In the past week or so, I've been doing more online shopping than I have in the past year. I tend to avoid it because many online sites don't collect sales tax and I'd rather pay it, and also because of some sketchy employment practices by some of the bigger online retailers. The increase of online shopping has been an intersection of gift cards, online coupons, and the fact that something I wanted wasn't available in my size in a local shop.
As a marketer, I am always looking at the advertising, messaging, packaging of any company that I purchase from. I love to ask the question, "Why does this appeal to me?" and think about how the same thing might be applied in my own work with my own customers. I was particularly struck this week by two of the emails I got, related to my online experiences at two different retailers.
What I found very interesting about Brooks Brothers' online shopping experience is that they charge a shipping rate based on how much your order costs. The handkerchiefs I ordered retail at $30. Based on their shipping rate chart, this would cost me $8.95 in shipping. Had those same handkerchiefs cost $6 less, the shipping charge would be $5.95. I've never seen a shipping chart like it.
Thank you for placing an order with BrooksBrothers.com. We are writing to inform you that your order has been received and is, at present, being processed with the utmost haste.
I can almost hear the polished staff uttering these polished words as he hands me a heavy pressed paper blue bag with the golden fleece logo.
In contrast, today I placed an order with Ann Taylor. Ann Taylor is one of my preferred shopping locations, and probably 75% of my wardrobe comes from there. They have terrific email marketing, with great photography and multiple stylings of the same items, helping you to see the flexibility of their pieces.
Sure their models are a little on the skinny side (and yes I know it's Photoshopped), but they helpfully let me know where the nearest physical locations are in addition to telling me about the online sale going on.
Brooks Brothers is a company that prides itself on its customer experience. I have been to their store in Back Bay many times with my husband to buy shirts, suits, and ties, and I love going there because the staff never treats me as if I'm just hanging around. They ask me if I'd like a chair to sit down, they include me in the process of evaluating one tie pattern over another, and they smile and thank me for my visit as much as if I had also purchased something. Their online experience is a complete mimic of this, from the confirmation email telling me how much they value on my online order.
For companies that have both an online and a physical presence, it's important to have consistency between your outlets. The reason I prefer shopping in person is because I do get a better customer experience dealing with people and not machines. And yet, as Brooks Brothers shows, you can absolutely replicate that experience online.
How you do make the transition from in-person to online with your marketing and customer experience?


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Biden's approval rating falls to all-time low…
Biden's approval rating falls to all-time low of 38%
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 03: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the authorization of the Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus on November 03, 2021 in Washington, DC. The CDC authorization means up to 28 million more American children will now be eligible for the vaccine. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
By Boston Herald staff |
PUBLISHED: November 7, 2021 at 6:10 p.m. | UPDATED: November 8, 2021 at 1:42 p.m.
A dismal approval rating just forced President Biden to pull up short on his victory lap over the passage of his $1 trillion infrastructure package.
His approval rating has now hit a new low of 38% — actually, that's rounded up from 37.8%.
At least he's ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris who came in at 28% — rounded up from 27.8%.
Both anemic ratings came out Sunday from Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos.
"The poll is a historic low point for the Biden administration, no matter how you look at it," he writes in his USA Today critique.
His bottom line is Democrats should start to worry about the midterms if they haven't already. But there's a rift in the party that flared up anew this weekend.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called out political activist/commentator James Carville for blaming the Democratic candidate's loss in Virginia on progressives' "stupid wokeness," the New York Post reports. Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe.
"Like the average audience for people seriously using the word 'woke' in a 2021 political discussion are James Carville and Fox News pundits so that should tell you all you need to know," AOC tweeted.
The Suffolk/USA Today poll is bad news no matter how the Dems spin it.
Nearly half of those surveyed, 46%, say Biden has done a worse job as president than they expected, including 16% of those who voted for him. Independents, by 7-1 (44%-6%), say he's done worse, not better, than they expected, the paper writes.
Friday's strong jobs report and the late passage of the infrastructure package may help turn the tide, but it appears the Biden camp is falling into a hole as the honeymoon is over.
As the Herald reported this weekend, jump ahead to 2024, and projections show Biden losing to former President Donald Trump by 2 points.
That's according to a new Emerson College poll that shows a MAGA win 45-43 — with some wiggle room for a third-party candidate.
"With over a tenth of voters voicing support for someone else in another Trump-Biden match-up, 2024 could perhaps witness a third-party candidate reaching the required 15% support to get on the debate stage," Emerson pollster Spencer Kimball said.
Biden has declared he will see re-election. He's 78 years old now, and polls show Democrats prefer someone else, according to the Washington Post. Trump is 75 and is considering a run in 2024.
Boston Herald staff

