Here is a clip, of Our Prison, No fear!!, the Bars are Melting as We speak.
First I apologize for not being available lately due to traveling and dental concerns. I had two crowns prepared and a molar pulled in one day. I am also in Mexico at a place that will remain undisclosed. There has been many inquiries as to what is happening on many levels. There is so much going on I almost don't know where to start. Foster Gamble put out a youtube video concerning your money is about to change.
I highly recommend watching it mainly because it will save me a lot of typing. I am in contact and working with major key players as far as the currency re-evaluation, the movement back to universal law and sovereignty. I am glad Foster and Kimberly decided to put out this information yet there is more to the story. What is unfolding is in alignment with universal law and the awakening and healing of humanity and the Earth. It is a step one of many. Eventually we will evolve to a civilization that does not use money as most advanced civilizations. For this to occur we must make the shift to unity consciousness. The 9th wave the Mayans speak of is a wave of consciousness and energy that is exponentially increasing until all match its vibration or frequency. What is unfolding fits into that process. While there are some who are trying to create WW3, creating false flags, fake epidemics etc. to govern you through fear and dependency they are imploding due to a much grander force. This force includes families and mega trusts aligned with a higher force for good. Many refer to these negative factions as the cabal, zionists, illuminati etc. I have to ask what is so illumined and enlightened about separation, greed and actions harmful to humanity and the Earth. These are all base, primitive beliefs. What they refer to as superior in action and belief is in fact inferior and not frequency specific to the evolutionary path of Earth. What they refer to as power has nothing to do with power. Power comes from source, prime creator and prime creator, God, Creator, Great Spirit what ever you want to call it is love. Love is the ultimate power in the universe. So where is the love in their thought and action? Where is the nobel virtue? No love, joy, bliss, no power. What you have is a very primitive mind cut off from spirit and trapped in the false ego.
UFO i filmed February 2013 in Dunedoo.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


One way to create better compositions, and thus stronger images, is to do something called working the subject. Generally speaking, there are two ways to approach taking photos. Let's take a look at both, and how you can learn to work the subject to improve your photography.
The first is to take as many photos as you can, in the hope that some of them turn out well. This is called machine-gunning, or spray and pray. It's easier to do with digital cameras than it ever was with film cameras, as you are no longer limited by the number of frames on a roll of film.
Incidentally, this is one of the reasons often cited as a benefit of using film cameras. Knowing that every time you press the shutter button it adds to the cost of the shoot (processing plus film) is a good incentive to be more intentional and think carefully before you take a photo.
The second way is to take plenty of photos, but in a way that is more purposeful. The idea is to think about what you are doing and spend your time exploring the possibilities and potential of the subject. This is called working the subject.
The dividing line between the two methods is sometimes a thin one. An example of this may be when you are trying a new technique, such as panning. Panning is a bit of a hit and miss technique. If you've chosen a good subject you should create some interesting photos, but you're also going to get a lot of misses along the way.
The difference in this situation is that the photographer who is working the subject looks at the photos they have taken already, evaluates what works and what doesn't, and adjusts their techniques and camera settings accordingly.
Another way of looking at it is that they are using the earlier photos as stepping stones to get to the more interesting images. A photographer who is machine-gunning, on the other hand, doesn't think a lot about what they are doing and relies on serendipity rather than their own skill.
This is where the instant feedback of digital cameras is a useful tool for learning and improving.
Let me illustrate the point with some photos I made in Spain. I stood in the sea at sunset and panned with my camera as the waves came by. I took a lot of photos, and these are some of my favorites.
These images were created by working the subject. Doing so helped me figure out where to stand, what angle to use, how slowly to pan the camera, and the best shutter speed to use.
Working the subject doesn't necessarily mean that you take lots of photos. Let me give you an example.
I bought a Fuji X-Pro 1 camera a couple of years ago and took it out one evening at dusk with the intention of shooting at high ISO in low light to see how it performed (the answer – very well). As I was walking around my local neighborhood I noticed an interesting car parked on the street. Intrigued (and wondering how a Lada ended up in New Zealand) I took this photo.
It's nothing special, but I knew there was a better picture there. I kept looking and realized that what had really caught my eye was the way the light from the street lamp reflected off the roof of the car. So, I moved in closer and created the following images. They all contain the reflection of the street lamp and just part of the car rather than all of it.
Then I took another photo of the rear of the car.
I only made five photos, but I was still working the subject. When I break it down and think about what happened the process went something like this.
I saw something interesting and took a photo. That was just my first impression. My gut feeling told me that there was a better photo to be had.
I looked closely until I realized that the real subject, the thing that really interested me, was the way the street light was reflected in the car's paintwork. So, I moved in close and made several photos that showed that.
Lastly, I moved away from the car and took another photo, which was okay but not as good as the others. I understood that I had gotten what I wanted and decided to move on to look for another subject.
The last point is crucial because one of the differences between working the subject and machine-gunning is that the photographer who is working the subject knows when to stop.
Here's another set of images taken in Beijing. We were visiting a historic site called Prince Gong's Mansion, made up of a series of interconnected buildings, courtyards, and gardens.
One of the courtyards contained some Tibetan style prayer wheels. I noticed that as people walked into the courtyard most of them passed by the prayer wheels, turning them as they went. I stood nearby and took some candid portraits of people doing so.
Of course, some of the photos are better than others, and I'm going to show you some of my favorites below. But there were also many times that I looked at the scene through the viewfinder and it wasn't quite right, so I didn't press the shutter.
One benefit of this method is that you don't have as many photos to sort through and edit afterward. But it also shows discipline and an awareness of the subject. A machine-gunning photographer would take photos of everyone, without thinking about it much.
The photographer who is working the subject, and being more purposeful, is thinking about how to make each photo better than the one before. They may also be thinking about how the images are going to work together, or whether they should use a different technique, a different lens, or find a different point of view to add variety to the sequence of photos.
One of the key steps involved in learning to be a better and more creative photographer is knowing when to work the subject rather than machine-gun, and become more purposeful and intentional in your approach to making photos.
Can you think of any other examples of when working the subject can help you to create better images? Please let us know in the comments below.
The post How to Create Stronger Photos by Working the Subject by Andrew S. Gibson appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Current Psychiatry Archives
FDA/CDC
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Daily News Podcast
Postcall Podcast
Awakening to the dangers of obstructive sleep apnea
Current Psychiatry. 2014 February;13(2):58-61, 64-65
Ali Madeeh Hashmi, MD
Imran S. Khawaja, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
King Edward Medical University and Mayo Hospital
Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center
Hennepin County Medical Center
OSA, as well as other sleep disorders, often co-exists with mental illness. Optimal care involves treating the 2 problems concurrently.
1. Institute of Medicine. Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: an unmet public health problem. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2006:20.
2. Badr MS. Central sleep apnea. Prim Care. 2005;32(2):361-374.
3. Freedland KE, Carney RM, Hayano J, et al. Effect of obstructive sleep apnea on response to cognitive behavior therapy for depression after an acute myocardial infarction. J Psychosom Res. 2012;72(4):276-281.
4. Punjabi NM. The epidemiology of adult obstructive sleep apnea. Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2008;5(2):136-143.
5. El-Sherbini AM, Bediwy AS, El-Mitwalli A. Association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and depression and the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2011;7:715-721.
6. Hasler G, Buysse DJ, Gamma A, et al. Excessive daytime sleepiness in young adults: a 20-year prospective community study. J Clin Psychiatry. 2005;66(4):521-529.
7. Yesavage JA, Kinoshita LM, Kimball T, et al. Sleep-disordered breathing in Vietnam veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2012;20(3):199-204.
8. Plante D, Winkelman J. Sleep disturbance in bipolar disorder: therapeutic implications. Am J Psychiatry. 2008; 165(7):830-843.
9. Winkelman J. Schizophrenia, obesity, and obstructive sleep apnea. J Clin Psychiatry. 2001;62(1):8-11.
10. Partinen M, Hublin C. Epidemiology of sleep disorders. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2005.
11. Valderas JM, Starfield B, Sibbald B, et al. Defining comorbidity: implications for understanding health and health services. Ann Fam Med. 2009;7(4):357-363.
12. Romero-Corral A, Caples SM, Lopez-Jimenez F, et al. Interactions between obesity and obstructive sleep apnea: implications for treatment. Chest. 2010;137(3):711-719.
13. Villareal DT, Apovian CM, Kushner RF, et al. Obesity in older adults: technical review and position statement of the American Society for Nutrition and NAASO, The Obesity Society. Obes Res. 2005;13(11):1849-1863.
14. Pamidi S, Aronsohn RS, Tasali E. Obstructive sleep apnea: role in the risk and severity of diabetes. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;24(5):703-715.
15. Malhotra A, Loscalzo J. Sleep and cardiovascular disease: an overview. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2009;51(4):279-284.
16. Bradley TD, Floras JS. Obstructive sleep apnoea and its cardiovascular consequences. Lancet. 2009;373(9657):82-93.
17. Chesson A, Berry R, Pack A. Practice parameters for the use of portable monitoring devices in the investigation of suspected obstructive sleep apnea in adults. Sleep. 2003; 26(7):907-913.
18. Pittman S, Ayas N, MacDonald M, et al. Using a wrist-worn device based on peripheral arterial tonometry to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea: in-laboratory and ambulatory validation. Sleep. 2004;27(1):923-933.
19. Ballester E, Badia J, Hernandez L, et al. Evidence of the effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure in the treatment of sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999;159:495-501.
20. Jenkinson D, Davies J, Mullins R, et al. Comparison of therapeutic and subtherapeutic nasal continuous positive airway pressure for obstructive sleep apnoea: a randomised prospective parallel trial. Lancet. 1999;353:2100-2105.
Estimates are that 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from a chronic disorder of sleep and wakefulness, hindering daily functioning and affecting health.1 Psychiatric illness is common among people who have a sleep disorder. The relationship between psychiatric illness and sleep disorders is bidirectional: People with mental illness often have sleep complaints, and a primary sleep disorder often results in neuropsychiatric complications.
What is obstructive sleep apnea?
The most common type of sleep-disordered breathing, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by frequent cessations of breathing during sleep because of an obstruction of the upper airway. The obstruction occurs secondary to inadequate motor tone of the tongue or airway dilator muscles, or both.1 In addition, many people with OSA have central apneic episodes, in which breathing stops temporarily without airway blockage or respiratory effort.2
The prevalence of OSA is growing as obesity in the United States increases. Risk factors for OSA include obesity, a craniofacial abnormality, an upper-airway abnormality, heredity, smoking, and nasal congestion. OSA plays a role in causing and exacerbating medical illness in people with severe and persistent mental illness, contributing to a significantly shortened life span. Attending to the general health of people who suffer from severe mental illness—including effective treatment of illnesses such as OSA—is crucial.3
Clinical features of OSA
OSA is characterized by hypopnea (a decrease in breathing during sleep) or apnea (an actual pause in breathing). Pauses in breathing during sleep of at least 10 seconds, with obstruction of oronasal airflow despite continuous chest and abdominal movements, are referred to as obstructive apneas. These pauses are associated with a decrease in oxygen saturation or arousal from sleep, or both.1
Primary features of OSA include sleep fragmentation accompanied by nocturnal hypoxemia and hypercapnia, with resulting excessive daytime sleepiness, mood problems, and poor neurocognitive performance (Table 1). OSA often causes potentially serious organ system dysfunction, including adverse cardiovascular and metabolic effects. Studies have suggested that executive dysfunction can be a feature of OSA, which is thought to be related to prefrontal lobe dysfunction caused by intermittent hypoxia. All of these conditions can contribute significantly to decreased quality of life.1
The prevalence of OSA in the general population is approximately 20% when the condition is defined as an apnea-hypopnea index >5 events an hour. The index is the number of apnea and hypopnea episodes that occur during 1 hour of sleep.4
OSA and psychiatric illness
Psychiatric disorders often are comorbid with OSA. These include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, and substance use disorder.
Depression. Several studies have documented that OSA and depressive disorder often are comorbid. Many symptoms are common to both, including fatigue, daytime sleepiness, poor concentration, irritability, and weight gain (Figure), although some core symptoms of depression (eg, sadness, anhedonia, guilt, and agitation) are clearly distinguishable from symptoms of OSA. The current recommendation is that a mood disorder should be considered secondary to OSA, and treated accordingly.5
Anxiety. OSA also has been linked to anxiety and nocturnal panic attacks. Frequent awakening due to choking from breathing cessation might play a role in the development of anxiety in patients with OSA, although the association is unproven. Studies have shown a correlation between anxiety disorders and excessive daytime sleepiness, one of the core symptoms of OSA.6 OSA is highly prevalent among combat veterans who have PTSD and complain of being overly vigilant at night; experiencing nightmares and frequent awakening; and having non-restorative sleep.7 Anecdotal reports suggest an association between OSA and bipolar disorder: namely, that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment (see "How is OSA treated?," below) might switch depressed patients to mania.8
Schizophrenia. A strong association exists between OSA and schizophrenia. In a study,9 an OSA diagnosis was made 6 times more often in patients with schizophrenia than in patients with other psychiatric illnesses. Obesity, male sex, and chronic antipsychotic administration were risk factors for OSA in patients with
schizophrenia.9 OSA might be underdiagnosed in patients with schizophrenia because excessive daytime sleepiness, the most common daytime symptom of OSA, can be misattributed as a negative symptom of the disease or a side effect of pharmacotherapy.
OSA and medical illness
OSA can be comorbid with several medical conditions (Table 2). Sleep research in the past 15 years has demonstrated that chronic sleep deprivation has multiple untoward health consequences apart from excessive daytime sleepiness.10 Recent research suggests that chronic sleep loss (<7 hours a night), including sleep loss secondary to OSA, has wide-ranging effects on the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and nervous systems, including:
Treating youngsters' depression means going off the FDA grid
The ABCDEs of obstructive sleep apnea
Karim Sedky, MD, MSc, FAASM
When sleep apnea mimics psychopathology
What about Mr. D's sleep apnea?
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: 8th Street, Street No.8 or Street 8? In my country, there're a lot of street name like "Number 8", "Number 12",...etc
How to write it in English? I usually see something like "8th Street" or "Street No.8", but I don't know the difference.
Can you give me some information about it?
Thank you!

