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Q: What are your suggestions for storing AWS authentication data? Scenario: a web application written in PHP utilizes an Amazon Web Service and must keep the Access Key ID and a Secret Access Key handy in order to function.  Are there current recommendations and/or API's out there for storing this data securely?
My thought is to symmetrically encrypt it into a file based on a key created from local server variables.  That way it's [hopefully] gibberish if someone gets a copy of the file through FTP, lost laptop with files copied, etc.  The concern I have is that a skilled attacker could just upload their own script to decrypt it.
This seems like a common situation and one I've never achieved a comfortable solution for.  Obviously I can't use a one-way hash, because I need the original data to create a HMAC to send to AWS.  Links to related S.O. questions are very welcome.

A: Ah. The question of security.
I think the question you should be asking here is what do you do with say, for example mySQL passwords in your php config files?
To be quite frank, I would say that if someone managed to get a copy of your files, then your security needs rethinking anyway. For my own use, I generally only keep the passwords in one place, (on the server where they should be used) and make sure that I use a randomly generated password each time (paste it into the config file, and voila!)
To be honest, if it's not your own host, ANY sensitive data can be compromised.
If it is your own host, I'd suggest using proper permissions within Linux, and PHPSuExec to make sure that only the scripts that YOU write can access the files.
Anyway, to answer your original question, your AWS Access / Secret Keys are just the same as a MySQL password, Ok, it has the potential to let someone access your service, but it doesn't give them access to your personal details. Even with symetric encryption, if your script has a security hole, the information can be accessed.
Put simply, you take a risk when you put these keys anywhere that is accessible to anyone but you. How much do you trust Amazon's servers not to be compromised?
My suggestion would be to try and add as much security as you can, but keep an eye on your account, I'll generally have a cron job running to send me an email with changes to my S3 account (new files uploaded, new buckets etc etc) and from that I can tell what's going on.
There is no easy solution, it's a mix of securing each seperate layer of the System. I mean, if you use symetric encryption, the password for that has to be stored somewhere, right? or are you going to type it in every time ?
Hope this helps

A:
My thought is to symmetrically encrypt it into a file based on a key created from local server variables. That way it's [hopefully] gibberish if someone gets a copy of the file through FTP, lost laptop with files copied, etc. The concern I have is that a skilled attacker could just upload their own script to decrypt it.

This wouldn't hurt, but ultimately it is just security through obscurity as somebody who can read the file can probably also read and reverse engineer your code. Short of typing in a password or otherwise providing a secret every time the server starts, encryption isn't going to help. It just shifts the problem to how will you protect the encryption key (which also needs to be accessible to the server)?
You have to harden and design your application and server (don't forget the OS, and remote access to the OS) so that nobody unauthorised can read the files on the system in the first place.
If you're worried about someone getting physical access to the box, concentrate on physical security to stop that happening.

A: I use symmetric encryption like you suggest. When I start my server I need to give it a key to decrypt the files containing the authentication data.
Of course a hacker could do a memory dump and read the password that way but that's quite a bit tougher than reading a cleartext file. There's no perfect solution, security is always a compromise between risk and ease of use.
So server security is still the key issue, its just a question of how much security is enough. I'd suggest looking at Bastille Linux or something like that to harden your server but that's another topic altogether.


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I-Con 2005 Information
I-Con 2005
Stony Brook, NY
Attended by over 6,000 people each year, I-CON is a three day festival, designed to encourage literacy, creativity and interest in science and technology through science fiction and its related genres. Programming at I-CON spans a wide range of topics and interests, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic books, Japanese animation (otherwise known as Anime), medieval reenactment, science and technology.
4 AnimeCons.com members attended
I-Con 2005 Guests
Peter Mayhew - Actor
Jewel Staite - Actress
I-Con 2005 Reports and Photos
I-Con 2017 — March 17-19, 2017
I-Con 2012 — March 30 - April 1, 2012
I-Con 2011 — April 15-17, 2011
I-Con 2009 — April 3-5, 2009
I-Con 2005 — April 8-10, 2005
Update I-Con 2005 Information
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


forums. Thank you, Ill give this a shot sometime this week.
> There is an older method I used to use but I can't find it. But never mind as I use a simpler method now.
> Create an IFL flash drive. Use IFW to Copy the flash drive partition to Free Space on the HD. Use 100 MiB for Resize After Copy on the IFW Options window. Setup a Boot Item in BIBM. All done in a few minutes.
> The following doesn't apply to BIBM but in a UEFI system you can copy the IFL flash drive partition to a GPT disk and boot IFL from the "BIOS" boot menu.


Free Choice Centers is a time for exploration, discovery and "messing about" that is uninterrupted and of the child's interest and choosing.
❖ provide a stimulating, intentionally designed environment that supports a variety of engaging play experiences.
Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation as well as for promoting language, cognition, and social competence… Children of all ages love to play, and it gives them opportunities to develop physical competence and enjoyment of the outdoors, understand and make sense of their world, interact with others, express and control emotions, develop their symbolic and problem-solving abilities, and practice emerging skills. Research shows the links between play and foundational capacities such as memory, self-regulation, oral language abilities, social skills, and success in school.


I thought it would be interesting to turn search terms that brought people to this blog into a question and answer post. "City of Temecula bicycle on sidewalk" was a recent search term someone used to reach this blog. So does the City of Temecula allow people to ride bicycles on the sidewalk? The answer to that is no.
The City of Temecula Municipal Code 10.24.030 Driving vehicles on sidewalks—Generally prohibited.
While I don't enjoy riding on the sidewalk there are often times that the perception of safety overrides my fear of being ticketed. People that I talk to who ride on the sidewalk say that riding directly next to high speed vehicle traffic is the reason for their decision to ride on the sidewalk. Most don't know whether it is legal or illegal to do so. It doesn't even cross their mind, but safely arriving at their destination does.
Some cities mark the sidewalks where you are not allowed to ride.
The photo above is in the downtown core of Long Beach California. I think walking your bike in areas where a lot of people walk is a great idea. Downtown Temecula is about the only area in Temecula that riding on the sidewalk should be discouraged.
Driving on the sidewalk should be discouraged everywhere.
← Is Biking Only for the Able Bodied?


when you're think you've had enough of this life, well hang on.
Don't let yourself go, cause everybody cries and everybody hurts, sometimes.
when you're sure you've had too much of this life, well hang on.
Cause everybody hurts. Sometimes take comfort in your friends.
Everybody hurts. Don't blow your hand. Oh, no. Don't blow your hand.