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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I Sense That You Have Ballads to Write…Or Something…	August 29, 2012
Posted by Gina in Culture and Society, Skepticism and atheism.
Back when I was about 18 and just starting college, I came home for a dinner party kind of thing at my parents' house. In attendance was a couple, we'll call them Bob and Debbie, that my parents had befriended during their EST days. At that point in time, their relationship with my parents had faded to almost nothing, so I was surprised to see them there. I hadn't seen them in many years.
These people had been frequent characters in my childhood memory, not only because they were around relatively a lot, but also because I watched my parents' lose adoration of them. Bob and Debbie lost their luster, much like the New Age. Of course, I should point out that I am remembering this through the eyes of at 5 year old, but my assessment is probably pretty correct. In short, my parents abandoned EST when they found out that the movement, in general, was a crap shoot and they didn't really have patience for Bob and Debbie when they realized that Bob and Debbie were also full of crap.
My parents raised me to be a critical thinker, especially when it came to people. Never mistake my ability to put up with people's crap as an inability to identify people's crap.
That last part makes me sound like that scene in Jurassic Park when the one paleontologist goes digging through a giant pile of triceratops droppings, doesn't it?
Well, it's not that graphic, ok (and I totally spared you the picture of triceratops crap that I found online). I just mean that I'm fairly sure that one of my main sources of misery as a kid (and as an adult) was that I knew so many people who were full of it and refused to call them out on it.
Over the years, I heard a lot of mockery of Bob and Debbie. As a little kid, I didn't really get it. I think what it came down to was that they behaved as though they were incredibly enlightened individuals, but in reality they were both a mess. They were each facing years' worth of unrequited dreams and trying to pay the mortgage and raise an emotionally troubled son just like every other jackass. Of course, this is, to me, the New Age movement in a nutshell. It has never seemed any better than any other religion to me. You replace the word God with the word Universe. You put your faith in it just the same. Sure, there's more of a focus on personal responsibility, self-control, all that. But it still seemed to defer to doing all this in the hopes of receiving gold stars from the Universe when you successfully didn't throw a chair across the room in a fit of anger.
Honestly, I grew up thinking sometimes that my parents were a little harsh when it came to Bob and Debbie. I mean, they tried to do things that they wanted to do. In the end, I think it was because they projected an air of superiority for the things they were interested in and instead of coming across as interesting, they just came across as pretentious.
So they disappeared for a while and when I was 18 I came to a party at my parents' house and there they were. They looked about the same. They weren't acting any differently. It was almost as though no time had passed. The only difference was that I was 18 instead of 8 and I had truly begun to come into my own as a person. Suddenly I found myself forming my own opinions about these people based on my own personal experience with them and it was both depressing and hilarious.
I found myself in a conversation with Bob. He asked me what I was doing in school. I told him that I was studying chemistry and he says, "Oh. OK. Well, you know what you should do then?" "What, Bob?" "You should solve nuclear fusion."
I looked at him and blinked a few times. I will give him points for not asking me to make him some LSD or something. That's usually what people say when I tell them I'm a chemist. He was kickin' it Old School™ by saying a close equivalent to, "You say you're a chemist, ey? What say you and me go blow up Japan?" Yes, yes. I know. Those were physicists, but most people don't know the difference. The nuclear fusion thing was a similar faux pas.
"Solve nuclear fusion? Oh, well, let me go get a couple of cocktail napkins and I'll jot down a few of my ideas for you!" I figured giving in to his demands would be easy…if I had a genie or something.
"I'm just saying, that's where it's at. If you could solve that, then the education would be worth it."
"Well, Bob, that would be nuclear physics and I'm a first year chemistry student, so I'll get back to you after I get acids and bases all figured out."
The rest of the conversation was similar in that he would ask me about something I was interested in and then proceed to tell me what I should actually be interested in and doing. It reminds me of the conversation between Fry and Leela in one of the greatest episodes of Futurama ever:
Fry – What have you always wanted to do more than anything else?
Leela – *sigh* To meet my real parents…
Fry – Whatever. The correct answer is "to be a super hero".
At some point we got onto the subject of music. I informed him that I play the guitar. Now, at that point I had not written a song yet. Well, I think I had written one but I didn't really like it. I had put a couple of Peter's poems to music by then but was even more critical of my own words then than I am now. So, I tell Bob that I like playing Neil Young songs and he says, "Ok. Well, what you need to do right now is record an album."
"Um…well, I would if I had any songs that I have written."
"Well, write some! Now! Before it's too late!"
"I'm fairly certain I'm not going to die in the next couple of days. Look, Bob, I'm not going to write anything if I have nothing to say. Songs written by people who have nothing of consequence to say make for terrible albums."
"So what?" he said. "You've got to record. NOW."
"But whatever I would record NOW would be horrifically mediocre."
"Why would I want recorded evidence of my extreme mediocrity?"
"You might DIE!"
"I WILL in fact die. Why would I want my legacy to be a string of mediocre ballads about being a teenager or something?"
It went on like this until I found out that he had recently recorded an album. He brought copies for everyone and made us listen to it. When the first track started, his wife said, "Oh god. Again, Bob?"
The album was, as I expected, completely mediocre and uninspiring. After they left I thought about this a lot. On one hand, it was hilarious. On the other hand, it was so very sad because I know that this guy paid out the ass to produce this thing that no one cared about. To him it was this thing that he did before he died and to everyone else it was boring noise. Could I fault him for fulfilling a dream of his? Of course not. But I am left wondering why it was such a dream of his when he had absolutely nothing of exciting to offer the public.
I was reminded of all this recently as I sat in the attic of Peter's lovely house recording one of 90 little takes that comprised my electric guitar part for one of our newer songs. Peter and I have been writing and playing together for 4-5 years (officially) and as we continue on this huge project of recording our first real, fully tracked, studio album I see that we have achieved something brilliant. We are far from mediocre. It took me a long while to realize this. Much like a kid who is short for most of hir formative years who suddenly gets a growth spurt, never quite understanding that zie's not short anymore, Peter and I used to be quite mediocre musically. Our friends supported us because they were our friends…and often I feared we were subjecting them to our music, rather than entertaining them. I still have a hard time understanding that this isn't the case anymore. Sure, most of our fan base are our friends, but I think they actually like to come listen to us play. I think they actually find us entertaining and really worth listening to. Our friends know the words to our older songs.
At a rehearsal recently, I found myself somehow distanced from the rest of the band. I was listening to everyone but myself and I found myself thinking, "Wow, this band is awesome." I spoke to myself as though I wasn't part of it. It was a moment of slight objectiveness wherein I could hear how great a band Arcati Crisis is and then I remembered that I get to front it often. I looked over at Peter and thought about how we've known each other for 17 years and have managed to get here. No, we aren't making any money and we don't have a lot of notoriety, but it is a legacy that I am proud to have etched on my past and present. I think about that conversation with Bob and I am happy to say that I didn't just write some songs to say that I had done it. I wrote some songs because I had songs to write. If I were die suddenly, I would at least have those songs to leave behind and by listening to them you would get a pretty wonderful idea of who I am.
There's often discussion about how atheists are depressing, defeatist misanthropes who just want to crap on everyone else's good time. People equate saying that there is no God, nor is there magic in the world with "Nothing is beautiful and nothing moves me". Well, I wholeheartedly disagree. I am struck so often by the beauty that is life and that I can appreciate it for its beauty, nothing more nothing less. When you have one life to live, when you are simply living for yourself and the people you love, simple things like recording truly high quality music with your best friend is really all you need.
So, in the end, Bob was kind of right. You've got to do what you love before it's too late. Sure, Bob is kind of an idiot and rather abrasive in that he tells everyone what they should be doing all the time (and thinks that nuclear fusion is just one of those things you think about and figure out), but he did something he had always wanted to do. Many people can't say that and go to their grave never having accomplished even a mediocre version of their biggest dreams. I mocked him back them. Heck, I mocked him here right now, but ultimately he played a pretty big part in inspiring me to keep at it once I did, in fact, have a song to write.
Don't get me wrong. He's still pretty full of crap. But we can often find one undigested kernel of truth in even the biggest piles of crap if we don't mind getting our hands dirty.
Wow. I really just wrote that. That might be the worst version of "every cloud has a silver lining" that I could have possibly come up with. And yet, I'm somehow not deleting it. Well, I guess with all this talk of legacies, I gotta do what I gotta do. I yam what I yam.
Close up on a partially opened can of spinach.
*Blackout*


