was more fun that it usually is. Flash actually got in some good lines and, frankly, Element Woman and Firestorm will at least inject some energy into the series. I honestly hadn't realized how stuffy it was until this issue. I did love the Shazam story. $&^#'s goin' down!ReplyDeleteReplies
That's pretty much been the one constant in this series for me. Some issues of Justice League are hit or miss, but I usually always enjoy the SHAZAM stories, so hopefully him in the League will keep me interested. I still think Vixen should've joined the team though.Delete
OMG, they hugged it out! I got my wish! JT, I can't believe that Lobdell actually gave us the story that we've wanted all along, of Jason being brought back into the fold. I totally agree on the score. I thought he really did an excellent job of using Alfred, Ducra, and finally Bruce to get Jason where he needed to be to let down his walls and just ask to come home. But, to have Bruce cut him off and just invite him home was all the better. Excellent stuff. I feel like with Damian dying and Dick apparently leaving, Bruce really needs Jason right now and I hope he's a real presence in the Bat-family books now. Fingers crossed.ReplyDeleteReplies
JT and I spent SO much time debating this comic, JW! Jason being welcomed back into the family is gonna take some getting used to for me... I love the renegade character, the one who just did whatever he wanted. I don't know if I want to see him turned into Dick-lite. But then, on the other hand, this could lead to Jason popping up in the other Bat-books more frequently, and that's not a bad thing. I'm sure I'll accept it eventually(Hell, if I can stick with this series since the first issue, I'll stick with Jason through anything!), but it's gonna take me some time to digest Jason in Dick's role.Delete
Agreed. I mean, I still want him to be Jason. I don't want him to be, like, I don't know, crying all the time or hugging Bruce. I'd prefer more that he just runs the Outsiders from Gotham, with a certain "don't ask about the people I'm killing and I won't tell you" arrangement with the Bats. Then, he gets to pop into the Bat-books when he's needed but he's still got his own thing. If Tynion makes that work, I'll be a very happy camper.Delete
I agree with everything you said 100%, JW. I'm worried that we'll lose the Jason I became a fan of and get Dick-lite. I mean, I like Dick, but I don't want to see Jason turn into him. If Tynion can walk that line of keeping Jason as Jason and having him be a member of the Bat-family? I'd be overjoyed. Here's hoping...Delete
Like you guys said, I don't think anyone wants Jason to become "The Good Son" like Dick, at the same time, he deserves to be in more things, used more, and get a bit more exposure outside of his own book. I'm happy he's being used, and not just as a villain or a foil but as a family member. Who doesn't want to see him with Alfred, Drake, Bruce, Babs for like the first time in 25 years, and Dick. I'd pay so much money for a mini series with Jason and Dick teaming up. Just keep him snarky and sarcastic, let him use his guns and knives, doesn't even have to be lethal, but keep Jason...Jason, is the best way to phrase it.Delete
OMG, yes! A Dick/Jason buddy-flick/road-comedy would be the best thing EVER.Delete

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Amir Herzberg's
Phishing and Spoofing FAQ
Questions with answers…
Stealing of passwords and subsequent unauthorized access and abuse of accounts is possibly the most common fraud on the Net, and is causing substantial losses to individuals and corporations. The easiest and most common method for stealing passwords, is by creating a `spoofed` web site, i.e. a site which looks like the real login site, but collects the passwords for the attacker. The easiest and most common method to lead the user to the spoofed site is by sending him fake, misleading e-mail; this is called `phishing`. See more details in http://antiphishing.org. All browsers support the SSL and/or TLS protocols, which allows the browser to authenticate the identity of the web site before you enter your password to it, and then encrypt the password (and other sensitive information) in transit, to prevent disclosure to eavesdroppers.
Encrypting the password prevents exposure by an eavesdropper, which is good. However, some web sites deploy encryption using a script in the login page, and do not invoke SSL/TLS before that, to authenticate the login page itself. Therefore, if the user received a spoofed login page, this will not be visible; of course, the spoofed page will send the password to the attacker.
Unfortunately, several sites – including some major bank sites, e.g. Chase – present a padlock and/or otherwise claim to use SSL and cryptography to protect the login process, while actually only encrypting the password in transit using a script in the login page. This is misleading and insecure, as explained above.
On June 2005, the FDIC published 'Putting an End to Account-Hijacking Identity Theft Study Supplement'. I think it is well written and worth reading. In particular, in p. 22, under the heading `mutual authentication, they say: Financial institutions can aid consumers in differentiating legitimate sites from spoofed sites by authenticating their Web site to the client. More specifically, banking Web pages which collect sensitive information on form pages, or otherwise, should authenticate the page using digital certificates signed by a trusted authority prior to collecting the sensitive information. Certificates should be registered to easily identifiable business names rather than third party service providers to aid the consumer's understanding of the certificate's authenticity. This is exactly the point I'm trying to make with the Hall Of Shame, although maybe stated a bit more delicately – and therefore, may require careful reading. I've sent e-mail to the FDIC to confirm my understanding and their response further supported my position, in fact they said I also understand the point you are making with regard to our discussion of mutual authentication. I agree that we could have been a bit clearer. (My main reservation was that their text may be interpreted as if using SSL requires high costs, where they actually referred only to the use of SSL client authentication)
There are several good, secure one-time-password
login mechanisms and devices. However, these devices (usually) only identify
the user during the login process. It is possible to launch a spoofed web site
that will pass the one-time-password to the correct bank site, and thereby
obtain access to the account for the particular session. This attack is not so
easy, mainly since it requires the attacker to exploit the login immediately,
rather than providing her with a password which she can use later at her
convenience. Still, proper identification of the site, using SSL/TLS
protection, provides additional security also when using one-time-passwords.
A personalized greeting can allow users to detect a spoofed site, which is unaware of the greeting. However, the security of such solutions depends on implementations details, as follows. [To be completed]
The risk is indeed reduced. However, an attacker who is able to intercept your messages, e.g. if you are using a wireless internet connection such as WiFi or if they control a switch or router that your information passes through, can still redirect you to a spoofed page. There are many ways to intercept communication on the Internet, and the SSL/TLS protocols are specifically designed to withstand such (strong) attackers.
This depends. In particular, many banks, e.g. in the
This is a legal question, and while I have been reading about it and discussing it with lawyers, I cannot give legal advice. However, I think it is fair and reasonable to say that liability may exist in some cases. In particular, the claim for liability may be stronger if the injured party can prove a failure to maintain `duty of care`, and in particular negligence in spite of warnings. For example, I am warning all sites before adding them to the `hall of shame`, and add them only if they do not fix (i.e. protect) the login page.
Ask them J … Seriously, there are some reasons. One is ignorance and negligence; the security indicators existing in most browsers are so hard to notice, that webmasters, as well as users and designers, sometimes do not notice the lack of protection. But, there are some other reasons. Performance and the cost of obtaining a certificate are often mentioned, but in reality, both of these are not significant obstacles and can be overcome easily (but some designers are not aware of this). One `real` problem is that many sites, especially the larger, use third-party hosting of their sites, possibly to reduce latency by providing the contents from a nearby server. In this case, there may be a dilemma: should the site use a certificate (and identify) of the third-party hosting it? Or should the site give its private key to the third-party?
Of course, there are simple, technical solutions to all these problems, with reasonable costs and overhead. A proof of that are the many sites that do provide secure login properly.
One interesting argument we heard was that there are most users will not notice if they receive an unprotected site instead of the protected site. This may be true using the weak security indicators in most current browsers. This can be addressed by installing improved security indicators (e.g. TrustBar) or using a browser with improved indicators (e.g. Netscape version 8).
Fortunately no! Most of the (serious) login pages are well protected. Just check – we have a lot of sites in the `Hall of Shame`, but still only a tiny fraction of the login pages… Try to find another one. It may not be too difficult, but you are likely to encounter a lot of protected login pages.
To be completed: using existing browser UI, using TrustBar (http://AmirHerzberg.com/TrustBar), using other toolbars…
To be completed: using new versions (0.4.1 or later) of TrustBar (http://AmirHerzberg.com/TrustBar) [add details!!]…
Few bars access a centralized server upon entering any new web page; this has significant overhead, and may be a privacy concern to many users. However, other bars, such as TrustBar, do not expose privacy in any way, and have no noticeable overhead.
We recommend you immediately contact the site owners to warn them and ask them to protect the site. You are also encouraged to inform us, so we can add the site to the Hall of Shame. You can inform us by email or by clicking the Hey! button, if you have installed TrustBar.
Browser security indicators can use a list of unprotected login pages to warn the users of such pages. This may be a future feature of browsers and/or of extensions such as TrustBar. We are working on such a feature for TrustBar (in fact it is almost done).
Yes, we try to warn them before adding the site to the Hall of Shame. We had few sites which were fixed after our warnings, completely or at least partially. Unfortunately, most sites ignore the warning, argue about it, etc.; one site even sent us coupons for free use of their services…
Yes, there are... (to be completed)
See information at http://AmirHerzberg.com/TrustBar.