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From 1996: The Information Superhighway – A Double Edged Sword?
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Of Critical Infrastructure And Cyber Security Risks
November 24, 2014 August 3, 2016 Opinion
A frame from the anonymous threat video
Reports of a YouTube video purportedly produced by a local arm of a well know hactivist group singling out a major energy sector producer locally in Trinidad has been making the rounds since Friday.
Rather than comment directly on that, the important question that should be on our minds is how secure is our Critical Infrastructure from Cyber Security risks? The following looks Cyber Security risks in the context of UWI/T&TEC SmartGrid research project and current risks facing automation networks as highlighted by an expert brought down by a locally based energy company.
At the "Public Forum on Development of Trinidad & Tobago's Smart Grid" on 6th Nov 2014, Dr. Sanjay Bahadoorsingh, (Lecturer, UWI) who has been working on a research project with T&TEC on SmartGrid technologies, updated the audience on the challenges and opportunities of same.
A key slide from Dr Bahadoorsingh's presentation.
Smartgrid shifts the paradigm from unidirectional flow of electricity to a bidirectional flow which allow users, traditionally thought of solely as consumers, to also serve as generators of electricity. It also calls for advanced metering and control technologies to manage and regulate consumption/generation and billing/crediting accordingly.
The Research project website explains it here better than I. The electricity grid is a major component of our "critical infrastructure" resources, which are essentially that stock of industries and assets deemed critical to the running of the nation. Sectors where other components can be found include telecommunication, health, finance etc.
The information Systems within these components can therefore be termed Critical Informational Infrastructure. Given the importance of the electricity to the functioning of all other industries, if we are heading towards Smart Grid technology, Cyber security is a major concern. One only has to look at recent headlines out of the US to recognize the persistency with which attacks are carried out against energy grids. Fortunately, cyber security was identified as a challenge by Dr. Bahadoorsingh, however, in the Q&A portion; he revealed the current scope of this initial research did not delve deeply into this area.
We're still a long way off from Smart Grid being implemented locally (legislative and technical issues to be overcome) but at least with this initial recognition from Dr. Bahadoorsingh and T&TEC representative I spoke to at the meeting, I hope that deeper examination of the issue will be prioritized as they move forward.
Steve Mustard notes the rise in cybersecurity vulnerabilities, year over year. Photo by Shiva Bissessar.
Exploring the same issues, the local chapter of the International Society of Automation hosted a "Technical Seminar on Process Control Environment Security" on 21st Nov 2014, presented by Mr Steve Mustard.
Mr Mustard is currently auditing assets of a major oil/gas entity in various countries (including Trinidad) to establish their InfoSec preparedness on their control and automation networks. His hour long presentation did not disappoint and he gave the attentive audience insights into the clear and present danger which cyber security risks pose to control networks such as Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) networks.
In our initial talk before the presentation got started, I related to Steve my own experiences of attempting to raise the level of awareness on InfoSec matters locally and we found some commonalities including hearing people putting up the "I have a firewall" defense as their response to InfoSec.
Two problems with this (i) myopic focus on hardware/software solutions without securing people and processes and (ii) as Steve highlighted in his presentation, poorly configured/maintained firewalls is an issue. But risks to control networks could potentially threaten our national economy given our heavy dependency on the energy sector. We looked at the need to protect our "critical infrastructure" elements in the SmartGrid section above.
These sectors/assets are supposed to be more protected than other areas and some of this protection is manifested in the proposed 2014 cybercrime bill via higher penalties. However, legislative controls can only serve as a deterrent. To improve on detection and prevention of attacks against these threats requires robust implementation of technical and procedural controls. So, just how do some of these risks manifest in the environment, see Steve's diagrammatic representation below:
Mr Mustard notes the varied points of vulnerability in a typical control system, pointing out that CD ROMs and flash drives can be critical vectors. Photo by Shiva Bissessar.
Steve also emphasized the point that internal users and contractors could potentially pose a more significant risk than external factors, such as external cybercriminal, which would typically get more attention due to media hype.
The intentional and unintentional ways by which internal actors can work against organizations with an emphasis on Social Engineering is one of the topic of focus in my Information Security Awareness Workshops which I am quite happy to say was recently delivered to over 100 employees of a major oil/gas entity as part of their Safety programme.
So it looks like more and more corporate TT is waking up to the realities of cyber security threats. However, would you say GoRTT has an appropriate response to these threats to critical infrastructure?
Shiva Bissessar
Shiva Bissessar is a frequent contributor to TechnewsTT on matters of Information Security including Digital Economy and Cyber Security and is currently doing a study on digital currencies in the Caribbean as commissioned by the UN group, Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC.
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text:
RMIT students apply tech solutions to social justice challenges
An RMIT student team has been recognised for developing a technology-based solution to help people who receive fines but struggle to pay due to disadvantage and hardship.
The award-winning team consisted of business and advertising students Sophie McDonald, Jake Allan and Ben Grant.
The "Legally Blonde" team were last night awarded RMIT's 2015 Fastrack Innovation Program's Most Outstanding Team Award.
Disadvantaged individuals such as those experiencing homelessness, drug addiction, mental health issues and disability often accumulate large numbers of fines and infringements that can spiral out of control when unpaid, and lead to serious legal consequences.
The student team's technology-enabled solution helps to better connect support workers, lawyers and enforcement agencies in managing these special circumstances cases, and enables a more streamlined and innovative approach to case management through the potential for bulk processing and revocation of fines.
The team – consisting of Bachelor of Business (Human Resources Management and Finance) student Sophie McDonald, Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship) student Jake Allan and Bachelor of Communication (Advertising) student Ben Grant – also won the Audience Award for Best Pitch.
Additional award-winners in the 2015 RMIT Fastrack Innovation Program Access to Justice Through Technology Challenge:
Team "Les Bourgeoisie"' for the Most Viable Solution Award – Their web-based app Fine Fixer is targeted at the youth market and helps users understand and pay their fines through a simple, quick and easy process. This solution enables fines and infringements to be acted on earlier and more efficiently, preventing the accumulation of costs and penalties for individuals, and freeing up valuable time and resources for enforcement agencies.
Bachelor of Information Technology student Sarah Longhurst from Team "Closing the Loop" for the Butterfly Award - In recognition of her outstanding growth and transformation over the course of the program. Longhurst's team developed a simple and confidential web-based check-in system, which has the potential to enable better analysis and understanding of how women affected by family violence are moving through the system.
Team "Justice League" tackled the challenge of meeting the needs of women affected by family violence, through a simple, easily accessible web-based solution, which aims to better inform women of the support available to them and equip them in accessing these vital services. Their presentation and understanding of family violence issues was highly regarded by the audience and industry mentors.
The award ceremony held last night was the culmination of RMIT's unique annual industry innovation program, Fastrack, that brings together the university's top students with industry partners, mentors and coaches, to solve real-life challenges through the application of technology solutions.
The 2015 Fastrack program was delivered in collaboration with RMIT's Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ) and industry partners Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) and the Federation of Community Legal Centres (FCLCs).
The CIJ, which is dedicated to finding innovative solutions to complex problems that manifest in the justice system, was established at RMIT in 2012 with former Victorian Attorney-General and Deputy Premier Rob Hulls as its inaugural Director.
Hulls said: "The Centre for Innovative Justice is a proud addition to a University that is focused on achieving change, of solving practical real world problems and providing students with life-changing experience.
"We are proud of this partnership and the outcomes it has produced to support the legal assistance sector to develop innovative ways of addressing the ever present challenge of delivering access to justice for those in need."
Victoria Legal Aid's Community Legal Education Program Manager Monica Ferarri was one of the four judges in 2015, along with Federation of Community Legal Centres CEO Liana Buchanan.
"In just 12 weeks, these students have gone from knowing relatively little about the challenges faced by legal aid and CLC clients to developing innovative ideas that will improve access to justice," Buchanan said.
"The final outcomes were amazing and the students should all be proud of their work."
RMIT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Design and Social Context and Vice-President, Professor Paul Gough, said the program has brought together people who clearly have "passion with purpose".
"The Fastrack program delivers so much of what RMIT is all about – a transformative student experience, connection to career pathways through research and innovation and real outcomes based partnerships with industry," Gough said.
RMIT's Fastrack Innovation Program launched in 2007 as a pioneering initiative between RMIT's Entrepreneurship Program and Deloitte's National Innovation Program.
Dr David Gilbert, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at RMIT, and Peter Williams, Chief Edge Officer at Deloitte Centre for the Edge, championed the initial development of the program.
Under Gilbert's continued leadership, Fastrack has now expanded to work with multiple top tier industry partners and to include national and international students from across all three RMIT colleges.
Story: John Fergusson
Associate Professor David Gilbert (centre) with the 2015 Fastrack teams.
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"Willie Wortels" from TU / e Campus won a million euros
Home News "Willie Wortels" from TU / e Campus won a million euros
It was an exciting week for InnovationSpace. On Tuesday it was announced that they have won the first Dutch Higher Education Prize. With a price of 1.2 million euros. Great recognition for all the innovative work! Today the Eindhovens Dagblad is devoting a nice article to Innovation Space, which we would like to share.
A controller with which blind people can app? Or an ingenious installation that releases energy from iron powder? These are a few success stories that stem from innovation Space on the TU / e Campus, where students work hard on innovations in teams. The new way of education has been noticed in The Hague. The first Dutch Higher Education Premium will go to Eindhoven. The pioneers in prototyping also turn out to be pioneers in education. For TU / e professor Isabelle Reymen, co-initiator and scientific director of TU / e innovation Space, it must almost feel as if she has won the lottery. Flowers are delivered to your home and apps keep pinging. Reymen: "Yes, it really feels like recognition for what we have achieved in five years."
The glass building of innovation Space on the pond on the TU / e campus houses 37 student teams. In corona time, this is mainly digital. Students receive project education in various teams, both at bachelor and master level and from different fields of study. They work with partners from industry and social organizations on practical challenges. It is intended as a preparation for later. As an engineer, they also have to work with all kinds of people.
"Students must contribute to major challenges in society"
Isabelle Reymen, Scientific director TU / e innovation Space
Reymen is familiar with examples of success: "We want students to contribute to major challenges in society. For example, two years ago, students were given the completely free assignment, "do something useful with satellite data". A team set to work with seaweed, which is sustainable, cheap and nutritious. The aim was to have enough food for the world population by 2050, but then the existing seaweed farms will have to scale up. After six months there was the start-up SpaceSea that helps seaweed farms via satellites to monitor seaweed in the sea, instead of having to sail up and down with a boat. " As far as is known, the mussel farming industry has already shown interest.
First controller for the blind
And there are more examples; Hable, the world's first controller that allows blind and partially sighted people to operate their smartphones, Falcon Electric Aviation that wants to become the Tesla among aircraft manufacturers and Team Solid that is working on a new form of energy production: fuel from iron powder.
TU / e has the ambition that by 2030 this educational concept will be widely rolled out across the study programs. A challenge for Reymen and her team: "How can you combine traditional education subjects with challenges? How are you going to organize that per student? We are still looking for the balance. "
Congratulations team Innovation Space, great recognition for your great work!
Saskia van de Schoot
directeur new business
Source: Eindhovens Dagblad/ TU/e Innovation Space
Ioniqa and Koch have signed a partnership agreement
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Alltrons and The Inventors Company collaborate on technical innovations in hub Alpha!


