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Exclusive: Google, CIA Invest in 'Future' of Web Monitoring | Danger Room | Wired.com
The investment arms of the CIA and Google are both backing a company that monitors the web in real time — and says it uses that information to predict the future.
The company is called Recorded Future, and it scours tens of thousands of websites, blogs and Twitter accounts to find the relationships between people, organizations, actions and incidents — both present and still-to-come. In a white paper, the company says its temporal analytics engine "goes beyond search" by "looking at the 'invisible links' between documents that talk about the same, or related, entities and events."
The idea is to figure out for each incident who was involved, where it happened and when it might go down. Recorded Future then plots that chatter, showing online "momentum" for any given event.
"The cool thing is, you can actually predict the curve, in many cases," says company CEO Christopher Ahlberg, a former Swedish Army Ranger with a PhD in computer science.
Which naturally makes the 16-person Cambridge, Massachusetts, firm attractive to Google Ventures, the search giant's investment division, and to In-Q-Tel, which handles similar duties for the CIA and the wider intelligence community.
It's not the very first time Google has done business with America's spy agencies. Long before it reportedly enlisted the help of the National Security Agency to secure its networks, Google sold equipment to the secret signals-intelligence group. In-Q-Tel backed the mapping firm Keyhole, which was bought by Google in 2004 — and then became the backbone for Google Earth.
This appears to be the first time, however, that the intelligence community and Google have funded the same startup, at the same time. No one is accusing Google of directly collaborating with the CIA. But the investments are bound to be fodder for critics of Google, who already see the search giant as overly cozy with the U.S. government, and worry that the company is starting to forget its "don't be evil" mantra.
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Google, CIA Invest in 'Future' of Web Monitoring (abcnews.go.com)
Report: Google, CIA Backing Web Startup (cbsnews.com)
Report: Google, CIA fund predictive analytics firm (news.cnet.com)
Bob Jacobson: Google and CIA Invest in a Minority Report-Like Technology That May Make Our World a Less Certain Place (huffingtonpost.com)
Google Reports Brief Search Outage in China - PCWorld
Google's search engine in China appeared to have been partially blocked overnight Thursday, but a Google spokeswoman said the service was up and running again by Friday morning local time.
A Google site that monitors the company's services in China indicated that its Web search service had been blocked, along with its image search, ads and mobile services.
Google's services in China are being closely watched for signs of disruption ever since the company stopped censoring its search results there earlier this year.
Google spokeswoman Jessica Powell said the company overestimated the latest disruption, however.
"Because of the way we measure accessibility in China, it's possible that our machines can overestimate the level of blockage," she said. "That appears to be what happened last night when there was a relatively small blockage."
Attempts to use Google's search engine from Beijing Friday morning were successful, though when blockages are in place they can vary by region.
Google services reported down in China (news.cnet.com)
Google to reveal censorship requests (guardian.co.uk)
You: Google tries new approach in China (guardian.co.uk)
Google fools interwebs into China blockage scare (go.theregister.com)
Labels: Beijing, China, Google, PC World (magazine), Search Engine, Searching, Time zone, Web search engine
Google Searches Blocked On Mainland China : NPR
Google Inc. said Thursday that its search engine was abruptly cut off from mainland China, raising more questions about the Internet company's ability to operate in the country while trying to work around the government's online censorship policies.
It's unclear why Google's search engine was suddenly fenced off, or whether China's government was blocking the service with technology tools known as the "Great Firewall."
The notice on Google's website reporting the China barrier provided no details and a spokesman at the company's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters was unable to elaborate.
The blockage could signal China's communist government has finally decided to retaliate against Google for taking a stand against its effort to control what its citizens can see and read on the Internet. If that's the case, Google might have trouble maintaining and cultivating other services, including mobile phones and mapping products, in the world's most populous country.
The relationship between Google and China's government has been tense since the company announced in January that it would no longer censor search results that the ruling party considered to be subversive or pornographic.
Google had cooperated with the government's restrictions for four years, but said it had a change of heart after uncovering a computer hacking attack that it traced to China.
Google: China BLOCKED Search Engine In Mainland (huffingtonpost.com)
Google says search cut off from mainland China (msnbc.msn.com)
Google blocked in China again (money.cnn.com)
Labels: China, Golden Shield Project, Google, Mainland China, People's Republic of China, Search Engines, Searching, Web search engine
Apple's iOS4 Issues Take Center Stage - PCWorld
Now that Apple has pacified iPhone 4 customers with free bumper cases to alleviate antenna issues, the company is looking into problems with iOS 4 and the iPhone 3G.
For more than a month, iPhone 3G owners have raged on Apple's support forums about the latest operating system update. It's bad enough that the iPhone 3G doesn't support multitasking -- the two-year-old phone just isn't powerful enough -- but slow performance, battery drain and hot hardware are making matters worse.
On YouTube, one user created a parody video showing all the tasks performed in one of Apple's first iPhone ads, except running iOS4. The parody was three times longer than the original 30-second commercial, as the iPhone 3G stuttered its way through music, e-mail, the Internet and a phone call.
Apple told the Wall Street Journal that it's aware of the reports and is looking into the matter, but didn't explicitly say a solution was coming and didn't give a timeline.
This doesn't bode well for a quick fix; iPhone 4 users are still waiting for Apple to address the phone's proximity sensor, which is allowing accidental hang-ups and other commands when the phone is held close to the cheek. Apple promised during its iPhone 4 antenna press conference that it would fix the problem soon, and that was three weeks ago.
Although the sluggish iOS4 performance on the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 4's proximity sensor issues are arguably more frustrating to more users, their ability to be fixed with software allowed them to dodge the antenna hysteria. But with Apple putting out the "antennagate" fire, the pressure's on to make things right with iOS4.
Apple "looking into" poor iPhone 3G performance under iOS 4 (geek.com)
Labels: Apple, IPhone, iPhone 3G, IPhone OS, Operating system, Smartphone, Wall Street Journal, YouTube
Microsoft to Push Harder for Cloud - PCWorld
Microsoft is shifting its strategy away from pitching itself as a company that can offer companies a choice of software or hosted services, toward pushing the cloud, an executive said on Thursday at the software giant's annual financial analyst meeting.
A year ago, Microsoft was telling customers that the company is uniquely positioned because it offers a choice of on-premise or cloud-based service, said Kevin Turner, chief operating officer for Microsoft.
"We've changed that. I don't think that was a good move. We're going to lead with the cloud," he said.
Still, while its message to customers may change, the company still expects to sell both software and hosted software.
"Leading with the cloud helps better position Microsoft to sell more on-premise products than ever before," he said.
Microsoft is also doing some "hand holding" to help customers work out implications of the cloud on budgeting. "It's a shift from capex to opex," Turner noted.
The company is also showing companies that they can more easily move to the most recent software by using the cloud, he said. Cloud services "allow us to take that burden off our customers and they are more than willing to give that to us," he said.
Its approach is paying off, he said. Seventy percent of deals for cloud services at Microsoft during its fourth quarter were new customers, Turner said. Those companies were switching from IBM Lotus Notes or other competitive products, he said.
The question si with their late start can they catch up with Google. Microsoft has a large base of enterprise customers who are used to using and are comfortable with Microsoft products. This base of customers will make them very competitive in the world of cloud computing.
John H. Armwood
Microsoft to push harder for cloud (infoworld.com)
Microsoft's stump speech: We're leading the cloud parade (zdnet.com)
Microsoft touts cloud computing customers (news.cnet.com)
Microsoft to analysts: Here's how we win business & the cloud (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Microsoft makes its case to Wall Street (live blog) (news.cnet.com)
Microsoft Names Impressive New Cloud Customers (webpronews.com)
Labels: Brian Kevin Turner, Cloud computing, Financial analyst, Google, IBM, IBM Lotus Notes, Kevin Turner, Microsoft
BBC News - Facebook data harvester speaks out
The torrent is attracting hundreds of downloads. The man who harvested and published the personal details of 100m Facebook users has spoken out about his motives.
Ron Bowes, a security consultant, used a piece of code to scan Facebook profiles, collecting data not hidden by the user's privacy settings.
The list, which contains the URL of every searchable Facebook user's profile, name and unique ID, has been shared as a downloadable file.
Mr Bowes told BBC News that he did it as part of his work on a security tool.
"I'm a developer for the Nmap Security Scanner and one of our recent tools is called Ncrack," he said.
"It is designed to test password policies of organisations by using brute force attacks; in other words, guessing every username and password combination."
By downloading the data from Facebook, and compiling a user's first initial and surname, he was able to make a list of the most common probable usernames to use in the tool.
The three most common names, he found, were jsmith, ssmith and skhan.
In theory, researchers could then combine this list with a catalogue of the most commonly used passwords to test the security of sites. Similar techniques could be used by criminals for more nefarious means.
Mr Bowes said his original plan was to "collect a good list of human names that could be used for these tests". "Once I had the data, though, I realised that it could be of interest to the community if I released it, so I did," he added. I am of the belief that, if I can do something then there are about 1,000 bad guys that can do it too"
Mr Bowes confirmed that all the data he harvested was already publicly available but acknowledged that if anyone now changed their privacy settings, their information would still be accessible.
"If 100,000 Facebook users decide that they no longer want to be in Facebook's directory, I would still have their name and URL but it would no longer, technically, be public," he said.
Mr Bowes said that collecting the data was in no way irresponsible and likened it to a telephone directory.
"All I've done is compile public information into a nice format for statistical analysis," he said
Simon Davies from the watchdog Privacy International told BBC News it was an "ethical attack" and that more personal information had not been included in the trawl.
"This is a reputational and business issue for Facebook, for now," he said
"They can continue to ride the risk and hope nothing cataclysmic occurs, but I would argue that Facebook has a special responsibility to go beyond doing the bare minimum," he added.
How 100 million Facebook users ended up in a list on BitTorrent (guardian.co.uk)
100m Facebook users' data listed (bbc.co.uk)
100M Facebook Profiles Now Available For Download (pcworld.com)
Labels: BBC, Brute force attack, Facebook, Privacy International, Ron Bowes, Security, Simon Davies, Uniform Resource Locator
White House proposal would ease FBI access to records of Internet activity
The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual's Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation.
The administration wants to add just four words -- "electronic communication transactional records" -- to a list of items that the law says the FBI may demand without a judge's approval. Government lawyers say this category of information includes the addresses to which an Internet user sends e-mail; the times and dates e-mail was sent and received; and possibly a user's browser history. It does not include, the lawyers hasten to point out, the "content" of e-mail or other Internet communication.
But what officials portray as a technical clarification designed to remedy a legal ambiguity strikes industry lawyers and privacy advocates as an expansion of the power the government wields through so-called national security letters. These missives, which can be issued by an FBI field office on its own authority, require the recipient to provide the requested information and to keep the request secret. They are the mechanism the government would use to obtain the electronic records.
Stewart A. Baker, a former senior Bush administration Homeland Security official, said the proposed change would broaden the bureau's authority. "It'll be faster and easier to get the data," said Baker, who practices national security and surveillance law. "And for some Internet providers, it'll mean giving a lot more information to the FBI in response to an NSL."
Many Internet service providers have resisted the government's demands to turn over electronic records, arguing that surveillance law as written does not allow them to do so, industry lawyers say. One senior administration government official, who would discuss the proposed change only on condition of anonymity, countered that "most" Internet or e-mail providers do turn over such data.
To critics, the move is another example of an administration retreating from campaign pledges to enhance civil liberties in relation to national security. The proposal is "incredibly bold, given the amount of electronic data the government is already getting," said Michelle Richardson, American Civil Liberties Union legislative counsel.
The critics say its effect would be to greatly expand the amount and type of personal data the government can obtain without a court order. "You're bringing a big category of data -- records reflecting who someone is communicating with in the digital world, Web browsing history and potentially location information -- outside of judicial review," said Michael Sussmann, a Justice Department lawyer under President Bill Clinton who now represents Internet and other firms.
White House proposal would ease FBI access to records of Internet activity (Ellen Nakashima/Washington Post) (techmeme.com)
Mueller says no racial targeting with guidelines (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
FBI defends guidelines on eve of Senate testimony (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Labels: American Civil Liberties Union, Bill Clinton, Civil liberties, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet service provider, Law, National security
100M Facebook Profiles Now Available For Download - PCWorld
One hundred million Facebook user profiles containing personal information such as e-mail addresses and phone numbers, are now available as a 2.8GB torrent download. Ron Bowes of Skull Security created the torrent using a Web crawler program, harvesting data from public profiles of users who have chosen not to change their privacy settings.
The file contains information for 1 in every 5 Facebook users, all those who are currently listed in the Facebook open access directory. Nothing is illegal about the torrent, because it simply uses data that is available to the public. Even those who have secured their own Facebook page may not be completely out of the clear. In a statement on his website Bowes said:
"...this is a scary privacy issue. I can find the name of pretty much every person on Facebook...Once I have the name and URL of a user, I can view, by default, their picture, friends, information about them, and some other details. If the user has set their privacy higher, at the very least I can view their name and picture. So, if any searchable user has friends that are non-searchable, those friends just opted into being searched, like it or not! "
Labels: Data, Facebook, Privacy, privacy settings, Security, Telephone number, Uniform Resource Locator, Web crawler
Apple investigating iOS 4 problems on iPhone 3G | MacNN
