text:
\section{Introduction}

Authentication services are required by many applications of ad hoc networks, both mobile (MANETs) or wired, like peer-to-peer. As an example, consider chats, games, or data sharing in a ad-hoc network, or in a MANET. As more practical applications of MANETS will be developed, the need for authentication services will grow. In addition, many forms of secure routing in MANTETs or general ad-hoc networks cannot operate without a form of authentication.

At the same time, ad-hoc networks and their applications are more vulnerable to a number of well-known threats, such as identity theft (spoofing), violation of privacy, and the man-in-the-middle attack. All these threats are difficult to counter in an environment where membership and network structure are dynamic and the presence of central directories cannot be assumed.

Applications of ad-hoc networks can have ano\-ny\-mi\-ty requirements that cannot be easily reconciled with some forms of authentication known today. On the other hand, service providers that are  bound by legal regulations have to be able to trace the actions of user of a MANET. Finding a reasonable trade-off between these two requirements is rather hard. In this paper, we use the term \emph{revocable anonymity} for a system in which a user cannot be identified to the outside world, but a trusted authority is provided with the possibility to identity actions performed by each user.

These considerations lead to the conclusion that mobile ad hoc networks can benefit from new, specialized methods of authentication. In this article, we combine two cryptographic techniques - Merkle's puzzles and zero-knowledge proofs - to develop a protocol for authentication in ad-hoc networks. This protocol is resistant to man-in-the-middle and eavesdropping attacks and prevents identity theft. However, the protocol allows for revocable anonymity of users and is adapted to the dynamic and decentralized nature of these networks. Finally, our protocol works with any MANET routing protocol and does not assume any properties of MANET routing.

We study the protocol for a model chat application in an ad-hoc network that needs to authenticate users to continue concurrent private conversations. Users of the chat prefer to remain anonymous, but they must have identities for the duration of the conversation. However, the applications of an authentication protocol in ad-hoc networks can be wide, and our authentication protocol can be adapted to many other applications. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate the principle that lies behind the new authentication method, to compare the new method to existing techniques and to analyze its security and performance.

\paragraph{Organization of paper.} In the next section, we consider how existing techniques such as Public Key Infrastructure or their modifications can be used for authentication in MANET applications. We present a simple case study of a chat application. We demonstrate how the use of PKI is difficult if users have no previous knowledge of the receiver of messages. Other disadvantages of PKI are the lack of global availability and the lack of anonymity. In section~\ref{crypto}, we present and explain the cryptographic primitives used in our protocol. Section~\ref{prot} presents the protocol, and concludes with an analysis of the protocol's security and efficiency. Section~\ref{concl} concludes and discusses further work.

\section{Related work}

General security architectures for MANETs almost exclusively use public key cryptography (PKI or the Web of trust) \cite{confidant, adhoc-PGP, adhoc-book}. These systems provide authentication without anonymity, and will be discussed in more details below.

Most systems that provide anonymity are not interested in allowing to trace the user under any circumstances. \emph{Chaum mixing networks}, proxy servers, have not been designed to provide accountability. For mobile ad hoc networks, approaches exists that provide unconditional anonymity, again without any accountability \cite{adhoc-onion}.

A Chaum mixing network, mentioned earlier, is a collection of special hosts (mixing nodes) that route user messages. Each node simply forwards an incoming messages to other nodes in the mixing network. The path (sequence of nodes) is chosen by the sender, and the message is put into envelopes (based on PKI infrastructure), one for each node on the path.

An area that requires both anonymity and accountability is agent systems (\cite{NIST}). Most of the security architectures for those systems do not provide any anonymity, e.g.,~\cite{C},~\cite{G},~\cite{F}.

However there exists work devoted to different anonymity aspects e.g.~\cite{KK2}.

A different scheme that preserves anonymity is proposed in~\cite{D}. The scheme is based on a credential system and offers an optional anonymity revocation. Its main idea is based on oblivious protocols, encryption circuits and the RSA assumption.

\section{Authentication in MANET applications}

In this section, we discuss a model chat application in a MANET that will be used to guide our discussion of authentication. However, the conclusions of the discussion apply to any MANET application that requires authentication.

\subsection{Chat of users in a MANET}
Consider a chat application in a mobile ad-hoc network. The system makes it possible for users to execute two operations: $SALL(m)$ and $SPRIV(u, m)$. The first operation sends a message, $m$ to all users in the network. The second operation sends a private message $m$ to a selected user, $u$. Note that a user that executes the $SALL$ operation needs not to know who receives the message.

\begin{figure}[h]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=8cm]{fig1-1.eps}
\caption{Chat of users in a MANET}
\label{fig1}
\end{figure}

The described system is visualized on figure~\ref{fig1}. The $SALL$ and $SPRIV$ messages are routed by the network using the $ROUTE$ operation (using any MANET routing protocol). On the figure, the $SALL$ message is routed from user $P_I$ to all other users, among them to $P_U$ by the nodes $P_1$ and $P_3$.
After that, $P_U$ responds by sending a message $SPRIV$ to $P_I$. The exchange of private messages may continue concurrently to the sending of messages to all users by either $P_I$ or $P_U$.

Consider now that the application wishes to authenticate the private message senders. For example, after receiving the first $SPRIV$ message, the application creates a file that will contain all messages exchanged by the two users during a private conversation. Only the user that has sent the first $SPRIV$ message is authorized to continue the conversation. In order to enforce this, some form of authentication is required.

The first question is whether the user address in the MANET is sufficient for authentication. Is it possible for a malicious user, $P_M$, to assume the address of an innocent user, $P_I$? In MANETs, the possibility of successfully spoofing an IP address cannot be overlooked.

Let us assume that $P_I$ uses his own address as authentication information. The $SPRIV$ message takes the form of $SPRIV(receiver_address, m, sender_address)$. However, $P_M$ runs a DoS attack against $P_I$, forcing $P_I$ to leave the network. After $P_I$ has left, $P_M$ joins the network assuming the address of $P_I$. Next, $P_M$ can take over the private conversation of $P_I$.

What is needed to implement access permissions that allow private conversations? An authentication mechanism that
\begin{itemize}
	\item allows a user to authenticate its conversation partners
	\item does not use centralized control during authentication
	\item is safe against playback attack
	\item is safe against eavesdropping
	\item is safe against man-in-the-middle attack
	\item provides controlled anonymity
\end{itemize}

\subsection{Case Study: $PKI$}

Before we present a new method of authentication, let us first describe and analyze available means of providing authentication in MANETs. The most well known (and most frequently used) method is authentication using public key cryptography and Public Key Infrastructure ($PKI$) certificates. If such a method is used in a MANET, all users must obtain a $PKI$ certificate from a certificate authority ($CA$) in order to access certain system functions (perhaps some functions may be available without access control).

An alternative would be to use a trusted source of authentication information that is part of the MANET: a bootstrap server. This element (we shall refer to it as authenticating bootstrap, $AB$) issues certificates to users that join the system. A drawback of this approach is that the identity of users is not externally verified. A similar approach is to allow all users to issue certificates like in the PGP "Web of trust" model. In \cite{ESpeak}, this approach has been chosen along with the use of SPKI; however, this work does not significantly differ from the approach described in this case study.

Let us consider, how the described authentication methods could be used to solve the problem posed above: implementing access permissions for a chat with private conversations in a MANET. A proposed solution is shown on fig.~\ref{fig2}.

\begin{figure}[h]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=8cm]{fig2-2.eps}
\caption{Using certificates for authentication in a MANET application}
\label{fig2}
\end{figure}

$P_I$ has a certificate, $C$, that contains its public key and a signature, $SIG$. The certificate and the $SPRIV$ message are routed through the MANET (the message contains a nonce to avoid playback attacks). For simplicity, let us assume that there is a single, malicious user on the path from $P_I$ to $P_U$. When $P_U$ receives the message, he can verify the validity of the signature and accept the public key of $P_I$ as authentication information. In the future, $P_U$ will only display private messages from $P_I$ if the message has been signed by $P_I$. Verification of the certificate may require communication with $CA$ or $AB$, if $P_U$ does not know the public key of the $CA$ or $AB$.

However, note that the presented scenario is insecure. $P_M$ is capable of a man-in-the-middle attack that exchanges the certificate, $C$, with a certificate of $P_M$, $C'$, and the address of $P_I$ with the address of $P_M$. Unless the receiver, $P_U$, is capable of verifying that the certificate belongs to the sender $P_I$, then $P_M$ will be able to continue the conversation of $P_I$ afterwards (and $P_I$ will not!). To fix this problem, the proposed protocol has to be modified as presented on fig.~\ref{fig2}. The only way for $P_U$ to make sure that the certificate belongs to $P_I$ is to communicate with $P_I$ over a channel that is not controlled by $P_M$ and receive a proof that $P_I$ has a private key that matches the public key in the certificate.

After the private conversation has been accepted by $P_U$, $P_I$ may wish to send messages using another $SPRIV$ operation. For the second time, authentication can be simpler. $P_I$ and $P_U$ now know the public keys of each other. This information, or a secret value associated with the conversation during initiation, is enough to establish an encrypted channel between $P_I$ and $P_U$ and to authenticate $P_I$.