A: This will kind of depend on what you are trying to do. In the US, street names such as "Eighth Street" or "8th Street" are common. "Street No. 8" or "Street 8" are not (both sound like you're drawing the plans and haven't come up with names yet). Generally though, you will want to write an address so that a letter addressed to you gets delivered by the local mail carrier.

A: I would treat street names as "names" and leave them untranslated. The main purpose of street names is to identify locations to people who know the city, as part of addresses.  Similar to how we don't translate personal names, it is acceptable not to translate place names.  Hence "Đường 8"  (if my Vietnamese is correct)  You may allow "Đường 8 street" (even if it is redundant).
If you desire to fully translate, then "8th Street" is possible.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I love the Fujifilm x-100t. I have only just had a chance to review the set of images I made in Italy last year at the Rimini Lambretta Centre opening. Armed with just my Fujifilm x-100t and a flash on a coiled cable I just floated around grabbing some shots of the people attending for a few hours. The X-100t is a joy to use like this, that high-speed flash sync sure does come in handy in this situation.
If you would like to know why I think this is one of the greatest cameras ever made then why read Fujifilm X-100t to read more?
Fuji X-Pro 2 first thoughts – so far so good	The Greatest Camera Ever Made?


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Q: 2000's spooky show with a group of teens telling spooky stories in the woods I am looking for a TV show I saw part of when I was a kid (circa 2003). I saw the show in Canada (probably an American show, though). It was in English. It looked contemporary.
A group of teens are telling each other spooky stories (in the woods?). We flash back to the teens in a dark house late at night. They are pursued by a glowing dog. Two girls try to close a door, but the dog's glow shines through the cracks.
This show scared me so much. I would like to re-watch it to process my trauma.

A: This is probably Are You Afraid of the Dark?, a Canadian horror-anthology series for teens where the framing device was a group of kids who met in the woods to tell each other creepy stories.
The 'flashback' you mention would be the show cutting from the group to the story being told.