Sec. 2-1001A. Authorization. The Supreme Court of Illinois, by rule, may provide for mandatory arbitration of such civil actions as the Court deems appropriate in order to expedite in a less costly manner any litigation wherein a party asserts a claim not exceeding $50,000 or any lesser amount as authorized by the Supreme Court for a particular Circuit, or a judge of the circuit court, at a pretrial conference, determines that no greater amount than that authorized for the Circuit appears to be genuinely in controversy.
Sec. 2-1002A. Implementation by Supreme Court Rules. The Supreme Court shall by rule adopt procedures adapted to each judicial circuit to implement mandatory arbitration under this Act.
Sec. 2-1003A. Qualification, Appointment, and Compensation of Arbitrators. The qualification and the method of appointment of arbitrators shall be prescribed by rule. Arbitrators shall be entitled to reasonable compensation for their services. Arbitration hearings shall be conducted by arbitrators sitting in panels of three or of such lesser number as may be stipulated by the parties.
Sec. 2-1004A. Decision and Award. Following an arbitration hearing as prescribed by rule, the arbitrators' decision shall be filed with the circuit court, together with proof of service on the parties. Within the time prescribed by rule, any party to the proceeding may file with the clerk of the court a written notice of the rejection of the award. In case of such rejection, the parties may, upon payment of appropriate costs and fees imposed by Supreme Court Rule as a consequence of the rejection, proceed to trial before a judge or jury. Costs and fees received by the clerk of the circuit court pursuant to this Section shall be remitted within one month after receipt to the State Treasurer for deposit into the Mandatory Arbitration Fund.
Sec. 2-1005A. Judgment of the Court. If no rejection of the award is filed, a judge of the circuit court may enter the award as the judgment of the court.
Sec. 2-1006A. Uniform Arbitration Act. The provisions of the Uniform Arbitration Act shall not be applicable to the proceedings under this Part 10A of Article II.
Sec. 2-1007A. The expenses of conducting mandatory arbitration programs in the circuit court, including arbitrator fees, and the expenses related to conducting such other alternative dispute resolution programs as may be authorized by circuit court rule for operation in counties that have implemented mandatory arbitration, shall be determined by the Supreme Court and paid from the State Treasury on the warrant of the Comptroller out of appropriations made for that purpose by the General Assembly.