\subsection{Disadvantages of using $PKI$ for authentication in MANETs}

However, the proposed solution has several drawbacks:
\begin{enumerate}
	\item It requires direct communication with $P_I$. This may not be possible if $P_I$ is outside the radio range of $P_U$.
	\item The certificate must contain the address of $P_I$ (or the system must include a directory where this address may be found). This requires updates whenever $P_I$ changes its address.
	\item Communication with the $CA$ or $AB$ must occur during every transaction, if $P_U$ does know the public key of $CA$ or $AB$.
	\item It requires a 3-way exchange of information.
	\item If $PKI$ certificates are used, the users cannot be anonymous.
	\item Note that we do not consider how to provide message integrity during communication from $P_I$ to $P_U$. We focus solely on authentication.
\end{enumerate}

As pointed out in~\cite{DIN}, the use of $PKI$ for authentication has other drawbacks. The use of $PKI$ is difficult because of the necessity of verifying legal identities of all participants. This is a difficult task, and may limit the participation of users from countries or geographical areas where the access to $PKI$ infrastructure is limited. Other users may have privacy concerns, depending on the type of application.

Finally, the security of $PKI$ has been questioned due to its hierarchical nature. In~\cite{BUR}, authors observe that if a high-level certification authority is compromised, then the result is a failure of a large part of the system. For these reasons, it may be worthwhile to consider a more lightweight, scalable and robust authentication mechanism for MANET applications.

\section{Proposal}

In this paper, we describe a new protocol for authentication for MANET applications. The protocol allows users to securely send private messages to another user (as described in section $3$).

First, utilized cryptographic primitives are briefly introduced: the concept of zero-knowledge proofs and Merkle's puzzles. Then, we present the authentication protocol.

\subsection{Cryptographic primitives}
\label{crypto}

Our scheme involves two cryptographic primitives: Merkle's puzzles and zero-know\-led\-ge proofs. We describe them shortly below.

\paragraph{Merkle's puzzles} Ralph Merkle introduced his concept of cryptographic puzzles in~\cite{M}. The goal of this method was to enable secure communication between two parties: A and B, over an insecure channel. The assumptions were that the communication channel can be eavesdropped (by any third party, called E). Assume that A selected an encryption function ($F$). $F$ is kept by A in secret. A and B agree on a second encryption function, called $G$:
\begin{center}
\emph{G(plaintext, some key) = some encrypted message}.
\end{center}

$G$ is publicly known. A will now create $M$ puzzles (denoted as $s_i$, $0 \leq i \leq M$) in the following fashion:
\begin{displaymath}
s_i = G((K,X_i,F(X_i)),R_i)
\end{displaymath}
$K$ is simply a publicly known constant term, which remains the same for all messages. The $X_i$ are selected by A at random. The $R_i$ are the "puzzle" part, and are also selected at random from the range $(M \cdot (i-1), M \cdot i)$. B must guess $R_i$. For each message, there are $N$ possible values of $R_i$. If B tries all of them, he is bound to chance upon the right key. This will allow B to recover the message within the puzzle: the triple $(K,X_i,F(X_i))$. B will know that he has correctly decoded the message because the constant part, K, provides enough redundancy to insure that all messages are not equally likely. Without this provision, B would have no way of knowing which decoded version was correct, for they would all be random bit strings. Once B has decoded the puzzle, he can transmit $X_i$ in the clear. $F(X_i)$ can then be used as the encryption key in further communications. B knows $F(X_i)$ because it is in the message. A knows $F(X_i)$ because A knows $X_i$, which B transmitted in the clear, and also knows F, and so can compute $F(X_i)$. E cannot determine $F(X_i)$ because E does not know F, and so the value of $X_i$ tells E nothing. E's only recourse is to solve all the $N$ puzzles until he encounters the 1 puzzle that B solved. So for B it easy to solve one chosen puzzle, but for E is computationally hard to solve all $N$ puzzles.
\label{merkle}

\paragraph{Zero-knowledge proofs}

A zero knowledge proof system (\cite{P}, \cite{ID}, \cite{FS}, \cite{OG2}, \cite{OG4}, \cite{BDLP}) is a protocol that  enables one party to \emph{prove} the possession or knowledge of a "secret" to another party, without revealing anything about the secret, in the information theoretical sense. These protocols are also known as minimum disclosure proofs. Zero knowledge proofs involve two parties: the prover who possesses a secret and wishes to convince the verifier, that he indeed has the secret. As mentioned before, the proof is conducted via an interaction between the parties. At the end of the protocol the verifier should be convinced only if the prover knows the secret. If, however, the prover does not know it, the verifier will be sure of it with an overwhelming probability.

The zero-knowledge proof systems are ideal for constructing identification schemes. A direct use of a zero-knowledge proof system allows unilateral authentication of P (Peggy) by V (Victor) and require a large number of iterations, so that verifier knows with an initially assumed probability that prover knows the secret (or has the claimed identity). This can be translated into the requirement that the probability of false acceptance be $2^{-t}$ where $t$ is the number of iterations. A zero knowledge identification protocol reveals no information about the secret held by the prover under some reasonable computational assumptions.

\subsection{The authentication protocol}
\label{prot}

The proposed protocol offers an authentication method for the model MANET chat application. The node that wishes to send a private message is equipped with a zero-knowledge value. After the setup of a private conversation, this value will enable only the right node to send new private messages. Using the proposed protocol, the authentication information cannot be used by a node that routes the message for its own purpose. A short overview is presented in this section and a detailed description in the next.

The proposed protocol has three phases:
\begin{enumerate}
	\item initial: when a bootstrap creates necessary values for authentication
	\item initialization of private conversation: the first private message contains additional zero-knowledge values that will enable the sender (and no one else) to continue the private conversation.
	\item exchange of private messages: the sender uses a zero-knowledge proof and Merkle's puzzles to authenticate itself and to safely send a private message.
\end{enumerate}

The node that initializes the private conversation is denoted as $P_I$, the receiving node as $P_S$ and nodes that route the message as $P_1, P_2, \ldots$, the message as $m'$ (first message) and $m'', m''', \ldots$ (next messages). $A$ is the authentication data.

In this basic scenario we assume that routing nodes do not modify the data, just forward it correctly. Attacks: scenarios where these nodes can modify or eavesdrop information are described in section~\ref{sec}.

\paragraph{Phase 1 - initial}

This proposal is not directly based on zero-knowledge protocols, but on an identification system based on a zero-knowledge proof. We choose the GQ scheme (\cite{GQ}) as the most convenient for our purposes. In this scheme, the bootstrap has a pair of RSA-like keys: a public $K_P$ and a private one $k_p$. The bootstrap also computes public modulus $N = p \cdot q$, where $p, q$ are RSA-like primes. The following equation has to be true:
\begin{displaymath}
K_P \times k_p \equiv 1 (\textrm{mod }(p-1)\cdot(q-1)).
\end{displaymath}
The pair ($K_P$, $N$) is made public. The keys can be used for different purposes, not only for our system.

The bootstrap computes a set of so-called identities, denoted by $ID$, and their equivalencies, denoted by $J$. It does not matter how $J$ is obtained if it is obvious for all participants how to obtain $J$ from $ID$. The pairs $(ID, J)$ are generated for every node that requests them. The identity is used to authenticate $P_I$ during an attempt to continue the conversation. The bootstrap also computes a secret value for each $ID$:
\begin{displaymath}
\sigma \equiv J^{-k_p} (\textrm{mod }N).
\end{displaymath}
The secret $\sigma$ is used by $P_I$ to compute correct values for the $GQ$ authentication scheme. $P_I$ obtains the following information in the initial phase: $ID$ (public) and $\sigma$ (secret).

To preserve anonymity, node $P_I$ should request at least a few different pairs $(ID, \sigma)$ or, if possible, obtain a new pair for each private conversation (key).

\paragraph{Phase 2 - initialization of the private conversation}

The purpose of this phase is to associate a proper $ID$ with the conversation. Different methods may be used for that purpose, depending on the security and performance requirements of the system.

Here are some possibilities:
\begin{enumerate}
	\item The node $P_I$ can simply send the $ID$ with the message $m$ in open text.
	\begin{figure}[h]
		\centering
		\includegraphics[width=8cm]{fig_p2-1a.eps}
		\label{fig3}
	\end{figure}
In that situation, the node $P_I$ has to trust all other nodes that they do not change neither message nor $ID$.
	\item The node $P_I$ can ask the bootstrap to store an $ID$ value associated with the conversation. During conversation initialization, $P_S$ contacts the bootstrap and obtains the proper $ID$.
	\begin{figure}[h]
		\centering
		\includegraphics[width=8cm]{fig_p2-2a.eps}
		\label{fig4}
	\end{figure}

	\item A more secure way is to use the bootstrap's keys for a different purpose, not only for the zero-knowledge protocol. After creation of an $ID$ for node $P_I$ in the initial phase, the bootstrap can sign the $ID$ with his private key. In this case, the $ID$ can be sent securely over multiple nodes. After receiving the first message, $P_S$ can check the validity of the bootstrap's signature and accept only a valid $ID$. To provide message integrity, the bootstrap would have to sign a hash of the message ($h(m)$), as well.
	\begin{figure}[h]
		\centering
		\includegraphics[width=8cm]{fig_p2-3a.eps}
		\label{fig5}
	\end{figure}
\end{enumerate}