text: Much is invisible to the human eye and much more is left to be uncovered about the world and our universe. What we cannot observe is often the basis for the many unanswered questions that surround us every waking minute. Take a look at this interesting short video posted on TED-Ed by ignostic thinker, John Lloyd, and his observations on what we cannot observe.


text:
Medellin: A Thriving Metropolis
Medellin: I know what you're thinking. The most dangerous city in the world? Right? Wrong. Twenty years ago, yes, Medellin was deemed the most murderous, violent and dangerous city in the world. When I first told my parents I was traveling to Colombia, they immediately said "hell no" and "don't you dare". I know it's what all parents say and if they don't say it, then their definately thinking it and probably know your not going to listen to them anyways. So why after decades does Colombia get such a bad rep? Because the stereotypes of cocaine, drug cartels and violence is all people think about when someone mentions Colombia and the only way to change the way people think, is to start with a great story! After returning home from Colombia about a week ago, I can honestly say that Medellin is my most favourite city that I've ever been to and here's why: from riding the Medellin Metro commuter rail, improved security, history, culture and amazing nightlife – this is one city you do not want to miss if your traveling to Colombia.
Must-do's in Medellin:
Free Walking Tour:If you are only in Medellin for 24 hours, you must do The Free Walking Tour that Real City Tours offers. Every time I arrive in a new city, the next day I always do the Free Walking Tour, it's a great way to get to know the city. The Free Walking Tour in Medellin was the best free walking tour I've ever done. Our guide, Hernan, provided us with the knowledge to understand the history and transformation of the city. As well as encouraged us to ask questions, about anything – drugs, food, the future of Medellin – he gave us his honest opinion and is very proud of 'his' city. Things to keep in mind for The Free Walking Tour:
- If this is something you'd like to do in Medellin, make sure you book online at www.realcitytours.com at least two days in advance – spots fill up really quickly!
- The tour is in English and approximately 4 hours – make sure to wear comfortable shoes, bring sunscreen, hat, water etc.
- The tour covers all the main sites in the city centre – depending on where you are meeting your tour guide, you will have to catch the Medellin Metro (this metro is a breeze, compared to New York City anyways). This is the only cost of the tour, a single Metro ride costs approx. 1,800 COP (about $1 USD).
- Although it is called The Free Walking Tour, it is based on tips – so if your tour guide provided you with an amazing experience then you can give them whatever you'd like based on their service (they know everyone there is on a backpacker budget and really appreciate anything).
- Go with lots & lots of questions!
Pablo Escobar & The RockThis day tour was spectacular, you're basically combining the two must-do's in Antioquia. Pablo Escobar – the notorious Colombian drug lord, who wouldn't want to see one of his homes? Start the day by learning all there is to know about Escobar while on the way to visit Escobar's second largest house in Medellin. Take a stroll through the Pablo Escobar finca (country house) and even enjoy lunch at the Escobar residence. After lunch, you'll hop on a boat that'll take you to the underwater town of old El Penol and then to The Rock. Seeing the rock from the boat doesn't do The Rock any justice once your up close and personal. The Rock is the second largest in South America and is located in the historical village of Guatape. Once the boat docks, you'll have a couple hours to explore Guatape – colourful and picturesque – it's the cutest village around! Save some energy for actually climbing The Rock, yup – that's right, 740 steps later you'll get to see the ultimate 360 view of the lakes and Guatape. It is absolutely breathtaking! On the 2 hour bus ride back to Medellin, the final stop is of a viewpoint to see the beautiful city skyline of Medellin, unfortunately for myself, it was a pretty foggy day but if you're lucky enough and weather is on your side, the view of the city will be spectacular! Things to keep in mind for Escobar & The Rock:
- This tour is only offered on Monday's & Thursday's.
- This tour is in English and it is a full day tour – leaving approx. at 8am and doesn't return until 8pm.
- There is an entrance fee to climb The Rock, approximately $10,000 COP (roughly $3 USD) that's not included in the tour price.
Nightlife in MedellinIf you're able to stay in Medellin over the weekend, you will not regret it. If you're not able to be in Medellin over the weekend, options are a little limited early in the week however, if your looking for a place to party, you will definately find those Medellin party goers! Parque Lleras in the area of El Poblado is home to restaurants, bars, discotecas and salsa. Its the party backpacker's paradise. There are tons of hostels in the area but I recommend that if you are staying for the weekend, to book a hostel in advance because all of the hostels in the Poblado area fill up really fast. The hub of the nightlife for backpackers begins at Happy Buddha, the largest party hostel in Medellin. The location and bar can't be beat for meeting fellow travellers. The bar shuts down at 2am and that's when everyone starts to head out for a night out on the town! Unfortunately, I can't recall the bars and nightclubs that I went to however, there is an amazing app called FlipFlop – it's an app for travelers, made by travelers. They just launched this app in Colombia and it's amazing! You can connect with cool people and see what's going on in the city – it's a must download.
Medellin Football GameSo, when your super hungover on Sunday, what do you do? Go to a football match. I had the experience to go to the El Classico Paisa game and it was the scariest and funnest thing I've ever done in my life. El Classico Paisa is the name for the rivalry between the teams of Atletico Nacional and Independiente Medellin. The stadium holds over 40,000 crazed Colombian football fans and only a handful of gringos. This game only happens twice a year and is considered to be the most important derby in Colombia as well as the most recognized in South America. Things to keep in mind for a Medellin Football Match:
- It is general seating, so first come first serve.
- If you're a gringo, do not sit behind the net – you will be forced to move.
- Be prepared to be standing on your seat, the entire game.
- Be prepared to attempt singing all the chants and songs that the fans know, for the entire game.
- Be prepared to have obstructed views of the game, the entire time due to signs, umbrellas and crazed fans jumping up and down.
- Be prepared to throw confetti (small pieces of torn up paper) when your team scores and/or for distraction to the opposing team when it's a corner kick.
- Most importantly of all, make sure you sit on the right side of the stadium, with the ATLETICO NACIONAL fans!