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April 10, 2022 NWSidebar
On Board > A Summary of the March 2022 Board of Governors Meeting
The WSBA Board of Governors determines the Bar's general policies and approves its annual budget.
TOP MEETING TAKEAWAYS
Bar structure. The Washington Supreme Court has asked the Board to make a recommendation about whether the WSBA must change structure (in light of federal litigation about the integrated-bar structure) or should change structure (to best achieve its mission). In response, the Board has launched a study process to evaluate case law, consider what an ideal bar structure looks like, and, perhaps most importantly, to hear from members. Materials, resources, and meeting access and recordings are all online at: www.wsba.org/about-wsba/who-we-are/board-of-governors/bar-structure-study. In addition to specific outreach opportunities and comment periods during meetings, you can send feedback to boardfeedback@wsba.org.
Honoring Chief Justice Fairhurst. The WSBA's highest honor—the APEX Award of Merit—has been renamed the Chief Justice Mary E. Fairhurst Award of Merit. The Board noted that the late Chief Justice Fairhurst "was a legal luminary and model of WSBA service and professionalism."
Serve and volunteer! If you are interested in running for President-Elect or the open Governor at Large seat, apply by April 15 at www.wsba.org/about-wsba/who-we-are/board-elections/meet-the-candidates. The WSBA is also accepting applications for a wide array of committee and board volunteer appointments (there's something for everyone!) for the 2023 fiscal year. Visit www.wsba.org/connect-serve/volunteer-opportunities to find out more.
Local Heroes. Congratulations to our two newly minted Local Heroes, an award bestowed by the WSBA president to recognize colleagues who have made noteworthy contributions to their communities.
Heidi L. Raedel Magaro, nominated by the Thurston County Bar Association, is an avid volunteer and leader in groups including Thurston County Volunteer Legal Services, the Capitol Chapter of Washington Women Lawyers, the Thurston County Bar Association, the South Puget Sound Estate Planning Council, and the Real Property, Probate and Trust Section and the Elder Law Section of the WSBA.
Alan Craig Anderson, nominated by the Government Lawyers Bar Association of Washington, has a long and excellent career in public service law, supplemented by his dedicated service to the community through the Thurston County Volunteer Legal Service's Housing Justice Project.
Volunteer vaccination requirement. The Board decided a booster shot is included in its previously adopted requirement that all volunteers doing in-person work for the WSBA must be "fully" vaccinated. The Board agreed it would not revisit the question about whether to revoke the vaccination requirement until the Washington Supreme Court revokes its own similar mandate. Per current health guidelines, masks will be optional at WSBA events.
USPS delays and the impact on the legal process. After receiving a letter from a concerned member, the Board has been considering how unreliable and delayed service by the United States Postal System (USPS) might impact legal processes, specifically the authority that "service shall be deemed complete upon the third day following the day upon which they are placed in the mail" found in CR 5(b)(2)(a). The Board asked the WSBA Court Rules Committee to take up the issue by gathering stakeholder input and, potentially, drafting rule amendments to account for increasing mail-service delays and unreliability.
Annual meeting with the Washington Supreme Court.
The court and Board met via Zoom and discussed the ongoing bar-structure study process, the February 2022 bar exam, the WSBA's member engagement survey, and the WSBA climate and culture.
2022 legislative priorities and WSBA-sponsored bills. The 2022 session of the Washington State Legislature adjourned March 10. The WSBA's two bar-request bills, put forth by the Business Law Section, were ultimately combined into one bill and signed into law. Click here for more information.
The WSBA's involvement with the proposed Legal Regulatory Lab. The Practice of Law Board, which is a Supreme Court board administered by the WSBA, has developed a proposal to the Washington Supreme Court to begin a Legal Regulatory Lab. The Lab would allow legal professionals and entrepreneurs to offer nontraditional legal services to consumers in Washington state. The Practice of Law Board is exploring whether the WSBA could/should be involved in regulatory functions for the Legal Regulatory Lab, which is meant to be self-funded by application fees. The Board asked for a fiscal analysis as the Legal Regulatory Lab proposal moves forward with the court.
The Board also:
Approved an emergency bylaw amendment to alter the date when the WSBA pulls voting data for elections; the change was necessary this year to allow the WSBA to incorporate recently altered congressional boundaries into its member record system.
Heard an annual report from the Character and Fitness Board.
Heard a report about WSBA volunteer engagement.
Discussed how to conduct the annual process to review the WSBA Executive Director's performance. The Board ultimately decided to use an outside HR firm to develop the evaluation process.
Approved a request from the WSBA Diversity Committee to submit comments in support of proposed amendments to RPC 8.4 and other court rules.
Approved a request from the Family Law Section to submit comments to suggested changes to the Code of Judicial Conduct.
Amended a document the Board approved in November, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of governors and the executive director.
The agenda, materials, and video recording from this Board of Governors meeting, as well as past meetings, are online here: www.wsba.org/about-wsba/who-we-are/board-of-governors.
SAVE THE DATE > The next regular meeting is May 19-20 in Spokane. To subscribe to the Board Meeting Notification list, email barleaders@wsba.org.
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Newsroom Celebrating 50 years: A historic JCU Treasure that connects campuses
Celebrating 50 years: A historic JCU Treasure that connects campuses
Wed, 1 Jul 2020
The James Cook University Ceremonial Mace has honoured graduation ceremonies at Townsville, Cairns, Singapore and Brisbane.
(Dr Denise Dillon placing the James Cook University Ceremonial Mace in its holder at the James Cook University November 2019 Graduation in Singapore)
James Cook University (JCU) is revealing an array of rare and precious artefacts, including original manuscripts and artworks, pulled from the JCU Library Special Collections, over the course of the year to celebrate the University's 50th anniversary. The revelation is planned to culminate in an exhibition of the artefacts – at the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in Townsville, Queensland, Australia – in late October 2020.
One of these artefacts is the JCU Ceremonial Mace. The Mace is nearly a metre long and is made from sterling silver. It incorporates traditional heraldic symbolism along with more localised and place-based symbolism of the Queensland kapok pod and the Pineapple Nulla Nulla, or fighting stick, to acknowledge the local Indigenous people of North Queensland.
However, the JCU Ceremonial Mace also plays a very important role in relation to the Singapore campus of James Cook University.
Dr Denise Dillon, Associate Dean of Research and Research Education at James Cook University in Singapore, said, "The 50 Treasures initiative helps us celebrate the 50th anniversary of our University's establishment, so all of our JCU alumni have this as an important part of their JCU connection. As a university for the tropics, JCU celebrates in particular our connection to place, both regionally in Australia and geographically in our locations in the tropical zones both below and above the equator. The Mace is a very real connection between our campuses, as it is an important feature of each and every graduation ceremony since 1991 – including our Singapore ceremonies since 2013 – and hence this item symbolises the unity amongst all JCU alumni."
The JCU Ceremonial Mace has travelled across campuses in a shockproof case, whenever graduation ceremonies are held. This has included arrangements for three flights to our Singapore ceremonies each year.
Dr Dillon has carried the JCU Ceremonial Mace at several graduation ceremonies in Singapore, and was the first staff member from James Cook University in Singapore to carry the Mace. A number of other academic heads have also taken turns to carry the Mace at JCU graduation ceremonies in Singapore.
Ultimately, the unity between campuses that the JCU Ceremonial Mace represents is proof that the graduates in Singapore are connected to their Australian University roots, especially at the most important (and pleasurable) of ceremonies to mark their transition from student to graduate.
Find out more about the JCU Ceremonial Mace here.
Check out more photos of the James Cook University November 2019 Graduation ceremony in Singapore here.
Last updated 16th November 2020


Therapeutic Yoga gives classes in an intelligent manner with students who are living with chronic illness or injury and aging populations. So classes will be designed according to the individual problems/requirements. For counseling call us on 97387 69587 / 88801 91760.