\paragraph{Phase 3 - exchange of private messages}

\begin{enumerate}

	\item The node $P_I$ creates a set of puzzles: $S = \{s_1, \ldots, s_n\}$. Each puzzle has a zero-knowledge challenge. This challenge is a number computed basing on a random value $r$, $r \in \{1, \ldots, N - 1\}$. It is computed as following:
\begin{equation}
u = r^{K_P} \textrm{ (mod } N).
\label{eq1}
\end{equation}
	\textbf{Creating a set of puzzles}\\
	Each puzzle used in the proposed scheme has a following form: $G(K,X_i,F(X_i),u),R_i)$, where $K$, $X_i$, $R_i$ and $F$, are described in section~\ref{merkle}.
	\begin{table}[h]
		\caption{Possible puzzles}
		\label{tab1}
		\centering
		\begin{tabular}{ll}
		Puzzle no & puzzle \\
		\hline
		1 ($s_1$)& $G(K,X_1,F(X_1),u),R_1)$ \\
		2 ($s_2$)& $G(K,X_2,F(X_2),u),R_2)$ \\
		 & \ldots \\
		n ($s_n$)& $G(K,X_n,F(X_n),u),R_n)$ \\
		\end{tabular}
	\end{table}
	Each puzzle can contain a different $u$ value (computed from $r$), which gives additional security.
	\item The node $P_I$ sends the whole set of puzzles to $P_S$.
		\begin{figure}[ht]
			\centering
			\includegraphics[width=8cm]{fig_p3-1a.eps}
			\label{fig6}
		\end{figure}
\newpage
	\item $P_S$ solves a chosen puzzle and chooses a random value $b \in \{1, \ldots, N\}$. $P_S$ sends the puzzle's number ($X_i$) and $b$ to $P_I$.
		\begin{figure}[h]
			\centering
			\includegraphics[width=7cm]{fig_p3-2.eps}
			\label{fig7}
		\end{figure}
	\item The $P_I$ computes the next value in the $GQ$ scheme, $v$. This values is based on the number $b$ received from $P_S$ and on the secret value $\sigma$ of $P_I$:
	\begin{equation}
	v \equiv r \times \sigma^b \textrm{ (mod } N).
	\label{eq2}
	\end{equation}
	\item $P_I$ sends $v$ and a new message (encrypted, using information from the puzzle). Some possible methods of securing the message are described below. The secured message has the form:

	\begin{displaymath}
	L(m', F(X_i)).
	\end{displaymath}
		\begin{figure}[h]
			\centering
			\includegraphics[width=8cm]{fig_p3-3.eps}
			\label{fig8}
		\end{figure}

	\item $P_S$ uses information extracted from the puzzle, $ID$, to obtain $J$ and verify if $v$ is the right value. To validate the response from $P_I$, $P_S$ checks if
	\begin{equation}
	J^b \times v^{K_P} \equiv u \textrm{ (mod } N).
	\label{eq3}
	\end{equation}
	If the equation is satisfied, then the new message is accepted.
\end{enumerate}

\paragraph{Securing the new message}
The value $F(X_i)$ is a secret known only to $P_S$ and $P_I$. Thus, it can be used to establish a secure channel for the new message. This can be used to provide:
\begin{enumerate}
	\item encryption: the message could be encrypted using $F(X_i)$ as a key for a symmetric cipher.
	\item integrity: the hash of the message could be encrypted using a symmetric cipher with key $F(X_i)$.
\end{enumerate}
\label{secfile}

\subsection{Security of proposed scheme}
\label{sec}

In this section, we are going to discuss only the security of phase 3 of the protocol, since the protocol offers several distinct possibilities in phase 2, each one with a different level of security.

\paragraph{Continuing the conversation by an unauthorized user}

Assume that one of the routing nodes ($P_M$) wishes to send a private message and impersonate $P_I$. $P_M$ cannot impersonate $P_I$, because $P_M$ does not have the $\sigma$ value to obtain the correct $v$ for the authentication phase of the protocol. The values $u$, $b$ or $ID$ do not contain any information that would be useful in cheating $P_S$. This property is assured by the zero-knowledge protocol.

The message itself is secured by methods described in sec~\ref{secfile}, using the $F(X_i)$ value. For any eavesdropper it is computationally infeasible to solve all puzzles to find the puzzle the with proper $X_i$ (the one used by $P_S$) if the number of puzzles is large enough. E.g. if the function $G$ would be $DES$, and $R_i$ would be a key for a cipher with fixed 24 bits (so efficiently 32 bits long), then the number of computations required to solve one puzzle is about $2^{31}$. Now it is easy to estimate how many puzzles should be created by $P_I$.

\paragraph{Eavesdropping}

An eavesdropping node, $P_M$, can observe all values of the zero-knowledge protocol: $u$, $b$ and $r$. This knowledge does not reveal anything about the secret $\sigma$ and since $u$ and $b$ are random and change in every iteration of the protocol, that does not enable $P_M$ to interfere and gain any important information. Also, if the number of puzzles is sufficiently large, solving all puzzles is infeasible in reasonable time and finding the puzzle that was used to secure the message is hard.

\paragraph{Play-back attack}

Using our protocol, $P_S$ chooses a random value $b$ and then $P_I$ has to compute the $v$ value, which is later utilized by $P_S$ to check if the authentication is successful. Therefore, previously used $v$, $r$ ($u$) and $b$ values are useless. Only $P_I$ is able to create the proper $v$ value for a random $b$.

\paragraph{Man-in-the-middle attack} The goal of this attack is to either change the new message or to gain some information about $\sigma$ by one of the intermediate nodes ($P_M$). A property of zero-knowledge proofs used in our protocol is that gaining any information about $u$, $b$ and $v$ values does not reveal anything about the $\sigma$. Changing the message is also not possible since it is protected with the secret value $F(X_i)$, known only to $P_I$ and $P_S$.

\subsection{Performance analysis}

In the proposed system there are two phases when computational overhead could be significant:
\begin{enumerate}
	\item computing values for the zero-knowledge protocol (equations:~\ref{eq1},~\ref{eq2},~\ref{eq3}). The number of computations needed for these equations is similar to computations of public key cryptography. The $u$ value (eq.~\ref{eq1}) can be calculated offline.
	\item computing the set of puzzles: this also can be done by $P_I$ offline. We assume that the $G$ function would be $DES$ or any other symmetric cipher, so it would be quite fast to compute a single puzzle. The amount of computations depends rather on the number of puzzles ($M$) and is similar to encrypting a message of size $M \cdot n$, where $n$ is the size of $N$ in bits (because $u < N$).
	\item Sending the set of puzzles is the only significant communication overhead. The size of the set of puzzles depends on the required security level and is difficult to estimate (without additional assumptions about available computational power of malicious nodes). Moreover, since the breaking of all puzzles should take more time than the transmission of the entire message, perhaps the size of the set of puzzles could depend on the message size (be bounded above by a fraction of the message size, for instance $1\%$).

\end{enumerate}

\subsection{Comparison with PKI}

Let us compare our protocol using the same criticism as for \emph{PKI} in section 4:

\begin{enumerate}
	\item direct communication of $P_I$ and $P_S$ is no longer required
	\item a directory or method to obtain the address of $P_I$ by $P_S$ is not necessary
	\item communication with the bootstrap may be required during the initialization of a private conversation, depending on the chosen method of communicating the $ID$
	\item 3-way exchange of information is not required during conversation initialization, but only for subsequent messages
	\item the proposed protocol provides revocable a\-no\-ny\-mi\-ty.
\end{enumerate}

\section{Conclusions}
\label{concl}

Authentication in P2P/ad-hoc systems is surprisingly difficult due to the fact that nodes often do not know the identity of each other before they communicate. In a client-server system, at least the identity of the server is known to the client. This simplifies the use of \emph{PKI} for authentication. In a P2P/ad-hoc system, the use of \emph{PKI} may require direct communication of two nodes to prevent a man-in-the-middle attack.  This is difficult to realize in a P2P/ad-hoc system.

We have developed an authentication method that is secured against eavesdropping, man-in-the-middle, and playback attacks in a P2P/ad-hoc system, but does not require direct communication. The proposed method does not introduce significant computational or communication overheads. Also, the proposed method provides revocable anonymity that is not available when \emph{PKI} is used.

The proposed system of authentication with revocable anonymity gives quite new possibilities for security solutions in P2P/ad-hoc networks. First, it provides anonymity of the operating node against other nodes and any external users, except for the bootstrap. Additionally, the system makes it possible to identify a node's actions when cooperating with the bootstrap. If practically implemented, the system can be controlled against a malicious nodes trying violate the rules of a MANET application. The applications of this control can range from games in a MANET to prevention of indecent or malicious messages on MANET chats.

\paragraph{Future work}
The form of anonymous authentication and revocable anonymous authentication should perhaps depend on the particular MANET application. Thus, the first possible extension of the results presented here is a precise analysis of requirements of chosen MANET applications. This problem will be the subject of future research.

Another extension of the presented results is to offer new security services. The first natural proposition is mutual authentication of nodes, then non-repudiation of operations and finally combinations of all common security services applied to nodes and the routed messages.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Seven quick, easy and healthy lunch ideas you can feed your toddler this week!
9 Packable Nutrient Dense School Snacks :: School snack time can be both nourishing and quick prep with these great packable snack ideas!
Every once in a while my team and I put together a resource that I am especially proud of– this simple round up is definitely one of those times.
... Nutrition Newsletter. Thanks for signing up!


The D-Jarrah Fountain decorating a town home project in Encino, CA.
Designed by Dan Weedon from DW LA Landscape Architect in Venice, California.
Three D-Jarrah Oil Jars in smooth #90 finish, various colors and sizes for visual appeal.


1. You can video chat with your requesters from the ticket details page and see what problems they are facing.
2. You can, with requester authorization, provide remote assistance to them by taking control of their device .
3. Requesters can share screens so agents can resolve their issues quicker.
Enabling Hangouts for your Freshservice is a fairly simple process.
3.When you find Google Hangouts, simply click on the icon and hit install.
4.Google Hangouts will be enabled for your service desk now.