Apple has begun investigating reports of problems running iOS 4 on the iPhone 3G. An Apple spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the company is aware of the complaints and is currently looking into the situation.
Many users have reported problems with excessive battery drain, heat, and overall performance. Although the new OS was expected to run a bit slower on the older hardware, even with multitasking disabled, some users claim iOS 4 effectively makes the iPhone 3G unusable in certain situations.
Apple has yet to provide a solution for the problems or advise against the upgrade for older iPhones.
Is Apple Finally Addressing iPhone 3G Performance under iOS4? (cultofmac.com)
Apple Probes Complaints About iOS4 on iPhone 3G (Jennifer Valentino-DeVries/Digits) (techmeme.com)
Apple to investigate iOS 4 problems on iPhone 3G (news.cnet.com)
Labels: Apple, Handhelds, IPhone, iPhone 3G, IPhone OS, Operating system, Smartphones, Wall Street Journal
Facebook CEO talks privacy on Hill - Kim Hart - POLITICO.com
Image by Carlo Nicora via Flickr
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg made his first visit to Washington Wednesday, meeting privately with members of Congress about online privacy and other technology issues.
Zuckerberg, the site's 26-year-old CEO, has received plenty of attention lately with Facebook's announcement last week that it now has more than 500 million users.
Company executives testified in two separate congressional hearings this week, answering lawmakers' questions about online privacy and the risks posed to consumers who share personal details online.
Mark Zuckerberg's Age of Privacy Is Over (Ryan Tate/Gawker) (techmeme.com)
Facebook CEO talks privacy, IPO (slyvisions.com)
Mr. Zuckerberg Goes To Washington (techdailydose.nationaljournal.com)
Labels: Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Privacy, Protocols, Security, Social network, Technology, Washington
Apple - Safari - Safari Extensions Gallery
Extensions are a great way for you to add new features to Safari 5.0.1. Built by developers, Safari Extensions use the latest HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript web technologies. And they're digitally signed and sandboxed for improved security. You can install extensions with one click — no need to restart Safari.
With the release of new Safari 5.01 web browser extensions are officially available for Safari. There have been unofficial Safari 5 extension sites with downloads since the initial release of Safari 5. I will report back as soon as I have had time so explore and use some of the new extensions.
Apple releases Safari Extensions Gallery (news.cnet.com)
Safari 5.0.1 Lands, Comes With Extensions (Robin Wauters/TechCrunch) (techmeme.com)
Labels: Apple, Cascading Style Sheets, HTML5, JavaScript, Safari, Safari 5, Safari Extension Gallery, Web browser
iOS 4.1 Beta: Game Center, Facetime Favorites, Spelling Correction, More... - Mac Rumors
Aside from the signal bar changes, Apple has also made a number of other small improvements to iOS in their latest beta which was released to developers tonight.
Game Center returns to the beta releases with a brand new look (screenshot above). Game Center is Apple's matchmaking and leaderboard social network for iOS games. The lack of Game Center in the official iOS 4.0 release caused some confusion, but Apple had never intended Gamecenter to be launched alongside 4.0. Instead, Apple had promised Game Center to come out later this year.
It remains in beta testing for now with no announced release date. The style of the app, however, has been dramatically changed from the original release.
We've also collected a list of other changes that users have noticed in the 4.1 beta.
- Flash/Camera buttons reposition themselves in landscape (see above).
- Favorites in the Phone app can now be added as Voice or Facetime.
- Check Spelling can be turned Off in Setting
iOS 4.1: FaceTime, Game Center, iPod over Bluetooth, and more (geek.com)
iPhone iOS 4.1 Beta Available To Developers Now (ring-weekly.blogspot.com)
Apple iOS 4.1 beta 2 now available for developers (engadget.com)
Labels: Apple, Game Center, International Online Soccer, IPhone, Macintosh, MacRumors, Software release life cycle, Software testing
Report: Hacker In Massive Computer Attack Held : NPR
International authorities have arrested a computer hacker believed responsible for creating the malicious computer code that infected as many as 12 million computers, invading major banks and corporations around the world, FBI officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
A 23-year-old Slovenian known as Iserdo was snagged in Maribor, Slovenia, after a lengthy investigation by Slovenian Criminal Police there along with FBI and Spanish authorities.
His arrest comes about five months after Spanish police broke up the massive cyber scam, arresting three of the alleged ringleaders who operated the so-called Mariposa botnet, stealing credit cards and online banking credentials.
The botnet — a network of infected computers — appeared in December 2008 and infected more than half of the Fortune 1,000 companies and at least 40 major banks.
Botnets are networks of infected PCs that have been hijacked from their owners, often without their knowledge, and put into the control of criminals.
APNewsBreak: FBI says mastermind of botnet nabbed (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
You: Slovenians investigated for computer virus: report (france24.com)
Mariposa botnet suspects quizzed in Slovenia (go.theregister.com)
Internet crooks craft creative counterfeiting scam (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Computer hacker pleads guilty (news.theage.com.au)
Labels: Botnet, Credit card, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Maribor, Personal computer, Slovenia, Spanish language
Google plugs 'high risk' Chrome security holes | ZDNet
Google has shipped a new version of its Chrome browser to fix three high-risk security holes that expose web surfers to malicious hacker attacks.
In addition to the security patches the Google Chrome 5.0.375.125 update also includes workarounds for two critical vulnerabilities where the root cause lies in external components — a Windows kernel bug and a glibc vulnerability.
The patch is available for Linux, Mac, Windows and Chrome Frame.Technical details on the vulnerabilities are being withheld until the update is pushed out to end users.
Google has indicated that this update plugs some security holes in the browser but on my early 2009, MacBook I notice a speed improvement. The update to Chrome 5 has only been installed for a short while but the change in speed is readily apparent.
Firefox and Chrome security patches released (v3.co.uk)
Google fixes Chrome holes, seeks security reform (news.cnet.com)
Chrome dev too stable? Try new Chrome Canary (news.cnet.com)
Labels: Architecture of Windows NT, Google Chrome, Google Chrome 5.0.375.125, Linux, Microsoft Windows, Patch (computing), Vulnerability (computing), Windows
Senate eyes online privacy rules - POLITICO.com
Top Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee signaled Tuesday that they're eyeing sweeping new rules to regulate online privacy — even as top tech players like Apple, AT&T, Google and Facebook cautioned them to tread carefully.
The tech companies told senators at a hearing Tuesday that they've worked hard to address privacy concerns, but Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) vowed that legislation will be coming next year anyway.
"We have learned a great deal more about this issue over the past decade. And working together, I believe we will successfully enact this legislation next year," Kerry said in a statement, noting he would work with Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) on a proposal.
He gave scant details of what the bill would include or when he would release it.
Representatives from Apple, AT&T, Google and Facebook said little about the role of federal regulation during opening statements and questioning Tuesday. But in prepared remarks, they each pleaded for regulators to leave online privacy primarily up to the innovators who can devise creative solutions to protect consumers.
Internet Firms Should Upgrade Privacy Policies, Lawmakers Say (businessweek.com)
Jules Polonetsky: Solving the Privacy Dilemma (huffingtonpost.com)
FTC Weighs 'Do Not Track' List (techdailydose.nationaljournal.com)
Consumer Watchdog Poll Finds Concern About Google's Wi-Spy Snooping (prnewswire.com)
Labels: Apple, Facebook, Google, John Kerry, Mark Pryor, Privacy, United States Senate, United States Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation
Apple's Refreshed iMacs Tout Newest Intel CPUs
Apple today refreshed its iMac line for the first time since October 2009 by adopting Intel's Core i3, i5 and i7 processors across the board and abandoning NVidia's integrated graphics chipset for ATI-branded graphics processors.
The revamp should boost desktops sales, which have been lagging of late.
"The last few refreshes, the iMac has done surprisingly well, and has driven some decent growth numbers for Apple," said Stephen Baker, a retail analyst with the NPD Group. "Apple usually gets some really nice [sales] bumps when they do this."
In the second quarter of 2010, Apple sold 1 million desktops worldwide, down from 1.15 million the quarter before, and also off from the 1.23 million it sold in the final three months of 2009, the quarter when it last revised the iMac.
During a conference call with Wall Street analysts last week to discuss its second-quarter earnings, Apple said that the slower desktop sales were due to the long interval since the last refresh, as well as the continued move toward laptops.
As is Apple's custom, the company did not lower prices for any of today's new iMac models.
Unlike in October 2009, when it bumped up the iMac screens to 21.5-in. and 27-in. -- Apple did not revamp the exterior design today. Instead, it swapped faster, beefier components for slower and less capable parts.
Among the most significant moves was Apple's dropping of Intel's Core Duo dual-core architecture.
The Core Duo, and the follow-on Core Duo 2, have been the foundation of the iMac since Apple introduced the Intel platform to the line in 2006 . Today, however, the company dumped the Core 2 Duo for Intel's Core i3 on the three-lowest priced models, with speed bumps on two of the three new configurations. The higher-priced of the two 21.5-in. iMacs, for instance, now sports a 3.2GHz i3 rather than a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo.
Both the higher-priced 21.5-in. and the lower-priced 27-in. iMac can be upgraded to a 3.6GHz i5 dual-core processor for $200.
The top-end 27-in. comes with a 2.8GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor, a slightly faster version of last year's chip; a $200 upgrade to a 2.93GHz i7 quad-core is also available. The highest priced iMac remains the only model that can be equipped with a quad-core processor.
Apple also tossed the last Nvidia graphics chipset from the iMac line, replacing it on the lower-priced 21.5-in. model with an ATI-labeled discrete graphics processor from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
All four iMac models now boast ATI graphics processors, running from an HD 4760 with 256MB of memory on the low end to the HD 5750 with 1GB of graphics RAM on the high.
Nvidia remains an Apple supplier, however: All the company's laptops, as well as its compact Mac Mini, sport graphics chipsets from the Santa Clara, Calif. company.
Storage space has remained static in the new models. The $1,199 iMac comes with a 500GB hard drive, while the other three models come with a 1TB drive as standard. Options on the 27-in. iMac include a bump to a 2TB drive or a swap for a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD). The former runs an extra $150, while the latter adds $600 to the price, well within the $400 to $700 cost of a 256GB SSD at retail.
All iMacs include 4GB of RAM, with options to increase that to 8GB -- and on the 27-in. models, to a maximum of 16GB.
Prices start at $1,199 for the low-end 21.5-inch iMac, progressing to $1,499 for the upper-end 21.5-inch, and $1,699 and $1,999 for the two configurations of the 27-inch system.
Apple updates iMac, intros the Magic Trackpad (news.cnet.com)
The Apple iMac And Mac Pro Get CPU, GPU Bumps In Latest Refresh (techcrunch.com)
Labels: Advanced Micro Devices, Apple, iMac, Intel Core, Intel Core i5, Mac Mini, Multi-core processor, Nvidia
Free Sophos Tool Blocks Windows Shortcut Attacks - PCWorld
The security firm Sophos released a tool on Monday that it claimed will block any attacks trying to exploit the critical unpatched vulnerability in Windows' shortcut files.
The tool, dubbed "Sophos Windows Shortcut Exploit Protection Tool," will protect users until Microsoft releases a permanent patch for the problem, said Chet Wisniewski, a senior security advisor at Sophos.
"The tool replaces Windows' icon handler, so that anything that calls the handler, we're going to intercept," Wisniewski told Computerworld.
But Microsoft refused to condone the Sophos tool, a position it takes whenever third-party solutions to a Windows bug are introduced.
"Microsoft does not endorse third-party tools," said Jerry Bryant, group manager with the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC). "We recommend that customers apply the workaround in Security Advisory 2286198 , as it helps to protect customers from all known attack vectors."....
The Sophos Windows Shortcut Exploit Protection Tool works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, but not on Windows 2000. It can be downloaded free-of-charge from the company's Web site.
The best solution to Windows vulnerabilities is to get a Mac.
Shortcut exploit: protect against it with this free tool (sophos.com)
Windows Shell Attacks Increase (informationweek.com)
New Windows Bug Offers Hackers An Attack Shortcut (blogs.forbes.com)
Windows 'Shortcut' Attack Code Goes Public (pcworld.com)
Labels: Microsoft, Security, Sophos, Sophos Windows Shortcut Exploit Protection Tool, Windows 2000, Windows 7, Windows Shortcut Exploit Protection Tool, Windows XP
Hands-On: Firefox Tab Candy Will Sweetly Organize You
Although I usually avoid strangers with candy, I couldn't resist trying Tab Candy for Firefox. It was just released for very early alpha testing, but so far, it's incredible. Tab Candy provides a very simple, graphically friendly way to view all of tabs you have open and, most importantly, group them together.
It's not just a plug-in either– Tab Candy will be built into the next release of Firefox. As you'll see in the video below, the concept behind grouping tabs is to help you focus on what you're doing. Aza Raskin, a member of the Tab Candy development team, says, "We're all suffering from infoguilt. We need a way to organize browsing, to see all of our tabs at once, and focus on the task at hand."
Firefox Tab Candy Alpha (news.slashdot.org)
Mozilla Shows Next-Gen 'Tab Candy' Firefox Interface (pcworld.com)
Tab Candy, tabbed browsing evolved (mozillalinks.org)
Mozilla to transform Firefox interface with new tab design (infoworld.com)
With FireFox's Tab Candy Feature, We'll Finally Achieve Tab Nirvana [Firefox] (gizmodo.com)
Labels: Add-ons, Aza Raskin, Browser, Clients, Firefox, Tab Candy, Tabs, WWW
iLife '11 set to go 64-bit, drop iDVD? | MacNN
Some significant changes are coming to the next iLife suite, a "well-informed" source claims. The software is first of all said to be going 64-bit, potentially providing significant performance boosts within Snow Leopard. Allegedly being dropped as a default app is iDVD, Apple's disc-authoring tool, which as been available for Macs since 2001. While it should still be an option, people will have to download it, the source says.
Some other changes are said to include improvements to Faces and Places in iPhoto, and a new MobileMe Gallery beta with Faces and Places support. The suite as a whole should gain better social networking integration. iWeb, meanwhile, is expected to be "totally renewed;" a completely new app could also be included, though what it might handle is unknown.
The source pegs iLife '11 with a $79 pricetag and an August 7th release date. The launch would take place well over a month before the date hinted at in an Amazon book listing. Apple is, however, said to be on the verge of updating both the iMac and the Mac Pro. The company frequently likes to time iLife updates so they can be pre-installed on new machines.
Apple Rumors: New iMac, Mac Pro on Way, With Magic Slate Peripheral Tagging Along? (fastcompany.com)
Channel shortages indicate iMac refresh (geek.com)
iLife '11 Coming In August With New Features And Mystery Application? (cultofmac.com)
Labels: Apple, IDVD, iLife, iMac, IPhoto, Mac Pro, Macintosh, MobileMe
Exclusive: Google, CIA Invest in 'Future' of Web M...
Google Reports Brief Search Outage in China - PCWo...
White House proposal would ease FBI access to reco...
100M Facebook Profiles Now Available For Download ...
Apple investigating iOS 4 problems on iPhone 3G | ...
Facebook CEO talks privacy on Hill - Kim Hart - PO...
iOS 4.1 Beta: Game Center, Facetime Favorites, Spe...
Report: Hacker In Massive Computer Attack Held : N...
Google plugs 'high risk' Chrome security holes | Z...
Free Sophos Tool Blocks Windows Shortcut Attacks -...
Hands-On: Firefox Tab Candy Will Sweetly Organize ...