I haven't written up one of these blog posts in a while. The previous one was in August 2012 for Firefox 15. Coincidentally, that post mentioned a subtle change to the site identity area of the web browser.
In today's release of Firefox, there is another subtle change to the site identity area of the browser. Pages that are a part of Firefox itself, whether it be the built-in home page (about:home), our troubleshooting page (about:support), or others now sport a special Firefox branding within the location bar. The goal of this branding is to increase awareness and trust with these pages.
Clicking on the Firefox name or the two-tone Firefox logo next to the name will show a popup notification that explains that this is a secure Firefox page.
These changes were previously announced when I introduced them to the Nightly channel of Firefox this past July.
For many years there has been an increased emphasis towards increasing the visibility of a website's identity. Pages served over HTTP lack a verifiable identity, while pages served over HTTPS begin to have aspects of their identity verifiable.
When a page is viewed over a valid HTTPS connection, the web browser is able to verify the identity of the domain that it is communicating with. Firefox uses this information to place a "site identity" graphic next to the website's URL. Clicking on this site identity graphic provides more information about the connection.
Clicking on the More Information button shows how often this website is accessed, in an effort towards building trust and pointing out potentially untrustworthy websites.
When a page is viewed over a valid HTTPS connection using an Extended Validation certificate, the web browser places the certificate's Organizational Name between the site identity graphic and the website's URL. With Extended Validation, the web browser not only can confirm the identity of the domain that it is communicating with, but it relies on the vendor who issued the certificate to have verified the identity of the owner of the website. Again, clicking on the More Information button in the site identity panel will show prior access information.
Within the past couple weeks a new site identity view was introduced. Now when visiting privileged Firefox webpages such as about:home, about:config, and about:addons, the site identity area will show a Firefox logo along with the "Firefox" name. Clicking on the either of these will show a panel that confirms to the user that this page is a secure Firefox page.
This feature is expected to reach users on our Release channel during the last week of October, 2013. If you'd like to play with it today you can download and install a build of Firefox Nightly.
Today marks a new release for Firefox, version 15. For this release I spent most of my time working on two larger areas along with some other bugs in various places. The new plugin click-to-play setting continued to gain features and stability, and there was also some follow-up site identity work to take care of.
Work on our plugin click-to-play continues to this day, as it will be the ground work for soft-blocking malicious plugins in the future. If you'd like to help test out the feature, you can go to about:config and enable the plugins.click_to_play preference.
Enabling the feature will disable plugins by default, increasing your security and reducing memory usage while you browse the web. For more information about click-to-play plugins, see my two previous blog posts about the initial rollout as well as site-specific permissions.
Firefox 14 introduced a refresh to our site-identity area of the location bar. Most of the changes to the site-identity got "uplifted" to our Firefox 14 release so as to not introduce back-to-back changes. The most notable change in the site-identity area between Firefox 14 and Firefox 15 is higher contrast security icons in the location bar. The locks are now darker and should be easier to differentiate from the globe.
Two smaller changes that are worthy of note for Firefox 15 are related to Windows integration and our standalone image styling.
Firefox 15 brings with it unique icons for the three jumplist tasks that are associated with Firefox. I blogged previously about them, so you can read more if you are interested.
Since we released our new styling for standalone images, we got a lot of feedback from people who had trouble with the way that we rendered transparent images. Starting with Firefox 15 we have reverted to showing transparent images on a white background.
We took special care to bring the best experience that we could to this situation. Images that are slow to load or need to be re-decoded will not have the white background flash in to view. This new white background is only applied after the image has finished decoding, so if you are loading an opaque image you should never see the white background. Try it out with this image.
Update (24 April): For clarification, there are no plans to remove favicons from tabs, bookmarks, or Awesomebar suggestions.
Starting with yesterday's Nightly build of Firefox, we have introduced a change to how we display site-identity in the address bar. These changes are intended to increase the security of our users as well as reduce some visual weight.
Since the dawn of time, we have included the site favicon in the address bar as part of the site-identity block. While the favicon can represent a piece of a site's identity, there are some sites that set their favicon to a padlock. This behavior can trick users in to thinking that a site is using a secure connection when on an unsecured connection. Starting with yesterdays's Nightly, we will no longer include the favicon in the address bar.
Websites that use SSL certificates with Extended Validation will now have a green padlock next to the certificate owner's organization name.
Websites that use SSL certificates without Extended Validation will now have a grey padlock. The effective hostname will no longer appear next to the padlock. This information is redundant with our darkening of the effective hostname in the website address.
Websites that do not use SSL certificates or have mixed-content will fallback to a globe icon.
These changes are planned to reach our Release channel in mid-July.
Today I landed an implementation of site-specific permissions for Firefox' opt-in plugins. I previously wrote about Firefox 14's non-default support for opt-in (also known as click-to-play) plugins last week.
That blog post garnered a lot of attention. Over 25 news sites covered the news, and the blog post was viewed close to 3,000 times.
Many people downloaded the Nightly version of Firefox to test out the feature, and a few people have told me how they are now using the feature full-time. Today's addition of site-specific permissions makes using the feature much easier.
With site-specific permissions, users can whitelist sites that they visit often and trust. Sites that are whitelisted will activate plugins automatically upon load.
To add site-specific permissions, click on the plugin block in the location bar. The doorhanger that appears contains a dropdown with options to: Activate plugins; Always activate plugins for this site; Never activate plugins for this site; and Not Now.
To manage these permissions, users can click on the site-identity block next to the website address. From there, click on "More Information…". The Page Info dialog will now appear. Clicking on the Permissions tab of the dialog will show any site-specific permissions that are stored for the current site, as well as the ability to change any of those permissions.
This feature will remain disabled by default in Firefox 14. David Keeler is also helping implement the feature, and has most recently been working on adding the ability to only enable plugins of a specific runtime (Flash, Java, Silverlight, etc). For more information on the status of the feature, see our feature page for Opt-in Activation of Plugins.
Recently, my girlfriends Gmail account showed that it had been accessed from Poland, France, and the United States, all within a couple hours of each other. This breach of security was horrifying, and pointed out how easy it can be for someone to access another persons account.
We're not sure how her password leaked. Maybe it was through a phishing site or some malware/key logger on her machine. But that was neither here nor there. The plain fact is that her account was granting access to unknown parties without her permission.
Not too long ago, Google announced 2-step verification for Gmail. With 2-step verification, the user logs in with their password, and then enters in a code that was obtained using their mobile phone. A friend of mine also uses a similar procedure for his World of Warcraft account.
I've signed up for 2-step authentication as well, and don't mind the subtle inconvenience. If you are a Gmail user, you should try it out today.
Features like these make account security much stronger, and it is time that more secure websites start offering it (especially online banking).
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Umwelt's specialist greenhouse gas and energy services include compliance reporting, impact assessment, strategic advice and management planning.
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Our experience and expertise means that we can define and explain any obligations or opportunities generated by the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act, the National Pollutant Inventory Program and the Carbon (Carbon Farming Initiative) Credits Act.
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Glad I'm on the mend as we have such a fun weekend ahead of us! I'm going to learn (and probably lose a lot) how to play poker from our 'whale' of a friend! Woohoo! We'll hopefully get my office finally moved-- very much looking forward to that! And we get to visit CP&L (& B)!!!! I'm so excited!!!!