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Идеальный муж. Комедия
Director: Konstantin Bogomolov
Writer: Konstantin Bogomolov
Based on: Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband and The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, Johann Wolfgang Goethe's Faust and William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Cast: Nadezhda Borisova, Andrei Burkovsky, Rosa Khairullina, Svetlana Kolpakova, Alexei Kravchenko, Maxim Matveev, Igor Mirkurbanov, Darya Moros, Vasily Nemirovich-Danchenko, Yana Osipova, Artyom Panchik, Vladimir Panchik, Aleksandr Semchev, Marina Sudina, Pavel Chinarev, Sergei Chonishvili, Pavel Vashchilin
Part of: Wiener Festwochen
Seen on: 27.5.2016
Lord (Igor Mirkurbanov) is a famous Russian singer, about to be honored for his life's work in the Kremlin. The prize is delivered by his friend Robert (Alexei Kravchenko) who is the Minister for Rubber Goods. But their partying finds a quick end when they are contacted by Cheavley, the main rival of Robert's wife Gertrude. Cheavley has video evidence that Lord and Robert are actually lovers and threatens to expose them. In the world of Russian politics, intrigue and bigotry that cannot stand.
An Ideal Husband is a sometimes haphazard but always enthusiastic amalgamation of various texts that are full of political barbs, irony and sarcasm. While it was a bit long and seeing it in Vienna made it feel a little diluted, I did enjoy most of it.


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Warehousing – Darlington
Job Overview
Compulsory online training will be provided prior to interview.
This position is based at: Amazon Darlington Fulfillment Centre, (MME1) Symmetry Park, Darlington, DL1 4BF
• £9.50 per hour (days) to £11.21 per hour (nights)
• Overtime rates between £14.25 per hour to £19.00 per hour
The Fulfilment Centre (FC) Associate must
have a passion for ensuring that customers receive a first-class Amazon
Tasks and Responsibilities
As an FC Associate you may be asked to
work in various areas of the building, the main departments being Inbound and
Outbound. Tasks may include:
• Handling the full range of goods by
Amazon and its Marketplace sellers in the UK, including but not limited to:
age restricted products, food (including nuts and meat) and alcohol and
• Efficiently and effectively receiving and
storing goods inwards following Amazon's internal processes and procedures
and using radio frequency scanners
• Pick our customer orders ensuring a
high level of quality and productivity
• Accurately pack and ship our customer
orders to ensure we meet customers' high expectations
• Accurately read instructions from a
• Relocate products using forklifts, pump
truck and power pallet truck
• Consistently achieve targets set for
your department
• Adhere to safety, quality and
production standards
Find out more about what it's like to be an Amazon Fulfillment Associate and the processes within our European Fulfillment Centres – https://youtu.be/itfTPs52nEM
|Physical Demands – The role involves the following physical demands on a daily basis: • Standing for long periods of between 8 and 12 hours per shift (flex and part-time shifts may vary) • Lifting and moving products up to 15.5kg in weight • Lifting, bending, reaching above the head, kneeling, crouching, and/or stretching for 8 to 12 hours per shift (flex and part-time shifts may vary) • Pushing and pulling product up to 15.5kg in weight for 8 to 12 hours per shift (flex and part-time shifts may vary) • Manual dexterity of both hands and wrists
• Regularly climbing and descending short ladders and flights of stairs safely
Shift patterns are as follows:


text:
Newcastle - Dylan Groenewegen turned on the power in an uphill sprint finish to clinch victory in the Tour of Britain's third stage between Berwick and Newcastle on Monday.
The Dutch Jumbo-Visma rider crossed the line comfortably ahead of compatriot Mathieu van der Poel of Corendon-Circus, Davide Cimolai, an Italian with Israeli Cycling academy, and Jumbo-Visma leadout man Mike Teunissen, following the 500-metre uphill drag.
Groenewegen also took the first stage between Glasgow and Kirkcudbright.
Matteo Trentin, an Italian with Mitchelton Scott placed fifth to retain the overall leader's green jersey.
Cimolai is seven seconds behind, with Van Der Poel third, 11 seconds off the front.
Team Ineos' Ben Swift is the leading British rider in seventh place, 17 seconds down on the leader.
Tuesday's fourth stage runs from Gateshead to finish at Beast Banks in Kendal and will feature nearly 3,000 metres of climbing.
Results of the Tour of Britain's third stage between Berwick and Newcastle on Monday:
Stage three
1. Dylan Groenewegen (NED/JUM) 4hr 37min 53 sec, 2. Mathieu van der Poel (NED/COC) same time, 3. Davide Cimolai (ITA/ICA) s.t, 4. Mike Teunissen (NED/Jumbo) s.t, 5. Matteo Trentin (ITA/MTS) s.t
Overall standings
1. Matteo Trentin (ITA/MIT) 13hrs 13 min 18 sec, 2. Davide Cimolai (ITA/ICA) at 7 secs, 3. Mathieu van der Poel (NED/COC) at 11, 4. Jasper De Buyst (BEL/LOT) at 11, 5. Mike Teunissen (NED/JUM) at 13


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Mitt Romney is a liar. Of course, in some sense, all politicians, even all human beings, are liars. Romney's lying went so over-the-top extravagant by this summer, though, that the New York Times editorial board did something probably unprecedented in their polite gray precincts: they used the L-word itself. "Mr. Romney's entire campaign rests on a foundation of short, utterly false sound bites," they editorialized. He repeats them "so often that millions of Americans believe them to be the truth." "It is hard to challenge these lies with a well-reasoned-but- overlong speech," they concluded; and how. Romney's lying, in fact, was so richly variegated that it can serve as a sort of grammar of mendacity.Some Romney lies posit absences where there are obviously presences: his claim, for instance, that "President Obama doesn't have a plan" to create jobs. Other Romney fabrications assert presences where there are absences. A clever bit of video editing can make it seem like Romney was enthusiastically received before the NAACP, when, in fact, he had been booed. There are lies, damned lies, statistics—like his assertion that his tax cut proposal won't have any effect on the federal budget, which the Tax Policy Center called "not mathematically possible." That frank dismissal vaulted the candidate into another category of lie, an attempt to bend time itself: Romney responded by calling that group "biased"; last year, he called them "objective."There are outsourced lies, like this one from deep in my files: in 2007, Ann Romney told the right-wing site Newsmax.com that her husband had "always personally been prolife," though Mitt had said in his 1994 Senate race, "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country." And then Ann admitted a few sentence later, "They say he flip-flopped on abortion. Well, you know what? He did change his mind."And then there's the most delicious kind of lie of them all, the kind that hoists the teller on his own petard as soon as a faintly curious auditor consults the record for occasions on which he's said the opposite. Here the dossier of Mittdacity overfloweth. In 2012, for example, he said he took no more federal money for the Salt Lake City Olympic Games than previous games had taken; a decade earlier, however, he called the $410 million in federal money he bagged "a huge increase over anything ever done before."
Sunday, November 4, 2012
The Long Con: Mail-Order Conservatism - "Mitt Romney is a liar..."
Great piece by Rick Perlstein @The Baffler:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
We believe in the power of the
makeup artist.
It's a gift to change lives and make days. We also believe in the power of the team, because behind every world-class salon and spa experience, there is a team of people who are in sync with each other and understand that the guest matters most.
Every salon and spa that succeeds makes our world, and our industry, better — one guest at a time.