Adriana Carrig didn't originally set out to change the world, but it happens to be a side effect of her inspirational accessories line, Little Words Project. What started as an exercise in positivity and self love among her sorority sisters quickly spiraled into a movement, bringing together women of all ages through inspirational bracelets and accessories. Now a thriving business with Adriana at the helm, Little Words Project is on a mission to end girl-on-girl cruelty and encourage women to uplift each other. We sat down with the girlboss to discuss social media, the impact of kindness, and what it's like to run a business in the 'burbs.
little words project's message is deeply rooted in feminism and girl power, do you believe it's important for female-run businesses to have a strong, feminist approach?
I think needing to have your brand be all about female empowerment almost negates the entire concept of women being equal to men. I think having that messaging for LWP helps us hone in on who we are as a brand. It's important to have some sort of passion that drives the company, but it doesn't necessarily need to be female empowerment. If you're a female run business and your passion is coding, the business doesn't just have to be about women learning to code. I think just having a woman at the head of a technology company is empowering to other women. At the end of the day, helping others is going to be more filling than growing a company without affecting other people, but there are many ways to go about that!
lwp has a strong, engaged audience on social media, which has helped expand the reach of the brand. how did you get to that point?
I get requests almost daily from girls asking how I did it and it's hard to answer. There's no step-by-step guide, even when I look back. We just hit 20,000 followers and it's so exciting! When I first started all I had was a blind belief in the brand and I didn't need the validation of followers to post photos. I think it can be so crippling to compare yourself to other brands and even today there are plenty of brands I can compare LWP to. You just have to put your blinders on and focus on building your brand identity, because that's what your community is built on.
how do you curate your content now that you have this platform? how do you develop the brand while keeping your main base intact?
I really want our followers to feel like they have friends in the Little Words Project team. They know us all by name and they know we're real and we're going to show the good, the bad, and the ugly of building a business on our channels. The realer and more raw you are with your audience, the more they'll want to follow and support you. It's not always the easiest thing - I even doubt myself now and I go, "Damn, I was so confident, how the hell was I posting all of this stuff to virtually no one before?"
The truth is we all have these virtual identities that act as a lens for people to view our lives through. I find it so important to show the real girls behind LWP with the people who care about the brand. You have to worry less about posting times and likes and focus on being authentic and the engagement will follow. Sometimes I wish I could just create content all day and curate our feeds, but at this point I spend half my day doing things I don't want to do. I have to answer customer questions or I'm on the phone with FedEx, but the best part of owning a business is that I also get to do things I love every day. I get to get those creative juices flowing when I'm thinking about shoots I want to do or nailing down new styles and I get to show it all to our community.
MOST COMPANIES EVENTUALLY MAKE THE MOVE TO A METROPOLITAN AREA, BUT YOU DID THE OPPOSITE. HOW HAS RELOCATING TO THE SUBURBS AFFECTED YOUR BUSINESS?
I have to say, moving to a smaller suburb in New Jersey is one of the best decisions we've made as a company. We've been able to get more space to hire more people and bring more manufacturing in house and really develop the brand into something so much bigger that it could have been in our 700 square foot space in Hoboken. Everyone dreams of having a huge studio in Soho, but at the end of the day most of your business can be conducted anywhere. If you're going to allow where you're located to affect your business, then you're putting up your own roadblocks and you need to assess why you're doing that.
It's such a cliche, but the second you allow yourself the freedom to not care what others think so much possibility opens up for you.


