To position itself as a major ICT-BPM player in the Philippines is no longer an option for the City of Dagupan; it has become an imperative to elevate itself as much, and maximize the opportunities that it will be given. At the same time, the City and its leaders must collectively face, address, and overcome the challenges that are still looming in order to become one of the major ICT-BPM hubs in the Philippines.
The imperative exists because, as mentioned in the introduction, government bodies and private organizations like the IT-BPAP (IT-Business Processing Association of the Philippines) have recognized Dagupan as a Next-Wave City. This means that it has the potential to birth, nurture, and sustain the growth of IT-BPM hubs fueled by foreign investors and multi-nationals, with a majority of its manpower, especially full-time employees, assumed by the local workforce. The Philippines stands to capture billions of dollars in revenues from the global outsourcing market, and the City of Dagupan, known for its bangus exports, must develop its talent, infrastructure, and other support systems to export, in a sense, business processing outsourcing services to the countries that need them.
The challenges posed by the evolving global landscape, as detailed in the previous part of this roadmap, must be weighed vis-a -vis the City of Dagupan's capacity to respond to them. We must take an objective, critical, and yet constructive look at the strengths and weaknesses of the city. We must study the capabilities and core competencies which we can leverage on and build for the long run. At the same time, we must also take a ruthlessly honest and pragmatic look at the aspects of our City that must be improved on, restructured, and if necessary undergo a total overhaul if we are to become competitive for the long haul.
The global outsourcing market does present a lot of rewards for companies, organizations, and the leaders—but it remains for those who are courageous enough to effect change where it is needed in order to seize the opportunities being presented. Global competitiveness is rigorous, unrelenting, and sometimes merciless in its quest for those who will continually deliver excellence. The Philippines and her workforce found in various cities have risen to the challenge, and have successfully maintained the leadership position. Regardless of the challenges it may confront, Dagupan City, like her counterparts in other parts of the archipelago, can do no less.
Indeed, it has all the potentials to rise to the top of the line of the Next-Wave Cities in a few years' time.
The cost of doing operations in the City (COST). Can the total amount of expenses for setting up an IT-BPM hub in Dagupan City be recovered by the revenues that will eventually come in? What is the volume of the profit margin? Can the earnings incurred by the IT-BPM hubs increase over time and overwhelm the costs of doing business in the city? How long before return of investments happen? Will profits always exceed expenses?
IT-BPM inventory (OUTSOURCING PRESENCE). The initial list of IT-BPM companies that have set up shop can be a fair indicator of the success of the others that will follow in its path. How huge are these sites? Who are their investors and foreign owners? What services do they provide? How many employees do they manage? How fast have they grown? How were they able to sustain their business? Are they getting more clients overseas? Can we expect them to survive and thrive not just in the foreseeable future, but in the next decade?
Good governance and government Support through the LGU's (GOVERNMENT SUPPORT). Government support and good, efficient, and honest governance are both critical to the success and sustainability of the IT-BPM's. This roadmap will assess the kind of support that the local government units (LGU's) and other affiliated organizations have given, and are willing to continue to provide, the IT-BPM companies. The nature of said support will also be studied: are there tax incentives? discounted prices on property and other infrastructure? facilitation of interaction with schools and other educational institutions? an open-door partnership that will always be cognizant of the needs of the IT-BPM companies?
NETWORK AVAILABILITY. The cornerstone of any IT-BPM location would be the availability of a solid, reliable network infrastructure. Inasmuch as there are only a limited number of providers in the Philippines, it is imperative that their presence and capacity is determined.
INVESTOR EXPERIENCE. Assessing the experience of the IT-BPM players already in place automatically means taking into consideration the experience of their investors. Their feedback can give us an idea of what their future colleagues find both enticing and discouraging in Dagupan City. Where do they give us high marks? Where do they feel lack of support? Which of the city's strengths are crucial to their business sustainability? Which of the city's weaknesses cripple their potentials for growth? What's their wish list if they are to ride their current momentum and take their hubs and offices to higher levels of productivity and profitability, both of which will impact Dagupan City positively?
The talent landscape (TALENT). Talent is the main driver that fuels an IT-BPM site. The lack of it in a region and/or the inability to hire needed talent to deliver the required services can spell the slowdown or death of IT-BPM progress in that location. On the other hand, an abundance of a continuing supply of talent, skilled and open to more training and learning, is an asset that can draw in more investors and their customers. As far as the talent pool is concerned, how plentiful is Dagupan City's? How literate and skilled are they? Which services have they shown themselves to be competent? Which services have they proven themselves to be consistently excellent? These are questions that will allow us to hone in on Dagupan City's differentiator when it comes to skilled manpower—and with it, the potential importance of the City to locators and investors.
INFRASTRUCTURE. Talent may be available, but infrastructure is equally vital to guarantee sustainability and growth: competent telecommunications and internet services, uninterrupted flow of power and water, extensive and habitable property, strong capabilities for construction and building, food and retail, and transportation that is available during the off-hours especially the midnight shift. We must study Dagupan City's current capabilities as far as these are concerned.
VALUE PROPOSITION. All the Next-Wave Cities and other future regions that can be deemed compatible for IT-BPM growth do share similar aspects that have made them suitable launching pads for the industry. Frequent and common examples would be talent and telecommunications. However, each Next-Wave City has its own uniqueness that enhances its appeal to foreign locators. Dagupan City's own specific attractive features must be studied and highlighted if it is to position and market itself as an IT-BPM player with its own identity offering something of extra value to its investors and customers. It cannot simply be another IT-BPM hub or a note on the list of the Next-Wave Cities. It must be able to provide something that is not usually found in the other IT-BPM regions, which will in turn increase its worth and value and probably mark it as indispensable in this digital age marked by fierce competition.
Growing an IT-BPM Hub in Dagupan City (ENVIRONMENT). A study of the above aspects will then be able to give our potential locators an accurate and hopefully predominantly positive future of the requirements needed to make their IT-BPM hubs succeed in Dagupan City. It will function like a mini-road map in the larger one that is this document. It will become an encouragement and a guideline on how they can take part in the growth of the next major IT-BPM hub in the Philippines, while reaping the rewards.
Here are the findings on the capabilities and areas of improvement of Dagupan City as an IT-BPM hub, as based on the above aspects which compose the COGNITIVE Location Assessment Model.
The cost of doing operations in Dagupan City (Cost). One attraction of Dagupan City to locators and investors is the relatively low cost of doing business, which are significantly more reasonable when compared to other more populated cities like the National Capital Region or even Cebu City. Real estate, local taxes, transportation, and utilities cost less than half of that being spent in those other cities. Minimum wage for an entry-level employee ranges from P205 to P253 pesos a day.
Electricity costs P7.59/kwh while water is billed at P19.23/cu m. A liter of gasoline costs P42. Dagupan City was ranked #2 in the Cost of Doing Business Category by the Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index in April of 2015.
IT-BPM inventory (Outsourcing Presence). Locators that have set up shop in Dagupan City established themselves only a few years ago with one site. Voice and contact service still dominate, with a few providing back-office services in technical, engineering, accounting and auditing. A majority of the clients are based in the U.S.and other Asian Geographies. To date, there are around 12 IT-BPM's in Dagupan City, an ideal number for satisfied companies whose success stories in the outsourcing industry can attract more of their colleagues. These IT-BPM's currently found in Dagupan City are as follows: Akamai Call Center, Dynamic Concepts BPO, ETS PH Communications, Farmout,Bitstop Network Solutions,Intersys Call Center, Kirtan Communications, L.A. Daroya Business Services, Linked Outsourcing Services, Network and Internet Solutions, and PIXELHUB and R'Liem Communication Services.
enhance investor activity. Local legislation that creates a business-friendly environment is also welcome. Major industries and their corporations, and not just those belonging to the IT-BPM sector, have noted Dagupan City's business-friendly environment, which is strongly supported by activities and incentives created by the local government units. They have cited its speedy processing of permits, the enforcement of peace and order, and integrity in the systems (or the lack of graft and corruption) as conducive for doing business . The Dagupan Investment Incentive Board, created specifically to court investors for the tourism and business sectors, regularly communicates with its shareholders to address their concerns. The board has been widely acclaimed for its fast response time that cuts through red tape to expedite critical business processes.
Two new programs were recently put in place to develop property for business owners: Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and a Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. Dagupan City's business-friendly environment has catapulted it to the 19th place of the Philippines' most competitive cities, from its #44 position three years ago. Two ICT councils also support the development and growth of ICT-BPM's in Dagupan City. The LGU is also the driving force in establishing and creating this roadmap.
Network Availability. The two major providers of telecommunication services are present in the city of Dagupan. In the course of our research, the strong presence of the Philippine Long-Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) which provides data, voice, and other cellular-related services to the companies in the Northern Luzon area, including Dagupan City, is a good selling point for the IT-BPM Industry. Data centers and IT-BPM's in particular have benefitted from PLDT services, with operational capacity at 99% with very little or practically non-existent downtime. The presence of a fiber optic network is also a welcome addition to Dagupan's arsenal to cater to IT-BPM opportunities.
Investor Experience. Locators and other foreign companies that have established their businesses in Dagupan City speak highly of the local government support, the availability of talent, the friendliness of the populace and their eagerness for IT-BPM's to succeed, and the relatively low cost of doing business. They also noted that infrastructure has to be improved, business continuity has to be guaranteed especially in the light of climate change, and that more efforts can be made to boost the quality of computer hardware and software, which are vital to the growth of the ICT-BPM sector.
The Talent Landscape (Talent). As mentioned in the earlier part of this roadmap, the key that opened Dagupan City's entry into the Next-Wave Cities list was the high quality of talent that could be found in the workforce, and which are nurtured by the academic institutions. The English-fluency skills of the people of Dagupan City have made call centers boom in the region. Following a close second are their expertise in accounting and engineering. Many of the Dagupan young workforce are also looking to expand their wings and establish themselves in careers beyond the traditional fishing industry. Their foreign managers have spoken of their diligence, willingness to learn, resourcefulness, adaptability, and the customer-service attitude that seems to be ingrained in all Filipinos from birth.
Three universities, 14 colleges, and 18 technical-vocational institutions infuse 7,500 graduates into the workforce every single year. These include the following: Asiacareer College Foundation, Aie College Dagupan Campus, AMA Computer College Dagupan Campus, Colegio de Dagupan, Dagupan Colleges Foundation, Escuela de Nuestra Senora de La Salette, Kingfisher School of Business and Finance, Lyceum-Northwestern University, Pangasinan Merchant Marine Academy, Pimsat Colleges, STI College Dagupan Campus, University of Luzon, University of Pangasinan, and the British College International.
It must be noted that Dagupan City's educational wealth is part of its shared legacy with the Ilocos regions to which it belongs. The North has always prided itself on its educational quality and rightfully so. A Higher Education Study made in 2013 has noted that almost 160,000 students graduate from the Ilocos Region's schools and higher educational institutions every single year. This places it higher than other regions courting IT-BPM hubs like Bicol and Davao.
The Ilocanos' love for education can also be seen in the number of students and working professionals who enroll in a graduate programs. The Ilocos Regions #3 among all regions in the Philippines when it comes to graduate program enrollees, and #5 when it comes to those who did enroll and finish their graduate studies.