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What do you mean by "help"? Your link goes to a professional essay writing service.
What kind of essay? An informative essay like an extended news article, a persuasive essay written to sway the reader to a certain point of view or a personal essay which is more of a creative nonfiction piece?
Informative essay:
Tell what you're going to tell - Introduction
Tell it - Body
Tell what you told - Conclusion
Persuasive essay:
Introduction - Raise the alarm with the most visceral reason for change (i.e. If you want to persuade the audience to bring their pitchforks to bear against aliens, you first tell them that the aliens ate your puppy, not that they landed their ship on your garden.). Ask a personal question to raise cognitive dissonance (Why are you playing Fantasy Lord when aliens are eating puppies? Do you want them to eat your puppy, too?).
Body - Plan of attack and audience reward. (We're going to poke them with our pitchforks and watch the green goo ooze out of them. Then we'll all hop in the space ship and fly off for ice cream. Sprinkles for everyone!)
Conclusion - Relieve cognitive dissonance. (You'll attain a higher rank in Fantasy Lord now that you've dispatched puppy eating aliens. Good for you.)
[Note: in the above examples, never use a personal pronoun. If you have to refer to yourself, use 'the author' or 'this author.' Also, paraphrase rather than quote, but still give credit using the instructor's preferred referencing style (MLA or APA). If you must quote, put the entire quote in quotation marks, not italics.
Creative Nonfiction Essay:
Tell a third person, age appropriate story about a rotten time in your life. Young - Fork You An angst-filled story about why you showed up at your date's house with a meat fork sticking out of your thigh. Middle Age - Fork It A story about how showing up at your date's house with a meat fork sticking out of your thigh changed your life and why everyone should give it a try. Old Fart - Fork of Destiny A story about the mystery of pain and its tremendous importance to the maturation process. Angry Old Fart - Fork Off
Good luck,
Kent Jones MS - Media and Communications
Writing help
A catch-all topic for movies, books, television, and other SF & F conversation.
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Re: Writing help
Last edited by kentagions on Thu Apr 27, 2017 8:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Writing help
I'm 99.9% sure that this is spam.
R x 2
HM x 2
SHM x 4
First Place Q1 Vol 34!
The Broken Karwaneer in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Vol. #231.
HM x 2
SHM x 4
First Place Q1 Vol 34!
The Broken Karwaneer in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Vol. #231.
- disgruntledpeony
- Posts: 1296
- Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2015 7:21 pm
- Contact:
Re: Writing help
Jeremyteg wrote:I'm 99.9% sure that this is spam.
I already reported it. I think kentagions was expressing the same feelings, albeit in a different way.
If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. ~ Mark Twain
- Randy Hulshizer
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- Location: Pennsylvania USA
- Contact:
Re: Writing help
It's definitely spam
- Posts: 326
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- Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Re: Writing help
Oh man! I was really trying to help.
- Rebecca Birch
- Posts: 1735
- Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 9:38 am
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Re: Writing help
kentagions wrote:Oh man! I was really trying to help.
And you were super-helpful, too! Almost made me wish I had to write an essay. (Only, not really. )
Rebecca Birch
Finalist - 2, SF - 1, SHM - 1, HM - 18, R - 6
Words of Birch
Short Story Collection--Life Out of Harmony and Other Tales of Wonder
Finalist - 2, SF - 1, SHM - 1, HM - 18, R - 6
Words of Birch
Short Story Collection--Life Out of Harmony and Other Tales of Wonder
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text:
By Mike Keesling View In Digital Edition
To recap, a simple description of the Ball Bot would be "a two-axis inverted pendulum." The operative word here is simple. In its implementation, it is three belt-reduced, encoded motors driving some Omniwheels sitting on top of abasketball — with a bunch of inertial sensors and a DSP thrown in for good measure.
Read This Article!
If you're a subscriber and your subscription includes this issue of Nuts & Volts, you can read this article in our digital edition by clicking the blue icon in the upper right corner. Use the email address associated with your subscriber services account to login.
If you're a member of our Preferred Subscriber Network, not only will the magic blue icon let you read this article, but EVERY article in EVERY issue is yours to enjoy! Over a decades worth of content is stored in our digital archive!
If you're not a subscriber, you can still view a few sample pages of our digital edition or subscribe here for full digital access and/or print delivery. Also, as you browse around our site, you will find selected articles have been posted in their entirety for you to enjoy.


text:
A Doctor in Ireland wants to get off work and go play golf, so he approaches his assistant.
'Seamus, I am going golfing tomorrow and don't want to close the clinic,' he says. 'I want you to take care of the clinic and all me patients.'
'Yes, sir!' answers Seamus.
The doctor goes golfing, returns the following day and asks, 'So, Seamus, how was your day?'
Seamus tells him that he took care of three patients. 'The first one had a headache, so I gave him Tylenol.'
'Bravo, Seamus, and the second one?' asks the
'The second one had stomach burning and I gave him Maalox, sir,' says Seamus.
'Bravo, bravo! You're good at this And what about th e third one?' asks the doctor.
'Sir, I was sitting here and suddenly the door opens and a woman bursts into the room. Quick as a wink she undresses herself, tearing off every stitch of clothing including her bra and her panties, and lies down on the table. She spreads her legs and shouts,
'Help me, I beg you! It's been five years since I've seen a man!'
'Thunderin' Lord Jesus, Seamus, what did you do?' asks the doctor.
'I put drops in her eyes.'


text:
One man's mortgage debt is an entire neighborhood's equity
Residential real estate is generally valued by comparable neighborhood sales. When a property sells for a new high price, it doesn't just affect the value of that property, it impacts the value on all similar properties within a mile of the new sale. During the housing bubble, neighbors cheered each new higher comp because it added to their (illusory) net worth. With unrestricted access to equity with no-doc loans and 100% LTV HELOCs, everyone near a new high comp was basically given free money.
The late arrivals all eagerly waited a greater fool to come along and buy at an even higher price so they could get their share of the HELOC booty too. Obviously, under such circumstances, the desire for real estate was very high, and with no impeding lending standards and an eagerness from investors to fund new loans, actual demand as measured by dollars was very high as well. We ended up with a massive housing bubble.
Since the housing bubble collapsed, prudent lending standards were put back in place, and prices dropped precipitously largely because buyers could not borrow the prodigious sums previously made available to them to bid up prices. This put the banks in a bind because the huge reduction in collateral value backed the bad loans they made during the bubble era. The price collapse put between a quarter and a third of American loanowners underwater, and if the banks were forced to liquidate, it would cause hundreds of billions in losses bankrupting our banking system and triggering a deep economic depression. Something had to give.
The US government and the federal reserve took a number of steps to solve the problem. First, in early 2009, regulators relaxed mark-to-market accounting rules allowing banks to hold bad loans on their books at a fantasy value to avoid loss recognition. This bought the banks time. Further, in order to placate pressure from loanowners to "do something" and to provide lenders with a few additional debt service payments on these bad loans, the government embarked on a series of failed loan modification programs. These were sold to the public as ostensibly helping struggling borrowers, but they were really designed to allow banks to kick-the-can on loan recognition and squeeze a few more payments out of hopeless borrowers before they imploded. These programs have been an abject failure for loanowners, but it has been successful for bankers in getting a little operating cash while delaying loss recognition.
Ultimately, banks don't want to recognize losses. They would far rather delay their necessary foreclosures until the loans had collateral backing which will allow them to recover their capital. However, since potential buyers of these properties couldn't afford to pay an amount which would recover the outstanding debt, the bubble needed to be reflated before the foreclosures could go forward.
To facilitate reflation of the housing bubble, the federal reserve lowered interest rates to zero, and embarked on a program of buying 10-year Treasuries (operation Twist) and directly buying mortgage-backed securities to ensure the flow of capital into the housing market and dramatically lower mortgage interest rates. At the peak of the housing bubble, mortgage interest rates were between 6% and 6.5%. They are 3.35% today — a near 50% reduction. These super-low interest rates give today's buyers the ability to borrow amounts commensurate with peak prices under stable loan terms.
The stage was set to reflate the bubble and allow lenders to foreclose and recover capital at peak prices. There was only one problem. Due to the collapse of prices when the housing bubble burst, comparable sales were far below peak prices, and continued foreclosure processing was keeping prices down. The solution was simple; stop foreclosure processing and restrict inventory until the housing bubble reflates. That's were we are today.
Lenders stopped foreclosure processing to dry up the inventory. Loanowners are in no hurry to list their properties because if they wait, they might get out without a ding to their credit scores, so both foreclosures and short sales are in short supply. Foreclosures used to be a third of the market, and with 25% of owners underwater, more than half the supply has been removed. The few organic sellers are also have incentive to wait because they will make more money by selling later. The result is a huge decline in inventories and rapidly rising prices.
How much higher can prices go?
A shortage of inventory alone is not enough to make prices go up. Buyers also have to be able to raise their bids. With 3.5% interest rates, buyers can raise their bids. Even the OC housing market has significant room for prices to rise before affordability becomes a problem. The OCHN housing market report has a page devoted to valuations. I took the stable values from 1993 to 1999 as a basis and compare the current cost of ownership relative to those norms. Nearly every market in Orange County is significantly undervalued by this metric, most by 25% or more.
The median home price relative to rental parity is undervalued, and this also shows up in the comparison of the current cost of ownership to rents.
It's not just Orange County. San Diego county is even more undervalued.
The banks are set to hugely benefit from a rapid increase in prices brought about by their policy of restricting foreclosures. Each new sale in a neighborhood raises the comps. One man's mortgage debt is an entire neighborhood's equity. New higher comps provides equity for many, but of much greater interest to the banks, higher prices provides an increased collateral value behind a delinquent mortgage loan. When they do finally foreclose, they will recover more money. That's why inventory is low and will likely stay that way until we see peak prices in most markets, which may happen sooner than most think.


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We currently have leasing opportunities for retail and office space!
An expansion option is also available for a large-scale tenant (up to 20,000 sq ft).
Contact us for more details:
Lori Clevelend | Phone: 506-658-3600 | Email: email@example.com
Cheryl Schneiderman | Phone: 902- 476-8752 | Email: email@example.com
Just A Few Of Our Leasing Highlights
Located on the historic waterfront of Saint John, Market Square's highly visible Boardwalk and beautiful Atrium creates a natural draw for people to shop, eat work and play. We offer the best in retail sales, location, tenant mix and award-winning design.
– Weekly pedestrian traffic of over 20,000 people
– 550 indoor, climate controlled on-site parking spaces
– Retail, cuisine, culture and entertainment is primarily the focus for the Market Square experience
– Shops and restaurants that appeal to local customers and tourists will benefit from this exciting location!
– The Centre is also home to the NB Museum, the Saint John Library, Saint John Convention Centre and the Hilton Hotel
– Storefronts are easily accessible and highly visible
– The Centre is positioned as one of Atlantic Canada's premier destinations
– Local residents and visitors look forward to many events throughout the year


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San Francisco FX Labs (CyberSecuriti.ai) is the top-ranked API Security startup based in Silicon Valley today announced the first product suite, APISec™, a leader in API Security (DevSecOps).
CyberSecuriti.ai delivers instant and continuous API security platform. We are the only solution that helps enterprises instantly detect and fix the top 20 vulnerabilities in APIs.
FX Labs Global Partner Network
FX Labs offers partners three levels of participation: Platinum, Gold, and Affiliate, as well as a unique MSSP program that uses a "Pay-as-you-Grow" licensing model.
Membership benefits include:
• Deal registration and protection, with above industry average margins
• Lead generation and collaborative co-marketing resources
• End-to-end resources at every stage of an opportunity — from demand generation, qualification, and closing, to long-term service and support
• Product training and deployment services to drive immediate value
• Complementary product license for demos
• Password protected portal for access to technical resources, knowledgebase, etc.
About FX Labs (CyberSecuriti.ai)
FX Labs is a recognized global leader in API Security technology. The company's management team has helped shape the cybersecurity / API industry. Its flagship product, APISec™, is adopted by a growing number of businesses worldwide. Company is having so many customers worldwide. FX Labs has operations in North America and Southeast Asia.
For more information, visit https://www.cybersecuriti.ai or connect with us at [email protected]
For pricing details, you can visit https://www.cybersecuriti.ai/pricing/.
Media ContactCompany Name: FXLabs IncContact Person: Mohammed Nadeem, Intesar Shannan MohammedEmail: Send EmailPhone: +1 408-859-7990Address:845 Market St – Suite 450 City: San FranciscoState: CA 94103Country: United StatesWebsite: www.cybersecuriti.ai


text:
Pool Design & Construction
There is nothing better on a hot summer's day than jumping into a cool, clear pool – especially when it is right in your own backyard. Imagine not having to drive or fly to your favorite resort, because your backyard is your favorite getaway. At Heritage Elite, we provide pool design and construction services that are unparalleled. In addition to years of experience, our dedication and level of professionalism make us excellent partners.
The process of installing an in ground pool does not have to be overly complicated or stressful. We have perfected our process after more than 30 years of field experience, and we believe that communicating with our clients, and being honest, helps ensure an experience that is positive and rewarding. Your custom pool request is no problem with Heritage Elite.
We begin with a home visit to discuss your pool, and what you want it to be – this includes surroundings such as pool decks, outdoor fireplaces, lighting, and anything else you think will complete the project. Our capabilities extend beyond the actual pool – we can design and build water features such as waterfalls, water slides, and rock formations. Brick masonry or stone masonry projects are no problem for our craftsmen, their years of experience results in finished pieces that look amazing.
Once we have discussed your project, we submit a plan for your approval. Before we break ground, the team at Heritage Elite will file for the required permits and licenses, so you do not have anything to worry about. Construction begins after all of the documentation has been completed. Throughout the entire process, you will deal with one project manager at Heritage Elite – you will not have to leave messages with multiple contractors.
After the project is complete your backyard will look like a vacation resort that you never want to leave, right down to shade structures that we can build to provide swimmers with a place to get away from the sun! We answer any questions you may have about upkeep and maintenance. Of course, should you have questions after we leave, we are a phone call away.
An in ground pool is a sizeable investment, and it can bring your family and friends hours of entertainment and relaxation. Partner with a company that knows its business, and values customer service along with professionalism.
Keep cool this summer with a pool designed and built by Heritage Elite. Call us at 410 686 2701 or send us an email.


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Welcome to Envelope Mart USA, one of the largest wholesale envelope printing and manufacturing companies in the United States. We are pleased to offer more than 2,000 styles, sizes and colors of envelopes in stock to allow for quick turnaround at a great price. If you would like a distributor kit click here, fill out the form and we will ship you a kit right away. Our customer service reps are the best in the industry and ready to assist if you have questions. Contact us Monday thru Friday, 8:00am to 5:30pm EST.
Education doesn't just stop when you're handed your degree, it follows you through life as industries and businesses grow and evolve. Enhance your ongoing education by diving into the world of conferences. The perks of conferences are: a new city to explore, new people to meet and new ideas to take home. Refresh your mind and your business by attending these three conferences:
SXSW—Not only is this the coolest conference, it's also the most fun. SXSW was just a small gathering a few years ago and has now turned into the hub of tech. This conference brings creatives, innovators and entrepreneurs together for a week of inspiration, real-life transformations and the newest startups.
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text: Feel open to reply in general to the topic or if you'd like to reply specifically to my situation or both you are invited to reply more specifically. I've been getting mixed reports from people I have been chatting with on how things in Mexico are going regarding capital inflows and employment rates. I heard that tourism is doing well due to the low value of the Peso recently. USD seems to be 1 or 2 pesos to the dollar higher than it normally has been, but it doesn't seem drastically higher. perhaps 5 to 10% higher value. So if this is benefiting tourism (although I understand that low season will continue for another month or so) are import prices driving costs up for locals or is it business as usual? Second question being, what is the work environment like. I recently finished an honors BA in cultural type studies (honors history major, anthropology/archaeolgy, applied languages, and legal studies minors), but I am still doing some certificate training in construction trades (masonry currently, but then hvac, plumbing, electrical, and welding) up until the end of August. I am considering doing a masters but I am also interested in potentially looking for work in the place I love to be the most, that being Q.Roo area. Are there any demands for any types of workers that have supply shortages in Cancun/Playa and area currently? Although I am hoping to go into masters studies when my current year of training is completed, I am curious how the current and future job market will be seeking any inputs from extranjeros. As the weather gets colder here I find myself remembering how much more I like being down there, but I am basically tied down here unless I try to do grad studies down there, or get work or something. What is going down there in regard to the economy and employment field? An update of my biopage William Ashley | Homeage. Always seeking more information on how I can go about establishing myself down there on a longer term basis, and getting a non tourist visa for the purpose of residence or employment. While I could just go down for 6 months, I want to stay progressive. I am also wondering if anyone has info on quarries of limestone, laws regarding quarrying limestone, concrete industry in Q.Roo and if there is a demand for masons in Q.Roo. Last I was aware the construction industry was in the progress of scooping up day labour, however I am curious if there is a demand for construction industry workers, and if there is a college of trades, or formal apprenticeship system in Q.Roo. I am also curious if any seawalls have been proposed to protect coastal tourist areas from expected water increases, using hydraulic roman cement or other materials that will survive and strengthen. As there are volcanos in central america, I would think obtaining volcanic ash for hydraulic roman cement for seawalls would be not as cost prohibitive as other areas. Does the Mexican gov has any plans to build coastal defences to searise? Already areas are prone to flooding in places like PDC? With such vast amounts of limestone, why have seawalls not been built? Any chance of employment in building seawalls? I'd like to specialize in stone/masonry etc.. my studies have heavily focused on medieval / premodern construction, including mesoamerican archaeology. My current trades programming however is more related to ICI and residential. Are there any English based grad programs that would be able to gain entry on an upper second class honours degree in Q.Roo or in Mexico that would have field studies in Q.Roo? In absence of that any good technical schools that I can learn more Spanish, and get calculus and other math skills to start civil engineering training? Very interested in getting my foot in the door. Any ruin sites that need help for excavation etc..? Anyone have any idea?