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Home > Groceries
Christmas Day Store Hours for Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS and More
Missing an ingredient for your holiday feast? Find out which popular convenience stores and grocery chains will be open on December 25.
By Seren Morris On 12/25/20 at 12:01 AM EST
Is Walmart, Target Open on Christmas Day?
Some stores, including 7-Eleven and Family Dollar, are open on December 25 but openings times may be different from normal hours.
By Soo Kim On 12/25/20 at 12:01 AM EST
Which Grocery Stores Are Open on Thanksgiving Day?
Many grocery stores will be open on Thanksgiving, though they may operate with modified or limited hours.
AMPLIFY - Lifestyle
Order Groceries Online With These Delivery Services in 2020
Here are the 6 best online grocery stores delivering within the US, to help you shop for groceries conveniently from your couch.
By Newsweek AMPLIFY On 7/26/20 at 9:00 AM EDT
Winn-Dixie Face Mask Policy: Grocery Stores to Require Masks From Next Week
Winn-Dixie said masks are already required in the majority of its stores due to state and local guidelines.
By Seren Morris On 7/21/20 at 10:25 AM EDT
AMPLIFY - Finance
5 Smart Money Moves you can Make in 2020
Bring positive changes to your finances from day one using these simple strategies.
By Newsweek AMPLIFY On 7/9/20 at 3:58 PM EDT
Get Your Groceries at a Low Price Using This Free App
You can get up to 10% back in cash rewards for groceries and essentials.
By Newsweek AMPLIFY On 6/29/20 at 12:03 PM EDT
Top 3 Platforms That pay Millennials for Their Opinion
Voice your opinion and earn from the comfort of your home.
By Newsweek AMPLIFY On 6/15/20 at 6:08 PM EDT
AMPLIFY - Personal Finance
Earn as Grocery Shoppers with this Amazing Opportunity
If you're a regular visitor to the grocery store and are looking for a little income on the side, Instacart is exactly what you need.
Philippine Politician Wants to Punish Canceling Food Orders With Jail Time
The Food and Grocery Delivery Services Act aims to deter people from canceling food orders as a prank.
By Seren Morris On 6/8/20 at 12:53 PM EDT
Earn $4k a Month Easily With This Part-Time Job
With Instacart, you make money by fulfilling and delivering grocery orders placed by customers. Shoppers for Instacart stand to make an average of $4,000 a month, and this does not include...
This Free Coupon App is Giving Away $10 million in Cashback on Groceries
The Free Ibotto App offers you the most exciting cashback opportunities from 1500 major brands and retailers. Cashback is instant using the Ibotto App.
How to Disinfect Your Groceries, Face Mask and Phone Safely
Follow the advice from the WHO and CDC on how to effectively and safely disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
By Seren Morris On 5/6/20 at 11:18 AM EDT
Should I Wipe Down My Groceries? How to Disinfect Packaging
While there is no evidence that food packaging is linked to contracting the coronavirus, studies show the virus can live on surfaces for up to three days.
By Seren Morris On 4/23/20 at 6:59 AM EDT
How to Get Groceries Delivered: DoorDash, 7-Eleven, Target, CVS Delivering
Major grocery store chains are offering delivery deals on essentials as states issue stay at home orders.
Delivery Person Shares Video of Them Being Screamed at for Doing Their Job
A delivery person posted a series of videos on TikTok of gated community residents yelling at them for doing their job.
By James Crowley On 4/2/20 at 9:47 AM EDT
Grocery Stores are Hiring to Cope with Demand During Coronavirus
Amazon is hiring 100,000 new employees and there are new vacancies at grocery stores across the U.S.
Grocery Stores Updated Opening Hours: Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix
Major grocery store chains are temporarily operating with updated or reduced hours amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Arkansas Cop Catches Parents Shoplifting in Walmart, Pays for the Groceries
Field Training Officer Kenneth Martin, of the Fort Smith Police Department, has been awarded Employee of the Month for his sensitive response to the attempted theft.
By Jason Murdock On 1/3/20 at 7:46 AM EST
Kroger Donates Empty Store to Competitor to Stave Off Food Desert
Grocery chain Kroger is donating an empty store in South Memphis to one of its competitors to ensure that residents have groceries in their neighborhood.
By K Thor Jensen On 10/1/19 at 4:11 PM EDT
Video: Walmart Employees Have In-Store Marriage
The store shared the clip in a lighthearted attempt to recruit more staff.
By Katherine Hignett On 2/14/19 at 6:45 AM EST
The World's Most Expensive Cities to Live In
Complaining about how expensive your city is to New Yorkers might elicit an eye roll, if not something saltier. But there are more expensive places in the world to live.
By David Sim On 7/24/18 at 6:39 AM EDT
People Don't Want Products Branded 'Vegan': Survey
People also find the words 'diet' and 'sugar-free' unappealing.
By James Tennent On 5/24/18 at 10:27 AM EDT
What Supermarkets And Stores Are Open On Christmas Eve?
Forget something? No big deal, here's what will be open late on Christmas Eve?
By Nicole Goodkind On 12/23/17 at 5:00 AM EST
Are Big Tech Giants Like Amazon Getting Too Big?
There are calls from right and left to break up behemoths like Amazon.
By James Pethokoukis On 6/19/17 at 10:45 AM EDT
Amazon U.K. Launches AmazonFresh Online Supermarket
The new branch of the online retailer will be available in London first.
By Damien Sharkov On 6/9/16 at 3:03 AM EDT
Whole Foods to Stop Selling Food Made by Prison Labor
Whole Foods has been selling tilapia and goat cheese produced by prisoners since 2011.
By Zach Schonfeld On 9/30/15 at 2:31 PM EDT


SEAD Summer Fellow Katie Guidera is Ashoka's Changemaker of the Week!
This blog post was originally posted on Ashoka U's blog. To read the full post and to learn more about Changemaker of the Week Katie Guidera, click here.
How has being a college student changed the way you act as a changemaker?
How has being at Duke helped you as a changemaker?
I want to more information on it. When will you add information regarding social network constitution?


Dare we say it? It's almost taps aff!
Glaswegians will have extra reasons to feel sunny during the Easter bank holiday weekend.
As well as getting a chance to join together with loved ones and stuff our faces with chocolate (if that's what you get up to at this time of year) we could also be in for a scorcher of a weekend too.
The Met Office forecast for the week ahead is pretty positive, but from Friday things are more than looking up, with sunshine spells and temperatures of 17C predicted by the experts.
According to the Met Office, this weekend will be a bit chilly but also pleasant, with average temperatures today of around 12C topped off with lots of sunshine and then it'll remain dry and bright throughout the week, though it'll hover between being cloudy and sunny.
A spell of rain could hit us on Tuesday afternoon, but that's predicted to be brief, and then from Thursday temperatures will rise to 15C.
And Good Friday is when we really get into the roll of the good weather, when we are set to enjoy better temperatures than Barcelona, where residents are set for rain and chilly conditions of 16C.
Temperatures are predicted to be 17C here throughout the weekend, with lots of sunshine too.
A long range Met Office forecast for the UK which covers Easter weekend states: "Many places will be dry and bright for the start of the period, with bright or sunny spells. The best of the sunshine will be in the west and northwest and it will most likely be warm for the time of year, but cold weather is still likely in the northeast.
"Thereafter, temperatures should rise to the seasonal average occasionally, and they could turn locally rather warm in the south and east."
It's almost taps aff time, Glasgow, almost.


What do you do when scientific evidence suggests that we have just a couple decades left before the earth's ecosystem is in severe jeopardy? What do you do if you've lectured on this for years, but audiences didn't take action?
Robert Davies is a man of action, so he brought in a composer, a string quartet, a painter, sculptor and landscape photographer to prove his point. He curated the Crossroads Project in 2012, and since then it's been traveling across the world. It's a performance that combines scientific logic elevated through art to educate audiences on the environment and how our behaviors need to be adjusted and reimagined for a sustainable future. It's being presented by IUPUI's Arts and Humanities "Entanglement Series" this week at the Indiana Historical Society.


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Q: Very Confused (And Worried) about security with JSON and Javascript I've been attempting to do some research on this topic for a while, and even cite the following Stack Overflow threads :
Javascript Hijacking - When and How Much Should I Worry
JSON Security Best Practices
But my basic problem is this.
When I am building my web applications, I use tools like Fiddler, Chrome Developer Tools, Firebug, etc. I change things on the fly to test things. I can even seem to use fiddler to change the data that gets sent to the server.
What stops someone else from just opening up my webpage and doing this too? All of the jQuery validation in the world is useless if a user can just hit F12 and open up Chrome Developer tools, and change the data being sent over the wire, right?
I'm still relatively new in this field and this just has me very concerned as I see "Open" Protocols become more and more ubiquitous. I don't understand SSL yet (which is on my list of things to begin researching), so perhaps that is the answer and I just haven't dug deep enough. But the level of flexibility I have over manipulating my pages seems very extreme - which has me very concerned about what someone malicious could do.

A: Your concerns are indeed justified. This is why you should always validate everything on the server. Client-side validation should only be used for UX.

A: JavaScript's security is, in a nutshell, based around a trusted server. If you always trust what code the server sends you, it should be safe. It's impossible for a third party (like an ad supplier) to fetch data from the domain it's included on.
If the server also sends you user generated content, and in particular user generated code, then you have a potential security problem. This is what XSS attacks focus on (running a malicious script in a trusted environment).
Client side validation should focus on easy of use, make it easy to correct mistakes or guide the user so no mistakes are made. The server should always do validation, but validation of a more strict nature.

A: Validation should always happen Server Side, Client Side Validation is only valuable to make for a more convenient experience for the user.  You can never trust a user to not manipulate the data on their end. (Javascript is ClientSide)
Next if you are wanting to secure your service so that only user1 can edit user1's profile you'll need to sign you JSON request with OAuth (or similar protocol).

A: yeah nothing can stop anybody from interfering the data that is being sent from the browser to your server and that's the reason you shouldn't trust it
always check the data from the user for authenticity and validity
also with it you can check and interfere with the data that big sites like google and microsoft send back and you might get an idea.

A: You have to assume that the client is malicious-- using SSL does not prevent this at all.  All data validation and authorization checking needs to be done server side.

A: Javascript isn't going to be you only line of defense against hackers, in fact it shouldn't be used for security at all. Client side code can be used to verify form input so that users trying to use the page can have faster response times, and the page runs nice. Anyone who is trying to hack your page isn't going to care if your page works or not. No matter what, everything coming into your server should be verified and never assumed as safe.


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A hot market, and not only Lisbon As predicted by insightful industry players, real estate investment transactions continue to be buoyant in 2021, with €1.8 billion currently under negotiation and views to surpassing €2.8 billion recorded in 2020, Portugal's third ever highest volume. READ MORE On the road to carbon neutrality As a nation committed to climate action, Portugal is a trailblazer being one of the first countries worldwide to announce the ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 Newsweek:
Our Media Partner A global news organization operating across all major platforms. João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Minister of Energy and Climate Change, Portugal "We have no doubt that climate action and sustainable issues will be key on the upcoming Portuguese presidency of the European Union." READ THE INTERVIEW Sustainability and innovation underpin Portugal's well established textile industry Traditionally one of Portugal's most vibrant and outward-looking industries, the textile sector has put sustainability at the fore to stand out in this highly competitive, global industry A biotech boom spurs new growth in life-sciences Portugal has a rich and innovatie biotech ecosystem, adding value to the more established pharma sector Sustainability in the agri-food industry attracts ethical investments in the post-covid era Portugal carves its niche in the global marketplace for quality algricultural products thanks to privileged climate and ample water resources
"All the foreign direct investment intentions we had in our portfolio have reaffirmed their intention to invest. We've even had signs of interest from new companies to invest in Portugal"
António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal
Real estate continues to be buoyant despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, with notable interest from foreign investors and digital nomads.
Key investments in infrastructure and new logistics platforms reinforce Portugal's role as the natural gateway to Europe
Portugal's agri-food cluster continues to undergo a vast transformation thanks to modern technologies and eco-efficient practices.
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Country Reports' special feature on ICELAND will provide exclusive insights, analysis and fresh perspectives on these topics, based on our team's exclusive exchanges with top political and business leaders.
Distributed exclusively on Newsweek.com reaching a vast readership of 95 million, our special feature will be promoted both through a banner placed on Newsweek's homepage for a week, and a full-page article inserted in Newsweek's international print edition ensuring large visibility and awareness for the reader.
The feature on ICELAND will also be hosted in the Newsweek library (www.newsweek.com/newsweek-country-reports) for two full years.
READ MORE ON NEWSWEEK
Publication date September 2020 (TBC) in Newsweek and Newsweek.com
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Sci-Fi/Future
Printable Booklist
Printable Series List
Bettencourt Brothers
Bound By Magick
Cascadia Wolves
Chase Brothers
Cherchez Wolf Pack
Co-Written with Megan Hart
de La Vega Cats
Diablo Lake
Federation Series
Hurley Boys
Ink and Chrome
Metamorphosis Series
Petal Georgia
Goddess With A Blade
Whiskey Sharp
Eleven Standard Years Ago
Asphodel Portal City Lockup
"Sir, you can't go in there!"
Andrei Solace didn't bother looking up. Not that he'd have been able to see much with one eye swollen shut from the butt of the rifle he'd taken to the face. The pain had subsided to a dull, all-consuming ache, but the anger burned, low and steady, in his gut. Enough to get through another day.
The outsider spoke again, his tone nearly amused, partly chiding. "I'm afraid you're incorrect about that."
Andrei did risk a glance, curious about who spoke to a jailer that way.
Andrei expected another social worker. Gods knew he'd seen enough of them over his lifetime. Instead, what he got was the biggest man he'd ever seen. It was enough to have Andrei ignoring the pain from his injuries to swing his legs from the narrow cot to stand and edge closer.
"Look, sir, I'm sure you think you're entitled to all sorts of things with your shiny shoes and soft hands. But this is my lockup, and I'm telling you there's no entry to the cells without the proper paperwork."
The big man looked down his nose, not a difficulty. Andrei committed the expression to memory as the man looked as if he'd smelled something awful. So much was communicated without a single word. Smart.
The jailer inched, just a tiny bit, when the big man reached into his pocket and pulled a sheaf of papers from it. "Will these do?" He opened a portfolio to show the jailer.
The jailer read, his lips moving, until he paled and stumbled back. "I had no idea, sir. I…"
"Now that we've taken care of the formalities, I'd like to see the prisoner."
With a new target for his anger, the jailer sent Andrei a glare over his shoulder as he led the big man through the hall, unlocking as he went. Andrei didn't want to appear weak, but he really had to sit down again, so he made his best attempt at nonchalance and strolled back to his cot to sit.
Wilhelm Ellis, newly minted Comandante of the Federation Military Corps, came to a halt just outside the boy's cell. Andrei was a mess of bruises and bandaged wounds, one eye swollen shut. His eye, the good one, held a quiet, burning anger.
Barely eighteen standard years, and he was hard. Harder than most adults, even those Ellis dealt with in the corps. Hard wasn't a bad thing. Especially out here. It could be a very good thing indeed, especially in a soldier.
Sighing with annoyance and no small amount of disgusted anger, he rounded on the jailer, pinning him with a glare. "Has he been seen by medics? I was under the impression he'd been here for two weeks."
"Two weeks and four days. Not that I'm counting." The jailer sent a sneer toward the boy that had Wilhelm clenching his fists
momentarily.
Instead, he kept his voice very, very calm. "Care to explain the state of his face?"
Finally, the jailer understood. He stumbled back, his gaze on the ground. "He has anger problems. Always attacking. Seven hells, sir, he was brought in here after nearly killing a man. He's been picked up on assault and theft charges multiple times in the last years."
"Did. You. Give. This. Boy. Those. Bruises?" Wil wanted to punch this petty little bully for the damage he'd done. Instead, he bullied with his size and position. He rarely did, but sometimes it was necessary to scare the spit out of a man before he got the picture fully.
"With all due respect, sir, the boy attacked one of my men. He's the reason why we have to chain him like a horse in a pasture. The boy is garbage. A dirt rat just like his mother was. If he'd had a father around to instill some discipline, he wouldn't be here. I don't think you can come in here and second-guess when you're not up to sp…" The jailer's words died away when the boy jumped toward the bars, held back by the shackle on his ankle.
"Fuck you. You don't talk about her," he snarled, yanking on the!chain so hard Wil wondered if he'd break his ankle. This was some will. A good sign if it could be channeled correctly.
"Unlock the cell and the chains and get out of my sight before I show you some discipline myself." Wil kept his eyes on the boy as he spoke to the jailer.
"He's dangerous. Didn't you hear what I just said? He attacked an armed man. Why don't we get you a chair and you can interview him on the other side of the bars? Safer that way."
Wilhelm touched the personal comm on his wrist. "Operative Haws, inside with me, if you will." He didn't look at the jailer as he spoke. "I'm quite capable of handling myself. Do as you were ordered, or you can join him in the cell next to this one."
The jailer appeared to begin to mumble, but Wilhelm sent him a look so severe, he clamped his lips together, unlocked the cell and shackles and got out.
"Get out of my sight." Wil walked past and into the cell, towering over the boy who shook with his desire to lash out. At Wilhelm, at the jailer, at anyone. Wil knew that expression, having seen it in the mirror enough as he grew up.
He sat on the rickety chair they'd provided, stretching his legs before him, purposely taking up as much space as possible. Daniel would have his back. And most likely he'd learn something from a boy he'd been not too long before that. It'd be good for Daniel to see how far he'd come. How much discipline had straightened his life out.
This one. He shook his head as he took in the wild-eyed Andrei Solace. "Why are you so angry, Mister Solace?" Slowly, taking the!boy's measure, he pulled a pouch from his pocket and rolled a smoke.
The boy tried to hide behind an uncaring facade. Keeping his mouth closed, choosing a shrug.
Wil inhaled the rich heat and exhaled, enjoying that moment very much. "This place is a dump, Andrei Solace. This 'Verse, this cell, your life, all a fucking dump."
He enjoyed the " are of anger in Andrei's eyes, the tension of his muscles as he trembled with the effort not to punch Wilhem right in the nose.
Wilhelm nodded, satisfied when the fists unclenched and the spine relaxed slightly. "Good. See? You can control yourself. When you want to. I'd wager you were simply never taught any discipline."
With a dismissive wave, he went back to the smoke, wondering how long it would take to get Solace to speak. The boy now had about a 30 percent chance of making it back to Ravena with him.
Each interview he'd done over the last four years as he'd built his special teams had been different. Some he knew before he even saw the person if they'd be a yes. Other times, he'd been convinced one way or another and had his mind drastically change at the last minute.
Andrei Solace was, at first glance, another in a long line of kids from rough backgrounds who fell into violence and criminal activity from a young age. Not unusual at all. This one, though, had scored off the charts on his testing. The way he'd reacted when his family had been insulted indicated a sense of loyalty. Loyalty when given by a boy like this one would create a bond for life.
"Your silence is interesting. I'm going to take it as you wanting to hear more about why I'm here, shall I?" He narrowed his eyes at Solace, who stared back stonily without, speaking or moving. Inquisitiveness was something he wanted to see in one of his people. He had no room for people without intellectual curiosity. He'd always found candidates who thought critically operated at far higher level of functionality, especially in the field.
Wilhelm stood, straightening and brushing the front of his uniform.
The percentages were dwindling.
"Yes." Andrei said it, and the word sounded as if it were dragged from him.
"Progress." Wilhelm sat again. "My name is Wilhelm Ellis. I'm the Comandante of the Federation Military Corps. I might be in a situation to ease you from this place and set you on a new path. One that won't end with you in permanent hold."
Andrei watched him with careful eyes. He wasn't an idiot; he knew the giant blocking his escape was more than capable of felling him in one swipe if Andrei made to run. He also noted the man's power.
Something underlined when he introduced himself. Gods above and below! This guy was the top guy of everything. What the fuck was he doing on Asphodel in a lockup cell with a delinquent?
He had some suspicions. "I don't like men like that."
Ellis paused and then snorted a laugh without much humor.
"You all say that. Each time I hear it I'm torn between rage that you all have been so preyed upon your first assumption is that I'm out to bugger you, and amusement. I'm not after your bum, boy."
"Then what? What do you want from me?" He loathed the small spark of hope this man had lit in his belly. Hope was weakness.
"Operative Haws." Ellis spoke and a man—no, Andrei looked again at the male who'd stepped into the corridor—he'd be a man in a year or two, but he wasn't much older than Andrei was.
Ellis, despite being as massive as he was, still managed to appear graceful as he rolled another smoke. Andrei didn't know what their game was, but he was smart enough to listen. Just in case.
"Have you ever considered military service?" Ellis asked, lighting the hand-rolled smoke.
"How about I answer you when you've shared those with me?" Andrei tipped his chin toward the pouch.
Ellis's face darkened a brief moment. "No. You're too young. How about you answer me, or we can finish this right now?"
Andrei clicked his teeth, clenching his jaw. His mother had told him he had good intuition, and that intuition told him Ellis would simply walk out if Andrei kept silent. His gut also told him this could be something important.
So he gave up his words. "No."
"Why not? Is the idea of a real bed, a job and some credits in your pocket so terribly unappealing to you?" Ellis waved a hand at the surroundings. "This is better?"
"It's the same thing. I'm a prisoner either way." He shrugged, nearly believing his reply.
"Is it, boy?" Gone was his name, and Andrei felt… bereft.
Anger surged that he'd care. He preferred it to the sadness.
"What do you know about it? Sitting there with your soft hands and your medals. What do you know about struggling?"
Ellis's mouth tightened and then curved into a rueful smile. "Ah, the hubris of the young to imagine they're the only ones who understand. I suppose the answer is, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if I know what it's like to be chained in a cell, beaten for trying to retain my humanity."
It was the way he said it that broke through the anger. He snuck a look to the other one, standing, seemingly at ease on the other side of the bars. Deceiving. There was no ease in the coil of muscles and the quick sweep of his gaze around the area.
"Why is he here?"
Ellis didn't bother looking back to the other soldier. "He's got my back. It's always good to have that. Do you?"
When Andrei didn't answer, Ellis simply went on. "The question is—the real question—are you satisfied with this? Are you so lazy and without vision that you'd allow yourself to be guided toward a lifetime of stints in lockup and an early, probably violent death? If you are, just say so and I'll be on my way. I have work to do."
Andrei took a look at the man outside the bars.
He made eye contact and grew very still as the soldier took him!in but remained silent. Andrei was off balance and feeling cornered. Anger and frustration, his diet it had seemed, filled his veins, making him feel trapped.
Which, he supposed, he was. But he sure as seven hells had no plans to willingly enslave himself to the Federation.
"I can see by your face that you're arguing with yourself."
"Look, Comandante, I don't know you. I don't know why you're here. I'm no soldier. I'm just—"
"Another kid in lockup for the fifth, seventh, thirteenth time."
The soldier outside the bars spoke quietly, intensely. "You planning to make a career out of that? That all you ever want to be?"
"What do you know about it?"
"Enough that I'm going to do you a favor you probably won't believe you deserve. This is a dead end. There is nothing for you here. Nothing. Stop making excuses not to leave."
"Tell me more," Andrei said with a sigh, hope still a tiny ember in his belly.
I've recently gotten the rights to this series back so I'm in the process of redoing covers, formatting and writing new cover copy for them all. I'll have them back up at retail outlets as soon as I can with what I promise will be much better prices for the digital books! (Lauren – June 7, 2019)
Andrei Solace is an assassin for the Phantom Corps. They call him the Shadow. He's been honed to be a perfect weapon in the fight against the Imperium since he was bailed out of lockup eleven years before. And now they're sending him back to the 'Verse—and the people—he left behind.
Piper Roundtree is a mercenary prepared for anything—except for being rescued from Imperial troops by the man who left her and their 'Verse behind years before. Though she'll never forget every mesmerizing sensation he provided her, she considered them long ago done.
But against the high octane danger of war with the Imperium, that passion they'd both thought they left in the past is reignited.
The girl Andrei once loved—and left—is now a skilled pilot who easily flew through the canyons at high speeds just as easily as she drove him wild. And though Andrei tries to protect her from the darkness inside him, Piper respects and admires the skills of the soldier and the code of honor he lives by.
These two lovers must join forces—and let go of past hurts—to save the Federation before their enemy hurtles them into irreversible chaos…
Connected Books: Federation Series
Federation Chronicles, Book 1
Captivated
Series: Federation Series, book 4
Publisher: Lauren Dane Media Group
Format: Trade Paperback & Ebook
Length: Novel
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Copyright © 2011-2022 Lauren Dane. All rights reserved.


Jennifer's Page - THE JAZZ NETWORK WORLDWIDE "A GREAT PLACE TO HANG"
I am a lover of humanity and the arts. I write poetry, I sing, and I listen and learn as much as I can and as well as I can, that which is meaningful. I appreciate discussions that have depth and which relate to enriching the human experience.
I view quality of life in a very holistic manner and see the quality of spiritual life as foundational to the overall quality of life. I am ever striving to enhance my own and am fortunate to have a disposition and (even a job) that allows me to assist in facilitating the enhancement of that of others.
LAWD...Jenny, I haven't been in here in nearly a year!!!! LOL!!!
Stay Strong Jennifer, Because the Giver has Vast, and Great Plans for you! Whatever you are going through may seen daunting, but you are a strong BBG. I too have a challenge in front of me, but it is with the grace of God that has placed family and friends nearby to assist me. So please reach out whenever the need arises!
BBG ( Beautiful Bajan Gal) How are you? How is those Beautiful Beaches, Wonderful Weather, and More importantly YOU! Hope all is well, and You're vibing with some good music and friends.
Thanks Jenn! But the credit goes to Jaijai...I love it too!
Thanks Jenn! I can't take the credit...Wonderful Jaijai put it together...I love it!
thanks for having us !!


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2021 Wilmington Burger Guide
Billy Ray's Family Restaurant
Billy Ray's Family Restaurant is a unique destination that attracts sports fans and southern cooking fans alike. Located in a busy but more local section of Carolina Beach Road, this relatively new eatery serves...
Blue Surf Café
Blue Surf Café serves up inspired breakfast, lunch and dinner fare to hungry UNCW college students, Wilmington locals, and savvy vacationers-in-the-know alike. Featuring a wonderfully extensive menu, with a host...
Downtown Wilmington is known for its collection of hip restaurants with culinary inspirations from around the world, and the centrally located Bourbon Street is no exception. Found just a block away from the waterfront...
Buzz's Roost
Buzz's Roost is a fun little spot in the heart of Downtown Wilmington that is known for its solid sandwiches, seafood, and plenty of good times. With a nice long interior bar that boasts a full row or TVs, and a...
Cape Fear Riverboats
Narrated sightseeing tours, dinner cruises & private charters on the Cape Fear River. Featuring the Captain J.N. Maffitt, The John Knox, and Jacob's Run Cape Fear Riverboats is Wilmington NC's longest...
Capt'n Bill's Backyard Grill & Sports Bar
Take a break from the daily grind and dive into a game of volleyball, a trivia night, or just a few rounds and a hearty meal with friends and family with a visit to Capt'n Bill's Backyard Grill & Sports...
David's Deli & Restaurant
David's Deli & Restaurant is a solid breakfast or lunch destination for vacationers who are cruising from the mainland to the Wrightsville Beach shoreline. Located along Eastwood Drive, this casual and...
Dig & Dive
Dig & Dive is a neighborhood sports bar and restaurant in central Wilmington that is gaining a following that's well outside the collection of apartment complexes and residential communities which border the...
Elijah's Restaurant
There's nothing like enjoying a stunning waterfront view, and Elijah's has a prime location along the Cape Fear River on the edge of Wilmington's historic downtown. Featuring both indoor and seasonal...
Fork N Cork
The Fork N Cork is serving up a new blend of Artisan cuisine to the diners of Wilmington, with truly creative fare that takes advantage of local flavors, seasonal ingredients, and a hefty amount of imagination.
Fox and Hound Pub & Grille
The Fox and Hound Pub & Grille is a prime destination for visitors to relax with a pint and a hearty meal after a long day of shopping in the ultra-posh Mayfaire Town center. Featuring a full menu of drinks and...
Front Street Brewery
Beer fans who want to see what brews the Coastal Carolina region can cook up can pay a lunchtime, dinnertime, Happy Hour or late night visit to Front Street Brewery. Known for a collection of flagship brews that are...
Green Line Pizza and Steak
Green Line Pizza and Steak is located on the northern outskirts of Wilmington along Business US Highway 17, and is a nice and quick lunch or dinnertime spot for visitors who are en route to or from the Cape Fear...
Movie buffs and foodies alike will have a fine time at Hell's Kitchen, a chic little Downtown Wilmington restaurant that had a guest role in the homegrown TV series, "Dawson's Creek." Located...
Hops Supply Co
Hops Supply Co is a fresh gastropub on Oleander Drive that impresses patrons with its equally distinctive drink and food menus. With an internal dedication to provide an exceptional beer selection, as well as fresh and...
Katy's Grill and Bar
Katy's Grill and Bar is a haven for sports fans, thanks to a recently renovated living room, a full bar with rows of flat screen TVs, a cool outdoor dining area complete with shady umbrella-topped tables, and an...
Merritt's Burger House
Merritt's Burger House is a classic little drive-in joint that's been a subtle Wilmington institution for generations. Featuring a drive-in style exterior, complete with an old-school sign, this simple...
Might As well Bar & Grill
Might as Well Bar & Grill is a modest-sized bar and restaurant that's a solid destination for filling food and Happy Hour or late-night drinks with friends. Boasting a big array of beverages and drink...
NeMa Eatery and Lounge
The NeMa Eatery and Lounge is one of the newest hot spots to hit the Downtown Wilmington scene, and its ultra-modern menu is already turning heads among Cape Fear visitors and local alike. Featuring progressive spins on...
Ogden Tap Room
Ogden Tap Room is Wilmington's newest haven for beer lovers, thanks to an extensive beer menu that includes 40 rotating beers on tap. Coupled with an inviting interior, a family-friendly atmosphere, and a full...
Papa Fin's
Visitors and locals who are cruising along Carolina Beach Road and who are hungry for a laid-back lunch or dinner that's topped with a frozen treat can swing by the casual but tasty Papa Fin's. Tucked away...
Port City Chop House
Wilmington visitors who are in the mood for a big, juicy steak or a signature burger can head on down to the Port City Chop House. Elegant and a fine date night destination for carnivores, this steak house is sure to...
PortCity Cheesesteak Company
PortCity Cheesesteak Company is a cool little sandwich shop that's located just off of Market Street on the edges of Downtown Wilmington. As the name would suggest, this is place that Philly fans and natives can...
Slainte Irish Pub Monkey Junction
Wilmington residents and visitors in the Monkey Junction area have a new venue for a Sunday football game or a Happy Hour drink with friends in the form of the Slainte Irish Pub. With a friendly atmosphere, plenty of...
The Harp
Take a trip to the edge of Downtown Wilmington to dive into authentic Irish cuisine with a visit to The Harp – a subtle little eatery that's found just a couple blocks away from the Cape Fear Riverfront, and...
Two Guys Grille
With solid prices, great grub, and a convenient location for Porters Neck locals and visitors, Two Guys Grille allows casual food fans to chow down on a hearty and slightly elevated menu without breaking the bank.
Wilmington Taco Factory & American Grill
Don't let the busy location along College Road, or the simple black and white sign, fool you - Wilmington Taco Factory & American Grill is the UNCW student-approved location for fast, yummy fare on a budget.
Winnies Tavern
Visitors who crave a really good burger and a beer in a super casual environment should make a beeline to Winnies Tavern. Located in a relatively quiet section of Wilmington, with a slightly rustic exterior, Winnies is...
Other Restaurants in Wilmington
Burger in Other Towns
Shallotte


(A Top Pick Aug 17/18, Up 15%) Pretty solid quarter the other day. Benefited from curtailment in Alberta. WCS differential affected them. If the differential holds, the profitability explodes. Out of the name now, and into CNQ which has a healthier balance sheet. Could move into the high teens from here.
(A Top Pick Jan 18/18, Down 12%) It rallied on a bad report. He sold this pick in the summer and is now short on it. They have not delivered on the balance sheet enough and there is still not positive cash flow. It is a small short for him.
Oil and gas makers don't generate the ROE he looks for. They don't have pricing power over their product/commodity; others do. Cenovus is one of the top stocks in this sector, though.
(A Top Pick Jun 01/18, Down 31%) This is a high-quality coming that was improving itself. The heavy oil differentials will likely close towards normal levels soon. They are moving more oil by rail and at today's price it is still a bargain.
He likes this company. You get very good exposure to WCS differentials. The new CEO is doing a good job of repositioning the company. There is the potential of further monetization of assets. Good entry point to get good exposure with a large cap Canadian stock.
They are not getting the benefit they should be. They have done a complete change in their strategy. Their stock price has held fairly steady over the last year. They are experiencing better numbers than a lot of the small to mid cap names. She thinks it will be considerably higher stock price in 2 years time.
CPG-T vs. SVE-T. He does not think the energy sector is coming back in a big way any time soon. There are over sold indicators so it is okay as a trade but not for long term. We need pipeline capacity. He is fine with CPG-T.
(Past Top Pick Sept. 22, 2017, Down 6%) He bought is because he saw a real restructuring story. It was beaten up and he felt new managers would solve those problems. They are slowly doing that like getting rid of some assets and it will work out in the end.
(A Top Pick October 3/17 Up 1%) He did sell this back in late-May when it became apparent a refinery shutdown was going to cause differentials to blow out in the fall. Still a good company, but having cut the dividend to less than 2%, there are better options now.
It has been a tough energy call. He thought it was cheap enough after their acquisition and the stock got hammered, but the rally petered out. He got out. Cash flow is not really there. It is lining up as a short if he sees more weakness.
He sold it this year, because he was reducing his energy weighting. New managers have done well selling assets to reduce debt. Have also lowered costs. They don't have the refining capacity, so that's a problem. By 2020, the debt should be low enough to increase the dividend, though he had been expecting 2019.
The company has over $9 billion of debt against $19 billion of equity. He would stay away. Heavy oil differentials are problematic. Book value is $15 per share. He thinks the stock is susceptible to further selling pressure as oil prices are expected to drop below $60 soon on a seasonal basis.
It is down 15% in the past month, due to widening heavy oil differentials. With more rail capacity coming, it will support differentials near WTI less $23 – he is using $20 in his models. They are paying down debt and he thinks the worst is behind them. When stricter sulphur limits are imposed on marine fuels in 2020, he estimates this will have a $5 worsening impact on heavy differentials. However, he thinks this will ultimately lead to higher oil demand globally and higher oil prices.


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SAFA backs Pirates in Africa
Danny Jordaan (Gallo Images)
Bucs are ready - Nyauza
No league policy for Bafana selection
Pirates are fit and injury free
Cape Town - The South African Football Association (SAFA) has wished Orlando Pirates well in their clash against AC Leopards in a CAF Confederations Cup Group B clash in Dolisie in Congo, Brazzaville this weekend.
The match will take place at the Stade Dennis Sassou Nguesso on Sunday.
According to SAFA website, Pirates depart on Thursday, June 25 and expected back in the country on Monday, June 29.
"We would like to take this opportunity to wish Orlando Pirates the best of luck in the opening match of their group stages clash in the CAF Confederation Cup," " said SAFA President, Dr Danny Jordaan.
"They have shown they have what it takes to go all the way and we are confident they will fly the South African flag high.
"While it is not going to be easy, it is important to make solid start to any campaign, especially when playing away. We urge all South Africans, irrespective which club they belong to, to rally behind the Buccaneers."
Elsewhere, five South African match officials have been appointed to take charge of the CAF Champions League 2015 encounter between TP Mazembe (Congo DR) and El Hilal (Sudan).
The match will take place on Sunday, June 28 in Lubumbashi, Congo DR.
Kick-off is at 16:30 (SA time).
Read more on: orlando pirates | caf confederations cup | psl | danny jordaan | soccer


There is a long list of individuals and organizations that will not be paying the federal carbon tax. Many of those that do will receive payments that more than offset their cost. Is this a mighty blow in the fight against climate change?
The Liberals announced a tax on carbon last year, with the proviso that a province would be exempt if it created its own plan in a manner that satisfied the federal government.
At first it looked like almost all provinces would do so, but recent defections mean that almost half of all Canadians will be subject to the federal tax regime. The design of that regime has been heavily influenced by political and economic considerations.
Farmers and fishermen will not pay the tax on fuel used in their work. How that can be separated from other uses is a bit of a mystery.
Relief will also be given to residents of rural and small communities, users of aviation fuels in the territories, greenhouse operators, power plants that generate electricity for remote communities, and Indigenous Peoples.
Companies that are trade-exposed to competitors in countries without a carbon tax will only pay the tax on emissions above a level determined by bureaucrats to protect the competitive position of responsible operators.
For families there will be "Climate Action Incentive Payments" based on family size. These are projected to pay the on average more than what they paid in taxes. In 2019 the excess varies from 23% in Ontario to 48% in Saskatchewan. Its enough to make the exempt people jealous.
That extra must come from somewhere. Those paying for the generous incentive payments will be small and medium sized businesses, larger businesses that are not "trade-exposed", municipalities, schools, hospitals, non-profits, universities, and Indigenous communities.
All but the largest businesses will be eligible for programs, yet to be designed, "to help these groups take climate action" (no word on whether faith communities will have to swear allegiance to Trudeau's values statement to be eligible).
The funds available for those programs are much less than the taxes the eligible groups will pay.
The carbon taxes they pay will show up in the prices that consumers pay when shopping at the mall, getting their car towed or repaired, eating at a restaurant, curling or skiing, using taxis, buses or subways, or travelling by plane.
It will show up in increased costs for universities which will translate into higher tuitions or more cost to taxpayers, or both.
Health and education represent 60% of provincial spending. A significant chunk of that is heating costs for schools and hospitals, and fuel for ambulances and school buses. The carbon tax on that will have to be paid for by provincial taxpayers, as will higher costs for snow plows and other roads equipment.
Conveniently for the federal government, the tax increases needed to pay for these increased costs will be blamed on the provincial or municipal governments.
What does this achieve? In the four affected provinces, the emissions base on which the projected fuel charges are calculated goes down by just over 3% by 2023-2024. Presumably emissions from the many parts of the economy not impacted by the taxes will continue to grow.
Canada's commitment under the Paris Climate Agreement is to reduce carbon emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. Progress to date has been slight and the latest initiative will barely move the needle. The Liberals put protecting Canada's economy ahead of protecting the planet.
Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna still asserts that the goal will be reached, based on further policy initiatives. Those initiatives would need to be far more effective that what was announced this week. If they are that good, why have they not been implemented already?
The Liberals like to describe those opposed to their carbon tax as unwilling to deal with climate change, as if taxing carbon is the only way to meet the Paris agreement. Their version of a carbon tax does not measure up.
Meanwhile Nova Scotia, among the highest users of coal for electricity generation in 2005, has been rapidly moving toward more renewables. It has already made excellent progress. It expects to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 45 to 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.
As a result, it has been allowed to use its own program, which reportedly will cause trivial increases in fuel and electricity prices. Nova Scotia's results are good for the planet, but would have happened with or without the federal carbon tax program.
Nova Scotia's results can be traced to the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act, circa 2007, which legislated carbon targets and 20 other goals. It was a case of initiative, as opposed to hoping problems will take care of themselves. Other provinces, except for B.C., which created a carbon tax, delayed. They did so despite having the N.S. and B.C. models in front of them. That's why the feds are involved today.
If man made CO2 emissions are problematic for world temperatures then ALL of the countries, especially the biggest emitters, have to commit to a reduction plan. That is not even close to happening. World wide CO2 emissions went up 1.4 % in 2017 led by large emitters China and India. Those countries plan to continue to increase emissions. Canada trying to tax people to lower both our standard of living and possibly emissions is completely futile when our global contribution is only 1.6%. Trudeau admitted this in a recent Montreal radio interview. This is all about getting more money out of our pockets.
If members of parliament would stop flying all over the country and the world spouting hot air and using methods of transport that pollute the air with an abundance of greenhouse gases, I would be more inclined to support their initiatives. Do we have climate change, yes, and we have had it since time began. Are Canadians likely to have an impact on changing its direction, very doubtful. If the government wants to make an impact, small though it will be, make the production of non-hybrid vehicles a crime and use the fines to give incentives to people to pay the premium on hybrid vehicles. Just think of all the pollution that would be prevented if the well-off peoples of all the countries of the world did not think they needed a vacation in some far-off land every year. Or how about banning privately owned cars altogether and providing quality public transport at every level from municipal to national? Or how about banning long distance truck transport in favor of rail? Or maybe we could make it a crime to ship fish caught in Nova Scotian waters to China for processing and packaging, only to be returned for consumption. Good heavens, I think I am becoming cynical.


I'm loving this session with this new little family of 4. Just back in April I met up with them to capture their maternity shoot and now sweet little baby Kaia is here. Big sister Caroline is an awesome sister who gives lots of kisses. I am drooling over the flower bed we made for Kaia and I just love her adorable nursery. Here are some highlights of the morning we spent together!


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De Blasio Gets D+ on Minority Contracting in Comptroller Stringer Report
By Jeff Mays | October 14, 2015 5:14pm
@JeffCMays
Comptroller Scott Stringer Gives City D+ on Minority Contracting
MANHATTAN — Firms owned by minorities and women received only 5.3 percent of the $13.8 billion the city handed out in contracts during the last fiscal year, according to a report released Wednesday from Comptroller Scott Stringer's office, which gave the administration a D+ for its efforts.
According to the report, those companies received only $725 million of the city's $13.8 billion in contracts.
And when it came to firms owned by women and African-Americans, city spending remained at the F-level, said Stringer.
"For a city as diverse as New York, 5 percent spend with [minority- and women-owned] business is unacceptably low. We must give companies that are owned by African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and women a chance to compete for their fair share of the city's $14 billion in spending," Stringer said at his lower Manhattan offices.
That figure is actually an increase from the 3.9 percent of contracts minority and women-owned firms received in the 2014 fiscal year — pushing the city's overall grade up from a D.
Stringer said the city can and must "redouble" its efforts to diversify its spending on everything from office supplies to legal contracts.
Only 20 percent of the 4,100 minority and women-owned firms certified to receive city contracts did so during the last fiscal year. That means less than 2 percent of the 46,000 venders who do business with the city are minority or women-owned.
Stringer called the figure "pretty unbelievable" and "unacceptable."
While the Comptroller said the report was not political, he did seemingly criticize Mayor Bill de Blasio who has made income inequality the focus of his administration.
"We have got to ensure as we talk about the rhetoric of income inequality, as we talk about the broad strokes of what our aspirations are for this city, we've got to do the detailed analysis and transparent work that will allow all of our small business to have an equal shot at growing," Stringer said.
Of the 31 agencies examined, only one, the Department of of Housing and Preservation and Development, received an A.
Fourteen agencies received D's and 13 got C's, including Stringer's office, which he said he graded out of a sense of fairness. Stringer said his own office can do better and that he's aiming for a B in next year's report.
Three agencies, including the Department of Small Business Services, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Sanitation, received F's.
Stringer said there were small bits of good news. The Landmarks Preservation Commission received a B for the second year in a row and city spending with Asian-owned firms increased to a C this year from a D.
He also praised the city's recent calculations that it has awarded $1.6 billion in contracts to minority and women-owned firms in the 2015 fiscal year. The city has set a goal of awarding $16 billion in contracts to minority and women-owned firms over the next decade.
Stringer said those awards should yield good results but that he was only interested in actual spending because minority firms who are often awarded subcontracts often don't receive that funding.
"We don't grade on aspirational goals. We grade on actual spending," said Stringer.
City Hall officials disagreed.
They said Stringer's data is partly based on contracts awarded in previous years by previous administrations. Their own measurement allows for a fair evaluation of "current leadership," said Mayor Bill de Blasio spokeswoman Ishanee Parikh.
"These aren't aspirational numbers, they are actual contracts the city has signed, sealed and delivered," said Parikh.
The city decided to include every city agency, not just mayoral agencies, in its minority contracting goals. Parikh said the city is also pushing legislation in Albany that would allow the city to double the amount of discretionary contracts it can award to minority and women-owned firms.
Stringer said his focus will remain on actual spending.
"We've got the power to give these firms contracts so they can grow, hire more from local communities and spread economic opportunity to every part of this city," said Stringer.
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Home → About Us
Advanced Rx is a Pharmacy Services Company that empowers providers and pharmacies with the ability to deliver to patients fast and convenient access to medications directly from their office or by mail.
Our services directly impact patient convenience, care, and well-being at their personal physician's office. We take pride in understanding payer relationships, including the intricacies of prior authorizations, billing, reimbursements, collections, and regulations. We are dedicated to transform provider practices with agile systems and brilliant people.
Advanced Rx has garnered a well-earned reputation for our expertise in implementing successful Pharmaceutical Services in practices across the nation. With reimbursement rates shrinking and medication adherence responsibilities increasing, offering your patients services at the point of care makes tremendous sense. Every practice is unique, so we offer a range of service options that enable you to offer the best program for your patients.
We strive for absolute transparency and compliance as your preferred comprehensive pharmacy. Partner with a company that will work with you throughout all stages of your program, including implementation, operation, and ongoing program support. Advanced Rx works in collaboration with you and your team to ensure a seamless and comprehensive solution for all of your patient pharmaceutical needs.
SERVICE VALUES
Approachable
EMPLOYEE VALUES
IMPROVE PATIENT CARE AND DRIVE ANCILLARY REVENUE WITH ADVANCED RX
Jeff Azevedo
Jeff graduated from California Polytechnic University with a degree in Business. This led him to a variety of managerial and leadership roles in the telecommunications sector, including work with Pacific Bell, Bellcore, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. During Jeff's tenure with Pacific Bell he obtained an Executive MBA from UC Berkeley as well as certificates in management, negotiation, and leadership from Carnegie Mellon and Pepperdine Universities. Prior to the founding of Advanced Rx, Jeff was involved with several successful startup ventures in the software, telecom, and financial industries.
Kati Gainous
Having worked in physician practice management and pharmaceuticals, Kati brought extensive industry knowledge to the inception of Advanced Rx. As the manager of an occupational injury clinic, Kati oversaw operations of three urgent care facilities, as well as the practice's centralized billing. Prior to the founding of Advanced Rx, Kati was involved with several successful startup medical practices and businesses, as well as managing her own medical billing company which serviced many different specialty practices for 10 years. Kati's expertise in medical billing is the foundation upon which Advanced Rx was built.
Parag Choksi
Vice President of Pharmacy Operations
Parag graduated from St. Louis University with a BA in Psychology and proceeded to obtain his PharmD from Midwestern University. In the past, Parag held various leadership positions with the Target Corporation including Pharmacy Business Partner (District Supervisor) for the Chicagoland Market. He also oversaw Target Corp. operations in the San Antonio market. Prior to being promoted to VP of Pharmacy Operations at Advanced Rx, Parag successfully opened pharmacies at a neurospine facility in Flowood, MS, and a dermatology group in Tampa, FL.
Brian Farro
Vice President of National Sales
Brian graduated from San Diego State University with a BS in Business Administration. He was involved in building several successful start-ups, including Skills Village where he was the Executive VP of Sales. Brian's contributions to the growth of Skills Village assisted in the eventual acquisition of the business by PeopleSoft, where Brian remained and held numerous leadership roles. Brian continued his career as VP of Sales with Oracle, one of the world's largest technology companies, where he built several successful sales teams. As the VP of National Sales with Advanced Rx, Brian has continued to cultivate a network of clients and sales professionals in the best interests of the business.
Shirene Zandi
Vice President of Dispensary Operations
Shirene graduated with honors from San Jose State University with a BS in Business Administration, emphasis in Marketing. She has been with Advanced Rx since 2011 supporting and managing nearly every facet of the company's operations. In her capacity as VP of Operations, she oversees all Dispensary Operations including Dispensary Billing & Reimbursement, Administration, and Account Management.
Ryan Boriskin
Ryan obtained both his BA and MA in Psychology from the University of Oregon and Northwest Christian College, respectively. He began his career as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), working in healthcare environments for 10 years as a provider, training other providers and utilizing his practical experience to help build a highly successful wraparound services model for Oregon's Medicaid population. To enhance his work with data, Ryan pursued an advanced degree in accounting and obtained his CPA. Ryan then worked with PwC's healthcare audit team taking many pre-FDA companies through the IPO process. Prior to joining the Advanced Rx team, Ryan built and led accounting operations at GE Digital.


Cedar House is a progressive school with a strong emphasis on academic aspiration and self-management.
The School operates according to the principle that values, rather than rules, should be the main elements directing the behaviour of children. The fostering of healthy relationships between children and between children and adults is central to the life and wellbeing of the School. We encourage expressions of individuality that are highly respectful of self, others, the community and the environment.
The School will do everything it can to support students whose behaviour, when they join us, has been affected by problems they've experienced in unsympathetic environments, or who who have not responded well to the coercion of standardized thinking in previous schooling. We also embrace children who have been victims of bullying or have failed to thrive because they appear different. Many of these children go on to flourish in the environment at Cedar House.
We have no tolerance of any kind of disrespectful behaviour and strive very hard to maintain an environment where all members of the School feel valued and respected and where a respectful relationship with the learning process is paramount.
At the same time, we have an understanding of the difficulties encountered during childhood and adolescence. Within certain inviolable boundaries, and always holding individuals to account for their behaviour, we are tolerant of mistakes that are made and can be rectified, where we can find the underlying positive intention.
The quality of our emotional support of students who face challenges in their development is something that, at Cedar House, we feel particularly proud of.
However, students who, despite encouragement and support, are unable to take responsibility for their own learning are clearly not best served by a school that demands a high degree of self-management.
At Cedar House we do not provide ongoing intensive help for students who have severe problems that interfere with their academic achievement or personal happiness. The interests of a child with a severe learning barrier or behavioural difficulty, for example, are much better served by a school that is dedicated to providing this sort of help.
Some families wish for an application to be made to the examination board (IEB) for (what are termed) accommodations for their children in examinations. These include extra time, use of a computer, a reader or a scribe, or a separate venue. Applications can be made when the student is considered (following an assessment by an educational psychologist) to have a significant learning barrier. For some students these accommodations can give the limited extra help that will allow them to achieve their best in exams.
An accommodations application is a matter for the family rather than the School – even if, occasionally, the School suggests that an accommodation may benefit a child. The School will administer the accommodations application, which must be made through the School. If accommodations are granted by the IEB, the School will implement them in exams (from grade 10). The costs of the assessment (made externally), the application itself, and additional costs (such as purchase of recording device or hiring of a scribe) are the responsibility of the family. No accommodations can be implemented by the School until they have been granted by IEB and from grade 10.
The School provides substantial academic and personal support for students of all levels of skill, including additional classes after school; individual ad hoc tutorial help (within the limits of teachers' available time); personal help and guidance by mentors and teachers; and therapeutic help from the student adviser. The student adviser is a specialist in helping students to overcome internal obstacles that interfere with personal and academic development. However, the School has no other specialist resources to support students with learning difficulties or who need intensive help.
Students who have significant learning barriers can usually overcome them through specialized individual therapeutic work. The School's view is that it is greatly preferable to overcome learning barriers than to perpetuate them through accommodations and risk pathologizing the student.
We therefore encourage families to work with the School, through the student adviser, to identify possible learning barriers as early as possible in the student's time at Cedar House so that, wherever possible, these can be overcome in a way that is beneficial to the individual student in the long term.


Photographer Verner Degray spent the last few years immersed in the natural beauty of French Polynesia and its men. What fresh inspiration will he find now that he is in Los Angeles?
When we posted an "In the Galleries" piece on Verner Degray's work about a year ago, we were surprised at the amount of traffic it received. And then the traffic just kept on. So when Verner sent us his latest set from his new home in Los Angeles, we were delighted and asked for a "farewell to French Polynesia" selection to commemorate his journey.


On April 16, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA), changing the healthcare financing system in the most significant and far reaching way since the Program's inception in 1965.
MACRA repealed the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) payment system which governed how physicians and other clinicians were paid under Part B of the Medicare program. It replaced the SGR, and its fee-for-service (FFS) reimbursement model, with a new two-track system that requires physicians and clinicians to accept downside risk: Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APMs).
MACRA replaces the 1997 Balanced Budget Act's SGR that was used to determine annual physician payment updates. After approximately 20 so called "doc fixes," MACRA was passed to replace the SGR in part because the formula neither addressed service frequency and intensity nor quality improvement.
We have assembled essential background materials to help familiarize you and your organization with key details surrounding MACRA. As you may notice, we often use acronyms in our congressional correspondence, and sometimes they can be tough to decipher. To help translate the material we've developed a glossary of key policy acronyms that you may find useful.
Have a specific question on the new physician payment system? We welcome your questions and feedback.


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Ian Schneider is exploring research questions about the interaction between the workings of financial markets and the fluctuations of energy supply.
Photo: Francisco Jaimes
Engineering a brighter future
Optimizing the design of electricity markets could make it easier to integrate renewable energy sources into the power grid.
Katie DePasquale | Jennifer Donovan | MIT Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems
Ian Schneider has spent much of his academic career thinking about renewable energy and where it sits in the larger picture of social and financial infrastructures. His interest began during his undergraduate days at Dartmouth College, where he studied engineering. In the course of his studies, he found himself digging into the question of how to make renewable energy viable — not just from an engineering perspective, but also from an economic one.
The variability in clean energy supplies, which frequently come from unpredictable sources like the wind and sun, makes them particularly tricky to plug into traditional pricing and distribution models. However, understanding that the power grid is impacted as much by the workings of financial markets as it is by functions of energy supply, Schneider began exploring research questions about the interaction between the two.
These kinds of questions, with strong engineering and economic components, drew him to MIT's Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) for his graduate research in the fall of 2014. It also made him a natural fit, two years later, for the new PhD program in Social and Engineering Systems (SES) offered by MIT's Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS). Schneider became one of just 17 candidates admitted to the inaugural class of the SES program, which began in the fall of 2016.
To understand Schneider's current research, it's important to first know a bit about how energy is traded. Typically, the electricity sent to our homes on a day-to-day basis is treated as a commodity that is bought and sold in wholesale energy markets, then resold to consumers at retail prices. However, the wholesale market model is not designed with grid stability in mind. In the energy market, unpredictable gaps between supply and demand are problematic, leading to unsteady power provision.
To avoid this, grid operators have begun to use markets that trade in future energy availability, called capacity markets. In capacity markets a bid and auction system is used to compensate suppliers in the present for energy they commit to providing in the future. The aim is to ensure, by incentivizing investment in facilities and equipment well in advance of needing it, that the power supplied to the grid will always meet the demand. This kind of stability is important for maintaining reliable infrastructure, and becomes especially important during peak demand periods, when an overloaded grid could fail and, in the worst case, create a ripple effect of power outages throughout a region.
Conventional capacity markets, which are designed to accommodate the steady power supplies that come from traditional sources such as coal, natural gas, or other fossil fuels, require a great deal of reliable prediction to work well — an approach that falters when renewable energy is added to the mix.
"Suppliers of wind and solar power have an uncertain source of energy — which means the amount of energy they produce varies at any given time," Schneider explains. "Some might say this means they have no capacity value: Since you can't trust the electricity to be available at any given time, the supplier shouldn't be able to earn money in a capacity market. Others might disagree, arguing that the supplier's bid can sufficiently account for the likelihood that it will operate at certain hours, as well as the costs if there isn't any wind or solar energy available."
The solution to this prediction problem lies in how the market is structured. This is where Schneider's research comes into play.
His work focuses on market design and optimization. Using tools from game theory, economics, and probability, he examines and develops market mechanisms that account for underlying uncertainties in energy availability. This helps him to develop a nuanced and realistic understanding of the ways changes in the market's design — the rules by which it operates — influence the behaviors of its participants, and to get a sense of the features most critical to their choices. The hope is to build efficiency into the system, because in a market that can manage uncertainty well, both traditional and renewable generators become better bidders, neither overpromising nor underestimating what they can give to the grid operators and at what price. This in turn makes it easier for operators to figure out whether it's worth it to accept a bidder's offer, ultimately moving the market toward self-regulation.
While Schneider's overarching goal is to make it easier for electricity markets to accommodate the uncertainty of renewable energy, he also hopes that market improvements can open up space for innovation that will further ease the integration of renewable resources. For instance, improvements to market design could encourage innovative companies to harness demand flexibility, a means of incentivizing consumers to shift their energy use to periods when electricity is less expensive or more renewable energy is available.
Ultimately, the aim is for Schneider's work to inform the policy makers and regulators who drive the grid's mechanics.
"It would be amazing if we could give step-by-step guidelines about how the market should be run," he says. "But the more likely outcome is that we explain the key drivers of value and risk in this market. If we use the underlying mathematical features, and assume that both buyers and sellers are trying to make as much money as they can, we can help identify the features that will give us the greatest understanding of how market design impacts grid efficiency and reliability."
For Schneider, who is supervised by Professor Munther Dahleh and Principal Research Scientist Mardavij Roozbehani, LIDS is the perfect place to study these questions, especially because of the diversity of research happening at the lab. He calls it an exciting place to work, and a great place to learn.
"We have the same sort of tools and language for how we do things, but we're working on extremely different problems," he says. "People at LIDS really understand the mathematical foundations of optimization and statistics, and there's support and knowledge here for using these tools to tackle big societal problems."
It is these big problems, Schneider says, that will keep him working for years to come, engineering a cleaner, brighter future.
Topics: School of Engineering, Alternative energy, Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS), Profile, IDSS, Students, Graduate, postdoctoral
Ian Schneider
Paper: "Wind Capacity Investments: Inefficient Drivers and Long-Term Impacts"
Paper: "Endogenous error pricing for energy imbalance settlements"
Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems
Institute for Data, Systems, and Society


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OK so I forgot to take pictures so here is my only proof that I played at Loretta Lynn's Ranch on Friday for the campers. It is such a great gig! The wind howled the whole time and only half the crowd left. NO! I'm kidding. Everybody stayed, even my new friends from Oskaloosa KS! Thanks Gary and fam for hangin' out. We will have us party in NE Kansas soon!
Since the release of my record "Song From Yesterday" I have been very please with my online retailer Bandcamp. bandcamp.com is a great way to discover new music as well. Very cool web site and a great way to get merchandise to my fans. I am looking to add t-shirts and hats soon.
I'll be sharing other places my music is online in the coming days!
Nominate Honky Tonk Dave for the Ameripolitan Music Awards here!
Found this video a couple nights ago. Again a great live band playing great country music.
This video was from about a year ago. He has since released another album called Metamodern Sounds In Country Music. Great original record. It's not for everyone but I would recommend it!