Infrastructure. The need to develop and improve on infrastructure is one urgent request that commonly comes up among locators and businessmen from other industries. While rates of power and water remain low, water wells and other sources of the precious liquid that are sent to Dagupan City are of very poor quality and would need some serious restructuring. Roads have to be built and/or repaired, and made into one convergent roadway that would make travel time even faster. The most important concern to ICT-BPM companies is the absence of a Philippine Economic Zone Park (PEZA) which can effectively house and set apart all ICT-BPM hubs in the region. Such a park would also augur to prospective locators that within Dagupan City exists an extensive piece of urban space with secure, state-of-the-art facilities where they can safely build their business and shepherd them into prosperity while their people can live and work in safety.
Environment. Dagupan's business-friendly environment, its facilities, location, and people have made it attractive to investors, especially Multi-National Companies, who are looking for viable places where they can invest their resources and grow their business for the foreseeable, extensive future. What it offers must be seen in regards to its neighboring cities and within the socio-economic context of the Philippines as a preferred outsourcing destination for global locators.
First, while talent is plentiful and abundant, it is also cost-effective. Dagupan's new graduates and the other members of its workforce are as talented, skilled, literate, English-fluent, productive, and as resilient as their counterparts in other Filipino cities. One can even argue that they are more industrious and more cost-conscious than most, which are traits that have been ascribed to the people in the Northern region of Ilocos where Dagupan City is found. At the same time, this talent quality which can be groomed, nurtured, and developed, is not as expensive as those found in the National Capital Region. The minimum daily wage of P253 paid an entry-level employee in Dagupan City is just half of the minimum daily wage of the maximum P491 per-day pay of the same entry-level employees who work in Metro Manila.
Second, Dagupan City ranks among the Top 20 Component Cities in the Philippines, which are deemed desirable and preferable by investors and businessmen, local and international, for the following reasons: economic dynamism, government infrastructure, and operational or business efficiency. Out of 110 Component Cities in the archipelago, Dagupan City is #15. Given the dedication of its local government and private sector alike to harness its potential, boost industries, and provide employment to the qualified citizenry, it would not be long before it climbs up the chart and surpass the other cities preceding it, like Batangas City, Batangas; Koronadal, South Cotabato, and San Pedro City, Laguna.
Third, the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index of the National Competitiveness Council ranks Dagupan City in the Top 20 bracket in destination qualities that locators and investors are looking for, before deciding to establish their bases in that region.
Jobs: Employment is high and unemployment and underemployment rate is low, as qualified members of the workforce are readily able to find jobs that are continuously available because of booming business, entrepreneurial opportunities, and the support of local government. Dagupan City ranks #1.
Cost of Doing Business: An environment that makes it inviting for businesses and companies to settle in the region as they will find ready support among the public and private sectors. Capital expenditure and operational costs are also kept low because the cost of infrastructure, property, power, utilities, goods, wages, etc. are not as expensive as those found in other cities. Dagupan City ranks #1.
Presence of Investment Promotions Unit: Private sector and public government alike have established offices that promote and market the city and the region to tourists, locators, retirees, and other persons of interest. The objective is to highlight the assets of the region and encourage those not yet living in it to set up shop, do business, or relocate. Dagupan City ranks #1.
Availability of Utilities: Power, water, gas, and other essential services are available and plentiful 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Disruptions are rare and even when they occur during circumstances beyond anyone's control, e.g. storms, they can be addressed immediately and effectively with minimal impact on the population and industries. Dagupan City ranks #1.
Health: Hospitals, clinics, day-care centers, dental offices both private and public are readily available, with operational infrastructure, to provide health care to the community. The higher the ranking, the greater the chances that both medical services and infrastructure can be made comparable to the major urban areas. Dagupan City ranks #13.
Capacity of Health Services: Hospitals, clinics, day-care centers, dental offices both private and public can accommodate the patients that are brought to them, never sacrificing in quality or failing in their public duty to provide medical service. Doctors, nurses, dentists, and other medical practitioners are never in wanting. No citizen in that community has to worry about suffering major injury or loss of life simply because no doctor is available. Dagupan City ranks #14.
Capacity of Schools: Centers of learning in all levels, from elementary to post-graduate, from university to technical-vocational, provide education and training to students with such a quality that graduation or certification of courses from these institutions can help them land employment. Dagupan City ranks #23.
ATM: Bank transactions done through terminals are available in many parts of the city. This can be helpful especially in the evenings, weekends, and holidays when the regular bank establishments are closed. ATM terminals provide easy access to funds that businessmen might need to use at any given moment, especially in IT-BPM's where services happen 24/7 and at all odd hours of the night. Dagupan City ranks #35.
Road Network: The quality of the roads, streets, and highways that link the avenues of the region together, as well as create a functional path between the region and other cities by which people and goods can move without harm or delay. Police presence is also strong enough to guarantee protection, and enough infrastructure and utilities pepper the highway to provide support for the travellers through the form of restaurants, motels, retail stores, public toilets, gas stations, etc. Dagupan City ranks #36.
Transportation: All modes of public transport are available to bring people, goods, and services to any part of the region. They are also extensive enough to facilitate transport from the region to nearby cities. Public transport encompasses a whole range of services from airborne aircraft, boats and ferries, cabs, jeepneys, tricycles, and motorcycles, to name a few. Dagupan City ranks #38.
Business Efficiency: Red tape and other bureaucratic maneuvers that tend to slow down productivity are kept to a minimum, if not totally eliminated. Permits and other legal documents are given speedily and punctually so as not to cause loss of time or business opportunity. Utilities and service also run optimally, such as transport and telecom, ensuring business continuity and hindering disruptions that could affect sales or negotiations. Dagupan City ranks #41.
Compliance to National Directives for LGU: The speed and efficiency by which a region's local government unit complies with directives from the national government, which in turn makes it align and synergize with the national government's goal of boosting productivity, economy, and citizen well-being in the region. Dagupan City ranks #42.
Economic Dynamism or the inherent energy, resources, citizen and community participation, and overall local government commitment to develop and mature the various industries in their region and support the private businesses: Dagupan City ranks #45.
Peace and Order. People feel safe and institutions are secure in the knowledge that law and order are upheld, and criminal activity is low and do not actively pose any danger to all concerned. It must be noted that in a study made of the Philippines' most dynamic cities that have suffered crime and its consequences to a regular and semi-debilitating degree, Dagupan City was NOT included.
Value Proposition. Dagupan City as an IT-BPM destination has distinctions that set it apart and differentiate it from its Philippine counterparts, and these the Dagupan City local government units and private sector must capitalize on.
First, Dagupan City is already well-known. Though far from the congested highways and stressful streets of Metro Manila, it is not an out-of-the-way rural place where foreigners will feel like they are strangers from another planet. Dagupan City's thriving milkfish and tourism industries have placed it on the radar of global entrepreneurs and investors. Foreign companies and their respective countries that have imported products from Dagupan City or installed their regional offices or sites in it know and recognize that the City has a sterling history when it comes to supporting businesses and industries. Dagupan City and its officials are well aware of what makes businesses succeed globally, and they are familiar with the intricacies of doing business abroad. Dig a little deeper and you might find foreigners who visit the city frequently and have made second homes there, or relocated there altogether to put up businesses with their Filipino spouses, and/or are making ventures for retirement.
Second, LGU's can capitalize on this track record, history, and global relations to propel Dagupan City as a Next-Wave City and home to IT-BPM's. The famous milkfishing and agricultural industries do not have to be set aside. Rather, they can be grown and nurtured together, to show what a regional city can offer: industrialization in the 21st century aligned with respected and honoured native practices and industries birthed out of a cultivation, and not a devastation of the environment.
Third, Dagupan City as a regional hub has the necessary distance to make it a haven for locators. Power, utilities, and other elements of infrastructure are present to support business. With that being said, the natural environment that surrounds Dagupan City makes it an ideal place where one can do business as efficiently and superlatively as possible, and yet relax and rejuvenate. Resorts, swimming pools, mountain inns, and more are available within a few hours' drive. After a long hard day at work, a locator can simply take a dip at the ocean or hike off the mountain trail during the weekend. No arduous preparations for an out-of-town trip are necessary because the places for recharging and rejuvenation are already in Dagupan City, next to their place of work.
Besides, there is something to be said about glimpsing entire mountainous landscapes or taking in the fresh ocean air as you drive to and from work. The environment does make for healthy living because it brings you one step closer to Mother Nature. If the locator wants to indulge in other natural' kinds of entertainment to take a break from his IT-related work, organic farms and fishing are just a stone's throw away.
At the same time, this wondrous environment is only a few hours' drive from the National Capital Region. One does not have to be away from the home office to "enjoy Paradise," and relocation to this haven does not make difficult the travel time to business partners and clients in the NCR.
Fourth, this haven of the natural is complemented by the peace, safety and security that is a trademark of Dagupan City. The crime rate is practically non-existent. People can go in and out at all hours of the day without feeling anxious or afraid. This is a boon especially for the call center and IT-BPM workers who do have to take trips within the city at late hours in the evening.
Fifth, the peace and order situation that is enjoyed by the populace in Dagupan City is reflective of the harmonious relationships that the local government units have with each other, and which contribute to the progress of the city and the well-being of its inhabitants. The Dagupan City LGU wants its businesses to flourish and will do what is necessary to support them. Unnecessary red tape is still being trimmed down. The local government offices have opened their doors and their collective ear to listen to the concerns of businesses, their owners, and managers. They coordinate with the private sector, like property developers, to see how they can reduce costs and offer valuable support at realistic prices to out-of-town businessmen and companies who want to do business in Dagupan.
Sixth, Dagupan City has laid the proper foundation for a viable business infrastructure, which will be easy and convenient enough to build on. Telecom is strong and power is consistent. The quality of water can be improved on. Property developers are open to working with other parties to make sure each space is maximized and developed for viable businesses and continuing revenue. In short, the brick-and-mortar-and- IT component that makes a viable business hub does not have to be laid from ground zero. There is a considerable foundation to build on, and it can be done at least cost and at a fast pace.
Seventh, Dagupan City's talent has and will always be cited for the attraction it holds for IT-BPM locators. The education that is being taught in the entire Region is above quality and stands above the rest of the Philippine cities. The populace is generally literate, hardworking, English-fluent, adaptable, and respectful of foreign culture. There will never be a shortage of talent because of the number of high-quality educational institutions surrounding and within Dagupan City itself. Young talent grows by the year, and these are the ones who are always looking for challenge to better themselves, and opportunities by which they can provide for their families. The IT-BPM hub can certainly provide both.
To summarize, what Unique Value Proposition does Dagupan City offer as a Next-Wave City?
It is a thriving, bustling city that has proven itself to be a builder of industries, yet without falling into the congestion, pollution, and stressful situations that are so prevalent in the other capitals. Its business-friendly local government officials and literate, hardworking, skilled talent make it welcome and encouraging for IT- BPM hubs to grow in the region. This support is supplemented by existing infrastructure that, although can still be improved, still is in a much better condition than those found in other regional cities.
Finally, the proximity to the National Capital Region make Dagupan City a convenient location to locators who have business and or sites in the Capital, and at the same time want to expand to outside of it. The travel time makes workshops, symposia, conferences, business meetings, and recruitment events convenient and easy to coordinate. The resorts, beaches, and other natural wonders in Dagupan City that can be inviting to NCR-based locators and their staff can even come across as more inviting ways to self- rejuvenation precisely because of that distance.