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Not only was the swell and emotional drama The Fault in Our Stars one of the biggest surprise successes of the year, but the film is also poised to be one of the most profitable. Following positive reviews and a hefty opening weekend, the pic just recently crossed the $100 million mark at the box office against a budget of just $12 million. Author John Green—whose who wrote the book—was a big presence during the film's marketing campaign, and now another one of his books is poised to get the feature treatment following the success of Fault.
Paramount Pictures is currently in talks with filmmaker Sarah Polley to write and possibly direct an adaptation of Green's debut novel, the coming-of-age story Looking for Alaska. Hit the jump for more.
Per Deadline, Take This Waltz, Away from Her, and Stories We Tell writer/director Sarah Polley has been tasked with adapting Green's Looking for Alaska, with the possibility that she may helm the film as well. Apparently Polley pitched a strong take on the material, leading to her landing the writing job. Green's novel revolves around 16-year-old Miles Halter who moves from Florida to a boarding school in Alabama, where he learns life lessons and becomes enthralled with stories of debauchery from his new best friend, the gorgeous Alaska Young. Soon, though, Miles begins to understand that there's more hiding beneath her cheery exterior.
The book was optioned years ago, but Green was left to wait as nothing ever came of it. Fresh off the smashing success of The Fault in Our Stars, though, it appears that Paramount has a renewed interest in the adaptation. I've not yet read Looking for Alaska, but I was a big fan of Green's witty and straightforward prose in Fault, and Polley is an exceptional filmmaker in her own right. Another Green adaptation, Paper Towns, is also taking shape at Fox 2000 with Fault producer Wyck Godfrey, screenwriters Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter, and actor Nat Wolff.
Read the synopsis for Looking for Alaska below.
Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave "the Great Perhaps" even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .
After. Nothing is ever the same. [BN.com]


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Recruiting: Elite Junior Offensive Tackle Logan Tuley-Tillman Visiting MichiganJanuary 7, 2012
One of the most coveted junior offensive tackle prospects in the country, Logan Tuley-Tillman (Peoria, IL), will visit the University of Michigan this weekend for the third time in less than two months.
The Wolverines filled almost every spot in their 2012 recruiting class before the 2011 season got underway, which allowed the coaching staff to get a head start on swaying some of the nation's top prospect in the class of 2013.
While on campus Tuley-Tillman will attend Michigan's basketball game against the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday and the Manual High School star will get a chance to meet a few members of the Wolverines' coaching staff.
"I'm going to be up there this weekend," Tuley-Tillman said. "I'll leave probably (Saturday) afternoon to go up there. Then on Sunday, we'll actually get to the university. I'll get to meet the strength coach and the offensive coordinator, and we're going to the basketball game, too."
The 6'7" and 285 pound prospect does not expect to make a commitment anytime soon due to the fact he already has scholarship offers from 12 major conference schools but says Michigan is his top school at the moment.
"Michigan, Alabama, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, then South Carolina, but that's not anything set in stone" he said. "Those are just the ones I can remember. Michigan is probably my number one right now."
In the coming weeks, Tuley-Tillman will attend Alabama's junior day at the end of January, which will be followed by visits to South Carolina and Arkansas.
Another class of 2013 prospect the Wolverines are already in good standing with is Joliet Catholic Academy running back Ty Isaac (Joliet, IL), who attended the Proving Ground combine in Phoenix, Arizona earlier this week.
Isaac already holds 13 offers and will be heading back to school next week, but his head coach let him know there will likely be a number of college coaches dropping in to pay him a visit.
"I'm not exactly sure which schools are planning to be in school, but my head coach (Dan Sharp) said I should expect several coaches to be wandering the halls at school starting again on Monday," Isaac told EdgyTim.com. "I'll definitely get out to Michigan soon and hopefully more schools."
Do not expect a decision anytime soon from Isaac either, but Michigan already has two commitments in their 2013 recruiting class and will be in the hunt for both of these elite prospects until they make their formal announcements in the coming year.
Zach Dirlam is the Lead Editor of College Basketball and Big Ten Columnist for the Fox Sports, MSN and YardBarker affiliate website Sports at Work. He is also undergoing a trial period as a Michigan Football Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Check out his blog, Dirlam's Dirty Dugout Sports Blog, which features this story along with other articles and video reports on the major sports. Follow him on Twitter @ZachDirlam_SPAW!


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Darkness to Light – Into The Woods
Darkness to Light
Over the summer holidays, I worked with a group of people who had experienced something traumatic together. We worked in a group to start off with, just listening to how everyone was feeling, and then I followed up with one to one sessions.
To start off with the work was focused on … Read more


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[Annoucement] Purple IT Ltd acquires SiteNameBD
Attention all SiteNameBD Customers, We are pleased to present you with the exciting news that we are sure you'll be pleased with! Purple IT Ltd has acquired SiteNameBD and its assets as of Dec 23, 2016, but SiteNameBD will still continue to operate as its own standalone brand under our ownership. Now I am sure you are asking yourself, "What does ... Read More »
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The virtuoso government of our nation still is retroactive as in the past, once the sacrosanct of the government(parliament) was attached and the boorish sadist is still kept alive to see us die one by one, why is that the common does not have the right to live as a human and not to be treated as insipid waste? Lord shall bless us all, but I still don't want to go high above to get the blessings directly from him.(I am serious no doubts about it).
The indigent hedonist human looks forward for a life, for happiness, security that I am alive and walk down the road and still be alive. Yes I believe I will but not cause I can change the rulers of the land, but I trust to the higher above, not that it can change anything but it helps me to accept that I can live with it.
One thing is for sure now, it is not the rulers of the land who want to or are willing to help us, we need to stand by ourselves for our own betterment. I heard a conversation saying the developed nations are 200 to 300 years old and they too have gone through all this, so what we see now is not different than what they have faced before. I believe I may be wrong but just because others took their sweet time to ripen do I need to wait to grow ripe. I don't think so, if that would have been the case we would not have progressed and the renaissance would not have taken place.