Note: While Amazon.com claims 113 reviews, we counted 109 available on their site.
Wow, this is amazing. You must read this book!
Anyone looking at a life in management should read this book!
17 of the 109 total reviews for this product are unverified purchases. The unverified purchasers have rated this product an average of 3.7 while the verified purchasers have rated this product an average of 4.6. Based on our statistical modeling, the discrepancy in average rating between these two groups is significant enough to believe that the difference is not due to random chance, and may indicate that there are unnatural reviews.
35 of the 109 reviewers have only reviewed this product. This is an excessively large percentage of One-Hit Wonders which may indicate unnatural reviews.
6 of the 109 reviewers have had at least one of their past reviews for another product deleted. While this is more Take-Back Reviewers than we'd expect to see, it does not appear to have a significant impact on the overall rating.
In total, we found that 64 reviewers (or 59%) are within an overrepresented participation group. These reviews have rated this product an average of 4.7, while all other reviews have rated this product an average of 4.2. Based on our statistical modeling, the discrepancy in average rating between these two groups is significant enough to believe that the difference is not due to random chance, and may indicate that there are unnatural reviews.
16 of the 109 total reviews for this product use substantial repetitive phrases between them. This is an excessively large percentage which may indicate unnatural reviews.
We counted 109 reviews for this product over the span of 1,839 days, an average of 0.1 reviews per day. If these reviews were created randomly, there would be a 99.9% chance that we would see 2 or fewer reviews on any given day. We didn't find any days exceeding this threshold.
10 of the 109 reviewers have substantial overlapping product review history. This is within an acceptable range and it does not appear to be significantly affecting the overall rating for this product.


I hung out for a day at the very fun Girls Rock Camp Toronto. This short doc aired in July 2013.
The improv comedy team at M.M. Robinson High School in Burlington, Ontario did a special performance for the Current's episode on Generation Z.
I spoke with holiday shoppers at Toronto's Eaton Centre about price gouging. Clip comes in around 2:30.


You might say it's a little late to be doing a year end movie list, but hey, if Hollywood can't get around to honouring their so-called best until March 7, why should I? While I've been busy listing the decade (something I still need to finish doing), the truth is that I didn't think I'd bother doing a movie list this year. With the birth of my son in June, I just simply haven't had the time to watch very many this year. To wit, when I posted last year's list, I had seen 63 films with a North American release date of 2008 from which I made my list. This year, I've seen 30, 11 of which I actually saw in 2008 during my trip to the Toronto International Film Festival. Which is why I'm spending Oscar weekend writing a top ten list instead of the Sixth Annual Andy Movie Awards (another blogging tradition that is on indefinite hiatus).
So take this list with a grain of salt. If a movie doesn't appear on it that you thought might, there's a good chance I didn't see it (unless it's a certain "highest grossing film of all-time", which I did see… and chose not to rank). Still, I've been making year end movie lists since I started blogging, so why let a little thing like "having an informed opinion" stop me now?


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Package Init Github

![doodle](./doodle.png)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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2023 06 10 Kite Festival
"We're really looking forward to playing Kite Festival next year. It'll be great to be on a bill with the wonderful Hot Chip again but, with all respect to them, we're even more excited to be sharing a stage with the legendary Candi Staton. (And there are a few acts that we can't mention yet, but it's going to be an amazing mix of old and new)."
-Mat
https://kitefestival.co.uk/
2023 06 10 kite.jpg (107.34 KiB) Viewed 37 times


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Bruce Anderson: What do the American elections tell us about British politics? That is easy to answer: nothing.
Newslinks for Thursday 23rd January 2020
WATCH: Johnson defends Universal Credit reforms
Calling Conservatives: New public appointments announced. Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee – and more
It is so frustrating. In his first four years, Barack Obama did nothing to justify his re-election. I remember a conversation with Margaret Thatcher in the late Eighties, in which I suggested that there was a paradox in her relationship with Ronald Reagan. Given his inability to grasp detail, she would have been unlikely to appoint him to her government, even in a lowly capacity. "Ron may not understand detail" she replied: "he does understand the principles necessary for the restoration of American greatness".
No-one could accuse Mr Obama of that. During the past four years, he has often given the impression that he neither understands his country nor likes it. There is one crucial unwritten item in the American Bill of Rights: "That each and every American shall have the right to work his or her butt off, and keep a goodly proportion of the proceeds". The current President does not seem to realise that America was built on work, not on welfare: on free enterprise, not on high taxes.
Mitt Romney knows all that, but he could never articulate it. The man has a political tin ear and his tongue often clunked. There was a good example on his London visit, just before the Olympics. Everyone on the British side who was involved with the Games did not need to be told that it could all go wrong. They knew that. It had been giving them sleepless nights for weeks, if not months. When they did slip from exhaustion into sleep, it was often to nightmares. They wanted reassurance; they needed cheering up. Instead along comes this clutz to spread gloom: the most defeatist American in London since Ambassador Joseph Kennedy. What a dork.
Mr Romney would have been better in the White House than he was as a candidate – which would not have been hard. He might actually have been a thoroughly good President: the economy mechanic whom the US urgently needs. This election was his to lose. So what did he do? He lost it. Such a damnable failure of political competence and duty deserves the treatment he once meted out to his dog: to be shut in a cage, put on the car roof and driven for several hundred miles.
It is too early to ponder the longer-term consequences (for politics, that is: not the dog). But the Republicans do have one structural problem: the Hispanics. Most Hispanics arrived in the States with family values and the wish to work hard. They do not want to pay high taxes; they do want to prevent their kids from being sucked into the criminal ghetto. So they ought to be willing to listen to the Republicans. Yet there are two problems. First, as Sam Huntington pointed out, previous immigrants committed themselves to the US by the arduous and expensive process of crossing an ocean. They had little choice except to climb into the melting pot. Mexicans merely had to cross a border. They do not have to melt. The question is still open: do they want to assimilate to the US, or do they want to turn it into North Mexico?
The second problem is related. Mexicans usually want to make it easy for fellow-Mexicans to come to the States. That gives the Republicans a dilemma. How can you woo the ones who are already in while trying to keep the rest out? That awkward question will have to be answered before the next Presidential election.
A further point is bound to be raised. What do the US Elections tell us about British politics? That is easy to answer. Nothing. As most political obsessives in this country also have American allegiances, there is a tendency to search for parallels. This should be resisted. It would be as fatuous as trying to assess the England Test side's chances in India by referring to a recent baseball game. The systems are too different.
Finally, one desirable outcome. Everyone now seems convinced that the Bishop of Durham, Justin Welby, is about to become Archbishop of Canterbury. If so, that is excellent news for the Church of England, and for the national life of this country, which needs a strong Church. Dr Welby is able, spiritual, immensely likeable – and tough. If the poor, bewildered, rudderless C of E can still be led and made shipshape, he is the right captain. The new Archbishop will not be an easy partner for the Government: nor should he be. Justin Welby's Church of England is a long way from the Tory party at prayer. His political views owe a great deal to the Sermon on the Mount.
Archbishop Welby will speak with authority. He will offer clarity and inspiration. All readers who believe in prayer should include the Archbishop in their petitions, for he will need all the help he can get. But let us hope: cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Rachel Wolf: My top tip for Labour leadership candidates – parties can't win everywhere, and shouldn't try
Daniel Hannan: I wave farewell to the EU in my last column for this site as an MEP
Ryan Bourne: The perils awaiting Conservatives who seek to reduce inequality
James Frayne: Ten errors that Conservatives must avoid making about the new working class voters who backed them last month
Stephen Booth: We're about to take back control – but what do we want to do with it?
Richard Holden: There's no time like a Monday afternoon for a Maiden Speech
David Gauke: As a non-Tory at the last election, my worry is that this Government won't be Conservative enough
Henry Hill: New decade, old story? Smith's Stormont deal under fire from Tory MPs and Ulster parties
Garvan Walshe: The shooting down of a civilian flight does Iran's rulers more harm than the assassination of Soleimani


text:
Les prix Nobel sont des prix décernés chaque année, sauf exceptions, à des personnes, ou à des organismes (prix Nobel de la paix), sous l'autorité de la Fondation Nobel par l'Académie royale des sciences de Suède (physique et chimie), l'Académie suédoise (littérature), l'Institut Karolinska (physiologie ou médecine) et le comité Nobel norvégien du parlement (paix). Ils ont été créés par le testament d'Alfred Nobel en 1895, qui stipule que les prix doivent être administrés par la fondation Nobel. Le prix Nobel d'économie a été créé en 1968 par la Sveriges Riksbank, la banque centrale de la Suède, en accord avec la fondation Nobel, pour contribuer au domaine économique.