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Miejscowości w USA:
 Musselshell – jednostka osadnicza w stanie Montana, w hrabstwie Musselshell
Hrabstwa w USA:
 hrabstwo Musselshell (ang. Musselshell County) – w stanie Montana

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


McCarthy's situation cannot be considered in a vacuum. Even with McCarthy considered alone, we are not talking about a single leak – the reporting indicates that she may be a serial leaker, the black-sites story being only the most prominent instance. But the broader context here is an intelligence community that was, quite brazenly, leaking in a manner designed to topple a sitting president. A big question here — maybe not for purposes of guilt under the espionage act, but for the more important policy issue of a politicized CIA — is whether she was part of a campaign that was grossly inappropriate for the intelligence community to engage in.
Remember Michael Scheuer, aka "Anonymous." It is simply dumbfounding that, as an intelligence officer heading up the bin Laden team (i.e., the unit targeting the number one, active national security problem facing the country) he was permitted by the CIA to write books about what he was doing. He has indicated, though, that it was fine with the agency as long as he was slamming the Bush administration.
Valerie Plame Wilson thought the whole Bush administration notion that Saddam was trying to arm up with nukes was crazy. She maneuvered to have, not an objective analyst, but her husband – with no WMD expertise but an enemy of the president's policy – sent to Niger, whence he returned and wrote a highly partisan, misleading and damaging op-ed in the NYTimes about the Bush administration's case for toppling Saddam … which op-ed he was permitted by the self-same CIA to write notwithstanding that his trip was (and should have been) classified.
All the while, there has been a steady drumbeat from the former intelligence officers – who anonymously fill Seymour Hersh books when they are not venting their spleens on the record – attacking every aspect of the administration's handling of the war on terror.
This has all been steady since 9/11. But it was especially frenetic in the run-up to the 2004 election (and the flavor of it ran throughout the 9/11 Commission hearings and, to a somewhat more muted extent, in the Commission's final report). The transparent purpose of it was to get Senator Kerry elected.
Now we find that an intelligence officer who was leaking information very damaging to Bush was a Kerry backer to a degree that was extraordinary for a single person on a government salary, and, even more extraordinarily, gave $5K of her own money to Democrats in the key swing state (Ohio) that, in the end, did actually decide the election.
From where I sit, that's pretty damn relevant.


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Join a Social Media Theater Company
People do all kinds of strange things with Twitter these days, and that's part of the beauty of it. But I'd never heard of anyone doing something like Reorbit, a project co-founded by my friend Dawn Danby. It's an attempt to reanimate historical and literary figures as they go about their daily lives. Here's the plan:
Reorbit will host a collection of plays each performed in text by an author. The author takes on a persona of a historical or literary character of their choosing as they go about their daily lives and mis-adventures. The audience follow the plays in real-time using this site or via the Twitter. Plays are preserved and selectively published in traditional deadwood book format.
The organization that they're building to do it will function a bit like a theater company, and for some reason, it feels like such a thing really should exist. With fictional Twitter accounts whirring to life from @FEMINISTHULK to @CrankyKaplan, it makes sense to me that someone would try to take the form to the next level, if such a thing can exist.
They're officially launching the site in March. If you want to be a part of that, they're looking for more writers. Or you can follow them on Twitter, @reorbitproject.


Note: If you want to get HSC/ Alim /Technical Result 2017, you may have to Teletalk SIM.
Every year huge number of students appear in the HSC Exam under 10 education boards. This year a total 11,83,686 examinees appeared in the HSC and Equivalent exam 2017 under 8 general education board, Madrasha Education Board and Bangladesh Technical Education Board. All Of them a total 99,320 students appeared in the Alim examinations under Bangladesh Madrasha Board and 96,914 students appeared in the HSC vocational examination under Bangladesh Technical Education Board. The education boards are Dhaka Board, Chittagong Board, Rajshahi Board, Barisal Board, Sylhet Board, Jessore Board, Comilla Board, Dinajpur Board, Bangladesh Madrasha Board and Bangladesh Technical Education Board.