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Australian Man Marries a Dog
An Australian man has surprised friends by getting married -- to his pet dog of five years, a golden labrador called Honey.
Twenty-year-old Joe Guiso said the "marriage" ceremony performed by a friend in the Queensland town of Toowoomba was simply a creative and light-hearted way of bringing together family and friends.
"This was just an event for my friends and I to get together," he told AFP on Friday. "It really was fun. We all dressed up in suits and everything.
"But you can't actually marry a dog."
Guiso, who revelled at a stag night at a friend's house before the event, says while he loves his dog, it is "just Plutonic love."
"There's nothing sexual," he said, adding that he hoped no one was offended by the unconventional pooch partnership. "It really should be taken lightly."
Source: AFP

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


QCOSTARICA via NCN News – A two person recording team from Orlando, Florida, arrived in Bribri, Costa Rica, to begin recording the JESUS film in Cabecar, the language spoken by a tribe of nearly 17,000 indigenous people.
Of the US$38,000 needed for the multi-voice recording, the JESUS Film Project contributed US$19,000 and the remaining US$19,000 was raised through donations to JESUS Film Harvest Partners.
The Church of the Nazarene's Costa Rica Central District has one organized church and one mission church in Tayni, where more than 3,000 Cabecar people live.
Nazarene missionaries David and Shelley Webb enlisted the help of fellow missionaries from River of God, Inc., David and Lucy Jones, who hosted the team in Bribri, Costa Rica. David Jones grew up as a missionary kid among the indigenous people and speaks the language fluently. He arranged to host the approximately 30 Cabecar readers and made a sound studio in his home for the recording.
Some of the Cabecar people walked six hours to the Jones' home for the recording. Others walked two to three hours and then took a bus. Since the Cabecar people are spread out, many of them had not met before.
The recording took nine days to complete, working morning until evening. Israel, the Cabecar man who is reading the part of Jesus, shared during the evening fellowship that he met David Jones' brother, Timothy, as a young adult. Isreal was interested in what Timothy said, but Israel's parents told him it was dangerous information and that he should not have anything to do with Timothy, who continued to preach and teach. Israel would listen intently from afar, and he received Christ as Savior. Since then, Israel has dreamed of having the JESUS film in Cabecar since not everyone can understand the Spanish version.
The JESUS film in Cabecar may be ready as soon as April. An Old Testament in Cabecar is also currently being translated. The two new resources will join the second version of the Cabecar New Testament, which was completed in 2013 as an update to the version written by the Jones brother's parents, Aziel and Marion Jones.
Previous articleExorcism or Good Will?


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Posts Tagged 'Cult'
The Turd Sandwich
"Life is a long turd and every day you have to take a bite. But you can't feel so sorry for yourself you piss on people – at least not the people who love you."
credits to South Park for this image - I couldn't quite get my head around making my own.
A quote from Mifune, Danish director Søren Kragh-Jacobsen's 1999 contribution to the Dogme 95 School – a rather good film actually, not fully appreciated for the number of levels in which it operated. This quote is uttered by a prostitute who's been keeping her bratty younger brother in a posh boarding school – and he's been wagging. She is beyond disbelief at his disregard for her sacrifice on his behalf. She's been eating a lot of shit sandwiches.
Long after I'd more or less forgotten the film (and Dogme 95 – is it still in existence?) that line stuck with me. Certainly in this context it is true – but I realised it pretty much applied, if not to life in general, at least not my life in general, there are times, or have been times when it was absolutely true.
When you're young and starting out, you need to convince people to give you jobs, mortgages, let your children into their school – and everyone you try to convince gives you a little or sometimes not so little shit sandwich to eat. At first, well, you refuse – and rightly so. A shit sandwich, regardless of the paper doily on the serving plate is still a shit sandwich. But if you want the job, or the house or that elusive status symbol – you hold your nose and take a bite. Usually one is enough – and you can say 'thank you, that was lovely,' sign the papers and move on. You get used to it after a while – you need so many things…
But then, somewhere along the way, you might discover you don't really want something that bad – you're just not in the mood for a shit sandwich. Usually by the end of your forties your done with them. Oh sure, someone will offer you one every so often, but you politely decline and if it should somehow end up in front of you – well, you'll just send it back. You are done with that.
thanks to the Japanese for tidying this image up for me...
Then boom! One day, when you least expect it – there it is, sitting on your desk, waiting for you. A big shit sandwich. All the toppings. It sure looks like someone's gone to a bit of effort to come up with this. But why? Hmmm…
You KNOW there's no way in hell you're gonna eat that thing. Nope, ain't gonna happen. You've got to send it back – that's all there is to it.
Except… you don't really know where it came from. Or why. Or…
You're not going to eat it.
But where do you send it back to?
(Remembering not to go and piss on the people who love you in the meantime.)
Posted in work, Writing
Tagged with Cult, Cult film, Mifune, Shit sandwich, turd sandwich, work, Writing
High-brow Finnish horror washes all your sins away
Director: Antti-Jussi Annila
At first glance, this may seem like a standard horror flick, other than its setting – 16th century Finland. The Swedes and Russians have just ended 25 years of war and each have sent a party to define the new borders. We meet brothers Eerik and Knut, represent the Swedes, en route to the official rendezvous.
Whilst they are glad for peace, the endless years of war, away from their family has taken its toll and Eerik has become increasingly violent. He declares he has killed 73 people, including a farmer we meet as the film opens, who he claimed wielded an axe. Knut fears for the farmer's adolescent daughter and locks her in the fruit cellar to keep her safe. As they set out for their destination, he asks Eerik to let her out.
They are a day's journey away when Eerik confesses he never let the girl out. Knut begins to see a young woman in the swamp who whispers for him to 'come back!"
They meet up with the Russians and together they come upon a sauna, built in the middle of the swamp. Nearby is a village not on any of their maps. The people are accommodating, but rather strange – and extraordinarily clean, forever washing themselves and their clothing. There are 73 people in the village, but only one child. And the girl in the swamp is calling more desperately.
This film is a mere 85 minutes long – but the script is so complex and multi-layered and the suspense so thick, it was a relief when it ended. Afterwards, watching the making-of documentary was almost cathartic – seeing how it was made took some of the chill away. A director's commentary helps answer some of the questions left dangling at the movie's end, but still – it's one you will ponder for a while. One of my top choices for 2009.
Eerik & Knut
Posted in Film, film review, Writing
Tagged with Cult, Film, film review, horror, movies, Writing
Three from Luis Buñuel
Un Chien Andalou put both Salvador Dali and Luis Buñuel on the map with its opening scene of a young woman passively submitting as her eyeball is sliced open with a razor. An eye-opener even today, in 1929 it was positively shocking – resulting in the movie running in theatres for nearly a year.
One can only imagine what audiences made of the 'story' that follows, a surrealistic dreamscape of murder, mishap, severed limbs and ants. Buñuel appears as the eyeball slicer and Dali as a priest dragged across the floor ahead of two pianos weighted with rotting, dead donkeys. Considering its popularity, one can only assume audiences were far more sophisticated than they are today. We demand logical story arcs that rise and fall, resulting in a satisfactory ending. This little flick makes me want to pick up a camera and make a film of my own and is a must-see for anyone with those aspirations.
Look for the two-disc DVD release. Also included on disc one – a 1986 British doco on the life and work of Salvador Dali, which serves as a fine introduction for those unfamiliar with the surrealist master – whose life mirrored his art – right until the end. We could however, have lived without the Alka Seltzer ads.
The second disc features Buñuel's only documentary, Las Hurdes (1933) the story of a remote Spanish village where he first examines the corruption of the Catholic Church, a theme he continued to explore throughout his career. Also included is a doco from 2000 spanning his tumultuous career.
Between his early years as a surrealist filmmaker and his triumphant late-life career that began with Viridiana in 1961, Luis Buñuel made a dozen or so small-budget movies that were largely ignored by critics and audiences alike. Some were dreadful – a 1953 version of Wuthering Heights, where the producer insisted he use a cast comprised mostly of stock car drivers who had been prepped for a comedy. However, The Young One is the best of the lot and might be considered an overlooked masterpiece. Released in 1960, the year before Viridiana, it sits on the cusp of greatness – but you have to get your head around Buñuel working with an American cast in the deep South.
Bernie Hamilton plays Traver, a northern Black man on the run after a white woman accused him of rape. He escapes on a small boat and ends up on a game preserve island, managed by Mr Miller (Zachary Scott). Miller is dealing with the death of his handyman – and wondering what to do with the deceased's granddaughter, Evvie (Key Meersman.) At first he considers packing her off to the mainland – but suddenly notices she is not the child he had thought. Indeed, with her pouty lips, long legs and casually swaying hips she is very appealing.
Hugo Butler's brilliant and subtle script slowly intertwines Miller and Traver's paths – shifting the balance of power as it is revealed that Traver is in fact innocent of rape and Miller, despite soothing his conscience trying to convince himself the illiterate Evvie is little more than a savage – guilty. It would sit well alongside the brilliant Tennessee Williams movies of the 50s and 60s. No special features on the disc, but the package comes with a sixteen page booklet containing a brilliant analysis of the film.
As good as The Young One was, it gave no indication of what was to follow. Viridiana took the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1961 and was promptly banned by both the Spanish government (who had financed the film) and the Vatican for its devious exploration of evil and, well, more evil.
Viridiana (Silvia Pinal) is a beautiful young nun who hasn't taken her final vows who visits her uncle and benefactor, the wealthy Don Jaime (Francisco Rabal). Struck by Viridiana's resemblance to her late aunt, who died before consummating their marriage, Jaime becomes obsessed and ultimately drugs and rapes her.
Viridiana decides she can never return to the convent and opts to stay in the house with Jaime and save the world on her own, starting with the local beggars and homeless. She soon discovers that she cannot change what these people really are and is livid when they ultimately turn on her. Buñuel's genius is in the exposition of Viridiana – she is not the pious young woman she at first appears, but an arrogant sycophant who ultimately has earned her downfall.
Luis Bunuel in Un Chien Andelou
Buñuel followed this with seven masterpieces, including That Obscure Object of Desire and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgiousie. I'm waiting for them to arrive as a box set sometime soon…
Posted in film review, Writing
Tagged with Buñuel, Cult, Cult film, culture, Film, film review, movies, Viridiana, Writing
Silent Hitchcock… Shhh…
Undoubtedly one of the very finest 20th century film directors, best known as the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock started his career in the early 1920's. He made nine silent films, honing his directorial and story-telling skills. And while the man is worthy of a much longer thought, I recently acquired The Ring (1927) and The Manxman (1929), two beautifully restored melodramas that look like they were shot last week.
Danish actor Carl Brisson stars in both – his startling blue eyes, dimples and boxer's physique resulting in one of the more handsome stars of the silent era. Though his film career fell victim to the talkie as his heavy accent made him an unlikely leading man, he went on to star in Broadway musicals and released a number of successful albums. His co-star in The Ring suffered a more horrid fate – finding herself out of work, Lillian Hall-Davis gassed herself and slashed her own throat in 1933 at 35. Czech actress Anny Ondra, playing the love interest in The Manxman, continued to work in film, shifting to Germany in the mid-30's. There she met and married heavyweight boxing champion, Max Schmeling.
In The Ring, Brisson plays 'One-Round' Jack Sander a side-show boxer taking on all comers, saving his money so he can marry his girl, Mabel (Hall-Davis). One night he steps into the ring to find he's met his match with Bob Corby (Ian Hunter), who takes his winnings and blows it on a silver bracelet for Mabel – which she coyly accepts. It turns out Corby is a professional boxer who takes Sander on as a sparring partner, dallying with Mabel behind Jack's back. But even the most naive of men will eventually cotton on.
If The Ring were made today, it'd probably star Matthew McConaughey (who bears an amazing resemblence) and the starlet of the moment. However, the carny folk would undoubtedly receive far more politically correct treatment – and the flick is a reminder of just how much our culture has shifted in the last 80 years.
The Manxman is my favourite of the two, with Brisson playing Pete, a fisherman who goes off to make his fortune when he's thrown out of the public house by his sweetheart's father. He entrusts his best friend Philip (Malcolm Keen) to look after the lovely and coquettish Kate (Anny Ondra) while he's gone. Philip and Anny become the best of friends, both aware that if Pete were not in the picture they would fall in love, though Philip is hesitant as he is from an upper class family and wishes to pursue a career in law. His family assures him she will never do.
When they receive news that Pete has been killed in an accident, they give in to the long-pent passions. Hitchcock has some fun here, euphemistically grinding some millstones stones in one love scene and having a ship 'slip' into a harbour in another. But before they can make plans, it turns out that Pete is still alive – and he's coming home.
Hitchcock keeps a reign on his actors, limiting the overdramatising so often associated with silents, which can render them unwatchable. (However the use of lipstick and eyeliner on the male stars is a little bizarre.) He also stays away from quote panels, which disturb the pace of the film and remind me the film is silent, despite the score. Instead he relies on visual clues and expects you to do a little bit of lip reading. This was also a way to get around the censors, especially in the second film, dealing with adultery and fornication. I was on the edge of my seat here wondering how it would turn out.
These films are for Hitchcock fans, interested in his early works. He was still a young man learning his craft here, unlike Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Fritz Lang or F.W Murnau who were at the top of their game and produced stunning work. Indeed, Hitchcock appears to have begun his career more as a lightweight – focussing on love triangles. But he moved on…
Notorious, from 1946 with Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains is my favourite Hitch – what's yours?
Tagged with Alfred Hitchcock, Carl Brisson, Cult, Cult film, Film, film review, The Manxman, Writing
Quelles Horreurs!
While some of us object to the invasion of American Halloween and K-mart clad ghosts and goblins knocking at the door demanding treats, we would do well to recall that the holiday is rooted in the Druid Samhain – the last day of the ancient Celtic summer – a between-seasons day, when the dead walked among the living and the veils between past, present and future could be lifted in prophecy and divination. What better time to examine our deepest fears than how we've presented them on film for the last 110 years?
Horror is one of film's oldest genres, with the first, George Méliès' The Devil's Manor made in 1896. Since then filmmakers have had a love affair with horror, though the genre is the most maligned amongst critics and move-goers alike. But scratch the surface of a Sandra Bullock fan and you'll find someone who's seen Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula over and over again; or an ageing hippie still quoting Charlton Heston from Soylent Green, "It's people!"
Alfred Hitchcock's genre-blowing Psycho (1960)
Defining horror seems to be the problem. It ranges from pornographic violence (as anyone who's sat through Andy Warhol's Frankenstein can attest) to art-house (Shadow of the Vampire). People know what they like and pretty much hate everything else.
Folks who came of age in the fifties and early sixties tend to think of Hammer Horror monster movies, or Cold War paranoia and post A-bomb reality checks – when George Romero, Roger Corman, and Roman Polanski first made their mark. Even The Sound of Music director Robert Wise tried his hand at horror with The Haunting in 1963, an arty examination of a woman possessed by the spirit of a house. While still of interest as a psychological thriller, the film was dated even then, as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963) upped the ante with levels of graphic violence that had never been seen before. The sixties had an outpouring of B-grade horror flicks, most of which starred Vincent Price, Christopher Lee or Boris Karloff – all attempting to shock – though in reality, the trailers were always far more frightening than the films themselves.
George Romero's Night of the Living Dead
Then along came George Romero's Night of the Living Dead in 1968, where the dead rise up and eat the living – lungs, livers, hearts and entrails, in glorious black and white – no one had ever seen anything like that before. The film opened a floodgate and horror reached new levels of bloodletting, violence and gore as budgets got bigger special effects got better. It was as if the entire genre was reinvented in living colour, monsters, murderers, demons, and genetically mutated wildlife. While there certainly was quality horror produced in that time (The Exorcist, Jaws, Wickerman, Eraserhead, etc. etc.), the volume of horror was incredible and no social issue or pathology went unaddressed. The ultimate in paranoia was It's Alive (1972) about a killer newborn, apparently driven to a frenzy in the womb over its mother's ambivalence over whether or not to abort. And the wildlife gone mad! Jaws (1975), Frogs (1972), and James Cameron's debut behind the camera with the horrendously awful Piranha II: The Spawning. Tobe Hooper's splatter 'masterpiece' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) (which I have never been able to sit through), set the standard for deranged killers and spawned a slew of copycat slayers, slashers, slicers and dicers – and gave birth to Michael Meyers in Halloween (1978), Jason in Friday the 13th (1980) and Freddie Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) at which point the horror flick literally lost the plot and collapsed under it's own gore and guts and reran these last in what seemed like endless sequels that evolved into parodies of themselves, played more for laughs than for terror.
By the end of the eighties there was an enormous drop in the number of horror flicks produced, with a return to the level of quality of the 50s and 60s, with greater emphasis on psychological horror and suspense, and little sign of the 70-80s fondness for vivisection. But audiences seemed repulsed by the very word 'horror', so studios and directors went to great lengths to describe their films otherwise. Kenneth Branagh insisted Dead Again was a mystery romance and Francis Ford Coppola declared Bram Stoker's Dracula was a drama, not a horror film (though he surpassed Tobe Hooper when it came to amount of blood spilled.)
Until recently, much of what we've seen has been self-parodying teen comedy/horror. But the genre is alive and well. Hannibal Lecter continues to make friends; Nicole Kidman wasn't exactly slumming in The Others; we adored The Sixth Sense and the Blair Witch Project scared us witless. Virtually every film mentioned on these pages is now available on DVD. In theatres right now we've got The Locals, 28 Days Later, Identity, Hypnotic, and the ultimate face off arriving soon – Freddy vs. Jason. Go get scared!
Directors who've Dabbled in horror
Kenneth Branagh – Dead Again (1991), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)
Francis Ford Coppola – Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Stanley Kubrick – Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980)
Adrian Lyne – Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Robert Rodriguez – From Dusk Until Dawn (1996) – co-written with Quentin Tarantino)
Ridley Scott – Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982)
Stephen Soderberg – Kafka (1991)
Robert Wise – The Haunting of Hill House (1963)
Directors who specialise in horror
Directors who cut their teeth on horror
Peter Bogdonavich – Targets (1968)
James Cameron – PiranhaII: the Spawning (1981)
Francis Ford Coppola – Dementia 13 (1963)
Brian de Palma – Sisters (1973), Carrie (1976), Dressed to Kill (1980) and the strange Phantom of the Paradise musical.
Peter Jackson (see Director's Cut, this issue)
John Landis – Schlock (1971), American Werewolf in London (1981)
Roman Polanski – Repulsion (1965), The Fearless Vampire Killers or: Pardon Me, But Your Teeth are in My Neck (1967), Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Barry Sonnenfeld – Addams Family (1991)
David Lynch's Blue Velvet
Boris Karloff – silent star who broke into talkies in 1931, forever defining the look and feel of Frankenstein. Went on to make nearly 100 mostly horror flicks – some ultra cheesy.
Bela Lugosi – Dracula – 1931 – followed by a career as other monsters, mad scientists and megalomaniacs. Those made for Universal were high quality, but drug addiction and a disastrous personal life lead to ridiculous choices in later life – including the legendary worst movie of all time – Plan 9 From Outer Space, for director Ed Wood (the subject of Tim Burton's biopic of the same name, starring Johnny Depp – in a cashmere sweater.)
Vincent Price – Classically trained stage actor who turned to horror in 1953, and spent the next 40 years as the Master of Menace, often working with director Roger Corman.
Christopher Lee – Hammer Horror's perennial leading man, starred as Count Dooku in Star Wars Episodes 1-3 and as Saruman the White in Lord of the Rings.
Jamie Lee Curtis – Probably the only woman who ever launched her career as a horror star – playing Michael Myers' sister in Halloween, by managing to survive. Daughter of Janet Leigh, who played Norman Bates unfortunate victim in Psycho, she earned the nick 'Queen of the Creepies' with The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train (all 1980) and Halloween II (1981). Once she broke out, she refused to do another horror flick until Halloween H20: 20 Years Later in1998. Having made her peace, she returned in H8 in 2002 and will most likely star in H9.
Tim Burton and Vincent Price on the set of Edward Scissorhands
Makers & shapers
Alfred Hitchcock – directed over fifty films, virtually inventing the psychological thriller. Upped the ante in the horror genre with nudity and violence in Psycho in 1960. Followed by The Birds in 1963.
Stephen King – The Source. Has had 25 of his novels made into films, Made for TV movies or television series.
Terence Fisher – single-handedly created the Hammer Horror franchise with his 1957 remake of Frankenstein with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and followed it with 24 low-budget classics more over the next 17 years.
George A. Romero – broke the boundaries for gore in 1968 with Night of the Living Dead and then topped that with Dawn of the Dead in 1978.
John Carpenter – was paid $10,000 for directing the original Halloween.
Jamie Lee Curtis in the original Halloween, from John Carpenter
Any Hammer Horror
The Fly both the 1958 version with Vincent Price and the 1986 remake with Jeff Goldblum.
Blade Runner – 1982
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Slasher/Splatter
Friday the 13th and all their offspring
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Shadow of the Vampire
Repulsion (Roman Polanski)
Roman Polanski directs Catherine Deneuve in Repulsion (1965)
And many many more…
Have a horrific Halloween!
Tagged with Cult, Cult film, culture, Film, horror, movies, Writing
Mister Lonely
Somewhere in Paris there is a very lonely Michael Jackson impersonator (Diego Luna) who doesn't speak the language well, looking for his big break.
His agent believes in him, but he learns to believe in his Michael Jackson self when he meets a Marilyn Monroe impersonator (Samantha Morton). She lures him to Scotland where she lives with her husband Charlie Chaplin and daughter Shirley Temple in a commune with a dozen other impersonators.
They are building a performance centre in the hope that once it is built, audiences will come. We are treated to enchanting performances from Madonna, the Three Stooges, Buckwheat and Sammy Davis jun, not to mention the Queen, who capture both the essence of the original characters and the isolation and alienation of the people behind them.
Meanwhile, in a remote convent in Panama, Father Umbrillo (Werner Herzog) delivers emergency food rations to area villages, the nuns sitting in the back of his rickety old plane, tossing packages out the cargo bay.
When the plane jerks, a nun falls out, and with her habit flapping furiously, she prays for the Lord to save her. She lands in a field, dazed but unharmed.
T he rest of the convent soon take up skydiving sans parachute – a genuine miracle, which Father Umbrillo is very proud of, though he declines to jump himself. He decides to visit the Vatican and show the Pope.
Though the two stories never connect, they run on an emotional parallel, as director Harmony Korine takes us on a curious journey through a forgotten corner of the human psyche, examining our identity, our ability to do the impossible and just what it will cost us in the end.
Mister Lonely is far more colourful and, if not life affirming, at least more life loving than Korine's chaotic debut, the cult classic Gummo (1997). Unfortunately, there are no special features on the DVD.
Tagged with Cult, Cult film, film review, movies, Writing
Midnight Cowboy broke all the rules when it was released in 1969. After a decade dominated by glossy, Technicolor, feel-good musicals, John Schlesinger's x-rated exposé of shattered dreams amongst the grime and desperation on New York's mean streets made the entire industry sit up and take notice.
It's not just the only X-rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture, it paved the way for Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Woody Allen to tell their New York stories (Taxi Driver, The Godfather I & II, Manhattan). Nearly 40 years on, it is every bit as powerful and authentic as the day it was released.
John Voight plays Joe Buck, a naïve Texas dishwasher who decides to hop a bus to New York City where he is sure he'll soon be living the high life as a high-paid gigolo. He arrives in his buckskin jacket and spit-shined cowboy boots and starts following rich women around.
He figures he's struck gold when Cass (Sylvia Miles) takes him home, but after he's delivered the goods, she hustles him out of $20. Then he runs into Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a petty thief with a bum leg who promises to get him some proper management, hustling him out of another 20 and delivering him to a gay born-again preacher – but not before uttering the immortal words, "Hey! I'm walkin' heah!"
Soon Joe is broke, locked out of his dingy hotel room and living on the street, prowling 42nd St after dark like all the other cowboys, but too soft-hearted to make the johns pay. (Check out the young Bob Balaban.)
When he runs into Ratso again, Joe is desperate to get his money back, but ends up going home with him, to his rat-infested, condemned tenement, where the two form a friendship and struggle to survive – both living on dreams of a better life.
The two-disc collectors' edition includes two recently made featurettes with surviving cast and crew, reflecting on making the film and its impact and another looking at the late John Schlesinger's life – easily as fascinating as any of his movies. Also included is a photo gallery, the theatrical trailer and an insightful commentary by producer Jerome Hellman.
Posted in Film, Writing
Tagged with Cult, culture, Film, movies, New York, sex, Writing


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Conference has come to an end for the Bakersfield College swim team, but three swimmers' last stop will be the CCCAA Swim Championships to wrap up the season.
BC last swam in the WSC Championships at Cuesta College from April 21-23.
BC had 21 swimmers place in the top 16 in their events at the WSC Championships. To name a few of the top placers: Erik Wood took first in the 200-meter butterfly, Daniel Delgadillo took second in the 1650, Bri Smith took second in the 200 breaststroke, Sara Klang took third in the 100 freestyle, Brian Bender took third in the 200 breaststroke, and Alexis Wyatt took fifth in the 200 butterfly.
Even though 21 swimmers placed in the top 16 at the WSC Championships, only three made the cut for the CCCAA Swim Championships on May 5-7 at East L.A. College.
Those swimmers are Klang, Smith and Wood. All are sophomores, and this will be their last meet ever for BC.
Since the swimmers taper training was in affect for the WSC Championships, it puts the swimmers in kind of a difficult spot, said Moon.
"It's kind of a tough spot because they work toward the end-of-the-year taper meet at conference and whenever they qualify, then they have to hold on to their taper for two more weeks, so sometimes that is a little more difficult," Moon said.
But Moon said he has adjusted the training and brought them back up last week and plans to bring them down this week in practice until the meet.
Moon said with Klang, Smith and Wood all swimming different events, the focus of their training will be geared more toward their specific events.
"It is a lot different than it was during the season and having a team workout we did separate into groups, but this is a lot more specialized and individualized. Trying to see how they are feeling going off, how they are looking in the water, feeling in the water, and kind of adjusting on the fly in a sense," said Moon.
Smith will be swimming in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, Klang will be swimming the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle, while Wood will be swimming the 200 IM, as well as the 100 and 200 butterfly. It will be Smith's first dip into East L.A. College's indoor pool, seeing as Wood and Klang have already have had a chance to swim there. This will be the first time Wood and Smith have gone to the CCCAA Swim Championships.