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Philippine Basic Education
A blog that tackles issues on basic education (in the Philippines and the United States) including early childhood education, the teaching profession, math and science education, medium of instruction, poverty, and the role of research and higher education.
A View of the Future
The way higher education works has fairly been constant for more than a hundred years. With advances in technology as well as changing demands from society, there is a growing impression that colleges are about to change. Whether universities would indeed change still remains up in the air. Stanford University, for instance, has compiled several possible shifts. The design team has chosen to exhibit four scenarios: Open Loop University, Paced Education, Axis Flip, and Purpose learning. Open Loop means 6 years of study distributed over a lifetime. Paced Education also requires 6 years, but distributed in three different phases. Axis Flip places skills above content knowledge. Lastly, Purpose Learning throws out Majors and embraces Missions instead. Of the four, I personally think Open Loop is likeliest to happen:
Copied from Stanford 2025 - Open Loop University
What is in store for universities in the future largely depends on our views of what higher education should be. To read more about these various future visions of a university, visit Stanford 2025.
Wrong Track in Senior High School?
With the new K to 12 curriculum in the Philippines, various tracks are now offered in the last two years of basic education. The various options available obviously make it possible for students to find themselves later unprepared for the courses they decide to take in college. A student, for instance, who finishes the accounting business management (ABM) strand in the senior high school academic track, is now required to take additional courses if the student chooses to enroll in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) major in college. These additional courses which are now called "bridging programs" are either taken during the first year of college or over several weeks in the summer before college starts. Above copied from Coldwater High School Early College Program There are bridging programs in the United States, but these are different from the ones that are now appearing in colleges in the Philippines. In Coldwater High School in Michigan, fo
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K to 12 Program ng Gobyerno ng Pilipinas
MGA TANONG AT SAGOT HINGGIL SA Kto12 PROGRAM NG GOBYERNO NG PILIPINAS Posted on May 28, 2012 by David Michael San Juan MGA TANONG AT SAGOT HINGGIL SA Kto12 PROGRAM NG GOBYERNO NG PILIPINAS (Paunawa: Simpleng lenggwahe ang ginamit sa artikulong ito upang madaling maintindihan ng mayorya.) For the full English version please visit http://www.scribd.com/david_juan_1/d/70033985-San-Juan-David-Michael-Full-Paper-Kto12 TANONG: ANO ANG KTO12 PROGRAM? SAGOT: Ang Kto12 Program ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas ay tumutukoy sa pagkakaroon ng mandatory o required na kindergarten at karagdagang 2 taon sa dating 10-year Basic Education Cycle. Kung noon, pagkatapos ng anim na taon sa elementarya at apat na taon sa hayskul (kabuuang 10 taon) ay maaari nang makapagkolehiyo ang mga estudyante. Sa ilalim ng Kto12, bago makapagkolehiyo, kailangan pa nilang dumaan sa karagdagang 2 taon pagkatapos ng apat na taong hayskul. Sa bagong sistema, tinatawag na senior high school o junior
Hapag ng Pag-Asa (Table of Hope)
Hapag ng Pag-asa, Painting by Joey A. Velasco The following is an article written by Fr. James B. Reuter, S.J., originally published on the Philippine Star . HAPAG NG PAG-ASA. By Fr. James B. Reuter, S.J. The Philippine Star 04/21/2007 At the entrance of the Major Seminary of the University of Santo Tomas , in Manila , you will see a painting. It is the "Last Supper" of Joey A. Velasco. It portrays poor children from Metro Manila, all between the ages of 4 and 14, at the Last Supper with Christ Our Lord. He has called it "Hapag ng Pag-asa", the table of hope. To start with, it is not really a table. It is a big delivery box, knocked apart and nailed together again as a table. Joey Velasco himself has said: "This painting reveals a story of greater hunger than a plate of rice could satisfy. What these children are starved for is love." Realizing that his little models were real persons, he investigated the life of each of them, and wrote
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution
acdedios
Discovery Based Learning
Evidence-Based Research
Instructional Hours
Mother Tongue Based - Multilingual Education
Parental Involvemnt
School Drop-outs
Spiral Approach
Suggestions to Solve Problems in Basic Education
Teacher Groups
Technology in Classroom
Views from Regions
East Versus West: A False Dichotomy
STATEMENT AGAINST THE INTERFERENCE AND CONTROL OF ...
It Is Important to Listen to Teachers
The Issue of Language
Policies to Cure Poverty
Online Learning: What Will Make It Work
The Philippines and the English Language
Should a Teacher Decorate a Classroom?
Why We Should Listen to Teachers
Yet Another List of Top Universities in the World
(ITLL B OK) Text Messaging Effects on Literacy and...
Education and the Internet
The Philippines DepEd's Attempt to Help Private Sc...
Bonuses, Savings and the Disbursement Acceleration...
Ethics Demands Not Only Where DAP Funds Went But, ...
Summer Reading:Providing Books Is Not Enough
Teachers' Assessment of Aquino Administration on E...
Raise Teachers' Pay or Face a Mass Leave
Anxiety, Math and Working Memory
"Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the work of many generations, produced by enthusiastic effort and infinite labor in every country of the world. All this is put into your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day faithfully hand it to your children. Thus do we mortals achieve immortality in the permanent things which we create in common." - Albert Einstein
Angel C. de Dios, Ph.D., is currently an associate professor of chemistry at Georgetown University. At Georgetown, he has been teaching General Chemistry since 1995 in addition to graduate courses in molecular spectroscopy and quantum chemistry. His research interests include nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, protein structure determination, anti-malarial drugs, and math and science education. He was a recipient of a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation and the Georgetown College Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching. A member of PAASE (Philippine American Academy of Science and Engineering), he helped the residents of Paete, Laguna incorporate computers and the Internet into their public schools.
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Time Takes Toll on Loyal Opposition to Atlantic Yards
A decade of relentless, and exhausting, opposition by those "who saw democracy being trampled in the interest of a developer whose methodology they found offensive," has taken its toll on the ranks of opponents to Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards project.
November 27, 2012, 9am PST | Jonathan Nettler | @nettsj
N. R. Kleinfield profiles the diminishing ranks of activists dedicated to opposing the monumental Atlantic Yards project, as a "long, losing battle" has caused some of the project's most dedicated opponents to "hang up [their keyboards]." With the Barclays Center arena, the project's anchor, now completed, but much of the $4.9 billion project unfinished, many of those who invested dozens of hours a week to fighting the project are going back to their normal rhythms.
"Facing symptoms of exhaustion, many are trying to reclaim their lives," says Kleinfield. "Some sought peace by resettling dozens of blocks or thousands of miles away. But many others, especially those living in the shadow of the arena, wonder if they ever can disentangle themselves from a confrontation without an obvious endpoint."
"The first person to raise alarms was Patti Hagan, 69, who lives two blocks from the arena. She had a falling out with other opposition leaders ("excommunicated," as she put it). She used to spend 40 hours a week raging against the development, and now estimates she puts in maybe two."
"She is restoring a brownstone, writing and going to jazz concerts again."
Not all, however, have given up the fight. "Norman Oder, a journalist writing a book on the project, remains its most indefatigable chronicler with his long-standing blog, Atlantic Yards Report, for which, he said, he has no expiration date." Others plan to keep protesting in their small way, by vowing to never set foot in the new arena.
Opponents of Atlantic Yards Are Exhausted by a Long, Losing Battle
Published on Sunday, November 25, 2012 in The New York Times
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn


Her silk dress danced with her hair in the non existent wind, a fox-trot of passion mixing the pink mane with the dark red of her skirt. She stood on a ridge overlooking the most beautiful sunset in one thousand years, how couldn't it be with the man of her dreams kneeling next to her, proposing. "Oh my, well I mean, you're so nice and all..." she began to trail off, his knees trembled in anticipation, sweat poured across his brow. "Well, what I mean is.... yes" In an instant, he jumped up, taking her hooves in his "Oh darling" he started "Kiss m-" he was cut off as their lips met, just as they had done several times that night, he held her close, tightly.
"Oh snails, I've never felt so safe before!" she spoke between gasps of air, he did the same, bringing his snout close to hers, he began to whisper "Cluck, buck bwuckaaaa" Her face contorted in distress. Raising an eyebrow in confusion she began to speak "Snails.. what are you-" "Bwukaaaa!!" The ear piercing shriek tore through her secluded home. "Oh my... the chickens are up again." Fluttershy shambled out of bed, rubbing her eyes, "I was having the most pleasant of dreams..."
Approaching her chicken coop, lantern in hoof, she peered inside to see what had upset them. But what she saw, she could not have been prepared for. The chickens were... fighting? No, they were... they weren't, they couldn't be! She squinted, raised her lantern, strained her eyes to see the details of the encounter. She did everything to improve her vision, but the image didn't change, she couldn't believe it. A passionate struggle for supremacy. Feathers were strewn across the floor as beaks collided in perplexing poultresque passion, what on earth was she watching. Fluttershy blushed, she didn't have any roosters... only hens. What would the other animals think of their tabooed love? She imagined them coming out of the coop, talon in talon, heads held high, ready to face the world together. Could they stay with each other through the ridicule? "How romantic.." she thought, remembering her dream. Seeing them, she could tell they did not care, they were lost in each other's beady eyes, their talons tangled and wings splayed outward. Deft tongues delved in to downed thighs, prodding, inquiring, spelunking.
She watched them, she watched them for longer than any pony should ever watch two chickens make love. Not a squawk or thrown feather escaped her senses, the scent was nearly overwhelming. They seemed to struggle forever, neither of them wanting to be the first to give in, but as was inevitable they finally grew tired and adjourned their night together. They lay silently side by side, she watched them rest and thought of Snails, and wished for him to come to her. Snails... her one true love, nobody understood that poor foal. How she wanted him to hold her, comfort her. They could get married and have a little pony of their own, far away from the judgement of Ponyville. "Oh my" she was breathing quite heavily now "I should... go to bed"
She entered her home, confused and aroused, and poured herself a cup of tea, in hopes of calming herself. She'd always loved animals, but had never been so excited by them before, she swore to herself to never tell a soul. Finishing her tea, she moved towards her room, and after a quick check under the bed, she lay down and let sleep take hold of her once more.
Her rustled mane was strewn across her bed, her lover laid nonchalantly next to her, smoking a cigarette. "That was... nice" she sighed. He looked at the ceiling with dark, uncaring eyes, and let out a puff of smoke. She coughed. "I wish you wouldn't smoke in here." she was mildly annoyed, but his goofy expression quickly lulled any agitation she held. "Oh Snails, I'm so happy were finally together!" His toned foreleg wrapped around her, she lay her head on his rippling pectorals. "Me too, my dearest" his voice was sophisticated and his speech articulate, as if it were a male version of Rarity, she was quite fond of that pony's mastery of Equestrian. They'd been meeting in secret for years, before he finally proposed to her and now they would soon reveal their love to all of Ponyville.
She awoke with a sigh. "How lovely" she thought. Snails was only ten years old right now... Fluttershy shouldn't even think about him this way. But she couldn't help herself, she imagined him as he would soon be, a strong well built colt matching Bic Macintosh in size. Well that's how she assumed he would grow to be. She sneaked a peek at her collection of photos, she'd taken most of them during the school swimming trip, she'd been so nervous. She ogled the pictures, most of which were, by normal pony standards, harmless and tame. But to her, they opened up a world of possibility. She nearly lost herself in them.
She made her rounds feeding the critters, giving a little extra seed to the two hens, still nestled together. Could she ever find happiness? Nobody seemed to talk to her, although for that she had only herself to blame. If only she could know how Snails felt, alas it would never be, she was far too shy to ask him and he was far too clueless to catch on himself. She tried to forget her dreams, but they remained as vibrant and as real as ever. She headed out her door and towards Ponyville, she had an appointment to make and was not about to let some silly fantasy slow her down. Walking slowly along the path, Fluttershy began to daydream about her future children with her steel-bunned stallion.
"Fluttershy?" the voice shook her out of her imagination. "You silly filly! I've been looking all over for you! Are you even paying attention?" the ecstatic voice belonged to Pinkie Pie. When had she arrived? No matter, she was here to watch gummy for the afternoon. "Oh, well... yes." Pinkie Pie's face lit up, Celestia knows why. "Well good! Thank you so so much for this by the way, with the Cakes gone for the weekend I've got a whole lot of baking to do and with this little guy eating up all the icing I'd just never get it all done in time but with you watching him it'll be super duper easy!" Pinkie Pie bounced across the road. "Well, here he is!" she whipped her mane (back and forth) launching Gummy towards Fluttershy, who scrambled to catch him. "It's no.." Pinkie Pie was already gone.
Strolling through town, Fluttershy paused. "Well, little guy, what do you want to do?" the alligator retorted with a blank stare. "Why don't we go by the river and you can swim in the water?" he tried to nibble her hoof. The river it was. She always liked the river, there were rarely other ponies here, just turtles. They kept mostly to themselves, but always came to greet the nature-loving pegasus. She sat down near the bank and and watched as gummy ran to his fellow cold-bloods.
He was greeted with a spurt of water from one of the turtle's mouths. So, it was war they wanted. He steeled himself, picking up a nearby twig, and prepared for battle. But what was this? It couldn't be... Shelly! The turtle of his dreams, his reptilian heart began to pump furiously, was she finally of age? Had she accepted his advancements from the week prior? Her gaze answered all his questions, her lashes fluttered suggestively as their eyes locked. Oh yes, he was going in for the kill, as it were.
Fluttershy covered her mouth in shock. "Not this again!" she said aloud, looking in both directions to make sure nobody heard. The scene that unfolded before her was indescribable. For heavens sake, she thought, they aren't even the same species! The whole affair was wrong, so very wrong, but... she didn't dare avert her eyes. Such passion, forbidden love, unrestrained physical expression of their heart's desires. Why couldn't she lose herself like this, she thought. Webbed feet met with loose lips, what the hell were they even doing. Her view was affixed on the ordeal, for it's entire duration. She stared. She probably should have been disgusted with herself, but ever since the night before, she looked at her critters... differently.
In fact, she looked at most everything differently now. The birds that dashed towards each other in the sky, what were they really after? Her imagination set loose a myriad of possibilities. The squirrels that chased each other about, she matched them in theoretical couples endlessly. Even some of the ponies who she knew to be good friends, she imagned something...more. She returned to Sugar Cube Corner and rang the bell, she thought she saw a blue streak dash behind the counter. Pinkie Pie opened the door. "Fluttershy! You're back early!" Pinkie Pie seemed slightly nervous, that's odd. She returned Gummy without so much as a squeak. "Well he sure looks like he tired himself out! I bet he had tons of fun playing with you! Thanks again!" Pinkie took the alligator from the mute pegasus, not thinking much of her silence. What a day.
She returned home as she always did, by herself. But today her loneliness bored deeply in to her heart. All around her, it seemed, animals and ponies alike were falling in love and yet here she was, alone. She felt... empty. Maybe that old bottle of scotch she'd been holding on to could fill her, or at least numb her. It was worth a shot, or four. She'd lost count. She sang the night away with Angel, singing the songs that only miscreants sang. Had her friends seen her, they'd have thought her possessed, in truth she felt that way herself. When finally not a drop of scotch remained she stumbled towards her bed, mumbling about being alone forever, a blur of white fur followed close behind.
The night had been a tumultuous one. Her head ached, her eyes were sore and it felt like she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep all night. Her memory was clouded. She turned over, her eyes were met with a sly grin on Angel's face. He lay next to her, one arm behind his head, the other holding a cigar. She slunk back, what has she gone and done now. At first it was harmless curiosity, but it didn't take long to go further. In all honesty, she didn't mind. She'd finally done something for herself for once, and it felt wonderful. Move over Snails, there was a whole forest out there just waiting to be claimed!
And claim it she would. Well, maybe not right now... she was still new to this. The next day, after feeding her critters, Fluttershy set out to the edge of the Everfree Forest, where many a strange creature called home. Hoping to catch more beasts in the act, solely for educational purposes of course, she walked along a trail in the woods. To the untrained eye, the forest was empty. No squirrels frolicked in the grass, no birds could be seen through the canvas of leaves. But Fluttershy's eyes looked beyond the obvious, she lay down and stared at a single rock. Seconds turned in to minutes, and minutes in to a few more minutes until finally two male beetles approached each other. At last, she thought, some action!
Gilda explained clumsily how she'd been having a horrible day, how she'd constantly been shown up by Pinkie Pie and how horrible she'd felt after thinking it all over on her flight back to Cloudsdale. "Fluttershy, I..." Gilda began. Fluttershy knew, and liked, where this was going. She closed her eyes, she felt Gilda's warm, fruity breath bathe her neck. It was odd, kissing a beak, but enjoyable. Just as fast as the moment had arisen, it was interrupted.
"FLUTTERSHY!?" Oh no, it couldn't be... all of her friends gasped in unison, they'd come to throw her a surprise party per Pinkie Pie's request. She'd seemed upset after returning Gummy, and no friend of Pinkie's was going to be left alone! "It's not... we were just.." Fluttershy stammered, her mind racing, heart throbbing. How was she going to get out of this one? Her friends all approached the miss matched couple, she was in for the scolding of a century, Rarity removing a whip from her saddlebags, Rainbow Dash seemed to have the most miss placed of grins, Applejack and Twilight glancing back and forth, winking. All the while Pinkie Pie bounced forward.
And then, they all fucked. The End.