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Phillip "Dandy Phil" Kastel (April 2, 1893 – August 16, 1962) was a Jewish-American organized crime figure, gambler, and longtime associate of both the Genovese and New Orleans crime family.

Early life
Phillip Frank Kastel was born to a Jewish family on New York's Lower East Side to Solomon Kastel and Rachel Rosenthal on April 2, 1893. He was brother to Allen, Florence, Ida and Rose Kastel. He stood 5'7" and weighed 165 pounds. He married Elsie Conner in 1940 but they later divorced and he married Margaret Dennis. Despite growing up in a violent neighborhood frequented by street gangs and others of the city's underworld, Kastel instead became involved in gambling and confidence games during the early 1900s and held interests in many of the city's gambling dens shortly before Prohibition.

In 1917, upon the United States entry into World War I, Kastel fled to Canada in order to avoid the draft and operated a nightclub in Montreal, Quebec, for the remainder of the war. Returning to New York in 1919, Kastel was quickly arrested for extortion, although the charges were dismissed. Finding employment with Arnold Rothstein, Kastel oversaw Rothstein's numerous bucket shops, an early telemarketing scam selling fraudulent securities. He also preyed upon local chorus girls, specifically being charged with stealing $22,000 from chorus girl Betty Brown in 1922; however this charge was dismissed.

From New York to New Orleans
Following Rothstein's death in 1928, Kastel went to work for former Rothstein associate and Luciano crime family acting boss Frank Costello and later moved to New Orleans to establish gambling operations, primarily slot machines, during the mid-1930s. Between 1935 and 1937, the Costello-Kastel partnership earned an income of over $2.4 million from slot machines alone, according to federal authorities. Although both were charged in 1939 for tax evasion, Kastel and Costello were both acquitted.

By the 1940s, with control over the majority of gambling in Louisiana, both legal and illegal, Kastel, Costello and the New Orleans crime family's acting boss Silvestro Carollo began to expand their operations into high class gambling casinos in New Orleans, which earned millions. It was during this period that Frank Costello was allegedly claimed to have committed his only act of violence when Kastel, in daily contact with the New York boss, reported his suspicions that one of the casino employees had been holding back money from the slot machine skimming operation. Costello was said to have replied he would handle the matter personally and, flying down to New Orleans, called for a sit-down between Kastel's entire organization and New Orleans crime family. Calling the accused employee forward, he was asked to explain the unusual shortages in his collections. As the employee was explaining, Costello was said to have reached under the podium and knocked the man unconscious with a monkey wrench. When he had regained consciousness, Costello told the man to return to his seat and told the audience that if anyone were caught trying to steal from the both crime families there would be worse treatment. Kastel also attended the Havana Conference that began on December 20, 1946.

Final years
Kastel continued to run the organization throughout the 1950s and, due to considerable financial contributions to local politicians (including $750,000 to the campaign fund of Governor Earl Long, the younger brother of former Governor Huey Long, from Kastel, Costello and Frankie Carbo in 1955), without interference from city officials.

However, as Costello was replaced by new acting boss Vito Genovese, Kastel was forced to hand over control of his illegal gambling operations in Louisiana to the New Orleans crime family and it's new acting boss Carlos Marcello. In failing health, having lost his sight in one eye and worsening vision in the other, Kastel remained in his apartment at the Claiborne Towers in New Orleans until August 16, 1962, when he was found dead in his apartment from a gunshot wound to the head. His death was ruled a suicide.

See also
Sylvestro Carolla

Notes

References
Fox, Stephen. Blood and Power: Organized Crime in Twentieth-Century America. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1989.
Kelly, Robert J. Encyclopedia of Organized Crime in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2000.
Sifakis, Carl. The Mafia Encyclopedia. New York: Da Capo Press, 2005.
Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime. New York: Facts on File Inc., 2001.

Further reading
 Mafia: The Government's Secret File on organized Crime
Bernstein, Lee. The Greatest Menace: Organized Crime in Cold War America. Boston: UMass Press, 2002.
Capeci, Jerry. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2002.
Fried, Albert. The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Gangster in America. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980.
Katcher, Leo. The Big Bankroll: The Life and Times of Arnold Rothstein. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994.
Messick, Hank. Lansky. London: Robert Hale & Company, 1973.
Pietrusza, David. Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003.
Piper, Michael Collins. Final Judgment: The Missing Link in the JFK Assassination Conspiracy. Washington, D.C.: Wolfe Press, 1993.
Reid, Ed and Demaris, Ovid. The Green Felt Jungle. Montreal: Pocket Books, 1964.
Reppetto, Thomas A. American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2004.
Turkus, Burton B. and Sid Feder. Murder, Inc: The Story of "the Syndicate". New York: Da Capo Press, 2003.
 United States. Congress. Senate. Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. Investigation of Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce. 1951.