Chaque nouveau récipiendaire, ou « lauréat », est désigné au début octobre par la fondation Nobel. Il reçoit le  à Stockholm en Suède, une médaille d'or, un diplôme et une somme d'argent.

Cet article dresse la liste des récipiendaires du prix Nobel :

Liste des récipiendaires

Notes et références

Notes
  En 1938 et 1939, les trois candidats Nobel allemands ne furent pas autorisés par les nazis alors au pouvoir à aller chercher leurs prix Nobel. Richard Kuhn, lauréat du prix Nobel de chimie en 1938, Adolf Butenandt, lauréat du prix Nobel de chimie en 1939 et Gerhard Domagk, lauréat du prix Nobel de physiologie ou médecine en 1939, reçurent le parchemin et la médaille du prix Nobel, mais non l'argent.
  En 1948, le prix Nobel de la paix n'a pas été attribué. Le site de la fondation Nobel indique qu'il aurait été donné à Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, assassiné plus tôt cette année-là. En l'honneur de l'apôtre de la non-violence, le prix fut laissé sans lauréat.
 . En 1958, Boris Pasternak fut contraint, sous la pression du gouvernement de l'Union soviétique, à refuser le prix Nobel de littérature.
 . En 1964, Jean-Paul Sartre refusa le prix Nobel de littérature, comme il avait toujours refusé tous les honneurs officiels dans le passé.
  En 1973, Lê Đức Thọ refusa le prix Nobel de la paix arguant qu'il ne le méritait pas, car même s'il avait aidé à négocier les accords de paix de Paris (un cessez-le-feu dans la guerre du Viêt Nam), aucun accord réel de paix n'avait été obtenu.
  En 2010, Liu Xiaobo n'a pas pu recevoir le prix Nobel de la paix étant alors en prison condamné par les autorités chinoises à une peine de 11 ans d'emprisonnement.
  Le prix de la Banque de Suède en sciences économiques en mémoire d'Alfred Nobel n'est pas exactement un prix Nobel (l'économie n'apparaît pas dans le testament d'Alfred Nobel), mais est géré par la fondation Nobel suivant les mêmes règles que pour les autres prix.

Références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Liste des lauréats du prix Nobel par pays
 Liste des lauréats du prix Nobel par université

Liens externes
 Site internet officiel de l'Académie royale suédoise des Sciences, en anglais
 Site internet officiel de la Fondation Nobel, en anglais
 Base de données téléchargeables des lauréats du prix Nobel, en anglais

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Once Two-Factor Authentication is active, you'll enter your authenticator code each time you log into your CallRail account. Each user in your account is able to set up Two-Factor Authentication for their login. Devices will be remembered for 30 days, so there's no need to use Two-Factor Authentication each time you log in on a device that has been used before.
If you incorrectly enter your password or authentication code five times, your login will be locked for five minutes. After five minutes has passed, you can retry your username and password to access your account. If you incorrectly enter your password or authentication code five more times, your login will be locked for an hour. The lock only applies to your username, and won't affect account settings, other users in your account, or your call routing.
If you choose to set up Two-Factor Authentication using a text message, CallRail will text a code to your phone each time you log into your account. You'll use this code to verify your access and log into your account.
Choose My Information from the Manage list in the left menu.
Turn the toggle to ON in the Two-Factor Authentication section.
Enter your password to confirm your access, then click Submit.
Select In a text message to receive your authentication code via text each time you log into your account.
Enter the mobile number where we should send your code each time, then click Next: Confirm Access.
You'll receive a text message to the number you provided in step 6. Enter that code into the Authentication Code field, then click Next: Complete Setup.
You'll see a confirmation screen to let you know your login is set up successfully to use two-factor authentication.
If you choose to set up Two-Factor Authentication using a third-party app, you'll use a code generated by your app to verify your access and log into your account.
Select In an authenticator app to use a code generated your authenticator app to log into your account.
Use your authenticator app to verify your device. You can scan the QR Code presented on this step, or enter the Manual Key generated by CallRail. Then, click Next: Confirm Access.
Your authenticator app will generate a code for you to enter and to confirm your device. Enter that code into the Authentication Code field, then click Next: Complete Setup.
You'll see a confirmation screen to let you know your login has set up successfully to use two-factor authentication.
Use these instructions to disable Two-Factor Authentication for your login.
Turn the toggle to OFF in the Two-Factor Authentication section.
Enter your password to confirm your access, then click Disable.


Based on my experience of working with Debra from C & D Group I would not hesitate to recommend her to others. She has provided high quality staff for us to choose from according to our needs, which she has taken the time to get to know and understand. If she is working on an assignment for us she will always keep me informed of her progress. Her personal touch and attention to detail is excellent and it has been a pleasure working with her.


text:
using System;

namespace GraphExec
{
    public abstract class BaseBehaviorProvider<TResult> : IBehaviorProvider<TResult>
    {
        public virtual Func<TResult> GetBehavior()
        {
            return this.Func;
        }

        protected abstract TResult Func();
    }

    public abstract class BaseBehaviorProvider<TResult, TProviderInfo> : IBehaviorProvider<TResult, TProviderInfo>
        where TProviderInfo : BaseProviderInfo, new()
    {
        public virtual Func<TResult> GetBehavior(TProviderInfo info)
        {
            return this.Func;
        }

        protected abstract TResult Func();
    }

    public abstract class BaseBehaviorProvider<TResult, TBehaviorInfo, TProviderInfo> : IBehaviorProvider<TResult, TBehaviorInfo, TProviderInfo>
        where TProviderInfo : BaseProviderInfo, new()
        where TBehaviorInfo : BaseBehaviorInfo, new()
    {
        public virtual Func<TBehaviorInfo, TResult> GetBehavior(TProviderInfo info)
        {
            return this.Func;
        }

        protected abstract TResult Func(TBehaviorInfo info);
    }

}


text:
Home » Browse Books » Browse Books: Juvenile Fiction / Activity Books
Browse Books: Juvenile Fiction / Activity Books
Where's Bluey?: A Search-and-Find Book (Paperback)
By Penguin Young Readers Licenses
The Captain Underpants Double-Crunchy Book o' Fun: Color Edition (From the Creator of Dog Man) (Hardcover)
By Dav Pilkey, Dav Pilkey (Illustrator)
LEGO Harry Potter: A Magical Search and Find Adventure (Activity book with Snape Minifigure) (Novelty book)
By Ameet Studio, Ameet Studio (Illustrator)
Where's Waldo? (Paperback)
By Martin Handford, Martin Handford (Illustrator)
Winnie the Pooh's Giant Lift the-Flap (Winnie-the-Pooh) (Board book)
By A. A. Milne, Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator)
Official Wings of Fire Coloring Book (Paperback)
By Brianna C. Walsh (Illustrator), Tui T. Sutherland (Text by)
I Spy School Days: A Book of Picture Riddles (Hardcover)
By Jean Marzollo, Walter Wick (Illustrator)
My First Big Book of Unicorns (My First Big Book of Coloring) (Paperback)
By Little Bee Books
Forge Your Dragon World: A Wings of Fire Creative Guide (Wings of Fire Graphix) (Hardcover)
By Tui T. Sutherland, Mike Holmes (Illustrator)
Where's Waldo Now? (Where's Waldo?) (Paperback)
My First Big Book of Dinosaurs (My First Big Book of Coloring) (Paperback)
Where's Waldo? The Fantastic Journey (Paperback)
Juvenile Fiction / Activity Books


After tumbling for 5 straight weeks, back below 200k for the first time in almost 50 years, initial jobless claims exploded higher last week... This is the biggest spike in 18 months... We wonder what the green-shooters will blame this on? Weather? Mueller Report? Tax Day? Or could it be the real economy finally hitting the seasonally-adjusted claims data debacle?


My brother Justin and I at the foul pole in right field.
My brother Justin, and I in front of the Yankee's dugout.
Amy and I post race.
After the warning track came the harder portions of the race, climbing and descending stairs to the other concourses. It was a lot of fun, but definitely not something you practice as a runner.
We certainly didn't win this race, and well never planned to. We had a great time, and enjoyed the experience. Maybe next year I will run more competitively.