text:
using System;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Identity;
using Abp.Application.Services;
using Abp.IdentityFramework;
using Abp.Runtime.Session;
using AbpODataDemo.Authorization.Users;
using AbpODataDemo.MultiTenancy;

namespace AbpODataDemo
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Derive your application services from this class.
    /// </summary>
    public abstract class AbpODataDemoAppServiceBase : ApplicationService
    {
        public TenantManager TenantManager { get; set; }

        public UserManager UserManager { get; set; }

        protected AbpODataDemoAppServiceBase()
        {
            LocalizationSourceName = AbpODataDemoConsts.LocalizationSourceName;
        }

        protected virtual async Task<User> GetCurrentUserAsync()
        {
            var user = await UserManager.FindByIdAsync(AbpSession.GetUserId().ToString());
            if (user == null)
            {
                throw new Exception("There is no current user!");
            }

            return user;
        }

        protected virtual Task<Tenant> GetCurrentTenantAsync()
        {
            return TenantManager.GetByIdAsync(AbpSession.GetTenantId());
        }

        protected virtual void CheckErrors(IdentityResult identityResult)
        {
            identityResult.CheckErrors(LocalizationManager);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We went to Franchesca's (aka Baby O's girlfriend), 1 year-old birthday party and they had one of my favorite Brazilian treats there, Brigaderos.
In a pan, stir sweetened milk, butter and Quik over medium heat until you can drag the spoon through the middle of the pan and it leaves a trail. Pour it out on a cookie sheet with ledges. When it cools, it will get easier to mold. Roll into tiny balls (about 1 - 1 1/2 inches in diameter). Roll in sprinkles.
I was trying to remember how to make these...! Thanks for the reminder! We made them a few too many times in Sao Borja (my last area)...some of them actually made it out of the house to baptisms and friends and elders.


Well you made it. Congratulations, you are only a few more steps from Syncing your Connectwise Invoices to QuickBooks Online. The next steps should only take you 5 -10 mins, so don't give up now - you are almost there.