External links
Philip Kastel: Perfecting the Number Two Spot by Allan May

1893 births
1962 deaths
Jewish American gangsters
Organized crime in Louisiana
Genovese crime family
1962 suicides
Suicides by firearm in Louisiana


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Woodford Way: There And Back
Woodford Way Official Site
Release Date: May 28th
Label: Take This To Heart Records.
Woodford Way is a folk/jazz ensemble from Western MA, teamed up by guitarist/singer songwriter Kyle Mangini, and guitarist/ vocalist Jeff Lynch. For this record, There And Back, they enlisted the talents of producer/bass player Eric Arena, Riley Godleski on drums, and Tim Lynch on percussion. Recording their brand at Zing studios in Westfield, MA, Woodford Way is for the first time as a 5 piece folk act.
In the flow of new artists who are trying to force a statement or make a bold comment on today's (still yet to be defined) music, Woodford Way comes downstream with an organic take on what moves them naturally. Fans who enjoy singer-songwriters of the 1970's-80's, such as James Taylor or Paul Simon, will welcome Woodford Way's casualness, warm vocal tones, and easy going accessibility, while contemporary acoustic players such as, Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson will find them steeping cups in their coffee house. Listen closely though, as among the breezy quips and lullabies, there are some meaningful themes and a few note bending guitar sessions. This folk-jazz duo used a new production team for this record. The sounds are blended with some arrangement work that pushes the edges of what you'd expect to hear in such a collection.
Track By Track Review:
1. Karen
What would happen if John Mayer and Stan Getz shook hands? James Taylor has been a straightforward comparison for this duo. If it's smooth singer-songwriter serenades you are seeking, for a backyard summer vibe, Woodford Way can be a easy addition to slip into your music collection.
2. Ground Crew
There is a Jim White mystery that lurks within the chords on the arrangements, so it's interesting, yet the whole album is fluid and accessible, even to a casual listener. Blending the sounds for texture is the approach here, with a sensibility that is reminiscent of the singer-songwriters of the 1970's-1980's.
3. Harpoon
What if Paul Simon hung out with Jason Mraz, and instead of Central Park, they were groovin' in the streets Northampton, MA or at the rose gardens of Westfield? Julio in the school yard may come across Santana in some tracks, as there is a world beat going on in the background of some songs. The vocals remind me of a Maroon 5 tune, if we were going to go pop famous, what was the name of that guy in Maroon 5? I don't remember. I don't listen to the radio.
What surprised me was the direct hit of blues guitar and references in this collection.Woodford Way puts a blend of blues application to an otherwise generalist approach to singer-songwriter lyrics was a burst of surprise for new summer listening.
5. Couldn't Be More Wrong
Woodford Way's openings are 'thick'. They are warm, take their time, fill the room, and your ears with an expansive sound and mood. Inviting. With organ background, shimmer guitar and drum kit highlights, it is an album you can put on your music player and leave to run through the playlist, creating a very casual mood.
6. City Line
Piano comes back in and a fun, jazz lead comes through with City Line. This is a great driving tune and a slight harmony effect makes the song full of life.
7. Roll On Over
A sultry jazz piece with a lovelorn character who has the sentiment of Billy Holiday's "Don't Explain." No matter what the subject does, the narrator will be there if called.
8. Natural Rebound
Spare strings lead, and underline the vocals on a cloud of cymbals. Loneliness is described moment by moment and a slow pace is the only speed to see it. The natural rebound comes in with some guitar work that makes the tune upbeat as it unfolds. Harmonies and calls to the mountains bring solace.
9. The Race Is On
Running water harmonies ring and in the second to last track. High stakes drum sticks tick away as the speed picks up. This is a heavier song, added to the mix and highlights some of the guitar licks thrown in for good measure. Stop on the dime timing helps keep the instruments contained and pointed. Do you hear the sound of the soda can?
10. Charlotte's Lullaby
Charlotte's Lullaby has a casualness to it, that could lull anyone to dreamland, child or adult. Folk music keeps simple things as they should be. Ordinary things are observed and spoken about in song, which elevates them to folklore, yet keeps their material relevance. Many folk artists do lullabies to their own children or just for the listeners' sake. Paul Simon wrote "St. Judy's Comet" and it is one of my favorites. Woodford Way's is sparse acoustic and more of the Jason Mraz style. It is brief with just a few nightime references as the lyrics collect several thoughts and images of childhood that might be floating through the mind of the sleepy listener.
Northampton, MA based indie/folk band Woodford Way released their 3rd full length entitled "There & Back" on May 28th via Take This To Heart Records.
Playing at various venues all over New England as a duo, Woodford Way has already created a cult following that is spreading like wildfire throughout the Berkshire area. After recording their acoustic duo album "The Road", Woodford Way enlisted the talents of producer/ bass player Eric Arena, Riley Godleski on drums, and Tim Lynch on percussion, to fill out their sound. Recording their brand new album at Zing studios in Westfield, MA, for the first time as a 5 piece folk act.
This premiere line-up brings a new dynamic to Woodford Way, as it's the first time they have had the chance to work with a producer on arranging and crafting the feel of their songs. "Having Eric and Riley on board really added so much to the band and kept me on my toes", Kyle says about adding the new members. "This was something Woodford Way was looking to do for years and it's our best work to date".
www.takethistoheartrecords.com
www.woodfordway.com
Look for Woodford Way albums on iTunes, CD baby, and Amazon.


I recently attended an amazing woman's 50th Golden Jubilee Birthday Celebration. The event was packed with friends, family members, co workers and even some of her past students from when she was a teacher, showed up to honor her. I was deeply touched by all their wonderful testimonies about the impact she made in their lives.
To top of the event, some of her classmates from when she was a young girl in boarding school (Okoyong-Cameroon), were also present at the event. Amazing to see the sisterhood continue after 30 years of graduating. As a product of boarding school myself, and also as a girl with no sisters, I cannot stress how important the friendships i made in school are to me today.
- will I still have the same friendships I have today?
-will i be a grandmother? wife? or a spinster/the cat woman? coz the way my love life is going the third option seems more probable.
-Will I have accomplished some of the long term goals I have current set for myself and be on my way to retirement?
- Will I be fulfilled?
-If I do have regrets how bad will they be?
- Will there be any tragedies in my life?
I know its crazy to think that far or close ^_^ but as i sat at the occasion and watched the crowd, I said a silently prayer to God that may I live to celebrate my Golden Jubilee and may it be a happy moment for me.