"The Jazz Pop I mentioned? Kirabelle Frabotta and Brian Thibault give us the original "Hipster Holidaze", which plays off "Carol Of The Bells" a bit. And, cats and kittens, this one's a keeper. In all likelihood, the single best track on the compilation. Just mesmerizing. "Hipster Holidaze" will bring the cool to your Christmas collection and/or gathering.
this one should make the whole thing worthwhile."
When I heard "Hipster Holidaze", it sounded to me like a hybrid of two songs--"Carol Of The Bells"
and ... "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck. I could be completely wrong on all of it, but those were the two songs "Hipster Holidaze" brought to my head. I feel so much better now."
Those are the highlights, in my humble opinion, but if something else tickles your fancy, that's cool. And, by the way, where do I go to get a fancy and why would I want to tickle it? "Firebreathmas 2015: The Wrap Album" is "name your price" at Bandcamp.
I discovered this jazzy, Nashville-newbie on the floor of Myridia's make-shift stage for the weekly, Wednesday writer's night. She stepped up to the microphone like the rest, told endearing stories like the rest, but when the time came to sing, something happened that was quite different from the rest.
Kira Frabotta sounds like Norah Jones and Regina Spektor spun on a 40′s record player.
She brings fresh energy to an old sound.
One bad day of teaching kindergarten in Detroit set this highland-dancing, northerner on the road for Nashville. Dangling on the precipice of a 2-year lease and a longer standing relationship that would tie her to her hometown left only one thought in her mind: I can't do that. I can't be here for two more years.
In hind sight, she said the impulsive decision to leave her home and pursue her dream in a city where she knew no one was one of the best moves she has made.
So she roamed all the way to music city.
Between different jobs she has found herself having the most fun playing her music on busy street corners.
"I can make some gas money and meet really cool people." Where that source of income falls short, it is definitely made up for in the connections she has made with passers-by. As any good musician should, she thrives on the intimacy found in bringing people together and sharing time and words with strangers. Her classic, soulful sound follows in her wake, wherever she may go.
Kira also works at Goorin Bros., a hat shop in downtown. This has become the birth place for a lot of her ukulele melodies. At slow points throughout her shift, she loves to crack open her instrument's case and pluck out harmonies for a few customers. An older man who lives above the shop meandered downstairs one day and began asking her about her ukulele. After inquisitive banter, she came to discover that he knew more about her favorite instrument than she. A collector (of over a decade) of ukuleles himself, they took to the new mutual connection and have learned from one another and had a jam session or two when he re appears in the shop.
Kira's passion for meeting new people and experiencing new places is contagious. Even sitting here reminiscing her days of dancing to highland music in Scotland makes my heart ache to return. From Hungary to Austria, the Czech Republic to Eastern Europe, Kira has seen and fancied many places, but her love for traveling began early on when she dedicated her Highland dancing days to her deceased Scottish grandfather.
She first visited the land of Scots when competing for Highland Dancing in Perth. Her brother plays the bagpipes like a native-bred highlander, himself. Most of Kira's competitive dancing kept in her mostly in Canada, a place she frequented almost every weekend. She joked with me about how the border guards must have known her by name.
She has pushed forward from a lot of difficulties that life has a tendency to bring; a monumental challenge of her's involves the tricky nature of dealing with her own gender. A few unsavory, coup d'etat experiences with other girls has left her befriending a majority of easier-going males.
Kira doesn't seem like one much for drama, either. This is the girl who would most like to spend her time on a tour bus in the "swingin' era" without air conditioning, traveling around sharing her music and turning strangers into friends.
Kira can not stay out of this scene. She even worked as a flapper girl for a historical company and performed arrangements and trios from the 20s. She is soulful and eclectic by nature, but don't be fooled by her easy demeanor. Kira is also the first to volunteer for an impromptu ultimate frisbee match, going out for a run or dancing.


Maps Mania: Street View - But is it Art?
There are quite a few websites that collect fun and interesting finds from Google Street View. None of them however find quite so many beautiful shots as Apres Garde.
Matt Bucher recently wrote a guest post for Google Sightseeing explaining the rationale behind his personal choice of Street View images. He certainly does seem to have a good eye for the artistic shots captured by the Street View cameras.
I'm sure Apres Garde would be a great source of inspiration to the Street View artists out there. Such as Lehel Kovács, an Hungarian designer uses Google Street View as the starting point for his cityscapes.
Similarly, if you wish to take part in Bill Guffrey's Virtual Paintout I'm sure Apres Garde will get your creative juices flowing.
The Virtual Paintout is a blog that encourages the use of Google Street View as a resource for virtually travelling the world to find interesting locations and subjects to paint. Each month Bill sets a location and participants have to find an appropriate Street View from that location and paint the found image.


Today is the start of Week 30 in the quest to read 52 books in 52 weeks and should have you starting book # 31. We are more than halfway through the year and halfway towards our goal of reading 52 books for the year.
"How's summer treating you? Have you been reading? Are you trying to make more time to read? Let us know what you've been reading or what you hope to get to this month."
I discovered Karen Rose a couple years back and love her writing. So when the opportunity came up to review "I Can See You" for Hachette Books, I jumped on it. As Shanra would say "Squeeee." It will be released on August 5th so will be reading it soon and reviewing.
I'm also reading "Teaching the Trivium" by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn which is chockful of tools for homeschooling, plus it contains a text of Dorothy Sayer's Lost Tools of Learning written back in 1947. Still very apropos to today and full of wisdom.
Atlantis Revelation by Thomas Greanias.
I'm a bit of a mood reader and there are so many books on my nightstand calling my name. I've been trying to work through the oldest first and trying not to buy too many new books. Looking at the books, it looks like I've managed to get through all the older ones, so now all the books are fair game now. OY! I was very good for a couple months and bought hardly anything at all. This month the temptation has been too hard to resist, especially when Amazon has their buy 3 and get the 4th one for free special offers.
To see what everyone else has been reading or planning to read, click on over to 5 minutes for books.
What books on your nightstand are calling your name this month?


you have even searched the internet for the best "deals". If you have ever wondered about this or maybe even purchased skin care products from an online retailer be warned that you may not be getting the quality product that you think you are getting.
Why is Diversion a Risk for Customers?
Skinceuticals and their authorized retailers are committed to providing safe and effective formulations. While diverted products are often sold at a discounted price, they can be counterfeit, diluted formulas, or old, expired formulas that may not be safe to use. This means if you buy products from any other outlet other than the official Skinceuticals website or an authorized retailer, it cannot be guarantee that they are authentic SkinCeuticals products that will perform as tested.
The websites listed below who claim to sell SkinCeuticals products have no relationship with the company and are not authorized retailers.
Essence Laser & Wellness takes pride in retailing authentic medical grade Skinceuticals products, upholding the highest quality standards possible.


I've recently worked with Profile Books and came up with this cover for Mark Stevenson's new book about looking at the future positively. The page turn is part of the cover.
Andy's work combines illustration and typography to create images that have humour, energy and optimism and all are executed with a handmade, hand-printed, tactile feel. Quirky cha… Show more.
Send a message directly to Andy Smith.
Andy's work combines illustration and typography to create images that have humour, energy and optimism and all are executed with a handmade, hand-printed, tactile feel. Quirky characters find themselves in absurd situations, often with a large piece of lettering nearby. He lives and pretends to work in Hastings, UK.


text:
Harefield – dzielnica miasta Southampton, w Anglii, w Hampshire, w dystrykcie (unitary authority) Southampton. W 2011 osada liczyła 14 035 mieszkańców.

Przypisy

Wsie w hrabstwie Hampshire
Southampton


Just chicken vegetable soup. I really enjoy soup season. Fall, winter, and spring here in NYC is prime soup season for me and my wife. And we always know that soup season has kicked off with aplomb once I've made the first chicken soup of the season. It's almost a "Soup Season Tradition" for us. Perhaps we should call it that.
One of the things that I like the most about Soup Season is the use of spices. I do a lot of steak with nothing but turmeric or pepper. I like the flavor of steak, and only really want to hide that flavor with spices when I'm making something "fancy". But when it comes to soups, it's all about the spices! Of course, you don't just grab a random handful of spice jars and just use them. You carefully, artfully choose the spices you're going to include in order to maximize your enjoyment, and the specific flavors, of the dish. Today's key players are: fresh sliced lemongrass, fresh chopped rosemary, and turmeric (sorry, not fresh).
1. In the soup pot, add the chicken and several cups of water and cook on high, covered.
2. Slice the lemongrass first, and add it to the soup as it is ready, followed by adding the turmeric, then chopping up the rosemary and adding it to the pot.
3. Let the chicken and spices cook for 5-10 minutes, on high heat, before adding anything else to the pot.
Note: This is a good time to prepare the other vegetables.
4. After the chicken has had some time to cook through, add the carrots, fennel, and mushrooms to the soup, as well as refreshing the water. Always make sure that there is more than enough water to fully submerge all of the ingredients (keeping in mind, of course, that the vegetables float…).
5. Allow another 5-10 minutes of cook time, then uncover the pot and using a serving fork and some tongs, fish out the chicken chunks, and shred the chicken back in to the pot, leaving it as shredded as you have the patience to make it. I do this instead of cutting it in to chunks, because I like the texture of the shredded chicken much better than chunks of it.
6. About 15 minutes before meal time add the remaining ingredients to the soup. Again, refresh the water in the soup so that there is plenty of water to cover all of the vegetables.
7. Just before serving, add the salt and pepper, and increase the water of the soup to the point that there's the right amount of broth to suit your tastes (some people like a lot of broth, some people like less…). And serve and enjoy!
Do you ever forget something right as you're about to say it? Or write it?
When you do chicken soup, which spices do you use?
Do you prefer your chicken soup to be a "slow-cooked" meal, or something you throw together in a quick 30-minute prep session, just before dinner time?
What meal really personifies the beginning of soup season for you?
Chicken soup really reminds me of comfort food. I remember when I had CRAZY food poisoning… My mother would make me chicken soup with LOADS of chicken and kale, that's it. And it REALLY HELPED!!! Oh PS: My mother doesn't cook so the fact that she made me this soup means SHE LOVES ME! lol!
Proof, real proof, that your mother loves you: Totally awesome! Better than Awesomesauce awesome!
Yeah, chicken soup is definitely a serious comfort food! When we're in a comfort food mood, I make up a huge pot and just leave it on the stove. We re-heat it and add new ingredients every night for several nights in a row. It's great!
I looks like Indonesian Soto 😀 but I'm sure it taste very different!
Soto is quite herbal tasting. It contains Laos (greater galangal root), turmeric root, coriander seed, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, shallot, etc.
That sounds like a really nice vegetable soup!
Typically when we do chicken soup at the beginning of the season, we'll make a huge pot and leave it on the stove for a week or so; reheating it and adding new ingredients each night. By the time we get to 3-4 days, we've gone through several different strong seasonings like garlic, rosemary, and lemongrass, and the remaining flavors are amazingly complex!
Hmm… Sage sounds like a great idea in chicken soup!