This is, without a doubt, the hardest post I've ever had to write. But write it I must - it's time.
Almost two weeks ago, on September 15th, my mum passed away.
I didn't want to make some announcement on the blog; that's not how I deal with things, particularly personal matters. Up until this point I've been carrying on as usual (at least in this little area of my life) but now feel as though it needs to be shared in some way.
She'd been ill for a while and initially we - and the doctors - thought she'd get well again. Sadly that wasn't the case. So for the past two months she'd been staying in a hospice where we visited her and sat and talked and looked out of the window onto the gardens. We tried to make the most of these precious last times. To not give in to the crushing sense of sadness and injustice - she was still young - that hung over everything.
Yet she never complained or asked 'Why me?' She simply told us she was happy to have met her grandchildren and to have had a life well-lived.
I'll spare you all the little details of how our lives have been over the summer. Writing this is incredibly hard. I'm heartbroken.
But. Life goes on. It has to. I have Joe to take care of; my stepdad is utterly bereft and there are all the necessary arrangements to be dealt with. I'm currently veering between moments of deep sadness and, for the most part, feeling somehow detached from everything. Dazed. Not quite believing, or wanting to believe, that she's gone.
So each morning I sit at the table with my cup of tea and cry quietly before I go and collect Joe from his room. And each day I swallow back the tears as I do all that needs to be done. Sometimes I enjoy the things I've always loved: walking, cooking, reading.
It's what my mum wanted: for us to live our lives and love our lives. She wrote us letters telling us to do just that. And she left the most wonderful gifts behind: diaries and her 'happy books'. In those books are pages of memories, wisdom, quotes and little musings on what she loved about her life. Recipes, observations, stories. She wanted us to read them once she'd gone so that we'd understand why there were no regrets or disappointment, and so we'd take some comfort during this time.
I'll treasure them for ever. Joe will read them. I've started making a book of my own so he'll get to know all about his grandma - I'm illustrating it with pictures of her favourite things. And even before we found out, on January 1st this year, that she was ill, I was already instilling her values into my own parenting: a love of nature and reading, of good home-cooked food, the importance of laughter and affection.
You're maybe wondering how I've kept the blog going during this time.
Well, the 'happy books' have, like all my mum's belongings, remained untouched since all this began. I couldn't bring myself to look at them. It was too painful.
I suspect I'll find a lot of answers in those books.
Mitenska is, in a large part, inspired by my mum. It's about celebrating the little joys in life and the pleasures to be had from enjoying simple things. It's about memories and family and heritage, about the beauty in nature we both love. It's about capturing moments and savouring them.
It's important to me that this little space is somewhere people can visit to look at lovely photographs and to share in the good things as I see them. Sorry if this post has been sad. It's not my intention to make anyone feel that way. But it needed writing, and it has been, and I'll be carrying on as best as I can in future with my blog as it's always been.
Thank you for reading. And thank you to the few people who knew already, for their good wishes.
I haven't been spending as much time as usual in Blogland recently. I'll maybe go into that sometime. We've been busy and just dealing with what life's been throwing at us of late.
Yesterday evening we went to view a house.
I spotted it last week and we made enquiries. You see, houses in this particular village don't hang around for long. And we'd dearly love to live there.
So, we met up with the (actually very nice and not at all pushy) estate agent and took a look around. Joe was being difficult. He took it up a notch when he spotted a toybox stuffed with cars. But we managed a good nosey and liked what we saw: a nicely-sized back garden leading out onto the village green, a newly-fitted bathroom, inoffensive decor and all the rest of it. We were keen and made that crystal clear.
A little walk, some time to think and - well, common sense kicked in. We both agreed that, beautiful though the setting, and lovely the garden, and cosy the living room, the cottage was just too small. And not just that. We've been hoping to move further afield (much further). Was this just a distraction, an enticing opportunity to get ourselves some security and a foot back onto the property ladder?
We currently live in a rented house. One of the biggest problems with the house we (finally) sold back in June was the lack of space. And last night's tempting little cottage was certainly no larger. In fact, it may actually have been a smidge smaller.
We don't have any desire to own a 'big' house. In fact, the current place is too big. We live in the 'back' room, whilst the spacious front and attic rooms are pretty much redundant. Our bedroom is vast, but we're not those glamorous types who describe their sleeping space as a 'suite'. No armchairs or TVs in there. Just the basics: bed, drawers and a built-in wardrobe. Not even a dressing table. Although I would like to have one of those.
So, what would my ideal house be? What would it have? What would be the 'deal-breakers' as opposed to the 'would be nice' factors? Well, I often think about that. And I thought it might be fun to write a post on the subject.
I suspect this will end up starting as an 'I don't really want much' type of thing, and end up looking like the longest wish-list ever. But when I think of my 'dream' house, there are certain images which always appear in my head. I'm happy to share. So, let's begin.
Location: In my wildest fantasies, probably some little island off Denmark, Sweden or Norway. But perhaps a little bit more realistically I'd love to live somewhere off the beaten track. Wild, and near water - the sea, a lake, a river. Fields. Dry stone walls. Perpetual autumn's probably asking a bit much though.
Outdoors: Wouldn't we all love to live the self-sufficiency dream? A little smallholding with a bit of an orchard (yes, I'd have a washing line in it). Room for a greenhouse. A few outbuildings. Chickens. Somewhere to sit and take shelter whilst watching the rain.
Indoors: A wood-burning stove. A pantry. A snug room somewhere to line with books and retreat into. A Belfast sink (for doing the hand-washing). A porch at the front of the house and maybe another at the back, with hooks on the wall. Sash windows and wooden floors and quirky little built-in cupboards to store kitchen things and whatever else needs keeping out of view. Deep windowsills to sit on and gaze out from.
I know that, once we do buy our next house, it's unlikely to tick all the boxes. Probably not even most of them. But some things are non-negotiable. And for us, size does matter. Because even though we're not into accumulating 'stuff', and we don't really aspire to huge TVs and an American-style fridge, we are a family who need the space to function. And cute as that little character cottage may have been, a house with no room for a laundry basket or dining table just won't work.
Do you have any ideas of what you'd like in your 'forever' home? Maybe you're lucky enough to live in it already. I'd love to hear what, for you, makes a home (and what, given a free rein, would be put on your wishlist).
A Physalis, or Chinese Lantern, bought from a little greengrocer's shop in Hebden Bridge. I love these plants - they always remind me of Halloween. The stems look great dried out too, displayed in a vase. I suspect I'll have to wait for my plant to grow for a year or two first as it's only little. So it's currently residing outside on the windowsill where it can be admired both from without and within.
Speaking of drying flowers: the hydrangea heads are well on their way, along with some Eucalyptus. The faded mauve blossoms go nicely with the silvery blue-green of the foliage stems.
A very small pomegranate. I'm looking forward to buying some bigger ones to eat. Preferably with juicy, ruby-red insides. Stained fingernails here we come.
Cute little gourds seem to be on display everywhere at the moment. One day I'll have a go at growing my own.
There are plenty of damsons, greengages and English apples about as well. This really is a wonderful time of year for food.
Whilst on the subject: a little trip to Katsouris, the delicatessen where I used to go with my mum and grandma. You know, before it was fashionable to enjoy the food eaten by European immigrants (a subject I'm planning to cover in a future Food Memories post). Sadly they no longer stock the little chocolate-covered katarzynki I ate as a child. But I did bag plenty of other goodies: Polish kabanos sausage, German smoked cheese, bagels, rye bread, sweet gherkins, stuffed vine leaves and pickled green chillies. Which were very hot indeed.
I snaffled some Polish cheesecake too, with a thick layer of poppyseeds inside. And - I promise this completes the haul - a bag of Brazil nut toffee from the sweet stall on the market. I used to love chewing on it and it turns out nothing's changed on that score.
In other news, we picked up a nice old pine chest of drawers for the 'family room'. It has castors on the feet, brass handles and a few knocks and scratches a bit of character. I wanted to photograph it but at this time of day the sun's moved around to the front of the house and I didn't want fuzzy pictures.
We're going for an autumnal stroll later. Hopefully we'll find plenty of conkers and some elderberries too.
I've often read interviews in magazines where that ubiquitous question pops up. You know, the one about what you'd save if the house was burning down. Well, with the exception of all living things, my camera, my new hard drive (which Royal Mail are now a week late in delivering) and perhaps a bottle of gin to calm the nerves, there are lots of little treasures which hold special meaning to me and which I'd hate to lose.
These things are not necessarily valuable in terms of financial merit but they're worth a whole lot more in terms of the memories they hold.
Mitenska is my special place where a particular blend of emotions, ideas and, I suppose, ramblings come together to form a whole. There's definitely some nostalgia in there. Bits of stories, things I remember from childhood. Inherited wisdom. Mental snapshots of people and places and experiences.
So it made sense to me to start a series looking at some of these little treasures, these precious things. And to think about what makes them so important.
Precious Things can take many forms: inherited jewellery, postcards, gifts from your children. Maybe a little something you bought with your first ever pay cheque, or a find you unearthed at a flea market - something where you have to imagine the life it had before you came along.
For my first post then, a few little treasures brought back from a long weekend in Prague.
When travelling (how cosmopolitan that sounds. The reality these days is that we don't stray far at all) I always like to find a souvenir or two. These souvenirs tend to be something for the house. And I'm a sucker for a vase, I really am.
So: these two treasures, procured from Golden Lane (which runs alongside Prague Castle). Both caught my eye for entirely different reasons; the heavy vase in splashy, monochrome Czech glass because of it's shape and size and my knowing it would look perfect on the bookcase. The little bookmark was just sweet and unusual, and that perfect mix of form and functionality. I still use it now, years later.
These souvenirs aren't just things I look at and use. They evoke memories of an icy city in March; of cold beer and horseradish dumplings and bookshops. And that's what makes them part of my collection of Precious Things.
And as I get things a little bit more organised we should hopefully be posting simultaneously and with a guest post each month.
I know many of us see September as a month of new starts. I've always viewed it as my New Year. Maybe that's because I've worked in schools, colleges, universities and careers for so long - you find yourself buying diaries which follow the academic year and you plan your life accordingly. And to be honest, January isn't really the time to feel inspired and energised and resolute. I'm usually feeling a bit low after the great festive comedown. The weather's grim, the days are short and the bank account's looking worryingly depleted. And that's before I even think about all that overindulgence and the resulting sluggishness.
Back to September, then. I'm a bit of a stationery lover so that whole ritual of buying a new pencil case and notebook (or three) at this time of year is always a cause for celebration. And there's so much to look forward to: comfort food, frosts, Halloween, bonfires, anticipation of Christmas festivities.
So, to mark September, a few new projects.
Firstly: one I'm very excited about. Annie from Manneskjur asked if I'd like to be a part of a new website she's launching today. Folklings is a beautiful place to visit: lots of gorgeous photographs accompanied by quotes and links to further reading should you wish to explore a little more. I'm so pleased to be one of the curators and am currently trying to get my head around using Squarespace (I'm determined to master it). It does actually feel like I'm embarking on a new path of learning - again, perfect for this new academic year.
The next project is one of my own. A collaboration between myself and a few fellow bloggers. We'll be posting monthly and, once we've set sail, I'll be inviting a guest blogger along to join us each month.
I've been thinking about this for a while now and the idea's been floating about in my mind for ages. It's a simple concept but one which I hope you'll enjoy. So, time to stop planning and to make a start. Post #1 in the series will be here later this week.
As well as the bloggy stuff, I'm going to attempt making sushi for the first time ever. My rolling mat arrived in the post a few days ago. And cowl number two is already on the knitting needles - it'll take longer than the last one as the wool's much finer so there'll be many an evening spent clickety-clicking on the sofa.
Are there any projects you've started this month? Do you have plans to begin something new? And is September your time of year for new endeavours?
Some images from the past week. First up: hydrangea stems on the table. They're one of my favourite things to photograph. And they look just as good - if not better - once they've dried out.
Chicken on the barbecue. It was good. We should have done more. A lot more.
We still have a week or two until these are ready for collecting. But I've found some trees with branches which almost touch the ground and they're full of fat conkers. Joe will be pleased. He seems more interested in the casings than the conkers themselves, calling them 'seashells' and holding them to his ear.
I've started planting out the window boxes with autumn/winter flowers. The plan was to go for heathers and silvery foliage but I changed my mind when I saw these little pansies. Hopefully the snails will leave them alone.
There will be more planting but I'm glad I made a start. I limited myself to the one window box because the place I bought these plants from was so expensive. Maybe we'll invest in nicer containers too instead of the plastic imitation terracotta ones, which I don't like very much at all.
Tea and a Viennese slice. Joe drove me to it earlier in the week.
A... cowl? Snood? Neck warmer? Anyway, it's knitted from some wool I've used for many items and then gone on to unravel. This one's a keeper I think.
The buttons are vintage ones, bought many moons ago, and are made of glass.
I hate having my photograph taken but in the interests of showing my new garment being worn, I decided to go for it. I generally assume 'selfies' are for the vain but it would appear they also require photography skills I don't possess.
Take two: A slight issue with the focus.
Take I-have-no-idea-as-I-lost-count: Resorting to just using the camera as I know how. Hopefully you can see the scarf/cowl/snood thing.
You can also see that my roots need some attention. It's all glamour around here.
Last month my reading was pretty varied; I mentioned that my first ever e-book was Annie Proulx's The Shipping News (I was inspired whilst reading a blog post here).
I loved it. From start to finish, it had me hooked: the descriptions of the unforgiving Newfoundland landscape, the characters, the story. In fact I'll be buying a 'real' version of it to add to my bookshelf. And I'd be interested to know if anyone's read any of Proulx's other work (she has written several collections of short stories) as I'm considering giving them a try.
A quick, but fun, read was Michael Pollan's Food Rules. It was another e-book, inexpensive and concise (I read it in an evening). Pollan is a well-known food writer and advocate of simple food and a healthy diet. I'll never be a butter-churner or ketchup-maker, but I do believe in avoiding processed foods as much as possible. And I have a keen interest not just in cookery books but in food writing in general. Again, I'd recommend it. Pollan speaks a lot of sense. Perhaps some of it is just that: plain common sense. But still. Sometimes it's good to get a reminder, a bit of a nudge in the right direction.
So for September: a 'real' - and pretty hefty - book, this time borrowed from the library. I'm back on the Cazalets again; Marking Time, the second in the series of Elizabeth Jane Howard's chronicles. I've only just started it but, like the previous one, I'm enjoying reading about the details of life in the 1930s (albeit life 'above stairs' as lived by a wealthy family), and appreciating the sharply-observed characters.
In addition to this I have a big, constantly growing pile of books waiting to be read. Hopefully I'll get around to them eventually. Maybe.
Oh, and finally, one of my regular treats: the October issue of Country Living magazine. I love the autumn and winter issues and am flicking through whenever I get a spare moment or two. Not challenging or highbrow but there are recipes, interiors and beautiful photography and that suits me just fine.
Joining in with Laura's Year in Books.
This weekend's been a good one. Jay didn't manage to go flying as the weather was a bit murky yesterday so he's rearranged it for next Saturday. Cue secret sigh of relief.
Today was much kinder weather-wise. I woke up to a foggy morning and tiptoed downstairs. Looking out of the kitchen window I was transfixed by all the spider's webs. Cables everywhere, festooned from the trees and the washing line. Webs all over the branches, in nooks and crannies along the walls and fences, woven between the wigwams for the climbers. Each and every one silver with dew.
Naturally, I got the camera and went on a pyjama-clad snapping session.
The autumn light's really starting to come into its own at the moment. It illuminates everything softly, even indoors.
And little corners around the house.
Later in the morning we went to the farmer's market. We bought lamb (shoulder, for a roast), sausages and chicken. The latter are being cooked in precisely half an hour from now. An autumnal barbecue. With salad and little bottles of beer.
This is me trying to keep hold of Joe. I forgot his reins.
There were lots of tempting things for sale. I'm always partial to a rope of onions. They look good hanging up in the kitchen, and we use tons of them. Onions, I mean - not ropes.
I'm back into knitting again too. It's a good evening pastime when the evenings get chilly. Especially when you're making something to keep the cold out. I'm knitting a scarf. Again. To add to the collection. But I'm being thrifty as the wool I'm using has been recycled I don't know how many times. It's a rather lovely mustard colour.
See you sometime next week - I have lots of posts planned for the coming weeks and a couple of new bloggy ideas too.
Hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend. It's time to get barbecuing! I suspect we'll end up sitting outside this evening wrapped up in layers, nursing a drink and looking up at the hills.
So, as promised: more photos from the summer. More moments captured. The warm weather has allowed us to get out and explore lots of lovely things. Things which grow, things which creep and crawl, which fly and swim. And, of course, which chug along railway lines.
Joe really is developing a love for nature and that's something I'm very happy about. His curiosity means he's permanently grubby, and no puddle goes un-jumped in. But that's all allowed. I can't even begin to imagine how he'll react to snow. The thought of it makes me almost giddy with excitement though. The great thing about having children is having the opportunity to be silly, to re-live all those experiences you found so thrilling at their age. To recapture some of the magic and wonder of childhood whilst creating it for them.
You may be thinking that most of these photos seem to be lacking the usual bright hues of summer. To be honest, that's what struck me. But I do have a leaning towards the murkier and muted: the purples, greens and browns. And these colours reflect our local moorland landscape, even in high summer.
Whilst we're on the subject of photography, it's only fair to point out that several of the images here were taken by Jay. Played around with by me, but he provided some of my favourite pictures to begin with. I'm currently enamoured with a little editing action which focuses on a specific part of an image (see the one of the palomino pony, above, or all the images below).
Back to the summer (which did seem to return today: hot sun and blue skies). Tomorrow we're doing a very summery thing: going to an airfield to watch Jay have a flying lesson. It was a gift from his dad and they're both going up together. I declined the offer of a seat.
I do love those planes though with the propellers on their noses (they remind me of Cold Comfort Farm). Joe will love looking at them all.
Sunday will have a more autumnal theme. It's the monthly farmer's market so we're heading over to pick up some seasonal produce - although I already have a monstrous-looking butternut squash sitting in the kitchen, challenging me to chop it up. They're always such an effort to deal with. But spiced soup with a swirl of creme fraiche will make it all worthwhile.
According to the newspapers (not that I read them) we're going to have a hot, sunny week. Well not in these parts. It's looking decidedly overcast and quite frankly, I'm feeling rather chilly.
When the sun does come out it's just right: warm, but with that slight autumnal freshness to the air. And that's to be savoured. So the summer's almost over and it's been a good one. Not in an 'all things considered' kind of way because as you know there is an ever-present feeling of sadness which pervades our lives right now.
But still. Someone (who features prominently in these collages) brings us a lot of fun and many things to look forward to.
It's been a summer of walking: mornings, afternoons, evenings (sometimes all three in one day). Of trips to the mountains and the sea. And chickens - always chickens. Joe loves them. He talks about them constantly. I cannot collect him from nursery without firstly going on a chicken hunt around the village green.
There has been much exploring, both on the doorstep and further afield. Raspberry picking and ice cream eating. Picnics and bags of chips.
You know why there's a Part Two to follow this post: too many photos. I make no apologies for this. I love my camera and taking pictures, recording the little details of life. Right now I have a vase of rose hips on the table. Spiders seem to be appearing around every corner. There are spring bulbs in the kitchen ready to plant out, wood pigeons in the trees eating ripe elderberries and my thoughts are turning to my tin trunk full of yarn.
When it's freezing and the possibility of an evening walk seems like a distant memory I can look back through our summer photos and maybe get a little taste of what we did and where we went.
I hope you had a great summer, and that the transition of the seasons is something you enjoy as much as I do.