Vanbauce C., Buriez, J.-C., Dubuisson, P. & Fouquart, Y. (1993). Determination of fog optical thickness on the Northern of France from AVHRR imagery. Ann. Geophysicae, 11(2-3), 160-172.
Vanbauce, C., Buriez, J. C., Dubuisson, P. & Fouquart, Y. (1993). Determination of fog optical thickness over northern France using AVHRR imagery. Ann. Geophys., 11(2-3), 160-172.


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News & Events In the Media, News
(WNYC) Jessica Justman on "Social Distancing"
Mar 13, 2020 | In the Media, News
ICAP's senior technical director, Jessica Justman, MD, is featured in at March 13 WNYC segment answering questions about social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
Listen to the full segment on WNYC
Read the latest ICAP updates on COVID-19 here
Advocates Call for 22 Billion More mRNA Vaccine Doses to Ward Off Global Omicron Threat
The fast-spreading omicron variant has heightened the need for...
Is it Safe to Fly? What the Experts Say
With Covid cases on the rise in many parts...
With an Eye on COVID-19 and Health Inequities, ICAP Commemorates World AIDS Day with Global Programs and Events
Calling on its two decades of experience as a...
Beyond the Call in Zimbabwe: ICAP's Godfrey Musuka Honored as PEPFAR HIV Hero
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)...


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Terror suspect was described an unpredictable character who smoked cannabis
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/21/terror-suspect-described-unpredictable-character-smoked-cannabis/
surprise surprise they had to mention cannabis
Terror suspect came 'fleetingly' on MI5's radar over information suggesting he had aspirations to travel to Libya
The Libyan terror suspect accused of stabbing to death three people in a frenzied attack was reported to MI5 less than a year before, it emerged last night.
Khairi Saadallah, 25, was put on the security service's 'radar' after a tip-off that he planned to travel to his native Libya over fears he wanted to join a militant jihadist group. But the file was closed after two months when intelligence services found no credible evidence to support the claim.
Questions remained last night over whether Saadallah should have been at large at the time of Saturday evening's attack in a park in Reading, Berks, after being released early from prison this month for a minor, non-terrorist offence.
It has also emerged that Saadallah, who it's claimed had serious mental health problems, had come to the UK as an illegal immigrant in 2012, but was granted asylum in 2018. He had boasted to friends in the UK that he had fought as a child soldier to overthrow Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The UK is prevented from deporting Libyan prisoners back home after they serve their sentence because to do so would breach their human rights due to the dangers posed in the failed nation state. Sources said last night that Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, is planning to crackdown on asylum seekers and speed up the deportation of foreign national offenders.
Saadallah is the latest Libyan accused of a terrorist strike on UK soil and follows the blowing up of a US airliner over Lockerbie, the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan embassy in London and the suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena in 2017.
Saadallah first lived in Manchester when he arrived in the UK and former neighbours in Reading claimed that he knew Salman Abedi, who carried out the Manchester attack, when he lived in the north west. Home Office sources have denied any evidence of a connection.
Boris Johnson said yesterday the Government is determined to learn lessons from Saturday's terrorist outrage. One of the victims was named last as James Furlong, head of history at a school in Wokingham, described by colleagues as a 'kind and gentle man'.
The prime minister said he was "sickened and appalled" by what had happened in Reading and said the police must be allowed to get on with their job of investigating the incident.
But he added: "If there are lessons we need to learn about how we handle such cases, and how we handle the events leading up to such cases, then we will learn those lessons and we will not hesitate to take action where necessary."
Whitehall sources said Saadallah came 'fleetingly' on MI5's radar over 'information suggesting he had travel aspirations'. The sources stressed that Saadallah was just one of about 30,000 names on MI5's terror suspect list in the middle of 2019 but that he was never elevated to a 'subject of interest' reserved for the 3,000 suspects posing the greatest threat to national security.
"After a couple of months, we were confident there was nothing in the original information," said the source. "It didn't pass the threshold to merit a full investigation because the information was not credible enough."
Saadallah remained in custody last night after being arrested allegedly fleeing the scene. Eyewitnesses described a man entering the park, shouting something 'unintelligible", possibly in a foreign language, before stabbing a group of friends sat in a circle on the grass with a knife with a blade at least five inches long.
The man attacked a second group and then fled before being rugby tackled by police officer.
Saadallah's flat, just over a mile from the scene of the attack, was raided by counter-terrorism police in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Police yesterday warned people to stay alert in parks amid fears lone wolf attacks are becoming even more rudimentary during the coronavirus pandemic when large crowds are gathering outside.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of counter terrorism policing, said yesterday: "Please continue with your daily lives, but be alert, not alarmed, when you are out in public. If you see anything suspicious, anything at all that makes you feel suspicious, then please report it, please remain vigilant."
Saadallah relocated to the UK from war-torn Libya in 2012 because he could not bear the violence, his family said last night.
However, those who knew him in Manchester and Reading described an unpredictable character who smoked cannabis, a habit which friends believed affected his personality
A cousin revealed he had mental health problems which caused him to hear voices and fear he was being followed.
She said he had converted to Christianity and even got a tattoo of a cross on his arm.
"He's not Muslim any more," she said. "It's like he's always been in the UK."
Whitehall sources said it was not clear whether there was an idealogical motive behind the incident but Counter terrorism police are now leading the investigation, amid concern that the attack may have been Islamist inspired.
Saadallah claimed asylum in the UK on arrival in 2012. He initially enrolled as a student in Bury, but according to close friends, "went off the rails" after becoming involved in drugs and suffered depression and mental health issues.
The Telegraph understands that the Home Office had concerns over Saadallah's presence in the UK, but was powerless to seek his removal because the Government has agreed not to deport people to failed states, or those with serious human rights concerns.
Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, said: "In order to safeguard the public, the Home Secretary must be able to remove those foreign nationals, including asylum seekers, who no longer have the right of abode.
"Yet over time, human rights case law has expanded so far as to make that near impossible with some nationals. This cannot be right, the Home Secretary's powers must be restored"
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader said it was important that lessons were learned from the tragedy. He said it was "not a time for party politics" adding that he was willing to work with the Government to see if there are "lessons that can be learned".
"It's horrific that it happened at all wherever it happened, and across Reading, across the country there will be communities really upset and worried about this, united in their grief.
"And all of our thoughts are with those who have lost someone in this. The investigation must be completed, but of course, this is not a time for party politics."
NCA and police smash thousands of criminal conspiracies after infiltration of encrypted communication platform in UK's biggest ever law enforcement operation
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David Halumbula on Marijuana Company Will Pay You £28,000 A Year To Smoke Weed Every Day
Marie kelly on Mary Berry blasts scammers for using her face and name to advertise cannabis oil
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Today every Bay Area paper led with Gov. Brown's signing of not one, not seven, but 15 so-called "affordable housing" bills yesterday. Let's face it. We are governed by idiots. The state is broke. Anyone who can actually read a balance sheet and understands the basics of pension funding knows this. Any money for "affordable housing" comes from somewhere else in the budget. The "somewhere else in the budget" might easily be school funding--let's add huge numbers of new kids and not fully fund the schools. Couple that with the fact that housing 10's or 100's of thousands of new Californians without one iota of new water storage capacity is downright criminal. Like I said, "idiots".
The first stage of California's costly high-speed rail project may be even more expensive — $3.6 billion more — than previously thought, according to a report prepared by the Federal Railroad Administration and reported by the Los Angeles Times. The analysis warned that the Central Valley track, 119 miles from Merced to Shafter, could be 50 percent over budget — and seven years behind schedule, according to the Times. The original budget was $6.4 billion, but costs could reach $10 billion, the Times reported.
You have to laugh at the verb: "maybe be more expensive". Dude, it will be more expensive--a lot more expensive. Remember, they are building in the Central Valley now. Forget Merced, wait til they get to an urban area.
Addition: My new favorite term: "functional insolvency". See the comments.
The California Public Employees' Retirement System, the biggest in the U.S., earned 11.2% in fiscal 2017—largely because of stocks and private equity. But the fund, known by its acronym Calpers, noted that it has just 68% of the assets it needs to pay for future benefits. That is up from 65% in 2016.
"We welcome this fiscal year's strong returns, but we also remain about 68 percent funded and vulnerable to a downturn in stock markets," Calpers Chief Executive Marcie Frost said in a statement. The fund has about $332 billion in assets for 1.8 million workers and retirees.
This ties to B'game since CalPERS does the investing for city pensions and benefits. Back on July 24th, the Daily Post noted that the pension shortfall for our burg "has swelled to $51.9 million, up 5.3% from two years ago". The city has set aside $3.7 million this fiscal year to use in whatever strategy it chooses to close the widening gap: extra payments earlier--either recurring or ad hoc--or tapping the general fund reserves or borrowing. More to follow as the Council decides.
And the state's new $15-an-hour minimum wage will be phased in for many on the state payroll over the next few years. So the administration anticipates a shortfall of $4 billion by 2019 -- or worse if the economy slides back into recession.
One spending increase touted by Brown on Friday was his administration's investment in K-12 schools and community colleges. The revised spending plan increases state funding per student to more than $10,500 -- an increase of $3,600 compared with 2011-12.
If you do the math (correctly) that is a 52-plus percent increase in five years for schools and community colleges. Wow!
Death and Taxes. Like death, many taxes are permanent even if they are sold to the public as temporary. Such may become the case with Proposition 30 passed in November 2012 by an 11% margin and retroactive to the beginning of that year. Don't you just love retroactive taxation? Prop. 30 added .25% to the state sales tax (now 7.5%) and bumped up the marginal California rates on the top 3% of earners. Greater than $250K to 10.3%. Greater than $300K to 11.3%. Greater than $500K to 12.3%. Greater than a mil to 13.3%.
Last Thursday, the Secretary of State's Office announced that a proposal to fund schools by extending the Proposition 30 income tax on the wealthy could begin collecting signatures. While popular with many Democratic politicians, the idea has middling support among California voters, and proponents of the measure – a mix of education and public employee unions – must contend with the fact that Gov. Jerry Brown promised in 2012 that the original tax would be temporary.
But hey, maybe the accelerating migration to Nevada, Texas or Washington is a good thing. Less traffic. Less need for high density housing. Sounds like a plan. Our friends and neighbors at the CA Teachers Association on Trousdale Dr. are feeling the pressure to lock in some taxes since they are faced with a solid lawsuit (Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association) that would allow teachers who are not in the union to avoid paying a $650 per year "agency fee". That would put a real dent in the lobbying money that goes into passing Propositions and their extensions.
the latest federal figures show California's public pension debt in 2013 stood at $4,425 for every man, woman and child in the state, despite strong investment returns by public retirement funds.
The per-capita obligation ranked 11th highest among U.S. states, according to a Sacramento Bee analysis of latest data by the U.S. Census Bureau. California's total pension debt, $610.3 billion, is the largest in the nation.
Such statistics will likely pour into a complex debate over state and local public retirement benefits in the new few months. The ballot proposal aimed for the November 2016 election would, among other things, change California's constitution to require that voters approve public pension enhancements. Unions oppose the measure as an attack on working people disguised as voter empowerment.
Now the first week of August is about the least noticed time to alert people to this or any other issue even if we are talking about a $136B shortfall, but since we are talking about 2016 there is plenty of time to fill the airwaves with fear, uncertainty and doubt.
Three South Bay and Peninsula ex-superintendents received the highest payout among Bay Area educators. James Smith, former chief of the Evergreen Elementary District in San Jose, received $287,434; Marilyn Miller, formerly of the four-school Hillsborough district, received $280,035; and Johanna Vandermolen, retired from the Campbell Union Elementary District, received $278,003.
Interestingly, all three of the former elementary school chiefs received more than retired heads of the area's big school districts, although in some cases only slightly. Last year, in retirement from San Jose Unified, Don Iglesias took in $239,492. He led a district more than 20 times the size of Hillsborough.
Educators are fond of pointing out that CalSTRS is partly funded by salary deductions. But with the pension system's future obligations outstripping revenues, the state is demanding higher contributions. Teachers will pay somewhat more, but districts' share will balloon from under 9 percent of teacher and administrator salaries to 19.1 percent in six years. What will take the hit from that? Likely school programs and staffing.
I don't follow the H'borough school system enough to know when Ms. Miller retired, but you do need to keep in mind that it's possible the overall payout included the one-time costs of unused personal time, etc. if she just retired. If the report of the districts' shares more than doubling over the next six years is accurate, that is a balloon payment no one will want to make.
If you read or watched any news source yesterday you saw the big ruling on the Stockton, CA bankruptcy case involving whether pension benefits (or liabilities) can take precedence over regular municipal debt. The Times, Daily Post, Daily Journal, Wall Street Journal and Chron all covered the facts but here at the Voice we look ahead to the ramifications, especially for B'game.
The judge was quoted in the County Times saying "California public employeee retirement law....is simply invalid in the face of the supremacy clause of the US Constitution." and he asked "Is CalPERS a state unto itself?". Then he answered his own question with a "no" ruling.
The point for fiscally solid cities like B'game is that we need to realize a dollar of pension liability here is worth more than a dollar in places like Stockton or Vallejo or San Jose. Hence the idea that we need to pay above-market-rate compensation to attract and retain "the best" has some limits. It is incumbent on city leaders to be able to articulate this--and to not screw it up by doing fiscally irresponsible things.
The total state and local government pensions in the United States at the end of 2013 had an estimated $3.6 trillion in assets. They were 74% funded, with liabilities totaling an estimated $4.86 trillion, and an unfunded liability of $1.26 trillion. These funds, in aggregate, project annual returns of 7.75%. If you apply a 6.2% average annual return to recalculate the liability, using formulas provided by Moody's Investor Services, the liability increases to $5.87 trillion and the unfunded liability increases to $2.27 trillion.
Using the 4.33% discount rate recommended by Moody's for valuing pension liabilities, the Citibank Pension Liability Index for July 2014, increases the estimated liability to $7.39 trillion and the unfunded liability to $3.79 trillion. That is, if America's state and local pension funds were to no longer make aggressive market investments but were to return to relatively risk free investments, the payment required just to return these funds to solvency would be more than $12,000 per American.
Apparently, Jerry Brown is trying to do something about accrued sick time. We'll see if it sticks.
The Wall Street Journal has a very informative interview with Chuck Reed, the mayor of San Jose, in the weekend edition. I learned a lot about the man and like him even more than I did before reading it.
The piece goes into some detail about his efforts to reign in pension and benefit costs in SJ. In June of 2012, he "quarterbacked a city ballot initiative to limit pensions for new hires and scale back future benefits for existing workers....It got a big boost from the Bay Area Council, whose executive committee includes the chief executives of Virgin America, the SF Giants and 49ers, Safeway, Webcor and the SF Federal Reserve."
"Driving a Tesla over pot-holed roads is no fun."
Good one. If you have a Journal subscription the whole piece is well worth a reed.


Cellular and wireless technology is constantly evolving to be more accommodating for travelers onboard sailing vessels. Just a few short years ago, it was considered a luxury to be able to use your cellphone or tablet while on the open seas. This meant you often had to do much of your trip planning ahead of time. Today, it is now easier and more affordable than ever to access apps and Wi-Fi signals from boating locations around the world, without breaking the bank along the way.
To that end, many Apple and Android app designers are making apps to help you make the most of your sailing travel experience, wherever you may find yourself. A spokesperson from Addison Yacht Charters recommended these 3 types of apps to help vacationers make the most of their time cruising the British Virgin Islands.
• TropSat offers satellite weather imagery to help you get an idea of all hurricane-related activity in the Caribbean.
• Other apps, like "Boombora" and "BuoyData," track wind speed and direction, air pressure, and water temperature.
While someone with more expertise will always be tracking these changes on a chartered yacht, it can be entertaining to stay on top of this yourself.
There is a tremendous selection of apps that are now available for navigation and charting. These apps, like Boater's Pocket Reference and "Memory-Map," are worthwhile downloads. This is true whether you are sailing your own vessel, or watching the crew on your yacht charter handle navigation while you follow along with your phone for fun.
Remember that if you plan on going it alone with a sailing trip, an electronic device cannot be trusted exclusively. Don't depend on an app to get you where you are going; you must learn how to navigate with a chart and depthfinder.
Life on board a yacht is a good life, but everyone needs to explore the land sometimes. When this happens, an app for finding a great hole-in-the-wall café, homemade gift shop like no other, or a rocking nightclub that will give you memories to last a lifetime can really come in handy.
The TripAdvisor app has built a reputation providing user reviews on a huge variety of hotels, restaurants, activities, and other adventure throughout the world, including BVI. Simply download the app and allow it to seek out nearby areas of interest to you.


text:
Sudanese army calls to stay away from its sites ahead of protests by pro and anti-revolution forces
October 20, 2019 (KHARTOUM ) - The Sudanese army called on political forces planning to demonstrate on Monday to stay away from the headquarters of the armed forces in Khartoum and the various positions of its forces in the country.
The warning comes after calls by Islamist groups to demonstrate on the 55th anniversary of the 21 October Revolution to demand the army seize power and remove Forces for Freedom and Change from power.
The antirevolutionary calls triggered other calls by the Sudanese Professionals Association, the spearhead of protests that brought down the al-Bashir regime to demonstrate and hold public rallies on Monday to defend the revolution and demanding the dissolution of the National Congress Party.
On the same vein, the Sudanese Communist Party called for a protest to demand the transitional authority to realize the goals of the revolution.
In a statement issued on Sunday evening, Sudanese army spokesman Brigadier General Amer Mohamed al-Hassan renewed the support of the Sudan Armed Forces for the December Revolution and recalled that peace will not be achieved without political stability in the country.
Al-Hassan also stressed that the armed forces will remain a "faithful guardian of the country", but will not interfere in political practices.
Accordingly, he stressed that the demonstrators "must stay away from military sites, headquarters in Khartoum state and other states in order to preserve the neutrality the armed forces and its national character," he added.
He also announced the closure of several roads leading to the army headquarters in Khartoum.
Sudanese Islamists groups sought recently to reorganize themselves and launched calls on social media for a national protest to overthrow the FFC-led cabinet and to form a new government.
The anti-FFC's campaigners led by a prominent member of the Popular Congress Party (PCP) Ammar Alsjad, called for a protest to the army headquarters on 21 to request the army to remove Hamdok's government.
However, the PCP dissociated themselves from this initiative saying the party is not involved in these calls.
In another sign of rising tensions between the FFC supporters and the Islamists, student groups clashed at the University of Al-Azhari in Khartoum North.
For its part, the National Umma Party of Sadiq al-Mahdi voiced its opposition of the protests organized by its FFC political allies to "avoid chaos".
Instead, the NUP urged the replacement of the protest by organizing festivities commemorating the anniversary of the October Revolution, saying the antirevolutionary groups "seeks to use this occasion to create confusion and chaos" and undermining the transitional government.


text:
package com.vmware.vim25;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlAccessType;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlAccessorType;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlElement;
import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlType;

/**
 *
Java class for HostFirewallInfo complex type.
 *
 *
The following schema fragment specifies the expected content contained within this class.
 *
 *

 * <complexType name="HostFirewallInfo">
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 *       </sequence>
 *     </extension>
 *   </complexContent>
 * </complexType>
 *

 *
 *
 */
@XmlAccessorType(XmlAccessType.FIELD)
@XmlType(name = "HostFirewallInfo", propOrder = {
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    "ruleset"
})
public class HostFirewallInfo
    extends DynamicData
{

    @XmlElement(required = true)
    protected HostFirewallDefaultPolicy defaultPolicy;
    protected List<HostFirewallRuleset> ruleset;

    /**
     * Gets the value of the defaultPolicy property.
     *
     * @return
     *     possible object is
     *     {@link HostFirewallDefaultPolicy }
     *
     */
    public HostFirewallDefaultPolicy getDefaultPolicy() {
        return defaultPolicy;
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    /**
     * Sets the value of the defaultPolicy property.
     *
     * @param value
     *     allowed object is
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     *
     */
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        this.defaultPolicy = value;
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    /**
     * Gets the value of the ruleset property.
     *
     *

     * This accessor method returns a reference to the live list,
     * not a snapshot. Therefore any modification you make to the
     * returned list will be present inside the JAXB object.
     * This is why there is not a set method for the ruleset property.
     *
     *

     * For example, to add a new item, do as follows:
     *

     *    getRuleset().add(newItem);
     *

     *
     *
     *

     * Objects of the following type(s) are allowed in the list
     * {@link HostFirewallRuleset }
     *
     *
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Artistic Haunting
Ingmar Bergman's 1961 masterpiece Through a Glass Darkly takes its original Swedish-language name, Såsom i en spegel or As in a Mirror, from the Swedish Biblical verse, Paul's epistle to the Corinthians, which in the King James Bible is translated as "Through a Glass Darkly." We note the hypnotic splendor of the reflections in the rippling water that open the film. The four vacationers emerge from the sea onto the island of Fårö, in what is Bergman's first use of the remote locale where he will eventually build a home and live out his final decades. This recalls the opening of The Seventh Seal where all principals emerge from the watery edge of the world, creatures still in the process of evolution.
Virility is a means for males of exerting their place as truly existing within the world amid sexual inferiority complexes — insofar as there's a woman to lord it over even if only somewhere on the personal periphery. Virility is an excuse and an escape. Strange conversation between Martin (Max von Sydow) and David/Papa (Gunnar Björnstrand) about Hemingway "leading the way" on virility, itself a murky remark in a conversation already complicated by the fact it occurs between a father and his son-in-law, on the subject of the latter's daughter Karin (the sublime Harriet Andersson). Through a glass, darkly, indeed.
The hormonal confusion of the diminutively christened Minus (Lars Passgård), Karin's brother, what with his longing for his sister — he spills his milk all over the shore.
Within Through a Glass Darkly there are moments of Fordian poetry: Papa lighting his pipe at the outside table during everdawn, for instance — although such moments of reflection, of his editing his recent manuscript, are interrupted constantly even as he tries to make a go of one sentence's revision; whereas Minus in his credulity rejoins that this summer he has written 13 plays. Quantity over quality, if the backyard production of his play-ette The Artistic Haunting is any indication.
But Papa's got new artistic inspiration: as his diary reveals, upon Karin's snooping, he will be focusing upon his daughter's progressive perhaps-schizophrenia-based illness, "to use her." When Karin confesses her transgression, Martin exhibits a rather full displeasure. Will he be implicated in her father's text somehow? Something about virility and Hemingway?
"Have you written one word of truth in your life as an author?" Martin asks Papa on an afternoon boating excursion.
"I must talk to Papa before it starts again." It does indeed, following her lovemaking to Minus in the hull of the beached ship (there before their arrival on Fårö, or having allowed their arrival?), and her breakdown in the wallpapered room in which she recounts an attempted rape by God the Spider. •
Other writing on Ingmar Bergman at Cinemasparagus:
Kris [Crisis, 1946]
Skepp till India Land [Ship to India, 1947]
Hamnstad [Port of Call, 1948]
Törst [Thirst, 1949]
Till glädje [To Joy, 1950]
Sommarlek [Summer Interlude, 1951]
Kvinnors väntan [Women's Waiting, 1952]
Sommaren med Monika [Summer with Monika, 1953]
Gycklarnas afton [Carnies' Twilight, aka Sawdust and Tinsel, 1954]
En lektion i kärlek [A Lesson in Love, 1954]
Kvinnodröm [Women's Dream, aka Dreams, 1955]
Sommernattens leende [Smile of the Summer Night, 1955]
Det sjunde inseglet [The Seventh Seal, 1957]
Smultronstället [The Wild Strawberry Patch, aka Wild Strawberries, 1957]
Nära livet [On the Brink of Life, aka Brink of Life, 1958]
Ansiktet [The Face, aka The Magician, 1958]
Jungfrukällan [The Virgin Spring, 1960]
Djävulens öge [The Devil's Eye, 1960]
Såsom i en spegel [As in a Mirror / Through a Glass Darkly, 1961]
Posted by craig keller. at 7:34 PM No comments:
Documenteur: An Emotion Picture
Hangin' with les Cooper
The film begins with the first shot of the mural that had previously concluded Mur murs from 1980. The title here is, like the prior film (its companion work), a pun — Documenteur: An Emotion Picture of 1981 — Documenter, or at the same time, as is emphasized on the typography of the one-sheet that Varda showcases in the 2014 video introduction she made for both Mur murs and Documenteur, "Docu-Liar." The question is: Who is the liar? It's "documenteur" vs. "documenteuse" — could it be the dispositif itself? Other implications, e.g., something to do with a man, this film doesn't share in its 1 hour 7 minutes or so. It's not that men are absent, but Émilie Cooper (Sabine Mamou, excellent, needless to say dead: 2003) lives a fulfilling life without Tom or whomever, the love-making sessions with whom are sensual but in a way cool and perfunctory. (It's complicated: note the tearful and repressed reaction when her buttinsky friend calls her at work to inquire how Tom is. Émilie's "Non" is one of the most satisfying come-backs I can remember.) Her life is occupied by her son, played by Varda's son Mathieu Demy in one of the all-time great "child-performances" of the cinema. She treats him with cordial geniality and respect for his intelligence, even as they're moving house a few times over due to forced circumstances. Documenteur yields a cornucopia of pleasures — is one of those films that encapsulates so much and at only 1 hour 7 minutes leaves the spectator thinking: "But it's not enough..." •
Other writing on Agnès Varda at Cinemasparagus:
La Pointe-Courte [1955]
Ô saisons ô châteaux [O Seasons, O Châteaux, 1957]
L'Opéra-Mouffe, carnet de notes filmées rue Mouffetard par une femme enceinte en 1958 [The Opéra-Mouffe: Diary Filmed on the rue Mouffetard in Paris by a Pregnant Woman in 1958, 1958]
Du côté de la Côte [Around the Côte, 1958]
Les fiancés du pont Mac Donald, ou (Méfiez-vous des lunettes noires) [The Fiancés of the Pont Mac Donald, or: (Beware of Dark Glasses), 1961]
Cléo de 5 à 7 [Cléo from 5 to 7, 1962]
Le bonheur [Happiness, 1964]
Elsa la Rose [Elsa the Rose, 1966]
Les créatures [The Creatures, 1966]
Uncle Yanco [1967]
Black Panthers [1968]
Lions Love... and Lies / Lions Love [1969]
Nausicaa [1970]
Réponse de femmes à une question produite par Antenne 2 pour le magazine 'F. comme Femme' [Women's Response to a Question Put Forth by Antenne 2 for the Magazine-Show 'F. comme Femme', 1975]
Daguerréotypes [1976]
Plaisir d'amour en Iran [Giddiness of Love in Iran] [1976]
L'une chante l'autre pas [The One Sings the Other Doesn't] [1977]
Mur murs [1980]
Documenteur: An Emotion Picture [1981]
Mur murs
Shaking Through
The title of Varda's 1980 essay film, Mur murs, or Wall Walls, is a pun on the French word "Murmures," or "Murmurs." The walls in question are the concrete canvasses, if you will, for murals and graffiti — with the former, a community celebration and homage to a man, woman, or group; with the latter, the signature that reads "I was here." This is California Lascaux, in which rudimentary representations of "movement(s)" become reincarnated in the trompe-l'œil. This is SoCal vertigo — a vertiginous reaction to Manhattan's domineering skyscrapers must in East Los Angeles be induced at the third-story level.
Anonymity and braggadocio: when a work goes beyond a simple tag (or a less simple stacked pile of tags) it often contains a signature in the lower-right. A male voice in voice-over intones — murmurs — the surnames of the artists.
Mur murs portrays the flotsam of the Sixties. The divide consists of thirteen years, more or less; these walls were made for talking. Used to talking from the moment of their inception. Hieroglyphics — more or less. Watching Mur murs one might be forgiven for believing it takes place in 1968. An archaeological site, seen from 1980; seen from 2022, 1980's 42 years old. The Sixties never left, the Sixties don't know they're past, but they're waiting for their next turn to speak. "The flower children who sought to beautify life?..."
Kent Twitchell's monumental portraits demarcate these boundaries of the time gap; the subjects of some of his paintings step forward in a tableau organized by Varda only a short time, presumably, since their likenesses had been painted by Twitchell. And yet: "Time and love have branded me with its claws..." Varda certainly caught that paint-scratch fever: due to her short stature, she has always been obsessed with monumentality in her work, like in that excursion with French goof JR. To her credit, Varda has always handed a torch to whoever excited her own excitements. She is implicitly gleeful to discover that Thomas Edison was né Álvarez, and that's whence he adapted the middle name "Alva." Varda draws the connection between Edison not only as arguably the creator of the cinema, but as the inventor whose efforts made a science-fiction conceivable — and in a daisy-chain sort of way laid the groundwork for a Chicanofuturism.
Question: "Who pays for it all?" — "In Jane's case, there are grants."
"It's virtually creating fanatics out of normal people." — The blade has two edges, though. There's the apotheosizing of the landscape vis-à-vis the view-blocking trompes-l'œil; there's 1960s-80s Los Angeles, where the "image" comes home to roost... or to die. Flip your eye, or roll the die... •
Fellini: A Director's Notebook