text:
Ken, Kenny or Kenneth Robinson may refer to:

Political figures
Kenneth Robinson (British politician) (1911–1996), British Labour politician
J. Kenneth Robinson (1916–1990), U.S. Representative from Virginia
Ken Robinson (Canadian politician) (1927–1991), Canadian lawyer, barrister and Liberal Member of Parliament
Ken Robinson (Northern Ireland politician) (born 1942), Northern Ireland Unionist politician

Others
Ken Robinson (field hockey) (born 1971), retired field hockey player from New Zealand
Kenneth N. Robinson, member of the First Presidency of the Community of Christ
Kenneth Robinson (cricketer) (1897–1963), English cricketer and Royal Navy officer
Kenneth Robinson (broadcaster) (1925-1994), English radio broadcaster
Kenneth Robinson (historian), British civil servant and academic
Ken Robinson (priest) (1936–2020), Anglican priest
Ken Robinson (computer scientist) (1938–2020), Australian computer scientist
Ken Robinson (educationalist) (1950–2020), author, speaker, and international advisor on education
Ken Robinson (athlete) (born 1963), American former sprinter
Kenny Robinson (American football) (born 1999), American football safety
Kenny Robinson (comedian), Canadian stand-up comic, actor, and DJ
Kenny Robinson (baseball) (1969–1999), American pitcher in Major League Baseball

See also
Robinson (name)


text:
iTunes 11 Delayed
Major Exec Shake-Ups at Apple Today
Apple Puts Up Court-Mandated Samsung Apology Page
10 years ago 10 months ago
by Mel 10 years ago 10 months ago
A few months ago, a U.K. court judge decided against Apple's charges of Samsung of copying the design of the Apple iPad in designing the Galaxy tablet. The U.K. courts then ordered Apple to come out with a public statement that exonerates Samsung from the charges of copying Apple. This statement was to be published on Apple's official website and in print publications in the U.K. Apple has appealed the ruling saying that the page will ruin its site's look and it will serve as competitor advertising being put up on the Apple site. The appeal has been turned down, however.
Apple has finally complied with the ruling and has put up a page with its official statement. The ruling was justified by the courts as a way of helping lessen or eliminate the negative impact of Apple's charges on Samsung's reputation. Apple has complied with the ruling as well as with the minor changes that came as a result of the failed appeal. The page is now located at a place of Apple's choosing and the original six-month period has been reduced to just one month.
You can visit the public statement page by clicking on a link that says "Samsung/Apple UK Judgement". The legal-judgement page is a very spartan affair that doesn't have an iota of Apple branding. You wouldn't even know that it's a page from the Apple site unless you look at the URL.
The short, five paragraph statement mentions the ruling succinctly and, in a brilliant move of double speak and brilliant word play, manages to make Samsung sound like an uncool competitor that is still a copycat imitator as seen by the rest of the world.
Posted by Mel


text:
Consumer Watchdog
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Privacy & Technology
Submit a Consumer Complaint
8 years ago By
Washington, DC – Insurance salespeople are on Capitol Hill today lobbying Congress to support a bill that would gut federal health reform cost-saving rules and increase consumer health insurance premiums to protect brokers' sales commissions. The top three lobby associations representing insurance agents and brokers gave members of Congress $3.18 million in the 2010 election cycle, and two-thirds of those contributions went to Republicans, according to data reported by the Center for Responsive Politics.
The sponsors of the legislation on behalf of insurance agents and brokers, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Rep. John Barrow (D-GA), received $16,000 and $12,500 respectively from the insurance sales lobby associations in the last election cycle. House Speaker John Boehner made a keynote address to kick off the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America's Lobby Day this morning. Boehner received $48,000 in campaign contributions from the three insurance sales associations in the last election cycle.
The insurance sales groups spent $3.9 million lobbying Congress last year and lobbying expenditures have likely increased in 2011, said Consumer Watchdog, citing reports that at least one of the groups has hired outside lobbyists at Ernst & Young to build support for the legislation.
"This bill is not a small change to an isolated piece of the health reform law. It is an attack on health reform's central requirement that insurance companies eliminate excessive overhead spending and profits," said Carmen Balber, Washington director for Consumer Watchdog. "If Congress approves this special interest legislation, it will eliminate one of the few provisions in health reform that is meant to make health insurance more affordable. Consumers will pay more in health insurance premiums and lose out on one and a half billion dollars in rebates."
Federal health reform requires insurance companies to spend 80 percent or 85 percent of premiums on health care instead of administrative costs or profits. Reps. Rogers and Barrett introduced HR 1206 to change the federal health reform law and allow insurance companies to exclude insurance sales commissions from their administrative cost limit of 15 percent to 20 percent when calculating how much they spend on actual health care.
Investment analysts calculate that under the current law, health insurers would be required to pay up to $1.5 billion in rebates to consumers, or reduce premiums to avoid rebates. By excluding a substantial administrative cost from the administration vs. health care calculation, the legislation would effectively take the rebate money from consumers, allowing insurance brokers and agents to keep higher commissions and insurance companies to maintain higher profits.
"Health insurance brokers and agents get percentage commissions from insurers, so their income has presumably risen in tandem with the 134% average rate increase in health insurance over the last decade," said Judy Dugan, research director of Consumer Watchdog. "They want to keep all those outsized gains, rather than face any pay cut by insurers that are trimming overhead to comply with the law."
The broker legislation would deal a death blow to one of health reform's most important consumer protections, said Consumer Watchdog. The insurance agent and broker associations support conservative plans to fully repeal the health reform law.
The organizations included in the Consumer Watchdog analysis of campaign contribution and lobbying expenditures are the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America and the National Association of Health Underwriters.
Download Consumer Watchdog's detailed comments on the legislation, made in a letter to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), at: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/naiccomment3-21-11.pdf
Consumer Watchdog is a nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization with offices in Washington, D.C. and Santa Monica, CA. Find us on the web at: http://www.ConsumerWatchdog.org
Gov Newsom Fires Top Oil Regulator & Institutes Sweeping Ethics Review of Agency In Response To Watchdog Report of Conflicts
Watchdogs Call For Resignations & Permit Freeze As California Oil Regulators Approve Surge In Well Permits While Personally Invested In Oil Companies
Insurance Commissioner Lara Gives Insurance Industry Money Back, But Questions Remain About Circumstances Of Influence-Peddling At Agency
Wildfire Legislation On Track or Train Wreck?
Take Action to Demand New Rules Requiring Real-time Disclosure of Lawmaker Getaways with Special Interests
File a Consumer Complaint
Half a Nickel: How California Consumers Get Ripped Off On Every Bottle Deposit They Pay.
Betting Against the House: How California's Leaders Could Gamble Away Our Energy Future On A Western Power Trading Casino
The Price of Pickel: The LADWP's Ratepayer Watchdog Comes With A $7 Billion Price Tag
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The documents handed over by the United States to India in connection with the probe into the plot to carry out terror strikes on American and Israeli consulates in the South have established communication between Sakir Hussain, undergoing jail term in the case, and 'Shahjee', a Pakistani national introduced to the accused allegedly by a Pakistani diplomat working in Colombo.
The national Investigation Agency, which has carried out the probe into the conspiracy meticulously, had sent a request under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to the US for details from service provider whose email was being used by Hussain to communicate to his handler in Sri Lanka.
reconnaissance of the US consulate in Chennai and Israeli consulate in Bengaluru to facilitate a terror strike similar to 26/11.
For this, two terrorists were to be flown in from Maldives. Hussain had named Amir Zubair Siddiqui, who was working as Visa Counsellor at Pakistan high commission based in Colombo till some time back but had to be repatriated to Islamabad after India mounted pressure on Sri Lanka about his alleged activities targeting this country.
Pakistan, however, maintains that he was shifted after completing his tenure in Colombo. During his questioning, Hussain had named one 'Shahjee' who was introduced to him by Siddiqui and all the meetings took place in hotels at Colombo.
request under the MLAT showed that the account was being operated by 'Shahjee' who had provided the name while registering with the email account, official sources said.
There have been email communications with some email addresses in Pakistan and even personal account of Siddiqui, the sources said. The email account is also alleged to have been operated under the internet protocol address of the Pakistan high commission in Colombo, the sources claimed.
Late last year, the name of 'Shahjee' again surfaced after the NIA arrested Arun Selvarajan in Chennai and allegedly recovered some incriminating documents including layout plans of country's defence establishment like the Coast Guards complex.
strategic locations to the Inter-Services Intelligence handlers based in Colombo who were allegedly operating from the Pakistan high commission, the sources said.
Selvarajan again named Siddiqui and 'Shahjee' as his handler and said that his business had been in shambles when he was approached by the two Pakistani officials for allegedly carrying out espionage activities in India, the sources said.
Siddiqui and 'Shahjee' were not new names for the Intelligence Bureau as they had cropped up earlier in 2012-13 when security agencies picked up one Tameem Ansari, a frequent flier from Trichy to Colombo.
Ansari was arrested after six months of surveillance in 2012. India has already sent its request under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in this case to Sri Lankan authorities last year to help in questioning and gathering evidence from the Island nation.
Ansari was a small trader who sent, among other things, potatoes and onions to Sri Lanka. After reverses in business, Ansai came in touch with Haji, a Tamil-speaking Muslim from Colombo who is alleged to have introduced him to Siddiqui in the Pakistan mission in Colombo, and 'Shahjee'.