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You can read through any number of the above links to see how DMARC works. Office 365 does things a little bit differently as I will explain below.
The dmarc=<result> indicates whether the message passed or failed DMARC, with a range of actions that include pass, fail and none.
The action=<action> indicates what the spam filter's action will be based on the DMARC result, described below.
One of the key changes that Office 365 has made that differs from the DMARC specification is how it treats messages that fail DMARC for inbound messages. If the DMARC policy says p=reject, EOP will mark the message as spam instead of rejecting it. In other words, for inbound email, EOP treats p=reject and p=quarantine the same way.
The reason for this is that there is some legitimate email that fails DMARC. Examples include sending email to mailing lists which is relayed to all list participants, and "Send-to-a-friend" articles from newspaper websites. If EOP rejected these messages per the DMARC specification, people could lose legitimate email with no way to retrieve it.
In EOP's implementation, these types of emails will still fail DMARC but they will be marked as spam. However, users can still get them to their inboxes by adding safe senders or by administrators creating Exchange Transport rule (ETR) Allow for those particular senders. When the DMARC Working Group adds support for these types of messages, EOP will support it. But for now, this is the way it works.
However, EOP also will set the Phishing Confidence Level to 8 in the event that a message fails DMARC with a reject action which means the message is a phish. This is stamped in the X-MS-Exchange-Organization-PCL header, and also in the X-Microsoft-Antispam: PCL:8 field. What this does (or will do when it is supported) is disable functionality within the message such as Reply, Reply All, Attachments and Links so the user cannot take action on it in various Microsoft email clients. The reject action is intended to keep the user from taking action on a message by keeping it away from them completely; EOP can't keep it away completely but setting the PCL and disabling features of the message is close to achieving the same thing.
This means that the message failed DMARC and the policy was p=reject, but EOP overrode the verdict to subsequently mark it as spam. A safe sender or ETR may yet override that verdict.
This means that the message failed DMARC and the action was quarantine, but the pct field was not 100% and the system randomly determined not to apply the DMARC action, as per the specified domain's policy.
EOP more-or-less follows the DMARC specification for outbound messages. If a message is outbound from EOP and fails DMARC, then if the action is p=quarantine it will be routed through the High Risk outbound IP pool. However, if the message fails DMARC and the action is p=reject, the message will be rejected. There is no override for outbound email.
If you publish a DMARC reject policy (not p=quarantine, and not p=none), no other customer in Office 365 can spoof your domain because they will not be able to pass SPF or DKIM for your domain when relaying a message outbound through the service.
However, if you do publish a DMARC reject policy but don't have all of your email authenticated, some of it may be marked as spam for inbound email (as described above), or it will be rejected if you do not publish SPF and try to relay it outbound through the service.
If you're a small customer and your domain doesn't get spoofed, you don't have to do anything!DMARC will start working to block more spam and phishing for you automatically.You may have to add safe senders or ETRs that allow mail from certain senders because they fail DMARC simply because of the way the email is sent (e.g., mail sent to distribution lists, send-to-a-friend). This is a minority of total legitimate email but some customers may be more sensitive to it than others. In parallel, EOP is working on ways to proactively exclude known good senders from DMARC failures but does not have an exhaustive list.
If you're a large customer that is prone to spoofing, or even a small sender that gets spoofed, you will need to set up DMARC records if you don't have them already.SPF records are not sufficient, you need to set up DMARC records.a) First, determine if all of your email is authenticated.If so, you may be fortunate enough to publish a p=reject DMARC policy.
However, most domains need a try-before-you-buy strategy. You can publish a DMARC policy with action=none and collect data.
b) Second, it is useful to pick a 3rd party to work with to collect and analyze DMARC reports.
It is not required to set this up, however, the tools these companies provide make it possible to sort through large amounts of data very quickly.
c) Set up DMARC records.
_dmarc.microsoft.com. 3600 IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=none; pct=100; rua=mailto:d@rua.agari.com; ruf=mailto:d@ruf.agari.com; fo=1"
Microsoft sends its DMARC reports back to Agari, a 3rd party.
Once this record is published, all receivers who support DMARC – including Office 365 when the feature is released – will start checking DMARC and sending reports. You can use these reports to authenticate all of your email if you have published p=none so that you can eventually move to p=reject.
d) Something unique to Office 365 – you can create a rule that applies only to your own inbound mail flow.
Many companies publish p=none because they are unsure about how much email they may lose by publishing a more restrictive DMARC policy. Microsoft, for example, is not yet in a position to publish p=reject because email sent to other third parties like Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, and so forth may discard important email if it does. Your company may be in the same position.
If you set up DMARC records, you can create an ETR that marks messages as spam for spoofed messages of your company that fail DMARC. This means that all spoofed email of your domain into Office 365 will be marked as spam, but anywhere else – at Gmail, Yahoo, AOL – will not be marked as spam (at least not due to DMARC). Some legitimate email may be marked as spam, but to get around this either ensure that the email is authenticated by updating SPF records or signing it with DKIM; or, add a safe sender or ETR allow rule for the sender.
The ETR will look something like the following. You may want to add exceptions to the rule for known senders who spoof your domain but are not malicious.
The advantage of this is that your domain cannot be spoofed by outside senders for inbound messages to your organization which is common in spear phishing, yet marketing messages that go over the Internet are not affected.
you will no longer need this rule.
contoso.com 3600 IN MX 10 contoso-com.mail.protection.outlook.comAll (or most) email will first hit mail.contoso.com since it is the primary MX, and then get routed to EOP. Indeed, some customers don't even list EOP as an MX record at all and simply hook up connectors to route the email.There are a few reasons why customers do this (which I won't go into), but there are many customers who do. If your domain does this, DMARC failures will not be enforced for your domain. The reason is because if we did enforce DMARC, you would get piles of false positives. First, a message that arrives from the Internet to an on-premise mail server which then gets routed to EOP will fail SPF since the connecting IP to EOP is not the original IP but the IP of the on-premise mail server. Second, a message that fails DKIM is not necessarily because of a DKIM forgery but because older versions of Exchange modify message content which break DKIM body hashes; unfortunately EOP cannot tell the difference between a modification-in-transit and a malicious spoof of DKIM.
can fail, and because this is all due to routing, EOP will not enforce DMARC failures if your primary MX does not point to EOP. EOP can still detect if a message passes DMARC when the DKIM-signature passes.
That concludes how to use DMARC in Office 365. DMARC is a step forward in fighting spam and phishing, and Office 365 allows customers to further tweak it to get even more value out of it.
Sorry but something doesn't add up. Office365 does not (yet) support DKIM signing, so how can you set up a =reject outgoing dmarc policy? all outlook.com mail will pass spf but fail DKIM.
If you are an on-premise customer (on-premise mail server that relays email through Exchange Online), you can setup p=reject. When email is relayed through Exchange Online and out to the rest of the Internet, it will pass SPF which can align with the 5322.From address, and thereby pass DMARC.
DKIM is not required to pass DMARC, it is an either/or.
Is there any estimated date when this DMARC will be available on EOP?
@Exchange Admin: We are rolling it out now, it should be stamping the header with the results of a DMARC check by the end of December 2014, and enforcing actions by Q1 of 2015.
How will know when DMARC is fully active on our O365 tenant?
@Dr Why: as of Feb 26, 2015, DMARC enforcement is done for 90% of all customers except for the ones that we can detect as not routing their email directly through Office 365 (i.e., mail flows first through some other service).
Why DMARC is tagged as bestguesspass in the header? I can't see in anywhare what it means.
I do the rule ETR…, but if the soofed email address is a distribution group the header and the SCL was changed, but the message was not send to the junk mail foldes that is my action on the spam filter, but if the soofed address are from a user the message is moved to that.
Two questions for you about, "EOP will not enforce DMARC failures if your primary MX does not point to EOP."
1. Does EOP simply not enforce the action (quarantine, reject, etc.) in the dmarc record in this case, or would you actually not mark a fail in the headers, either?
I often use the MX record of the tenant domain for all accepted domains in the tenant to simplify DNS configuration and because the tenant domain can never be removed from the tenant, so I don't have to worry about that MX record changing (bad historical experience scars here). Given a tenant name of contoso.onmicrosoft.com, an accepted domain of contoso.com, and an accepted domain of fabrikam.com, the MX records Office 365 would define would be contoso.mail.protection.outlook.com, contoso-com.mail.protection.outlook.com, and fabrikam-com.mail.protection.outlook.com. I would typically point MX records for both domains to the tenant MX record (contoso.mail.protection.outlook.com). Would this configuration cause the "do not have EOP as their primary MX record" trigger to fire since the defined CNAME is not what Office 365 specified?
1. We would mark it in the headers but not enforce it in the spam filter.
contoso.com. IN MX 10 contoso-com.mail.protection.outlook.com.
contoso.com. IN MX 10 mail.contoso.com.
In either of those two cases, because the connecting IP is the on-premise mail server, or the cloud filtering service, SPF will fail. Because SPF fails and DKIM may fail or may not exist, DMARC will be unreliable and therefore we will suppress it.
"Terry: DKIM is not required to pass DMARC, it is an either/or."
So how can you enforce both DKIM and SPF check? Imagine that you specified o365 EOP in your DNS SPF record and an other o365 subscriber send out fake mail using your domain name? On the receiver side the SPF check will pass as the same o365 EOP servers will send out the mail. DMARC will pass as SPF is enough. This spoofing could be eliminated if both SPF and DKIM would be enforced but I see no DMARC setup for such restriction.
If an Office 365 customer sends email as you to another Office 365 customer, it won't pass DKIM alignment (since it won't have your key) and it won't pass SPF alignment since we can detect this and look back to the original IP which won't be in your SPF record.
The only problem is when another customer spoofs you and sends to an non-Office 365 receiver (e.g., Yahoo, Google, etc.).
We're planning to stop this behavior altogether. When a customer sends email through our system using connectors (on-prem connector to Office 365), we attribute the message to them. If we can't attribute it to them (IP is shared among several customers, or sending domain is not provisioned to them) we attribute the email to the default tenant. We're planning to remove this functionality in the future so customers can no longer spoof each other – in other words, shut it down at the source.
@Octa: You need to send from an IP that is not listed on one of our blocklists. Or, if it is listed, create an IP allow rule for your tenant in the Office Admin Center. That will set the SCL to -1. Then, create an ETR rule that sets the SCL to 0 and have it run ahead of the DMARC rule.
Since you say that Exchange Online is already using DMARC, can I just set up the ETR for incoming mail that have "dmarc=failed" in the headers without making a DMARC DNS entry? Or am I just wasting my time if I do not make a DMARC DNS entry because not having one renders the ETR effectively useless?
Its a pity O365 ETR cannot do a lookup on 5322 and 5321 addresses and if they don't match then simply reject the message. You wouldn't need a DMARC then.
Ever encountered "dmarc=permerror" when the DNS record is valid?
It's probably not a valid DNS record, I would think we are doing strict syntax checking. Common errors are putting in colons as opposed to the equal sign in a DMARC record, or putting in SPF record syntax into a DMARC record.
I see a lot of temperrors reported, but only from Microsoft. Wish Microsoft would fix their DNS servers.
You mentioned that DMARC failures will not be enforced if you are using another "hop" before the mail is delivered to Office 365. Is it completely ignoring DMARC or does it adhere to the rua/ruf records. What I am trying to achieve is that Office 365 (which is placed behind another mailserver, so not the primary MX server) will send delivery reports for received mails.
Ultimately, if there is another hop in front of Office 365, then DMARC may be checked (stamped in the Authentication-Results header) but not enforced. We also would never send ruf nor rua reports.
In the example ETR rule above, if the 'and message header includes' condition is omitted wouldn't this still quarantine all spoofed incoming mail from outside of contoso.com where the contoso.com is the spoofed sender? I don't understand the need for DMARC here?
What will happen to an email that fails spf and passes dkim and vice versa? Will this get delivered normally?


text:
Filming Locations
Live Another Day
The Raid
24: The Game
World of 24
Chloe O'Brian
Tony Almeida
David Palmer
Kim Bauer
CTU building
Terrorist groups
Jack's Kills
Anti-spoiler policy
Needs attention
New article ideas
in: Actors, Season 2 actors, Guest stars
Jon Gries
Born: Jonathan Francis Gries
Glendale, California, USA
Role: Joseph Wald
Jonathan Francis Gries (born June 17, 1957; age 64) played Joseph Wald during Season 2 of 24.
1 Biography and career
2 24 credits
3 Selected filmography
Biography and career[]
Jon Gries was born in Glendale, California, to an actress mother and a writer/director/producer father. Gries started acting at the age of 11, when he appeared in the film Will Penny.
Gries has had a long career in both film and television, and is perhaps best known as Napoleon Dynamite 's Uncle Rico. He also appeared in 2008's Taken (with Xander Berkeley and Leland Orser), and later reprised his role in the two sequels (along with Orser and Rade Šerbedžija). Other films in which he has appeared are The Comebacks, The Rundown, and Men in Black.
Aside from films, Gries also starred in the TV show The Pretender (with Patrick Bauchau and Richard Marcus). Other shows in which he has had recurring or regular roles are The Bridge (with John Billingsley), Lost (with Daniel Dae Kim and Henry Ian Cusick), Carnivale (also with Bauchau), and Beverly Hills, 90210.
24 credits[]
"Day 2: 11:00am-12:00pm"
Selected filmography[]
Not Quite College (2021)
Glass Jaw (2018)
Americons (2017)
Villisca (2016)
Taken 3 (2014)
Taken (2008)
The Astronaut Famer (2006)
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
The Rundown (2003)
Get Shorty (1995)
More American Graffiti (1979)
Dream Corp LLC (2016-2020)
Dice (2016)
The Bridge (2013-2014)
Lost (2007-10)
Carnivale (2003; 2005)
The Pretender (1996-2000)
Seinfeld (1995; 1998)
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1994)
Jon Gries at Wikipedia
Jon Gries at the Internet Movie Database
Jon Gries (@jongries) on Twitter
Season 2 actors
More Wiki 24
1 Jack Bauer
2 Nina Myers
3 Tony Almeida
Wiki 24 is a FANDOM TV Community.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Published by American School of Needlework in 1988, this booklet contains 4 Knitting patterns and 6 crochet patterns. Included are Southwest ripple, ocean waves ripple, rose garden ripple, ripple Ole and San Diego Sunset Ripple.
Condition: Acceptable. Used with light wear, sticker residue. One pen mark, one light stain, page yellowing. Pattern came from the home of a smoker and may smell like smoke.


The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway bought two "Santa Fe" type locomotives from the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1917. These locomotives were used as helpers on the grades out of the St. Croix River Valley at Hudson, WI. They were designated as class J-1 and assigned road number 491 and 492. These 2-10-2 locomotives had 57" diameter drivers, 27" x 32" cylinders, a 205 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 72,300 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 322,000 pounds.
There are no surviving CStPM&O 2-10-2 "Santa Fe" type locomotives.
J-1 2 491 & 492 1917 Baldwin Numbers 491 and 492 transferred to the C&NW in 1944 in exchange for two 2-8-2 Class J numbers 2363 and 2371, which became CStPM&O numbers 440 and 441. The C&NW converted numbers 491 and 492 to 0-4-2 in 1944 and then scrapped number 492 in 1949 and scrapped number 491 in 1953.
Weight on Drivers: 297,400 lbs.
Total Locomotive Weight: 372,700 lbs.
Locomotive & Tender Weight: 481,800 lbs.
Grate Area: 66.5 sq. ft.
Cylinders (dia. x stroke): (2) 27. x 32.


text:
Periegopidae é uma família de aranhas araneomorfas, com 6 olhos, que engloba apenas o género Periegops, com duas espécies. São aranhas haploginas (isto é sem epígino), com distribuição natural restrita à Austrália e Nova Zelândia.

Espécies
A família inclui um único género, com duas espécies:
Periegops Simon, 1893
 Periegops australia Forster, 1995 (Queensland)
 Periegops suteri (Urquhart, 1892) (Nova Zelândia)

Ligações externas

Aranhas

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
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Home/Education (page 5)
University of Florida bans protests in on-campus buildings as Sasse awaits presidential appointment
October 24, 2022 Education, Government and politics
GAINESVILLE, Fla – Protestors will not be allowed inside University of Florida buildings after more than 300 students disrupted a meeting with sole presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse during his first on-campus appearance earlier this month. The two-decade-old regulation will be upheld for the first time in recent years, …
City of Ocala celebrates Mobility Week
October 24, 2022 Arts and Entertainment, Business and development, Education, Environment, Florida Good, Health and Science, Statewide
The Florida Department of Transportation and its partners are celebrating Mobility Week by highlighting public transportation options in the state. In Ocala, SunTran employees are showing appreciation to riders in a special way. Riders have the opportunity to receive gifts and learn more about how public transportation works for them. …
What Florida voters need to know about Amendment 3 before Election Day
October 24, 2022 Education, Florida Votes, Government and politics, Law and public safety, Statewide
Legislators in favor of Amendment 3 tout it as a lifeline for Floridians struggling in a volatile housing market, but those against it say the measure wouldn't do enough. If passed, the amendment would increase the homestead exemption for K-12 teachers, police officers, correctional officers, firefighters, emergency-medical technicians, paramedics, child-welfare …
Judge orders former UF physician to mental health counseling, community service
October 21, 2022 Education, Law and public safety
Editor's note: This story has been updated with information from an interview with the doctor's accuser. GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A former osteopathic physician who resigned from the University of Florida College of Medicine during a misconduct investigation has been ordered to attend mental health counseling and perform 15 hours of …
Farmers prepare for cold weather in potential loss of crops
October 20, 2022 Agriculture, Animals, Business and development, Education, Environment, Florida Good, Health and Science, Human Interest, Statewide, World
An African gray parrot changes lives at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo
October 19, 2022 Animals, Education
A 23-year-old African gray parrot named Tut is one of the ambassador animals at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, where he inspires visitors and students with his personality. His beady yellow eyes, curved beak, red tail and huge wingspan terrified Amanda Wright, his first trainer. Until he changed her life.
Meet the Candidates Running for Hernando County School Board District 1
October 19, 2022 Education, Florida Votes, Government and politics
Incumbent Kay Hatch and Mark Johnson are competing to gain a seat on Hernando County's school board in District 1.
A new Center for the Blind preschool in Ocala offers hope for children and parents
October 17, 2022 Education
The permitting phase is underway for construction to begin on a new preschool for visually impaired and blind students. The school will open in late spring of 2023 in Ocala and is part of the new expansion program of the Florida Center for the Blind. The preschool is funded by a $600,000 grant that was approved by the Marion County Commission in March of 2022 to purchase land. Construction is expected to begin next month on land adjacent to the center. The school will eventually include a primary charter school. It is the first phase of a three-phase project that intends to include a vocational center with dorms and job training facilities, and a youth education center.
Apprenticeships offer alternative to college education
Apprenticeship is an ancient practice that extends to a vast array of industries. Artists, technical workers and tradespeople all learn through immersive practice under the watchful eye of mentors in their chosen fields. No matter the profession, an organic, personalized approach to teaching is intertwined with trust as apprentices grow into full-fledged professionals. For Jack Manfredi, an artist, the choice between college and apprenticeship was easy.
New surveys of Florida colleges, universities fail to support concerns over anti-conservative sentiment
October 14, 2022 Education, Fresh Take Florida, Government and politics
Concerned about what they worried was anti-conservative sentiment on college and university campuses, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers ordered a survey of nearly 2 million students, faculty and staff across the state. Results are in, and they did not go as expected. Most faculty, instructional staff and administrators who …
Recent location change of the Hoggetowne Medieval Faire causes hourlong traffic jam
University of Florida Chinese Students and Scholars Association hosts Lunar New Year celebration
City of Gainesville holds corridor walks as it declares a traffic 'crisis'
Alachua County Forever eyes new property in Lochloosa Creek Flatwoods
The Point, Jan. 31, 2023: Stranded orca buried in Gainesville
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A killer whale was found dead in Palm Coast, Florida. It was transported to a secret research facility at the Uni… https://t.co/lsR1k8JKdv3 hours ago
A new episode of The Point is out now for January 31, 2023: Returning Remains, hosted by @serrasowers, featuring WU… https://t.co/bzSpNoIa1F3 hours ago


The forensic questioned document community has encountered difficulty visualizing obliterated writing using conventional methods. Cases have been reported in which pencil obliterated by ink, and ink obliterated by ink, cannot be discerned visually. Conventional methods for visualization of obliterated writings do not adequately visualize writing when obliteration is made with the same color ink, or when graphite pencil writings are obliterated by ink. We report the use of hyperspectral imaging to successfully view obliterated writings in which a ``true black'' ink obliterated graphite as well as graphite/graphite and ink/ink obliterations. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a novel optical technique in which hundreds of narrow contiguous bands, over a large range of wavelengths, can be viewed to yield a complete spectral profile at each pixel in the image. HSI has evolved as the product of conventional two-dimensional imaging and spectroscopy. The resultant image of HSI is a three-dimensional data cube, with the pixels constrained to a single plane, and the complete reflectance spectra seen along the orthogonal axis. We used three types of hyperspectral imaging systems, which provided a wavelength range spanning approximately 300-1700 nm, to visualize the obliterated writing samples. Additionally, we will present data obtained from the use of thermal imaging to successfully view obliterated writings.


text:
You are here: HomenextPeoplenextLay PeoplenextSurnames beginning with TnextThubron, Elsie Mary (1887-1911)
Thubron, Elsie Mary (1887-1911)
Transcription of obituary published in the Primitive Methodist Magazine by W. Johnson
Editor's Note: This obituary contains language "of its time" that we would not find acceptable in the 21st Century.
Miss Elsie Mary Thubron, of Gateshead, the only and beloved daughter of Alderman and Mrs. Thubron, died suddenly on March 4th, 1911. Our dear young friend was fortunately the child of good home influences. The things which are true, which are honest, which are lovely and of good report, were set before her from the beginning, and her life was a development under their influences rather than a transition.
Hers was a maidenhood womanly in every sense, pure as a flower, rich in its love of the beautiful, and quietly tender and sacrificial in its sympathies. As our missionary reports show, she was from childhood a valuable yearly asset to our missionary society as a collector, and some of her warmest attachments centred in our missionaries, and in some of the African heathen whom our missions have transformed.
Miss Thubron's beautiful and useful life, so strangely cut off, is to us a mystery and an unmeasured loss. But to Him whom we serve, and whose wisdom and love are unquestionable, things appear different, and until we see as He sees, we must be patient and wait, and as we awaken to His righteousness in life, we shall be satisfied.
Elsie was born in late 1887 at Gateshead, Co. Durham, to parents John, an oil merchant (1901), and Mary.
Elsie died on 4 March 1911 at Gateshead, Co. Durham.
Surnames beginning with T
Tanfield, Esther (nee Rhodes) (1851-1904)
Tanfield, Isabella (nee Simpson) (1825-1906)
Tanfield, Robert (1829-1913)
Taphouse, Ellen (nee Dingle) (1826-1917)
Tarver, William J.P. (1846-1924)
Taunton, Joseph (1858-1934)
Taylor, Alfritha Annie (nee Penney) (1866-1910)
Taylor, Charlotte (nee Ives) (d1905)
Taylor, Edward (b1862)
Taylor, Elizabeth (nee Hurst) (1828-1911)
Taylor, George (1792-1837)
Taylor, George Ephraim (1853-1927)
Taylor, Harry (abt1874-1906)
Taylor, Henry (1852-1909)
Taylor, James (1816-1906)
Taylor, Joseph (1847-1905)
Taylor, P (Mrs)
Taylor, Rebecca (nee Cronkshaw) (1844-1910)
Taylor, Susannah (nee Scott) (1847-1902)
Taylor, W. H.
Taylor, William C.C.
Taylor, William Young (1806-1875)
Teal, Edward (1831-1909)
Teale, John (1860-1903)
Teasdale, William (1843-1908)
Tebb, William (1834-1915)
Telford, William (1833-1905)
Temperton, Wilson (1831-1910)
Tennant, John Handley (1847-1909)
Tennant, William Alfred (1903-1968)
Tennant, William James (1851-1899)
Tharme, William (1841-1899)
Theobald, Harry (1865-1907)
Thirtle, John (1853-1905)
Thomas, Charles George (1838-1910)
Thomas, Jesse (1851-1918)
Thomas, John (1850-1912)
Thomas, John (abt1827-1898)
Thomas, Robert and the 'Christian Methodists' of Bickerton, Cheshire
Thompson, Edward of Worthing
Thompson, Eleanor, (nee Richardson) (1842-1911)
Thompson, Elizabeth (nee Morgan) (1843-1900)
Thompson, Ethel (1885-1899)
Thompson, Hannah (nee Dawson) (1843-1910)
Thompson, Jabez (1835-1909)
Thompson, John (1849-1908)
Thompson, Thomas (1841-1908)
Thomson, Angus (b1843)
Thorne, Fred (1867-1938)
Thornhill, Joseph (1846-1906)
Thorp, Drusilla (nee Capstick) (1853-1910)
Thorpe, Ned (1857-1946)
Thoseby, Ethel Isabella (1883-1911)
Tiley, Joseph (1840-1903)
Tindle, Thomas (1861-1902)
Tinkler, Bertram William (1892-1974)
Titcombe, Simeon (1842-1913)
Todd, Elizabeth (nee Robinson) (1827-1910)
Todd, Joseph (1852-1910)
Tollington, John (1825-1899)
Tolson, Annie (nee Gibson) 1830-1890
Tomlin, Sarah Evans (nee, Westbury, nee Hands) (1845-1910)
Tomlin, William (1814-1902)
Tomlinson, John (1792 - 1866)
Tomlinson, Thomas (1817-1837)
Tough, Frances Ann 'Annie' (nee Moore) 1854-1930
Towers, George William (1883-1910)
Towler, Mary Ann (nee Phillips) (1810-1870)
Town, Benjamin (1835-1908)
Townrow, William (1833-1911)
Townsend, Mary (nee Robinson) (1844-1899)
Toyn, Caleb (1864-1903)
Toyn, Joseph J.P. (1838-1924)
Tranmer, George (1831-1909)
Tranter, John (1832-1910)
Travis, Joseph (1843-1933)
Trehern, Elizabeth (1812-1837)
Trimmingham, James (1840-1917)
Tripp, Elizabeth (nee White) (1816-1837)
Tristram, James (1809-1900)
Troop, Robert (1836-1911)
Trotman, Daniel Robert Haskins (1868-1907)
Trotman, Josiah (1848-1908)
Truscott, John Alexander (1848-1929)
Trussell, George (1823-1909)
Trussell, William (1863-1929)
Trythall, Samuel (1853-1902)
Tucker, Gilbert (1838-1920)
Tuddenham, Arthur (1872-1904)
Tudor, Joseph (1847-1909)
Tuffin, Ann (nee Lanwarne) (1806-1882)
Tufts, Sarah (1785-1838)
Tugby, Hosea (1830-1896)
Tunley, John (1845-1918)
Tunna, Sarah (nee Rogers) (1834-1906)
Turley, Alfred George J.P. (1858-1937)
Turley, Thomas (1818-1909)
Turner, Charles Frederick (b abt1854)
Turner, Emma Eliza (nee Coling) (1844-1911)
Turner, Jean Lean (nee Whitford) (1822-1906)
Turner, John Herbert (1867-1954)
Turner, Thomas Wheildon (1839-1924)
Turner, William (1845-1911)
Turrell, Arthur Jackson (1853-1939)
Twelftree, Charlotte (nee Abel) (1879-1911)


If you need a refreshing idea for your classic roasted chicken, then this is it! This healthy satisfying dinner is great for the family and full of flavor. We are jazzing up our meal with black rice, an ingredient also known as purple rice or forbidden rice. This rice is extremely high in a class of flavonoid antioxidants called anthocyanins, which may protect against heart disease and cancer.
Before we begin, if you aren't familiar with trussing poultry, then take a look at this tutorial. You can also cheat and purchase a rotisserie chicken, but keep in mind it's sodium content.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels inside and out. Season with salt and pepper and coat skin with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Truss your chicken and place in your roasting pan. Scatter sweet potatoes and onions around the chicken in your roasting pan. Coat vegetables with 1-2 tablepsoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Let chicken roast for 60 minutes, until juices run clear. Vegetables should be fork tender. Remove from oven, baste with juices, and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Prepare black rice while chicken is roasting. Like brown rice, the black variety takes longer to cook than white rice. Rinse rice under water until water runs clear. Add 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice with a pinch of salt in a saucepan and turn to medium heat. Let rice come to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let simmer for 40 minutes. Take off burner, and let steam with lid on for about 10 minutes.
Prep your entree by arranging in a bowl- 1/3 to 1/2 cup black rice, 3-4 oz sliced chicken, 1/2 cup roasted vegetables, large handful kale, and 1/2 sliced avocado. Top with fresh cracked pepper and enjoy! Makes 4 servings.
Tip: Swap sweet potatoes for any vegetables you have at home!