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One of my favorite cities, I think this stop has been the best so far for me. Since I was here just one year ago and we did basically the same things then, I will refer you to that post dated January 15 to 18, 2008. There you will find pictures of this fantastic hotel, the gauchos and city scenes. Check it out. Here are few more pictures from this trip of the Recoleta Cemetery. The recent plane crash in Flagstaff where two popular river guides were killed causes all of us to wonder about life and death. Here in Buenos Aires, the mystery of death to us humans is evident.
Central Buenos Aires and the Rio de La Plata from 10,000 feet.
One of the many alley ways in Recoleta Cemetery, where Buenos Aires elite have been buried since the mid-1800's. Families pay rent to keep there ancestors remains here and sometimes people will even rent space for a casket for only 4 days just to say that their relatives had a funeral in Recoleta.
Many of the mausoleums are ornate with marble and other stone. Many of these mausoleums have 3 or four stories beneath the ground to accommodate the remains of the many generations inside.
One could look for hours at these plaques and find them interesting. I was taken by this one that told a story of one D. Antonio F. Celesia. He was obviously well-liked by many as reads his plaque: "To Professor D. Antonio F. Celesia - From your college disciples and friends".
And a representation of him at work in his chosen profession - a doctor of physiology who taught his students how to know the human body.
This is the mausoleum of the Duarte family and their most famous daughter, Eva Peron.
Eva Peron's plaque.
Look at the detail in this marble statue of a woman holding the door to the family mausoleum. As individual mortals, we forever try to keep the flame of life alive, baffled by those rare but important days when our loved ones do not awaken forever more. By giving scenes of life like this to burial grounds, we try to eases the pain by invoking ideas that something must lie beyond the darkness. Yet common sense and connecting the dots reveals that we are given only so much time - and then are away, making room for other lives. In this way, we perhaps never die. We must make our lives meaningful while alive in the here and now and not concern ourselves with morbid thoughts of our mortality.
For us, the living, life goes on. We go about the business of our lives are try not to think that one day we too will be called to inhabit the cemeteries of the dead. It is as it should be and we cannot change it. Peace and love to Tom and Frank, taken too soon from us. We are reminded of the good you left us. On to Patagonia for now. Love.
Rio de Janeiro - After All These Years
Not too long after leaving the Mid-Atlantic region we saw the edge of the New World and the coast of Brazil. I remember looking at the 10-day forecast for Rio about a week ago and there were 10 days of thunderstorms predicted with 60% chance of rain each day. Rio can be sloppy in the rain but it turned out that a break in the weather greeted our arrival. Have a look.
Here is a large river in central Brazil that appeared from under the breaking clouds. It was obviously in flood from the recent heavy rains and silt-laden. I tried to find the name of this on Google Earth but with no luck.
Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara Bay from 10,000 feet. A spectacular view of a spectacular place (remember the harbor at Rio de Janeiro is one of the traditional Seven Natural Wonders of the World). Copacabana Beach center left and downtown at the top of the bay
Here is a look at the front of our hotel, the Copacabana Palace, facing the Atlantic Ocean
The weather was fantastic for just this one day in between storms. This picture is taken from the top of the Corcovado where the Christ statue is located (itself voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007). The Sugar Loaf Mt. (Pão de Açucar) is obvious in the center. Most people in the north do not realize that the coast of South America here runs east and west with the mouth of the harbor (upper left) faces south. This is a view to the east in early morning light. To me Rio is like a blend of San Francisco and Yosemite Valley - a world class city in a world class location.
Here is the famous Copacabana Beach on a Sunday afternoon. So alive, so Brazil. Brazilians are typically not afraid to show their bodies in public no matter how old or wrinkled they may be. This can be a bit of a shock to those who grow up "Puritan-Land" to the north. To me, there always seems to be just a bit of a disconnect between these guilt-free southerners and us who shelter our skin from the cold and snow. One of the great challenges in traveling to, and learning about, foreign lands and people is to see life through the lens of their eyes, rather than drift towards the tendency to judge with our own. On a trip like this, I am reminded constantly about the need to experience rather than judge. But sorry guys, no close-ups of the string bikini's!
From the top of the Pão de Açucar, a wide view of Copacabana Beach, 3 miles long and teeming with throngs of worshipers who call this tropical city paradise.
From the top of the Sugar Loaf, I took this picture of the rocks around the entrance to Guanabara Bay. The water in the bay is highly polluted (skanky is an appropriate term that might be too soft of a word). The Brazilians have many challenges that face them if they want to clean this mess up. But above the shoreline, it is quite spectacular. The Santa Cruz Fort can be seen in the center and guarded the bay from envious French and Dutch sailors and pirates.
Lagoa da Freitas from Corcovado
Ascención Island - The Middle of the Atlantic Ocean!
A rule in aviation is that aircraft with only two engines (like our 757) can never be more than 3 hours from a landing strip. So instead of flying straight across from Cape Town to Rio, we needed to fly far north to a tiny speck of land known as Ascención Island, just 65 miles west of the submerged Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This was quite a treat for our group (maybe I'm stretching the truth here). But I was definitely happy to stop at this outpost in the middle of the sea - it was vivid with volcanic features and we received permission to do a flying tour of the island before we stopped to refuel at a runway - reserved as one of the emergency landing strips for the space shuttle. Here is a photo tour of a place very few people ever see.
Here's the approach to Ascención Island after a six hour flight from Cape Town. Our trip is making the transition from Africa to South America!
And a view of most of the island as our captain positions the jet for great views. Air traffic control was more than happy to let us fly where we wanted.
Although it is under a cloud, you can make out the runway in this pic just to the left of the obvious cinder cone. A photo of this cone from ground level is included below.
The island is over 2 miles tall but three-fourths of it is under the sea. The oldest flows are one million years old and there have not been any historic flows at all (since AD 1501). But geologists note that eruptions have probably occurred since AD 1000. You can easily see some excellent lava features on one of the younger flows in this shot.
Surprisingly, there are a number of trachyte and rhyolite flows on the northeast side of the island. Ascención is not directly on top of the mid-ocean ridge - it's about 65 miles west of that. It has erupted on a the Acención Fracture Zone and is part of a hot spot.
Here's the view of the tarmac as I exited the jet.
Our Explorer jet on Acención Island.
The NASA tracking station on top of a relatively recent cinder cone.
One for the records!
After leaving the desert our trip descended on Cape Town, South Africa, one of my favorite destinations. Maybe its the similarity in climate and feel to my roots in southern California. Or maybe its just that 'Seouth Afreca' has a character that is too interesting and compelling to ignore. After all, this is the land of Nelson Mandela, who brought down apartheid and then had the audacity to say 'No retribution, look to the future'. Compare this to Zimbabwe the land of painful retribution.
I love history! And it really comes alive for me when I see a classic old painting done by someone who was "there". Here is a Dutch painting of a supply ship entering Table Bay in the late 1600's.
And a very similar view of Table Bay and Cape Town in 2009 when I flew here on a helicopter!
The cable car to the top of Table Mountain actually spins as you go up, giving a great view of the city and the wall of sandstone behind it. The sandstone is Cambro-Ordovician in age (about 500 to 450 Ma) and is interpreted to be laid down in near-shore river systems from today's north.
Lion's head - a familiar landmark west of the city center, is also composed of these bedded sandstones.
This is a shot from the helicopter of Cape Point, near the Cape of Good Hope - made famous in zillions of American 4th grade classes. What a treat to actually come here and see it. Ironically, it is not the southernmost point in Africa - that would be Cape Agulhas about 120 miles farther east of here.
Precambrian/Phanerozoic contact in South Africa. The light colored Cape Granite (below the road) intruded about 540 Ma and the darker seds were laid on top about 70 to 100 million years later. I have seen this contact in many places around the world - Saudi Arabia, Jordan and of course The Great Unconformity at Grand Canyon.
More of Namibia - The Living Desert
The Namib is a very dry desert but not at all dead. Many thousands of species live here from strange looking plants to colorful, adaptive animals. Here is a sampling of some of the things we saw.
Trips out into the Namib are faciltated by great guides and here is one of the best - Tommy of the Namib. Deserts seem to draw out the little kid in everyone and although Tommy is in his 50's chronologically, he is a kid at heart. What a trip we had with him at home in "his office".
This is a plant known as Welwichia. It has only two leaves that grow away from a central stem but it looks like many more since the wind shears them apart. Some welwichias can be 1500 years old.
The welwichia is a diaceous plant meaning that it has male and female plants. Here is a picture of the female plant.
Tommy loved to find snakes, scorpions, chameleons - anything that moved and he was an expert in finding them! Here is a venemous sidewinder snake that he found in a clump of bushes.
Check out the feet on this little transparent gecko! It can dig into the sand and breath while buried to escape the summer heat. Tommy followed a faint trackway that disappeared into the sand and dug this little guy up from down below. Awesome!
If people have heard anything at all about the animals in the Namib, it is probably about this beetle that climbs the crest of a dune, puts its butt in the air where fog droplets coalesce and run down its body into its mouth. Water without rain. Tommy collected about 6 of these along the way as they scurried about.
And then we saw a chemeleon! Fadcinating creatures that have independent eye sockets that can look with one over its back while the other looks forward. Who would have thought that something this large would live in the Namib?
And then we learned why Tommy was collecting all of those beetles.
He called them "chameleon hamburgers"
Ouch! Look at that tongue. It all happened so quick too. I am sure that this chameleon just waits by the side of the dunes for Tommy to bring his guests by every afternoon, knowing that lunch will be delivered by his favorite guide.
It's a about the dunes out here though - they are fantastic and they are a great modern analog for many ancient sandstones we see exposed in the American Southwest. In fact these coastal dunes are great analogs for the Schnebly Hill Formation in Sedona or the the Toroweap Formation in the Grand Canyon.
Here's the crest of a dune. The windward side in on the left with the wind ripples and the leeward side is the steep slope down to the right. These are cross-beds in formation!
The Namib Desert - Great Geology!
Our private jet trip has resumed with a four hour flight across the equator and on to the country of Namibia (the former South West Africa). With a population of less than 2 million but the size of Texas and Louisiana combined, it is the second least densely populated country on earth (after Mongolia). But to the geologist it is a paradise! Look at the pics.
This is the "moon landscape" as they call it in Nmibia, located near the coastal town of Swakopmund. It is a tortured land and banded gneiss, and only a few millimeters of rain per year. We toured this area in vans.
Here is a pretty good look at an outcrop of gneiss. This metamorphic rock formed about 600 million years ago when sediments were crushed and buried in a great mountain building event.
The gneiss rocks were probably at quite a depth (15 miles?) to be cooked this much. But below them, things were even hotter and some of those rocks were melted to become magma, which traveled upwards into the gneiss as magma. When these dikes were emplaced they were likely very tabular in shape but continued squeezing and crushing caused them to take this contorted shape. Imagine the amount of material eroded to bring all of this back to the surface today!
Here is further evidence of the extreme compression of the rocks. When the Kalahari craton collided with the Congo craton some 600 Ma, it created the Damara mobile belt, essentially the area between the two that was 'bruised" in the collision. Wow - it's a living planet!
This is the graphic I used on the jet to explain the concept of two continental fragments colliding to create a mobile belt. Notice the two cratons (light colored areas) and the collision zone between them. Swakopmund and the moon landscape are in the dark belt near the town of Walvis Bay.
Burkina Faso - Land of Honest People
Yep - that's what the name Burkino Faso means in one of the hundreds of languages spoken in this country, only the size of the state of Colorado. Some people might remember its former colonial name of Upper Volta. This clean and colorful place is also peaceful. We left on the U.S. inauguration day and there were visible signs that Africa is ready for an Obama administration. We saw elephants, colorful villages, vibrant markets and one great outcrop of sandstone. I'll let the pictures do the talking.
The Kazenga Reserve - envisioned and articulated by a Canadian living in Upper Volta in the 1970's is obviously a very forward thinking kind of preservation. We watched elephants bath and swim underwater in this large pond.
Check out these homes in the village of Tielebe near the southern border with Ghana. They are made of adobe bricks and painted by hand.
Here's an "alleyway" I wandered down while everyone in the village was at the dance.The pots are used to get water or to store millet.
These are the warrior dancers of Tiebele. Everyone looked quite healthy and well nourished. We found out that food resources are allocated to the men first, then the young boys, then women. Children are the last ones on the list - they do this so that only the strongest ones survive. Different for sure but not a bad strategy.
The villagers looking on at the dancers.
The mosque in the town of Bobo Dioulasso. The sticks in the walls are used to climb and repatch the adobe. How exotic. We got to go onto the roof of the mosque.
Entering the "Domeland" near the town of Banfora in the southwest of the country. We used the private jet to fly 130 miles away this day.
What a great outcrop of early Paleozoic sandstone. I saw both symetrical and asymetrical ripple marks in the deposit and it was coarse-grained. It looked a lot like the Cambrian deposits in western North America.
We rarely stop at geologic sites on these trips but everyone was fascinated by this place.
At home on the rocks!
More from Madeira
Madeira Island - A Very Volcanic Place
London Arrival - Cape to Cape by Private Jet
2008 - A Banner Year in Grand Canyon Origin Research