text:
Take Two — They're Small!
On December 1, 2014 By angeliquejamailIn books, Cyber Monday deals, ebook, fantasy, fiction, Finis., literature, magic realism
I just had to get in on the Cyber Monday thing. Finis. is on sale for the holiday season! Only $2.99! And what a great virtual stocking stuffer it makes. 😉
cover design by Lauren Volness
Where all can you find it? (And note that several new distribution channels have come online, listed below.)
Amazon — If you want the links for countries outside the USA, leave a comment below indicating which one, and I'll happily provide it.
Apple's iBooks Store — If you want the links for countries other than the USA, leave a comment below indicating which ones, and I'll happily provide it.
Baker & Taylor's Blio
Oyster Books
While you're browsing around, feel free (if you've already read Finis.) to leave a review. I love hearing from my readers!
And just to whet your appetite, here's an excerpt from the story, the first chapter:
ELSA'S PARENTS and sister have become meaner than usual, and her cat, Jonas, resents her. She has a nagging concern he wants to eat her.
"He bit me again this morning — I woke up to find half the toes on my left foot in his mouth! I kicked him away but he just came back, all fangs and hissing, till I locked him in the coat closet."
But that's only the beginning, Elsa tries to explain to her cousin Gerard. She has to speak in short bursts: he's conducting his water exercises, his head bobbing in and out of the water in orderly arcs. She knew she'd be interrupting his routine, but this morning's episode has brought things to a head. On her way to work, anxiety commandeered her every thought and movement. Before she could catch her breath, she found herself tearing through Gerard's garden gate and rushing to his salt-water pool.
"Oh, Elsa," he says, his feet spiraling around a large stalk of kelp just below the water's surface. He runs a watery hand across his spiky brown hair, and brine curls down his back. "What are you going to do?"
"What's even worse, my landlord left another threat-of-eviction notice today." She sets her briefcase down near a baby potted corpse flower and ventures closer to the pool. "I've done nothing wrong. My rent is always on time. I'm a quiet, orderly tenant. I thought getting a cat would mollify the building association, but unless I become a cat, I don't think it'll help."
Gerard dunks, flips neatly into a ball, and spins back up; he swims to where she stands at the edge of the pool and rises. "Have you had any hints of your self?" He looks at her carefully, scrutinizing, and she wants to shrink into the empty void of mediocrity. Still, his voice is tender. "Anything at all?"
"No," she murmurs, mesmerized by the ripples his body makes, the way the water slaps against the side of the pool and then laps backward over itself, folding the brine under to dissolve in a never-ending cycle of thrash and renewal.
"I'm not sure I approve of where you're living, anyway. Those nasty gangs — I read about them in the newspaper. Packs attacking Plain Ones right and left, even children."
"I saw that, too. They usually go for adults, though — people who ought to have blossomed by now." Her shame for the disgrace she's caused her family burns on her face.
Gerard smiles. "Come in for a swim. You'll feel better." He shoots backward through the water, darkened spiny ridges flashing on his skin.
She almost wants to but imagines how painful it would be. "I can't," she says, then makes an excuse. "Work."
"Of course. The monster."
"I've never been a swimmer, anyway." Even standing for too long in the shower makes her skin feel prickly and sore; she usually just soaps up before turning the water on and then washes her hair in the sink. "I think I'm allergic to water."
He laughs. "Off you go, then. See you later –" His words bubble as he dives backward.
Elsa trudges out the gate, hardly even waving back at the friendly centaur trimming his hedges next door.
Fashion Friday 11/21/14
Women Writers Wednesday 12/3/14


This progress report describes the early stages of the development of a vacuum cleaner robot prototype, both on hardware and software point of view. At this stage of the project the hardware installed is only the one needed for obstacle avoidance, the mechanical platform on which the hardware lies is a circle of wood with a diameter of 25 cm, with a hole in the middle where the vacuum cleaner fan is attached. This initial hardware is successfully running simple algorithms for obstacle and stairs avoidance.
The future capabilities of the robot are also discussed, namely: more elaborated algorithms for obstacle and stairs avoidance, collision detection mechanism and some other behaviors such as fan motor overload (equal to bag full of trash) and low batteries (search for charging station).
Robotic Vacuum Cleaner is developed to make cleaning process easier especially for working people.
This Robotic Vacuum Cleaner is designed for specific area such as under beds.
In our project we use Pic18f4620 microcontroller with 4MH frequency.
In our project we used port C to control movement and speed of motors and we connect also sensors to port A for using ADC.
In our project we use two dc motors with 500mA, each motor controls two wheels hbridge L293B is used.
Act as sensing component to the environment. For Vacuum Cleaner Robot, sensors are used to detect obstacles.
Ultrasonic type of Ez0 and it detects objects from 0-inches to 254-inches (6.45-meters) and provides sonar range information from 6-inches out to 254-inches with 1-inch resolution.
The main power supply in our circuit is rechargeable dc battery connected to mc7805ct regulator, and it provides 500mA to motors with 8V.
One last question, I've noticed on a few other blogs/reviews that a lot of people get the tools free from the manufacturer to review. Will you tell me how I too can participate in that?
The autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner has been for sale for a while now and is growing more intelligent and intuitive every year.
This is cool! How far away can it detect the obstacles along the path?
bestrobotvacuums find their way around the home by utilizing a few basic formulas. Other makes of robot vacuum cleaner actually map out rooms and store the information, while others have dust detectors.


Greece was so much more than I expected. Greece truly has something for everyone; food, culture, beaches, and history. In February, my friends and I ventured off to Greece to spend a few days in Athens and a couple days in Santorini. We stayed in an Airbnb in both locations. Our first night we roamed the streets of Athens in search of Greek food. We were not disappointed. We found a restaurant which was walking distance to the house, where we dined on Greek salads, lamb chops, souvlaki, and baklava. We left with full bellies and broad smiles before heading to the movie theater to watch the Greek debut of Black Panther.
I have always enjoyed Greek food but authentic Greek food does not compare to what you can find in the U.S. Pretty much every day I indulged in Gyros and gelato. Greece, in comparison to other European countries, is quite affordable. Food is extremely reasonable in Greece. A gyros will can cost anywhere from $3-6$. Our host recommended the restaurant Thanasis, which was divine! The yogurt kabab is a must! It would be completely possible to spend only $20 a day on food. The gelato in Athens is quite tasty as well. I found the gelato in Athens to be just as delicious as the gelato in Italy. They have many unique flavors which you won't find anywhere else.
Athens is definitely a walkable city but Uber is also available. Ermou is a pedestrian walking street where you can find lots of shops and restaurants. You can also walk up to the Acropolis from Ermou Street. At night the Acropolis is illuminated which is an amazing sight to behold.
If you have only a couple days in Athens, but want to see the major sights in a short period of time, be sure to book a walking tour. Most European cities offer free walking tours. The walking tour of Athens lasted about 2 hours and we were able to see the major sights like the Acropolis, Plaka, Flea market, Parthenon, and Syntagma Square.
After we ate our way through Athens, we ventured off to Santorini. The weather in Santorini was warmer than Athens which was a nice change. February is the winter in Greece but the temperatures did not fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. When we arrived at our home in Santorini, our host informed us we would need a rental car to explore more of the island. Our Airbnb was close to the airport and about 15 mins away from the city center of the island. Although Santorini is not a large island, if you're not staying near Oia or Thira, you may have a hard time getting around. There are taxis and Uber available but eventually multiple trips can add up quickly. The airport in Santorini is quite small and basically you can only get a rental car when flights are arriving or departing. Our first night we went to the restaurant Taverna Galini, which was in walking distance from the home. The food was delectable; especially the baklava and Greek salad.
The next day in Santorini we went in search of the blue dome which is featured in most pictures of Santorini. For lunch we went to a restaurant which specialized in Gyros. Santorini in February is low season, therefore many restaurants and shops weren't open. However, if you want to avoid the crowds, February is definitely a good choice.
Overall we had a great time in Greece! I would go back in a heartbeat! Have you been to Greece? Tell me about your experience!
Next Post Destination Wedding Do's!!!