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Directions KC to Beaver Lake:
Take 49 Hwy South to I-44 East (toward Springfield). Turn South on Highway 37 (Sarcoxie Exit) at Casey's turn right and continue on Highway 37. Highway 37 South will take you all the way to Gateway AR.
At 62 Highway in Gateway AR turn left. Look for brown sign turn right on Indian Creek Road. Turn Left on Dam Site Road.
List of Items to Bring
Hotels and Motels
Suggestions for Food
Names and Locations


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Hello My Name Is...
Mrs. Savannah Cantu
Education Background:
Hi! I am so excited for the upcoming year at Sharyland North Junior High! This will be my eighth year teaching ELA. I graduated from Texas A&M University- Kingsville with a bachelors in Communications-Broadcasting and a minor in Journalism. I was a recipient of a Track Scholarship and a collegiate cheerleader. I am certified 4-8 grade English Language Arts, Reading and History. I am also certified in ESL (English as a Second Language).
Students, I will continually observe your growth in reading and writing, and as the year progresses provide support as needed. In order to accomplish the best end result I do expect for students and parents to take responsibility and ownership for all assignments. This includes attending tutorials upon request. Most importantly please enter my classroom with a positive attitude and with a mindset that you will succeed. I will not let you down...so don't let me down!
I can't wait to meet YOU and ecstatic to begin the school year with a bang! Let's have a great year and GOOOOO Diamondbacks!
Mrs. S. Cantu
7th Grade ELA
"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back." - Maya Angelou


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Editors note: Below is a clinical report of a psychoanalytic treatment. The title quotes a famous slip of Sigmund Freud in a letter to his friend Wilhelm Fliess about the feeding of the child. Freud wrote "nahrungseinfuhr" instead of "nahrungzufuhr" which implies the idea of an "intromission" of the food into the child's mouth. This approach recalls the theory of the "primary seduction" as developed by Pr Jean Laplanche. The French version of this article has been published in "Psychiatrie Française", the journal of the French Psychiatrists Association. You can read the second part here.
When she enters the waiting room with her parents, this fifteen year old girl – we will call her Isabelle – offers a striking contrast: on the one hand, a frail body, a pale skin despite colours brought by the summer sun. On the other hand, the intensity, if not to say the harshness of the glance. Under the vigilant attention of the girl, her mother explains: "This is at the request of her daughter that the appointment has been made after the latter recognised that 'all her problems got out of her control.'" The mother clarifies: Isabelle has already "followed several therapies with psychologists and with a child psychiatrist," but she promptly discontinued these therapies because she "did not notice any improvement of her state." Isabelle looked at the analyst defiantly. Although she "tries to eat fruits, she has no longer takes lunch," according to the mother. Divorced for many years, the parents accompany Isabelle to this consultation during which the mother monopolises a word, whose father, that we feel sceptical about the therapeutic approach – something he confirmed later on – remains strangely aloof.
I invite Isabelle to follow me in the office. Brilliant student in the scientific course, the teenager exposes her story with a concision of the language and a consistency of the syntax to the charms of which the analyst – a Sorbonne University graduate who loves Les Belles Lettres – could easily succumb. The symptom is firmly lashed to the absorption of food. Her "problem" is not new: several years ago, Isabelle flirted with dietary restrictions, but in the recent weeks, she feels that "the phenomenon is no longer under her control" and that "the slope becomes dangerous." She skips lunch, avoids systematically meals with friends in order not to explain her "difference", that of, as she tells to the analyst, not to order anything at the restaurant. During this first exchange, she explains that she spends her life with raising incessant questions about a scenario that repeats itself endlessly and that makes her feel guilty: she begins a relationship with a boyfriend she likes but, as it goes well, she promptly decides to orient this relation towards friendship, taking on "despite herself" the role of confidante for a partner who, besides his incomprehension, conceives a sharp pain about this situation. As for Isabelle, she feels "very guilty". This compulsive pattern becomes the governing principle of the future sessions during which, at first, the analyst does not fail to notice her impossibility to name everything related to the emotions and to the sexuality: this last word is even carefully hidden, either by some endless convolutions or by some embarrassed approximations that contrast with the speech capabilities of the young patient. This initial face-to-face proves the analytic rule: everything is said but appears in a palimpsest.
The session ends up with the evocation of a recurring dream: the patient is "sitting in the back seat of her parents' car." "Suddenly, her mother is violently thrown out of the vehicle." "She escapes herself from the car", then, "she is lost at the foot of a snow-covered hill trail that leads to a chalet and where she hopes to find her again." Back to the living room, I have to deal with the interrogation of the mother. I answer that it is up to Isabelle and to her alone, to decide whether or not, she wants to continue the work. An appointment is requested by the latter for the following week.
Jean-Luc Vannier is a French psychoanalyst based in Nice (French Riviera), and is full-time lecturer of psychoanalysis at Nice Sophia-Antipolis University, EDHEC Business School, Ipag Business School. He regularly writes for several French magazines and has his own columns. At the University of Côte d'Azur, he is the official Referent for the PPP (Personal and Professional Project) aimed at helping the students to work on their own identity and to define their job choices. Jean-Luc is an editorial board member of the Psychreg Journal of Psychology. You can follow him on Twitter @jlv06


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Connect the dots
The Indy often runs stories I don't happen to agree with ... surprise! But Mahajan's piece (Your Turn, March 25) encouraging the maiming and killing of innocents takes the proverbial cake. It isn't difficult to imagine this guy comfortably sipping tea with Osama, chuckling with delight at the news of the bombing of a commuter train in Spain. Yes, apparently the rules of war have changed, but absolutely nothing justifies the taking of innocent lives. Nothing.
Mahajan wants to connect dots across the globe to justify his friends' barbarism. He assumes that Palestinian extremists will suddenly turn into joyful, happy, Teletubby-like followers of Islam were Jews to vacate Israel overnight. Arafat's gangsters have demonstrated time after time how they are willing to employ subterfuge while negotiating. Additionally, Mahajan assumes that Sunnis and Shi'ites will instantly start sharing a love like no other if coalition forces left Iraq in a week's time. Does he think all the bodies discovered in mass, common graves in Iraq got there accidentally? They weren't put there by coalition forces. And why aren't women's organizations around the world up in arms over the brutal oppression of women under fundamentalist Islam?
The author then reveals his true agenda, hoping no one will challenge his statement, "It doesn't matter whether you're a hawk or a dove." Baloney! In Colorado we know what fertilizer smells like. According to Mahajan, he would have Israel and the coalition surrender first, talk later.
For as long as a dangerous little bunch of progress-challenged, culturally jealous extremists justify the taking of innocent lives in their pursuit to return the world to medieval nirvana, military means will be the only effective way to enable them to collect their 39 virgins. It is amazing how Mahajan, writing from the comfort of offices at the University of Texas, can be so well educated and yet be so ignorant of the real world. Obviously, the only blood he will ever lose will be from his bleeding heart.
-- Steve Clarke
Colorado Springs
Who's to blame?
I know that Iraq is better off without Saddam Hussein, but removing him from power was never the reason for a ''pre-emptive'' war.
The American people and the world were told of imminent danger, a progressing nuclear program, and stockpiles of chemical and nerve agents. To date, we've found exactly nothing, and I don't think it's from a lack of looking either.
There sure were intelligence breakdowns, and who's ultimately to blame? Look no further than George W. Bush, who still has yet to account for his miscalculations and rush to war.
-- Mr. Michael L. Jones
Elizabeth, Colo.
Tremendous strides
Tremendous strides
As a patriotic American living in a dangerous corner of the world, I am heartened to observe the tremendous strides the Bush administration is making toward reforming the Middle East. President Bush's call for a democratic Middle East is a bold step forward that is badly needed. In this region where such basic American rights as freedom of worship, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are prohibited, it is a refreshing change of perspective for our president to speak of democracy in this region.
But Bush is not confining his steps to mere rhetoric. He is a man of decisive action. We Americans can be proud that he has liberated two oppressive countries -- Afghanistan and Iraq -- and has established democratic institutions in both of them. For example, the development of the recent Iraqi provisional constitution is an enormous achievement by the Bush administration in fostering the winds of freedom and democracy.
While there is some resistance here to change in the status quo, I sense that people in the Middle East are, down deep, receptive to the opportunity to consider the establishment of democracy and freedom. Being captives of oppressive regimes, they may not openly call for such change, but I feel they are amenable to it. This is the sense that I get from a street-level perspective of people in the Middle East.
Therefore, now is not the time for America to falter in its campaign to bring peace, freedom, democracy and justice to the Middle East. I strongly encourage all my fellow Americans back home to continue to give your full support to our president at this time of critical change in the Middle East.
Together we may very well see the institution of a more peaceful region and a more peaceful world. And for this, we can be grateful to the sagacious leadership of George W. Bush.
-- Kim Hester
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Success and sacrifice
The first anniversary of the Iraq war brings speeches about the success and sacrifice by our military and about fear of the evil we face, which mandates that we continue our fight. President Bush said today at Fort Campbell that America is represented by people "like Billy who volunteers with the YMCA here and takes time to love a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself," and said that is why we'll never be defeated.
What about those who the Pentagon calls "collateral damage"? There are solutions besides fear and fighting that take as much courage as our soldiers demonstrate, which would yield true security that comes from true "caring." We left Afghanistan to fall back into tribal warfare in order to wage a pre-emptive war in Iraq. We ignore corporate malfeasance by no-bid contract recipients who are paid highly to rebuild Iraq, while skilled Iraqis beg for just some of those jobs. Many of our soldiers are quoted as saying unemployed Iraqis have both time and reason to oppose us. Bechtel, Halliburton, et al., are bilking American taxpayers of money that could fund solutions to more serious threats than Iraq ever posed, such as helping Russia to destroy their vast nuclear arsenal, which Russian President Putin has asked us to do, while still leaving enough money to rebuild Iraq in a sensible manner.
Why didn't, and now why won't, Bush act on lessons that most of us learned long before he awakened to profess that he "will never forget the lessons of 9/11"? He disengaged from any U.S. role to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the United States was and remains a target due to what we created there over decades with our monetary and diplomatic support of Israel's military failures. He bolsters radicals in Iran by not helping moderates there who could change that country to a more just society. He dismisses our allies, saying "we'll do it alone," but hunting for terrorists was a global endeavor before he awakened on 9/11and it always will be.
When Bush says, "You're either with us or you're with the terrorists," he's not just talking to allied countries; he's talking to any American who dares to offer other solutions.
-- Pat Conley
Manitou Springs
Score one for the Dems
Score one for the Dems
This letter is a response to Chuck Frasier calling John Kerry a sad, helpless twit and accusing the Democratic party of being anti-American, perverted and atheistic and a cheerleader for Satan. (Letters, March 11.)
John Kerry served in Vietnam fighting for America; George Bush did not! Why else is Mr. Kerry supported by veterans?
The Democratic Party has always respected the freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. Conservative Christian Republicans have always ignored that by imposing their values upon the masses.
How could the Democratic Party be cheerleaders for Satan and atheists at the same time when an atheist is defined as one who denies the existence of God and his enemy Satan?
During the Bill Clinton presidency, employment was abundant and there were more choices for working-class Americans who were paying cash at the grocery store and had private medical insurance. But after George W. Bush had taken office as a result of a Supreme Court decision, all of that came to a screeching halt!
Score one for the Democratic Party! Now that George W. Bush is president, there is an overabundance of Americans who have little or no healthcare and are desperately looking for work.
Mr. Frazier says that John Kerry should slip on panties and host a tea party. I say that the Republican Party should shave their heads, put on their Nazi uniforms and march down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., behind George W. Bush as he waves the Confederate flag while shouting in unison "Heil Hitler!"
-- Ed Billings
Colorado Springs
Driving to Mars
Driving to Mars
I'm writing in response to Chuck Frazier's letter and his concerns about the U.S. media (Letters, March 11.)
On a recent afternoon road trip across Texas, I scanned the AM stations in search of sports talk. Instead I got Rush Limbaugh ranting about liberal control of the media. I changed stations and there was Rush complaining about the liberal press. I scanned on ... and twice more hit Mr. Limbaugh rattling his papers at the puerile and misguided Americans who provide us our news.
In West Texas, it's Rush's opinion or nothing. They say he's a good man, but I'm not sure he's got the facts on this one. Maybe, like our president, it is his advisers who are providing him with inaccurate and ironic information.
Additionally, I appreciate Mr. Frazier's perspective on our president as a down-to-earth fellow. You'll be interested to know that one of his re-election campaign slogans reflects this man of the people ideal:
Driving to Mars in our hydrogen cars
Vote for Bush
I can't wait.
-- John Moore
Via the Internet
Extend unemployment benefits
Extend unemployment benefits
Unemployment insurance is the nation's principal safety net for helping people who lose their jobs, but the program has lagged behind economic changes. Half of all unemployed workers received benefits in the 1950s, but only about one-third do today. Unemployment insurance should be reformed to cover more people, to provide sufficient benefits to people between jobs, and help laid off workers gain the workforce training skills that they need.
John Kerry supports reforms that help workers and has consistently supported efforts to extend benefits to unemployed workers during recessions. We are waiting to see if President Bush will also support the extension of unemployment compensation benefits for all of the jobless Americans who are actively seeking work but cannot find a job.
-- Cyndi Vasco
Essence of Americanism
I would like to respond to two letters in last week's Indy by Jensen and Alvarado regarding John Kerry's protest of the Vietnam War. Jensen states that to protest an ongoing war is "un-American, despicable and politically reprehensible." I found John Kerry's protest to be the very essence of Americanism -- courageous, intelligent and a matter of conscience rather than politically motivated. When I returned from Vietnam, I too protested the war. I was drafted and served as a rifleman from April 1968 to April 1969 with the 9th Infantry in the Mekong Delta.
Why is it that those among us who like to crow the loudest about how American troops are fighting to protect our rights and liberties are so often the first to deny these freedoms to not only the troops but to the general population? Of course we have the right to protest war or anything else we choose to protest. It is not only a right but a duty. And who better to protest a wrong war than the soldiers who fought it? Indeed, the very heart and soul of the Vietnam War protest were Vietnam veterans. I don't pretend to speak for veterans. We are a very diverse group with a full range of opinions. Clearly, Jensen and Alvarado don't speak for anyone but themselves.
As an American combat veteran, I have infinitely more respect for a man who goes to war and realizes it was wrong and comes home and says so than I do for a "man" who uses his family's political influence to skip over 500 other young men waiting to get into the National Guard. A man who, years later, prances around on an aircraft carrier in a uniform he neither earned nor deserved to wear.
-- David Loucks
Colorado Springs


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I just completed the course Computer Networks at Coursera and here's my two cents. It is offered by professors David Wetherall, Arvind Krishnamurthy, John Zahorja of the University of Washington. The course is incredibly informative and invaluable.
The course introduces the fundamental problems of computer networking, from sending bits over wires to running distributed applications. It explores the design strategies that have been proven valuable in practice. Topics include error detection and correction, multiple-access, bandwidth allocation, routing, inter-networking, reliability, quality of service, naming, content delivery, and security.
It helps the students gain an understanding of the how the Internet works to support the Web and other networked applications and develop a detailed understanding of the widely used networking technologies such as TCP/IP, HTTP, 802.11, Ethernet, and DNS.
It is a 10 weeks course. Each week, a set of lectures, a quiz and an optional programming assignment are released. Then, there are mid-term and final exams. The material is engaging and the presentation is marvelous.
This is supposed to be an introductory course to computer networks and doesn't expect much on part of the students. Still, it covers the subject in great depth, from internet history to reference models, from framing techniques to multiple access schemes, routing protocols, congestion control, DNS, CDNs, Quality of Service and Network Security. I think it is a fun and engaging course.