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Serena Williams shares adorable photo of her daughter on tennis court
Williams captioned the shot, "turn, back, reach, head, follow through."
ByGMA Teamvia
Serena Williams has adorable 'Beauty and the Beast' sing-a-long with daughter
"The same old bread and rolls to sell!" Who hasn't sung this Beauty and the Beast hit with their family?
Manny Carabel/Getty Images, FILE
Serena Williams' daughter, Olympia, is already getting in some training on the tennis court from the best.
The 23-time grand slam winner shared a cute snap of her 3-year-old practicing her swing on Tuesday. Williams can be seen in the back of the photo looking on proudly.
MORE: Serena Williams on how she is inspired by the women in her life
The post was flooded with comments from Williams' supporters mentioning how her little one is destined for greatness. Billie Jean King wrote, "Look out, world! Keep going for it!"
The official Australian Open account added, "AO 2017 champions back at it again," referencing when Williams won the tournament that year while pregnant.
Serena's victory over her sister, Venus Williams, at the Australian Open in 2017 gave her a 23rd grand slam singles title -- one shy of tying Margaret Court's all-time record.
Serena Williams talks body image, says she's been 'undervalued' and 'underpaid' in tennis
Serena Williams on how she is inspired by the women in her life
The tennis star often shares snaps of fun moments with her daughter, Olympia. The young girl appears to love tennis as much as her mother.
During a recent interview with "Good Morning America," she said that Olympia is "always so happy."
"You can learn this from kids, it's like they don't have a care," she said. "Sometimes we put too much emphasis on things and on stuff that we really just have to rely on us and just being happy."
"That's very inspiring for me," she added.


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The Indian Ocean, bordered by Asia, Africa and Australia. in December 2004, millions are enjoying the holiday season along its shores including Steve Gill, his wife Heather and step-daughter Charlotte. They are on vacation in Thailand. "We had arranged to go out for a traditional Christmas meal. Everything was new and warm and fairly unspoiled undeveloped, very very quiet delic intimacy." Steve described. In the Indonesian town of Banda Aceh, local resident Eddie Quenzlo is visiting friends and family. "I went to town to sleep in my friend's house. It is close between my sister's house and my friend's house." Eddie testified.
"At about 8 a.m. local time on December 26, 2004, everything changed. Just offshore in here, with the indo-australian plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate, more than a thousand years of tectonic stress released in a matter of seconds." one reporter said. The earthquake has a magnitude 9.1. The third largest ever recorded. As the Eurasian Plate crust upwards by 20 meters, it displaces billions of tons of water. "The resulting wave traveled east towards Thailand and Indonesia and westward Indian Sri Lanka.
And in tsunami's path, where millions of people." the reporter added. Peaking at 800 kilometers an hour, the tsunami will take 30 minutes to hit the Sumatran coast. Around an hour later, it reach Thailand. Although they felt the earthquake with no tsunami warning systems in place, people around the Indian Ocean coastline oblivious to the approaching threat. "I saw a buildings destroyed, and we are scared of course. But we didn't know it was a tsunami that's happened." Eddie Quenzlo added.
For the holiday makers in Thailand, the first hint at the impending disaster is a strange sight to the ocean disappearing. "The bay was empty. All I could see was rocks. All the way over to the octave, all the way over to the other on. There's nothing there." Steve added. "One of the more enduring and dramatic images at the 2004 tsunami, was the withdrawal of the water level from the shoreline leaving the entire foreshore area exposed. This is a phenomenon known as drawdown and it's caused by the tectonic displacements offshore.
Well, one section at the plate is thrust upwards, the section on the plate closer to the coastline actually subsides, and the water rushing in to fill that void is what causes the withdrawal of the shoreline. Had more people realize that this was the sign of an impending tsunami perhaps more lives would have been saved." the reporter's explained.
This is the time people should have started running, but instead the curious sight viewers people go onto the beach. "It was bizarre, but it was fascinating. I think I did actually briefly go to the front house again and look and think about you know, walking out of coast. Just not right, just it's wrong. Exactly how it wrong I don't know but it's wrong." Steve continue. By the time many react, it's too late. "Self, my wife, my stepdaughter discussed on next move and one mistake wedidn't get to make basically." Steve added. At 8:15 a.m. the tsunami hits northern Sumatra, the city of Banda Ache, home to over a quarter of a million people is about to suffer its full force. "I'm here in the busy city center of Banda Ache, and it was here on this street corner were some of the most graphic video footage of the tsunami was recorded.
On the street behind me, the tsunami surge came flowing up the road channel between the buildings. Watching the footage, we see that the leading edge in the tsunami was actually slow enough that people could escape simply by running or walking. However this part of Banda Ache is very far from the ocean and people simply didn't know what to do. As the flood depth increases, so too does the speed the flow until there's no way to escape unless you can get the high ground. That's what the person who shot this video did. He climbed up over here, and he lived however thousands of other people that day could not get the high ground and they ended up dying in the waves." Reporter added.
Cramb, billions of tons of debris the waves and unstoppable battering ram. Eddie Quenzlo is one of the many that scramble to safety near the Grand Mosque. "Materials come like the iron, the stone, the rocks, the bed, shirts, motorcycle, a car. You can see people mixed with the water everything's material." Eddie Quenzlo added. "The tsunami wave came right through here, these are very sturdy concrete buildings and many of them were knocked over by the tsunami but rather the water flowed through them between them in actually channelized the flow and made it speed up and get deeper in some areas.
The water here didn't go past the the first story was all pretty much less about eight or 10 feet deep. So in terms of escaping, a lot of people could have got in the away just by getting up to the second story as the cameramen did at the corner." reporter said. "I was thinking I will die and I so many people need help, but I could not help, because too many people need help. I so many babies, of course they need help, sometime I just take and put on the top because I don't know where I have to bring them, how I can bring them, to where? Because all is a flood. I mean everywhere is water." Eddie Quenzlo added.
30 minutes after the tsunami hits Banda Ache, it smashes into the Thai island of Phuket. Steve Gill's beachside bungalow is directly in its path. "I think our conversation ended when we heard the roar of the water. We still couldn't see the wave. On to a return to look at the small alleyway between the two buildings. It was traveling at speed estimated between two and three hundred miles an hour. I am just, it was seems a bit right above waters 30 foot high about 10 was nothing we could do nothing.
I remember being struck by the water realistically, there wasn't any expectation I've ever come out the other side. It just you know, is this the way it ends. Because this sheer power of all waters that has hit you doesn't allow any space for an escape plan. Million no plans for the future. I found in the stagnant a wreckage if you like, I'm about quarter mile up the road." said Steve. Although he soon reunites with his stepdaughter, steve is never to see his wife alive again. Over the next 20 minutes, three massive waves up to 10 meters high crashing into the small resort. 1,000 tons of water smashing down each meter of coastline. Beach after beach, wave after wave, the tsunami brings death and destruction.
In Thailand, over 5,000 people perish with another 3,000 missing. In Indonesia, the tsunami obliterates Banda Ache. "I could not imagine why like this, I lose my bestfriend. I was thinking like, why God didn't take me? Better He take me than my best friend. And also about my auntie also, we didn't find these bodies. My cousin, many of my cousins passed away, we could not find the bodies." Eddie added. In total, the waves strike 14 countries around the Indian Ocean. Taking lives as far away as Africa. The final death toll will make the 2004 tsunami the most lethal ever seen.


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Government surveyors vote to strike
By Karolin Schaps, Karolin Schaps Karolin Schaps2008-02-20T14:28:00+00:00
Surveyors and senior managers at the Valuation Office Agency are to strike against the 2007 pay award
Surveyors and senior managers at the government's Valuation Office Agency (VOA) are taking industrial action against the 2007 1.25% pay rise.
85% of Prospect union's VOA members, who provide property taxation services to the government, voted in favour of opposing the pay award.
From 27 February onwards, the members will establish a ban on overtime, staff only working conditioned hours, ban all out-of-hours coverage and will encourage proper lunch-breaks and regular screen breaks.
In December last year, members had already held a vote against the pay increase of 1.25%, which is below the Treasury's 2% cap.
Prospect national secretary, Geraldine O'Connell, said: "Our members at VOA work to ensure that property tax systems across the country are implemented in a fair and impartial manner but the treatment they have received is far from fair. The chief executive has outlined his vision to turn the agency into a world-class service by 2010 but he is expecting staff to do this on third-class pay."
"Morale was already at rock bottom with staff struggling to maintain the service and meet government efficiency targets while watching their pay fall further behind not only private sector comparators but other public sector colleagues."
RICS to revamp property valuation rules following review
Stricter guidelines to be implemented following concern over independence of valuers
Ministers plan law to order independent reviews of RICS governance
More detail confirmed about proposed powers to monitor professional body
Five things you should know about the RICS' external reviewer
Michael Bichard was once tipped as a cabinet secretary and has a reputation for shaking things up. What does his appointment mean for the RICS?