text:
Why did the USSR enter Afghanistan?
Soviet troops coming back from Afghanistan, 1989. Not everyone in the Russian military was happy enough to come back alive.
Sputnik/Sputnik
The USSR deployed military forces following a direct request by the Afghan government. The move would eventually only be applauded by the U.S as Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev became mired in his own 'Vietnam'.
No one knows how exactly Hafizulla Amin, the Afghan leader, died. Some claim he shot himself, others say an Afghan officer killed him. One thing is known for sure: it happened the night Soviet Special Forces stormed his well-guarded residential stronghold, the Tajbeg Palace, on Dec. 27, 1979.
It was the first major sign of Soviet involvement in Afghanistan's internecine war. Between Dec. 25 and 27, Soviet battalions moved into the country taking control of the capital, Kabul and beginning what would turn into 10 years of military operations. What's usually forgotten is the fact that it wasn't an invasion. Amin basically begged Brezhnev 19 times to send in the troops. The reasons are complex.
Unwanted victory
Day after the Saur Revolution, when a pro-Soviet party seized power in Afghanistan.
Cleric77/Wikipedia
Paradoxically, when the pro-Soviet People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) seized power through a coup (the Saur revolution of April 1978), Moscow party bosses were not happy. "Previously, Soviet policy was aimed at keeping Afghanistan neutral," historian Nikita Mendkovich, explains.
The Cold War was at its height and neutral Afghanistan seemed to offer a good buffer between the Central Asian republics of the USSR and adversary states: Pakistan, Iran and China. After the PDRA took power, all these states and the West perceived it as a threat of communism spreading southwards, to the oil-rich Middle East. They acted accordingly: supported the opposition, including armed Islamist rebels.
Socialists mess up
Afghani socialists celebrating victory, 1979.
Valentin Sobolev/TASS
Nur Muhammad Taraki, the first PDRA head of state, failed to find a common language with his people. A hard-line leftist, Taraki started social and economic reforms by dividing land among peasants (which infuriated richer farmers), abolishing Shariah law and sending girls to school (enraging hardcore Islamists).
"Come visit us in a year and you'll find our mosques empty," Taraki boasted to KGB official Vladimir Kryuchkov in July 1978. He bragged that Afghanistan, a poor rural country, would within a couple of years, match hard-earned Soviet achievements in free education and medicine, universal literacy and heavy industry. Events proved otherwise: the next year the mosques were still full, the country shattered by civil war and Taraki was dead.
Leonid Brezhnev and General Secretary of The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan Nur Muhammad Taraki.
Vladimir Musaelyan, Alexey Stuzhin/TASS
It wasn't rebels who had their way with Taraki but his right-hand man, Defense Minister, Hafizulla Amin: on Sept. 16, 1979, he overthrew Taraki; later his men suffocated Taraki with a pillow. Taking control of the party, Amin continued to wage war against the Islamists (known in the West as the Mujahideen) and maintained good relations with the USSR. Or so he thought.
To invade or not to invade
Soviet soldiers are showing their military equipment to Afghan paratroopers.
Valeriy Shustov/Sputnik
Just a couple of months before entering Afghanistan, the Soviet Politburo resolutely ruled out the move. "The only way we can guarantee the Afghan revolution does not fail is by sending in the troops, but we absolutely can't do that. Too high a risk," Yuri Andropov, KGB chief and future Soviet leader, said in March 1979 during talks on the first of the 19 requests from Taraki and later Amin to deploy Soviet military forces in the country.
Andropov's position was unanimously supported, even though Taraki and Amin insisted that without Soviet support the country would be lost to the Islamists, whose ideology found favor with many Afghanis; and whose rebel forces enjoyed foreign financial support from the U.S., China, Iran and Pakistan (which also supplied fighters). Moscow resolved to support the Afghan government with military supplies - weapons and instructors - but not troops, and did so between March and December 1979.
Trying not to lose
What made the Politburo change its mind? Geopolitics: Brezhnev and his colleagues were afraid of losing Afghanistan. By late 1979, an anti-government coalition held 18 of 26 Afghan provinces, central government's armed forces were teetering on the brink of disintegration and there were fears the country could soon fall under Islamist control. Afghanistan was simply too important to fail.
The Mujahedeen - Islamist fighters who opposed the USSR and pro-Soviet government in 1979-1989.
Brezhnev reasoned that if Afghanistan had been taken over by Islamists or pro-Western militias this would have posed a threat to the USSR's Central Asian republics, where border areas in both Afghanistan and the USSR were home to ethnic Tajiks and Uzbeks who were easy prey for absorption into the ranks of the Mujahideen. "Central Asia, with its Islamic heritage, was considered less Soviet and foreign influence was seen as a big threat," Mendkovich writes.
If Afghanistan's pro-Soviet government lost the fight against the Islamists, there would have been a risk or Chinese or American military bases appearing in the country, posing a threat to multiple strategic sites. Unprepared to confront such risks, the Politburo reasoned that military action was the lesser of two evils. The top Soviet body also decided to get rid of Amin, suspecting that under pressure he could side with the Americans.
It's a trap
Uzbek SSR. USSR. An old woman cries as she greets Soviet soldiers returning home from Afghanistan.
I. Khodzhayev and F. Kurbanbayev/TASS
The Soviet presence in Afghanistan lasted until Feb. 1989, and, according to official sources, cost 15,000 Soviet lives (and at least 640,000 Afghans), and failed to accomplish its goals: the pro-Soviet government fell within months of the Soviet withdrawal. The incursion was an international PR disaster that damaged the delicate Cold War balance of détente between the USSR and the U.S., only serving to exacerbate relations between the superpowers.
Soviet involvement in Afghanistan hastened the collapse of the USSR. "The Afghan war deteriorated the USSR's economic stance and torpedoed Soviet societal unity. The growing number of victims prompted discontent within the country," writes political scientist Alexey Bogaturov in his book History of International Relations, 1945-2008.
Zbigniew Brzezinski (pictured here in 1980) was among those who provoked the Soviet deployment in Afghanistan. Until the 2000s, it seemed a major win for Washington.
For the U.S., maneuvering the USSR to intervene Afghanistan was a brilliant move. "We didn't push the Russians to intervene, but we knowingly increased the probability that they would," Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Jimmy Carter's national security advisor 1977-1991, said in an interview with Le Nouvel Observateur.
"The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote President Carter: 'We now have the opportunity of giving the USSR its Vietnam war.' Indeed, for almost 10 years, Moscow had to carry on an unsustainable war, a conflict that brought about the demoralization and finally the breakup of the Soviet empire," Brzezinski said.
He had his reasons to be proud – the interview took place in 1998 and for another three years Afghanistan seemed a major win for the U.S. On September 11, 2001, the U.S. came face to face with the lethal dangers of Islamism, funded and supported in Afghanistan, itself. But that's another story.
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PETALING JAYA: French regulators have seized several properties belonging to former Aabar Investments PJS chairman Khadem Al Qubaisi in its probe into 1MDB, the Sarawak Report (SR) wrote.
Citing numerous other reports, it said these include a country house worth 11 million euros (over RM52 million) located near the Cape of Saint-Tropez; a luxury villa in Ramatuelle estimated at 7.9 million euros; a 4.4 million euros apartment in Avenue Montaigne, Paris; and another unit near the Champ de Mars, said to cost 4.6 million euros.
"The luxurious Cote d'Azure around Saint Tropez and the swankier arrondissement of Paris were the Abu Dhabi fund manager's second home and playground (respectively) away from the more restrictive atmosphere back home, it would appear," the whistleblowing site reported, referring to Khadem who was also the managing director of International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) – Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund.