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'A Royal Affair' Director Nikolaj Arcel to Helm Remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rebecca'
Posted on Friday, March 22nd, 2013 by Angie Han
Remakes can be tricky propositions under the best of circumstances. When the property in question is a former Academy Award winner or a beloved classic by a revered auteur — in other words, something that's still held in very high esteem by plenty of people — the project gets even tougher to pull off without inspiring mass grumbling.
But DreamWorks is attempting to do just that with their planned remake of Rebecca, Alfred Hitchcock's only Best Picture winner, and now they've found a director to help them out. Nikolaj Arcel, who last helmed the Danish Best Foreign Language Film nominee A Royal Affair, has just signed on to direct the new version of the movie. Hit the jump to keep reading.
2013 Golden Globe Nominations Highlight 'Zero Dark Thirty,' 'Django Unchained,' 'Lincoln'
Posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2012 by Russ Fischer
This morning Megan Fox, Ed Helms, and Jessica Alba announced the nominations for the 2013 Golden Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the event, is famous for nominating films and performances simply based on their star factor — if there's an actor that members of the HFPA want to hang out with, they're sure to get a nomination.
But the HFPA is great at putting on a show, and so the Golden Globes generate a lot of attention every year. And, as the NY Times points out, with the Globes nominations coming just days before Oscar nomination voting starts, there's a possibility that nominations here could affect Oscar voting. The Best Picture nomination set includes what is already becoming a standard set of awards favorites, such as Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, and Zero Dark Thirty, but there are also nominations for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and Django Unchained. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen picked up a few nominations, actually, which was one of the big surprises.
The Golden Globes will air on January 13, 2013, hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. The full nomination list is below. Read More »
'Hitchcock' International Trailer: The Trials and Travails of 'Psycho'
Posted on Friday, November 9th, 2012 by Russ Fischer
Anvil! director Sacha Gervasi has roped in quite a cast for Hitchcock, a film which dramatizes the book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho in high style. Previous trailers have shown us Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren as Hitch and his wife Alma, and Scarlett Johanssen as Psycho's first-act star, Janet Leigh.
Now, a new international trailer shows off a lot more than just Hopkins and his affectations and the film's recreation of the shower scene. Read More »
Watch Anthony Hopkins as 'Hitchcock' Warn Audiences Away From Cell Phone Use in Theaters
Posted on Monday, October 15th, 2012 by Russ Fischer
Alfred Hitchcock was a consumate showman who had pretty specific ideas about how films should be viewed, at least when it came to using the theater experience as a promotional tool. At a time when multi-film programs were common, Hitch was the face of a marketing campaign for his film Psycho as he stipulated that audiences wouldn't be admitted to the film after it began. That was not at all typical, but ended up working like gangbusters as audiences were curious enough to wait in line to see the film.
Now we've got Anthony Hopkins in promo mode for the film Hitchcock, which chronicles the making of Psycho. The marketing department has cooked up a pre-screening PSA in which Hopkins-as-Hitch calls in-theater cell phone use one of the biggest horrors around.
When you watch this piece you'll quickly see that it is a bootleg of sorts — it's a piece asking patrons not to use their cell phones in theaters that seems to have been captured by a cell phone in a theater. But the film's PR reps are sending this around, so perhaps it's a cute PSA wrapped in a not so great joke.
Update: An official embed has been released, so I've swapped out the "bootleg" one for the clean version.
'Hitchcock' Trailer: Just a Man Obsessed With Murder
Posted on Wednesday, October 10th, 2012 by Russ Fischer
Here's the trailer for Hitchcock, which stars Anthony Hopkins as the Master of Suspense, caught during the period in which he made Psycho. This is our first taste of Hopkins' Hitchcockian affectation, and we can still hear quite a lot of the actor's signature tone in there. It's rather like Hitch by way of Hannibal Lecter. Which makes a certain sense, when you think about it.
There's also the attempt to build a big drama around the creation of the film and the way that the people around Hitch dealt with his creative obsessions and eccentricities. Helen Mirren looks like she shines as Hitch's wife Alma, who shoulders the burden of maintaining their marriage while also acting as a perpetual cheerleader and creative consultant.
And the rest of the supporting cast (Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Jessica Biel, Michael Stuhlbarg, James D'Arcy, Michael Wincott, Richard Portnow, Kurtwood Smith) get some good moments, and the great kicker line toys with both the nature of Psycho star Janet Leigh, and that of Scarlett Johansson, who plays Leigh here. There's also the appeal of seeing director Sacha Gervasi (Anvil! The Story of Anvil) recreate famous scenes from Psycho. Check out the trailer below. Read More »
Photos: 'Robocop', 'Hitchcock', 'The Wolverine', 'Beautiful Creatures', 'National Lampoon's Vacation' Reunion
Posted on Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 by Angie Han
We've got a hodgepodge of new images after the jump, including set photos from Robocop and The Wolverine, stills from Hitchcock and Beautiful Creatures, and even a snapshot of the National Lampoon's Vacation cast, reunited.
'Hitchcock' Teaser Poster Shows Another Side of Anthony Hopkins as the Master of Suspense; Film Hits November 2012
Posted on Thursday, September 20th, 2012 by Russ Fischer
We've seen a good bit of footage for one of the Alfred Hitchcock movies that are in post-production right now: The Girl, which will air on HBO with Toby Jones playing Hitch during the making of The Birds.
The other film is Hitchcock, from Anvil! director Sacha Gervasi, and it features Anthony Hopkins as the late director, with a focus on the making of Psycho. (The film is essentially an adaptation of Stephen Rebello's book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho.)
We don't have a trailer or footage for Hitchcock at this point, so we can't yet start to compare the performance of Hopkins with that of Jones, but what you see above is a hint of the new teaser poster for the film, which has now been dated for a good award season spot on this coming November 23. See the full poster below.
Edit: I'd originally written that the film will hit in 2013, which was incorrect — it is actually set for November of this year.
Danny Elfman Scoring Sacha Gervasi's 'Hitchcock,' and 'Promised Land' From Gus Van Sant
Danny Elfman often seems to be everywhere, and this year in particular he's omnipresent with several films under his belt in 2012 already. (Tim Burton's Dark Shadows and Frankenweenie; Men in Black III; and Silver Linings Playbook.) And while he's already set for some films that hit in the next few months, like Sam Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful, Elfman is still lining up more films.
Two new movies that will bear music from Elfman are Gus Van Sant's Promised Land, starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski, and Hitchcock, which chronicles the efforts by the Master of Suspense to make Psycho. Read More »
First Look: Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh in 'Hitchcock,' Plus Her Alien Character in 'Under the Skin'
Posted on Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 by Russ Fischer
Scarlett Johansson had a quiet couple of years, with only Iron Man 2 and We Bought a Zoo hitting theaters in 2010 and 2011, respectively. But her profile is back up in the stratosphere thanks to The Avengers, and now a couple other productions she's involved in are taking advangate of the attention lavished on Marvel's big hit.
Here we've got two looks at Johansson in two very different movies. One is a film about the making of Psycho, in which she plays the actress Janet Leigh. The other is from Under the Skin, directed by Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast), in which Johansson plays an alien in human skin. Read More »


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New study reveals links between alcoholic liver disease and the circadian clock
Author: William G. Gilroy
Researchers from the University of Notre Dame and the Indiana University School of Medicine have revealed a putative role for the circadian clock in the liver in the development of alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver disease.
Hepatic steatosis is the abnormal accumulation of fats in the cells of the liver, and is linked to disturbed control of fat metabolism. Alcohol-induced liver steatosis is produced by excessive alcohol consumption and is linked to hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver. It can be a precursor to an even more serious illness, liver cirrhosis, which includes scarring of the liver. Ten percent to 35 percent of chronic heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis, and it is the main cause of liver disease in Western countries.
The team, led by associate professors Giles Duffield, from Notre Dame's Department of Biological Sciences and Eck Institute for Global Health, and Suthat Liangpunsakul from the Indiana University School of Medicine's Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, is interested in the molecular genetic basis for the molecular clock and liver steatosis.
The study, using molecular biological approaches and long-term alcohol feeding of experimental mice, reveals that the development of liver steatosis produced by alcohol abuse is intertwined with disturbances of the normal operation of the 24-hour clock system located in the cells of the liver. Importantly, this change in the liver clock seems to occur independently from the master clock system located in the brain.
The circadian clock regulates 24-hour rhythms in biochemistry, physiology and behavior, and its normal operation and appropriate synchronization to the external world, especially the alternating cycle of day and night, is critical to maintaining a normal healthy state. Disturbances of the clock have been linked to mental health disorders, to metabolic disease including obesity and diabetes, and to the development of cancer.
The liver plays many roles in the body, and includes control of metabolism, storage and release of energy molecules, and detoxification.
"Liver function changes daily in a rhythmic manner and is coordinated with cycles of feeding-fasting and to the energy demands of the body, such as activity and rest," Duffield said. "These daily rhythms are regulated by the circadian clock within those liver cells, and disturbances to the molecular clock mechanism or poor temporal coordination of the clock with the timing of eating, or the sleep-wake and rest-activity cycle, can lead to illness."
The study suggests that either the circadian clock is important in the actual development of the liver disease or that the development of steatosis disrupts the normal pattern of the clock mechanism. The researchers' findings also offer novel insights into how the disease might be manipulated for clinical purposes.
Interestingly, the mechanism by which chronic alcohol intake is thought to alter the control of fat metabolism in the liver is also a shared signal to the circadian clock mechanism, this being the ratio of production of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NADH, to NAD+. The authors suggest that this may be a key to the shared disturbance to the two biological mechanisms of lipid metabolism and the circadian clock.
The study, Zhou et al., was published this week in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports.
The work was a collaborative effort between the Duffield and Liangpunsakul laboratories, involving lead author and doctoral candidate Peng Zhou, undergraduate student Cameron Pywell and research technician Roth Ross. The work was supported from grants from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the American Heart Association, the Veterans Association and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Contact: Giles Duffield, 574-631-1834, Giles.E.Duffield.2@nd.edu
Originally published by William G. Gilroy at news.nd.edu on January 16, 2014.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Thanks to the on-board computers, our customers are notified about delivery status faster and more accurately.
With Trimble's FleetXPS mobile computers, photos can be taken of the loads and freight documents can be processed using the scanner function.
"This is useful in case of potential issues. If something is wrong with the load, we can inform our customers immediately. In addition, the Trimble solution is integrated with our transportation planning software from ORTEC and the ERP system from Microsoft Dynamics. This enables a faster way of working. The customer follows the status of the consignment and receives the documents immediately. And we save a lot of processing time afterwards," said Kamphuis.
Trimble on-board computers provide us with a stable solution that we can count on for our operations.
Amerongen Kamphuis, located in Barneveld, is a major player in the field of groupage consignments of refrigerated foodstuffs. The logistics service provider daily deploys 130 vehicles, especially in the Benelux, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Scandinavia.
In the Benelux, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Scandinavia.


2014/64, 84491 miles, Frozen White, - Air conditioning, - Full Service History, - Bluetooth, - Rear parking aid, - DAB, - Electrically-Operated Front Windows with Driver One-Touch Lowering, - Hill Start Assist, - Radio with MP3 Capability, - Side loading door, - Factory fitted bulk head, - RAC Warranty and Roadside Assistance Included.
£6995 + VAT. ( Outright Purchase ). However, if you would like to finance this vehicle it can be paid by 60 payments of £150 ( a weekly equivalent of just £35 ) with just the VAT as deposit. Different deposits and payment periods available, please ask for a quotation. (Subject to Acceptance). We are situated in East Anglia, on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, halfway between Norwich and Ipswich ( IP23 8AW), and are happy to collect customers from the nearest train station, which is Diss.


[13:07] - Flight SFF0100 is ready to depart LDDU with a final destination of LXGB.
[18:19] - Landed at -724fpm. With 11612lbs of fuel onboard and a pitch angle of -2deg.
[18:21] - Arrived safely at LXGB. We hope you enjoyed your flight!


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From the fire to the frying pan?
Hydrocarbon Engineering, Wednesday, 05 August 2020 10:00
Bushfires recently raged in Australia, and an article in the August 2019 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering discussed Australia's love-hate relationship with the fossil energy industry and the growing concern over global climate change.1 This year, the world is battling the COVID-19 coronavirus, which has infected over 11.6 million people and caused 593 000 fatalities at the time of writing. Has Australia moved out of the fire into the frying pan? Worldwide, confirmed cases of COVID-19 and fatalities are climbing every day. While Australia is considered an exemplar in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, many of its key trading partners are not, and there is no end in sight. People's habits, and thus the structure of the economy, are changing. Some of these changes will be permanent.
Australia was already rethinking its approach to energy and the environment, but the recent fires and current pandemic may accelerate change. The country's economy has benefited from development of oil, natural gas and coal, but dependence on these resources has created a carbon-intensive economy and taken a toll on the environment. A recent survey by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) found that 66% of Australians believe that climate change is the biggest challenge facing the world today. A huge majority, 85%, believe that Australia needs a clear policy that addresses carbon emissions and ensures that the energy supply is reliable and affordable.2 But efforts to launch a carbon tax have proven divisive, and governments have risen and fallen on the issue. Australia has had five prime ministers serve in the past decade.
Today, with the world battling the COVID-19 pandemic, where will Australia go with its energy and environmental policy? There are now multiple forces at work, and many working at cross purposes. For example, the shelter-in-place policies have cut into travel and fuel use, and people have noticed cleaner air. This provides motivation to continue to push for clean air regulation. In some areas, however, bushfires sent so much smoke into the air that it made ordinary air pollution control actions seem futile at times. What possible difference could a zero-emission vehicle have had in Canberra at the height of the pollution, when Canberra's air was ranked as the third worst in the world? The bushfires raised questions about whether public money could be better spent on bushfire prevention and relocating citizens away from wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas. Will Australia continue to pursue cleaner fuels and more efficient vehicles, or should the effort shift to bushfire prevention? Can they afford both? Tourism was touted as better for the economy and the environment than the coal industry, and the coal industry was forced to lobby hard to justify its position. But what if tourism takes a permanent dive in this newly contagion-cautious world? Can it possibly be construed as meaning that preserving the environment is less important for the Australian citizen than it is for a foreign visitor?
The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting economic activity and energy use in Australia and the world. The pandemic is far from over. Still, data is now available that illustrates some early impacts. In this article, the latest available data on Australia's hydrocarbon industry and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be explored.
Australia and COVID-19
In the absence of vaccines and proven disease treatments, social distancing and stay-at-home orders are the main weapons available to fight COVID-19. Some people have resisted these measures, making it necessary for governments to make them mandatory. Governments that have done so swiftly and decisively are now winning the battle against the disease. Governments that have vacillated, given mixed signals, and reopened their economies too quickly are losing. Australia is one of the countries that acted swiftly, with the government activating its emergency response to COVID-19 on 27 February, declaring it to be a global pandemic well ahead of the World Health Organization (WHO), which waited until 11 March. Australia closed its borders and required a two-week quarantine period for travellers...
Written by Nancy Yamaguchi, Contributing Editor.
This article was originally published in the August 2020 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering. To read the full article, and other great technical articles in this issue, view the full issue here. You can also register to receive a free regular copy of the magazine here.
Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/special-reports/05082020/from-the-fire-to-the-frying-pan/


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Author: Michael Bell
Climate Breadcrumb: Savannah
October 7, 2021 Michael BellLeave a comment
The ride is finished. The work of curing Alzheimer's and other dementias continues, as does the perennial and global challenge of containing climate change. There were several climate breadcrumbs that went unwritten—so many issues everywhere, with so much intersection with other issues of social and economic justice.
The most glaring omission as we rode across the southeastern US was the evident impact of hurricanes, tropical storms and intense rainfall. And in that same region, the multiple injustices that remain to be addressed for communities of color.
To close out this series, here is a highly pertinent conclusion about regional climate action from Savannah Now, published in the city where we ended our ride.
"A challenge with regional climate action is that not all people experience climate impacts the same, and not all interventions provide uniform benefits. Rising heat waves exact a much heavier toll on the homeless than on people who never worry about how they'll pay their electric bill. Sea-level rise presents a much more immediate threat to those living in low-lying coastal areas than to those on higher ground. And historically marginalized communities of color face many more barriers to relocating than those who have benefited from accumulating generational wealth and systemic privilege."
Savannah Now: Climate Change Offers Opportunity for Cooperation, Innovation and Leadership
October 5, 2021 Michael Bell2 Comments
We did it! The last day's ride of about 85 miles took us from Metter GA to Tybee Island near Savannah, GA. And inevitably down to the beach there to celebrate.
We also shared experiences and the new memories that we have created. It feels so good to have completed the challenge, but also a bit sad to be suddenly at the end of a journey that has been totally absorbing to the exclusion of much else. And also poignant in that the "remember" part of the title recalls Valerie's life.
Many, many thanks to all who have shared, supported, followed along, and also donated most generously.
And here is the final animation of today's ride:
#ccan #rockspringucc #climate-ride #curealz #solarvillageproject #pactour
Through rural Georgia…cotton, and other crops. Lots of trees.
Just one more day till we arrive at the Atlantic, Tybee Island, near Savannah, Georgia. It all seems quite a blur right now; 27 days, ride, eat, sleep; repeat… early!
One thing I am clear about is the support I have had along the way. In particular, a huge thank you to folks who have donated to the causes I am supporting. It is not too late to donate. There is an incentive in place to encourage you:
For each additional $5,000 that comes in for each organization I'm supporting, I will add another $1,000!
My ride ends tonight, so now is the time!
Support Climate Ride
Support Cure Alzheimer's Fund
Right now, we are about 80% of the way to the $5,000 goal for Cure Alzheimer's; and about 70% of the way to the $10,000 goal for the two organizations I'm supporting through Climate Ride.
Here's the animation of today's ride (some recent ones got a bit mixed up, and yesterday's is lost forever!)
Just two days to the end of the ride! I feel as though I should be in reflective mood, but honestly it continues to be all about focus on each day's ride.
Yesterday saw us ride through eastern Alabama, from Greenville to Eufaula (110 miles). Today mostly in Georgia: Lake Eufaula to Lake Blackshear and on to Cordele, GA (116 miles).
Rural Georgia has probably been the prettiest part of the eastern states so far, but it is rolling terrain…one minute down, five minutes up, repeat and repeat and… Tiring!
More at today's Climate Breadcrumb for Georgia
Climate Breadcrumb: Cordele GA
October 3, 2021 Michael Bell1 Comment
Georgia probably has above the national average of "climate deniers", but in practice it is moving in the direction of renewable energy. Google "environment Crisp County, GA" where Cordele is, and you will find information about coal-fired power. Although local utilities stopped using coal several years ago, effects rumble on for many years. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/24/climate/how-electricity-generation-changed-in-your-state.html
More broadly, coal provided the majority of Georgia's power generation through the 2000s but declined as natural gas power increased. In recent years, coal's share has dropped sharply as several aging coal-fired plants have been retired.
Utilities in the state are in the process of building two new nuclear reactors, the only new nuclear projects under construction in the country. That is a whole other debate.
About a tenth of Georgia's power generation came from renewable sources last year, mostly biomass and hydroelectricity. But solar power is growing quickly in the state. Georgia doesn't impose any statewide renewable energy requirements, but the city of Atlanta is developing a plan to get all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035.
Climate Breadcrumb: Greenville AL
Environmental racism is a big deal. Black communities frequently face environmental issues much more urgent for their own safety than climate change.
We passed quite close to Uniontown AL. Here are some excertps from an article by the Equal Justice Initiative.
"At the end of 2008, after coal ash spilled in a mostly white neighborhood in Tennessee, the Arrowhead Landfill located next to a historic Black cemetery in Uniontown [Alabama] began taking in roughly a hundred railcars a day of coal ash, laden with arsenic, lead, and radioactive elements, for the next two years.
The landfill sits only 100 feet from the front porches of some residents, who have experienced frequent foul odors, upset appetite, respiratory problems, headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. …………..
Eighty-four percent of Uniontown's 2300 residents are Black………….
In 2012, residents filed a civil rights complaint against Alabama's Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) with the Environmental Protection Agency…………
In March 2018, after six years, EPA denied the complaint, citing "insufficient evidence."
I wonder if this will be appealed and if it would be any different under the Biden administration.
Climate change can be seen as an elitist issue, for those with the luxury of living in unpolluted areas. What would you focus on: rising sea levels in the next few decades, or the pile of toxic waste dumped 100 feet from your front door?
READ MORE FROM EJI
Making our way from Kosciusko MS to Livingston AL and now to Greenville AL, 245 miles in two days; rolling alone! Our first rain in over three weeks…torrential for an hour.
I discovered that there is the Alabama River–in one of these photos, the PACTOUR group (bikes and support vehicles) has stopped for lunch on the river bank.
Our routes take us clear of large cities, creating the impression that America is rural. So much land; so few people.
September 29, 2021 Michael BellLeave a comment
Riding from Monticello, Arkansas to Indianola Mississippi and thence to Kosciusko (Oprah Winfrey's birthplace). Crossed Ol' Man River by the fairly new Greenville Bridge. About 150 miles of flat, flat flood plains, then a small hill, and normal terrain was restored.
The end is in sight! Just six days to go. Good time to recall the causes I am riding for.
Cure Alzheimer's: in memory of my wife, Valerie. This organization focuses on budding research projects on dementia; every dollar given goes to research.
Climate Ride, because climate change has such global impact, is the channel for two organizations: Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a regional advocacy organization covering the geographical area around Washington DC, which puts into action the dictum "Think global, Act local". And Solar Village Project, bringing cheap solar lighting to people in the least developed countries, often the most affected by climate change and poverty.
Today's Climate Breadcrumb: The Mississippi River
Climate Breadcrumb: The Mississippi River
September 29, 2021 Michael Bell1 Comment
Into Mississippi state and across the Mississippi River. The river was docile the day we crossed. But it is not always so. The river floods. That is nature. But centuries of trying to contain nature, trying to control the flooding, to protect farmlands and homesteads, have resulted in immense levee systems. Yet still the river floods, massively and increasingly and frequently.
This is another result of interaction between climate change and other human-created environmental problems. Now at least some of those most affected, farmers with land in the flood plain, are supportive of a new strategy, along the way showing how solutions can be regional—national.
Upstream in Missouri and Tennessee, farmers are willing to give up their land so that the flood plain can be restored, by re-building breached levees way back from the current lines. More room for the flood waters to expand, less flooding down stream. But it needs money to compensate the farmers. Where will that come from?
READ MORE at The Nature Conservancy
I don't know what I expected from Arkansas, but the pine forests were a surprise–hundreds of miles of them–and lakes (see yesterday). I guess it lives up to one of its nicknames "The Natural State." Very pretty.
Click through to today's Climate Breadcrumb:
Climate Breadcrumb: Arkansas
If I'd been able to keep up a daily trail of breadcrumbs while riding, they would probably have had a common theme: water. It it is notable that the issues that face Arkansas, despite its apparent greenness, are similar to those that affect the desert and semi-arid areas of the Western states: cycles of drought…
And enjoy the animation of today's ride!


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Лорел Каньон (фильм):
 Лорел Каньон (художественный фильм)

Примечания

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Non-fiction Books for Adults
William Lloyd Garrison's mother
Women and Peace
Jane Addams, Hull House, and the Devil Baby
The Facts Behind Martha and the Slave Catchers
Harriet Hyman Alonso's Books
(and other things)
← Celebrate World Embroidery Day, July 30
Bargello Oz: An Homage to Yip Harburg →
Fanny Garrison's Embroidery from 1810 Newburyport, Mass
September 9, 2018 by harrietalonso
Here's a little story about a poor woman in 1810 Newburyport, Massachusetts, and the one piece of embroidery she left behind.
Piece of Embroidery, January, 1810, file folder 689, "Ephemeral," Garrison Family Papers: Houghton Library, Harvard University.
Frances Lloyd Garrison (Fanny) is best known as the mother of the boy who became one of the U.S.'s most important antislavery leaders. William Lloyd Garrison (Lloyd to his family and friends) published his weekly newspaper, The Liberator, from 1831 to 1865. He was also a well-known speaker, organizer, and proponent of major progressive causes including racial and gender equality, dress and food reform, improvement in healthcare and a zillion other issues. Fanny died long before her son became an abolitionist star but in time to see two daughters die, a son become an alcoholic seaman like his father, and to suffer all the hardships that single mothers experienced in the early nineteenth century.
In a nutshell, here is Fanny's story. Born in 1776 in New Brunswick, Canada, early on in life Fanny Lloyd broke with her family by rejecting their strict Episcopalian beliefs in order to follow the new wave of Baptism. Thrown out of her childhood home, she came under the protection of an uncle in Eastport and there became one of the few literate women to conduct religious meetings when the Baptist minister was officiating in another town. She soon met Abijah Garrison whom she married in 1798. He was a well-meaning seaman who hit upon hard economic times. In an effort to improve their lot, the pair moved their small family to prosperous Newburyport, Massachusetts, where they lived in harmony until war and U.S. embargos on trade that began in 1807 forced ports like Newburyport into economic depression. Abijah turned to drink. Fights ensued, and Fanny kicked him out of their home. She never saw him again.
Fanny's life as a single mother drove her into desperate poverty. She had three children to support and no real job opportunities. She drummed up some work doing what we would today term "homecare," but basically, she lived off the generosity of her landlady who watched her children and didn't demand the rent be paid on time. When Fanny was without income, she made molasses candy which she gave to sons James and Lloyd to sell on the streets. In more desperate moments, Lloyd was sent to a mansion of a wealthy family on State Street to pick up meal leftovers saved specifically for Fanny.
Eventually, Fanny left her children in the care of others in order to move to Lynn, Massachusetts, and then Baltimore, Maryland, to eke out a living. The separation tortured her, but she saw no other way to survive. She kept in touch with Lloyd and her daughter Elizabeth but often lost touch with James who had run off to sea. Within a few years, she grew ill, probably with lung cancer, and died in 1823 at the relatively young age of 45. You can read all of Fanny's story on my website at http://harrietalonso.com. Just go to the top of the main page and click on "William Lloyd Garrison's Mother."
Now, what does this all have to do with us embroiderers? When I was researching and writing my book, Growing Up Abolitionist: The Story of the Garrison Children, (2002) I became enthralled by Fanny's story. It was one of the few stories I had seen at that time that told of the struggles of a single, abandoned mother. And it was my good fortune to be working on the Garrison family's story for they preserved their family's papers well. In terms of Fanny, there were a number of letters written by both her and Abijah and some recorded memories from Lloyd and James. But outside of these, there was little other tangible evidence that she even existed—no photos or daguerreotypes, no paintings or sketches, no clothing, jewelry—nothing but a small piece of embroidery I came across in a file marked "Ephemeral" in the Garrison Family papers at Harvard University. This one item told me much about Fanny's life that it might not have told other historians. It was my unique combination of being a historian and an embroiderer that allowed me to enter the world of that piece.
We all know about the beautiful samplers moneyed girls worked on as part of their education. We can look at beautiful bargello pillows and embroidered chairs, crewel embroidery, goldwork, lace, etc., etc. But when it comes to embroidery done by less fortunate women of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, we have little. We know that they learned how to darn and monogram and sew, but there is little proof of whether they liked to embroider for pleasure or for art. That is why Fanny's piece is so moving to me.
The item you see pictured above is a piece of crewel embroidery, inscribed in pen on the bottom, "a Present from Mrs. Garrison, Newburyport" and then in pencil, perhaps added as an afterthought, "jan. 1810." Just the fact that this part of the work was handwritten and not stitched told me worlds about Fanny. Let me continue the description, however. The piece itself consisted of two sheets of paper held together by large and crude long and short, stem, and back stitches in the shape of a vine with leaves, big flowers, and a bird on the ground. The yarn was fairly coarse and came in three shades of green, a small amount of yellow-green, and two shades of rose.
When I took the piece out of the "Ephemeral" box and held it in my hand, I could see a haphazard pattern of knots and crossed threads on the back, a sure sign of an unskilled or unsophisticated stitcher. I touched the coarse fiber and ran my fingers across the paper, and as a sister embroiderer, I felt the care and attention that went into the work. This piece of embroidery gave me a real sense of Fanny's poverty. Who but the very poor at that time would embroider a gift on a plain sheet of paper? Who would not even have a scrap of fabric to use? But it also told me of Fanny's dignity. Perhaps to show gratitude to the family on State Street who gave her food, to a church member who helped her out, or to an acquaintance who showed compassion, Fanny wanted to give something back—and that something was a piece of herself. We all know that any piece of embroidery takes time and care, and while being created, we often think about its purpose and its recipient. Embroidery is our personal statement. We hope that the person who receives it will take note of the time and skill it took, and I seriously doubt that any embroiderer would give a piece of her work to another person if she did not feel at least some pride in it herself. Fanny, of course, probably thought about that, for the piece was most likely never given to its intended recipient. How else could it have been in the Garrison archives? But, I wonder, did Fanny make other mementos for people she appreciated? Sadly, I doubt we'll ever know.
This entry was tagged 1810 U.S. Embroidery, Single mothers in 1810 U.S., William LLoyd Garrison, William LLoyd Garrison's mother. Bookmark the permalink.
One thought on "Fanny Garrison's Embroidery from 1810 Newburyport, Mass"
Jim Gould says:
What a beautiful discovery! Thanks, Jim
On Sun, Sep 9, 2018 at 5:10 PM Harriet Hyman Alonso's Books wrote:
> harrietalonso posted: "Here's a little story about a poor woman in 1810 > Newburyport, Massachusetts, and the one piece of embroidery she left > behind. Frances Lloyd Garrison (Fanny) is best known as the mother of the > boy who became one of the U.S.'s most important antislavery " >
Harriet Alonso
halonso@ccny.cuny.edu


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Q: What are the best Prolog programming practices and style guidelines? OK, I know that this is very general question and that there were written some papers on the subject, but I have a feeling that these publications cover very basic material and I'm looking for something more advanced which would improve style and efficency. This is what I have in paper:

*

*"Research Report AI-1989-08 Efficient Prolog: A Practical Guide" by Michael A. Covington, 1989

*"Efficient Prolog Programming" by Timo Knuutila, 1992

*"Coding guidelines for Prolog" by Covington, Bagnara, O'Keefe, Wielemaker, Price, 2011

Sample subjects covered in these: tail recursion and differential lists, proper use of indexing, proper use of cuts, avoiding asserts and retracts, avoiding CONSing, code formatting guidelines (indentation, if-then-elses etc.), naming conventions, code documenting, arguments order, testing.
What would you add here from your own personal experience with Prolog? Are there any special style guidelines applicable only to CLP programming? Do you know of some common efficiency problems and know how to deal with them?
UPDATE:
Some interesting (but still too basic and too general for me) points are made here: Prolog programming guidelines of Lifeware Team
Just to highlight the whole problem I would like to qoute "Coding guidelines for Prolog" (Covington et al.):

As far as we know, a coherent and reasonably complete set of coding guidelines for Prolog has never been published. Moreover, when we look at the corpus of published Prolog programs, we do not see a de facto standard emerging. The most important reason behind this apparent omission is that the small Prolog community, due to the lack of a comprehensive language standard, is further fragmented into sub-communities centered around individual Prolog systems, none of which has a dominant position.

A: For designing clean interfaces in Prolog, I recommend reading the Prolog standard, see iso-prolog.
In particular the specific format how built-in predicates are codified which includes a particular style of documentation but also the way how errors are signaled. See 8.1 The format of built-in predicate definitions of ISO/IEC 13211-1:1995. You find definitions in that style online in Cor.2 and the
Prolog prologue.
A very good example of a library that follows the ISO error signaling conventions up to the letter (and yet is not standardized) is the implementation of library(clpfd) in SICStus and SWI. While both implementations are fundamentally different in their approach, they use the error conventions to their best advantage.
Back to ISO. This is ISO's format for built-in predicates:
x.y.z Name/Arity
In the beginning, there may be a short optional informal remark.
x.y.z.1 Description
A declarative description is given which starts very often with the most general goal using descriptive variable names such that they can be referred to later on. Should the predicate's meaning be not declarative at all, it is either stated "is true" or some otherwise unnecessary operationalizing word like "unifies", "assembles" is used. Let me give an example:

8.5.4 copy_term/2
8.5.4.1 Description
copy_term(Term_1, Term_2) is true iff Term_2 unifies with a term T which is a renamed copy (7.1.6.2) of Term_1.

So this unifies is a big red warning sign: Don't ever think this predicate is a relation, it can only be understood procedurally. And even more so it (implicitly) states that the definition is steadfast in the second argument.
Another example: sort/2. Is this now a relation or not?

8.4.3 sort/2
8.4.3.1 Description
sort(List, Sorted) is true iff Sorted unifies with the sorted list of List (7.1.6.5).

So, again, no relation. Surprised? Look at 8.4.3.4 Examples:

8.4.3.4 Examples
...
sort([X, 1], [1, 1]).
   Succeeds, unifying X with 1.

sort([1, 1], [1, 1]).
   Fails.

If necessary, a separate procedural description is added, starting with "Procedurally,". It again does not cover any errors at all. This is one of the big advantages of the standard descriptions: Errors are all separated from "doing", which helps a programmer (= user of the built-in) catching errors more systematically. To be fair, it slightly increases the burden of the implementor who wants to optimize by hand and on a case-to-case basis. Such optimized code is often prone to subtle errors anyway.
x.y.z.2 Template and modes
Here, a comprehensive, one or two line specification of the arguments' modes and types is given. The notation is very similar to other notations which finds its origin in the 1978 DECsystem-10 mode declarations.

8.5.2.2 Template and modes
arg(+integer, +compound_term, ?term)

There is, however, a big difference between ISO's approach and Covington et al.'s guideline which is of informal nature only and states how a programmer should use a predicate.  ISO's approach describes how the built-in will behave - in particular which errors should be expected. (There are 4 errors following from above plus one extra error that cannot be seen from above spec, see below).
x.y.z.3 Errors
All error conditions are given, each in its own subclause numbered alphabetically. The codex in 7.12 Errors:

When more than one error condition is satisfied, the error that is reported by the Prolog processor is implementation dependent.

That means, that each error condition must state all preconditions where it applies. All of them. The error conditions are not read like an if-then-elsif-then...
It also means that the codifier has to put extra effort for finding good error conditions. This is all to the advantage of the actual user-programmer but certainly a bit of a pain for the codifier and implementor.
Many error conditions directly follow from the spec given in x.y.z.2 according to the NOTES in 8.1.3 Errors and according to 7.12.2 Error classification (summary). For the built-in predicate arg/3, errors a, b, c, d follow from the spec. Only error e does not follow.

8.5.2.3 Errors
a) N is a variable   — instantiation_error.
b) Term is a variable   — instantiation_error.
c) N is neither a variable nor an integer—type_error(integer, N).
d) Term is neither a variable nor a compound term— type_error(compound, Term).
e) N is an integer less than zero— domain_error(not_less_than_zero, N).

x.y.z.4 Examples
(Optional).
x.y.z.5 Bootstrapped built-in predicates
(Optional).
Defines other predicates that are so similar, they can be "bootstrapped".

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


After a long wait, Card-Jitsu is finally out for penguins to play on Club Penguin Rewritten!
Whilst I've been unable to play for myself, many penguins have been enjoying the new game and trying to obtain their belts! In fact, there have already been some really intense battles.
One question which I've had is how to earn more cards. It appears that you already start with a larger variety of cards than the starter deck on the original island, but Joee has confirmed that we will eventually be able to use codes to obtain new cards. I presume we won't have to pay with real money to do this!
Thank you to Ant Penguine for informing me of this!
That's all for this post, sorry it's a bit short! Unfortunately I don't really have a stable Internet connection and can't even play Card-Jitsu yet! However, I hope that you will still check back for the latest news and guides!
Awesome! I'm still stuck on my white belt because it's really buggy for me!
how do i get more cardjitsu card on Club Penguin Rewritten?
how do i get CARDS?!!!!!????????????
Currently, you cannot get extra Card Jitsu cards but this will change soon! I will let you know when you can!
That is true, but I can assure you that there are currently no codes which unlock new cards.


In the past, anytime I'd ever seen Fire Pinks - which hasn't been often - I wanted to get out my pocket trowel, scoop some up and take them home with me. However, the first time I saw them was at a friend's parents' home in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A few grew in their woods and they were beloved plants to them. I just couldn't ask for some.
The second time was when we took a weekend trip to Hocking Hills in 2008. We were at Old Man's Cave, which lies within the Hocking Hills State Park, and it was growing on small ledges in the side of the rocks. Even if I could have reached it, taking some from there would be a huge no-no. I don't think the cost of my fine would let me enjoy the flowers quite so much.
But when I found some in a friend's woods nearby, and they had given us permission to take whatever wildflowers we would like, it was just too much to resist. Being a respecter of nature and not wanting to destroy a glorious natural habitat such as theirs, I limited myself to a few small plants last spring, brought them home to a partially shady spot in my garden, and hoped for the best.
The best is what I got.
This spring - now, in fact - we are reveling in the red blooms of our Fire Pinks (Silene virginica var. virginica) right in our very own garden. The blooms have more than tripled in number since last year - proof that we are being good stewards of our native flora. The blooms won't last forever, so of course I had to capture them with my camera.
I've also read that they're a short-lived perennial, only living two to three years. That makes me wonder if they'll return for me next year. I think I'll let these go to seed, just in case.
Why am I so entranced by these wildflowers? Maybe it's because they're red and that's my favorite color. Perhaps it's because they're not often seen in our area. (They may be here, just not in obvious locations.) In any case, I'm not the only one who loves these scarlet beauties. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is its principal pollinator. We've got some of those, too.
Trivia: Wonder how they got their name? Pinks, as a group of flowers, are called this because of the zig-zag edges to their petals, as if they were trimmed with pinking shears. In fact, the color pink got its name from the flower (coined in 1573), not the other way around! And of course, you know where the "fire" part comes from.
We brought some into our garden as well. They are perennial for us. They are in our garden but under tough wildflower conditions.
It is always good to know that wildflowers can be somewhat adaptable - if we are lucky. Beautiful photos of a beautiful flower.
That's beautiful Kylee. How neat about the name and the shape of the leaves. They do look like they were cut with shears. Glad you were able to find some for your gardens.
mothernaturesgarden ~ I'm hoping these will thrive in our garden! They certainly aren't pampered. The soil here is likely much like where we found them, just seven miles away, though probably not as rich. Time will tell!
CommonWeeder ~ Thanks, Pat! I always feel lucky when wildflowers flourish in my garden here!
One of my favorite wildflowers! At a former home, pinks grew all over the bright areas of the woods near the creek.
Cameron ~ I'll bet that was stunning! Nothing quite like red to grab your attention!
How exciting to have such a huge clump after such a short time. They are beauties. I can see why you love them so.
We have some at Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site, but they are hiding behind a tree so visitors can't easily see them. Every year from 1913 to 1919 Gene planted foxfire; she also mentioned them in her books. It took me quite a while to determine that was the common name almost a century ago for Fire Pinks.
What a wonderful post. I love how it got the name "pinks"!


Every year I swear that I'm going to make it simpler on myself - I'll skip the handwritten Christmas cards, nix the homemade cookies and pies and scale back on the decorations. And every year I fail miserably at keeping that promise.
The truth is, I get wrapped up in the season. I enjoy doing those things. And, while some people don't understand it, I truly love being busy. If I'm honest, I think it has a lot to do with not having too much time to think. But I digress.
One of my "we'll see if I get to it" projects this year was a centerpiece for our Christmas Eve and Christmas festivities and a properly laid table. While I love arranging flowers, they take some serious time and large chunks are hard to cut out with the Little Bee attempting to eat her way through the living room (Ironically, she still won't eat food...). And digging out and hauling up seasonal dishes, napkin rings, drinkware (etc) seemed a little daunting as well.
But, true to form, I got the itch today and, while my husband watched Chompers the Red Cheeked Reindeer, I pulled together a beautiful floral centerpiece and tablescape. Below are pics of the results.
I have to say, while I realize it was completely unnecessary, I'm glad that I was able to find some time to do this stuff. Creating things is such a mood lifter and the result makes me feel a little closer to the magic.
Well, I'm off to go scrape some of this Christmas ornament glitter off. I look like I exfoliated with a pixie.


text:
Marcel Beraud var en fransk vinteridrottare. Han var med i de Olympiska vinterspelen 1928 i nordisk kombination, men fullföljde inte tävlingen.

Referenser

Franska utövare av nordisk kombination
Tävlande vid olympiska vinterspelen 1928 från Frankrike
Födelseår saknas
Dödsår saknas
Män


text:
Mets Debut New 1986 Throwbacks
By Paul Lukas, on April 11th, 2016
The Mets debuted their 1986 Sunday throwbacks yesterday. By happy coincidence, Matt Fratboy was pitching. He usually prefers to wear the blue softball tops, and the team usually obliges him, but the new Sunday throwback protocol took precedence over that. Memo Mets management: Can we please arrange for all of his subsequent home starts to take place on Sundays, just to cut down on the blue alts? Thanks.
A few notable things about the throwbacks:
• The Mets' standard blue home cap has had an orange squatchee since 1995. Back in '86, however, the squatchee was blue, and they got that detail right on the throwback:
I'm told that Mets radio broadcasters Howie Rose and Josh Lewin, both of whom definitely Get Itâ"¢, discussed this detail at length during the bottom of the 5th inning ("It was like a half-inning of uni-geekspeak awesome," says reader Lawrence Comeau), although I wasn't listening at the time.
• In another period-appropriate headwear detail, the throwback caps had grey undervisors:
• Yet another headwear detail: The Mets have used raised orange helmet squatchees for their past few years. They're little adhesive domes supplied by Pro Helmet Decals. But the helmet squatchees were nowhere to be seen yesterday:
That means equipment manager Kevin Kierst — or some kid on his staff — must have removed all of the helmet squatchees just for the throwback game (and will presumably restore them for tonight's game against the Marlins). Good attention to detail!
• The MLB Style Guide shows the throwbacks being worn with high-cuffed pants and stirrups (and yes, they depicted the stirrups backwards, but that's another issue). I was skeptical about the player actually following this guideline, and it turns out I was right: Most of the Mets were pajama-pantsed, and even the handful of high-cuffers wore solid stockings, not stirrups. Bummer.
• The '86 Mets wore non-pinstriped nameplates over their pinstriped jerseys — a terrible look, but of course they had to do it that way for the throwbacks:
The other interesting thing there is that they included the accent on Yoenis Céspedes's NOB (and, presumably, on Bartolo Colón's NOB as well). I'm pretty sure no MLB player had worn an accent on his NOB in 1986. Tildes, yes, but not accents. I'm not saying they shouldn't have included the accents on the throwbacks for that reason, but I wonder if it's something they even thought about. Also, it's interesting to see how the accent made the nameplate itself much thicker, with lots of white space across the top.
Of course, you could quibble with certain details — it would've been nice, for example, if the MLB logo hadn't been on the cap, jersey, and pants. Overall, though, they appear to have gotten this one right.
Looking forward to next Sunday, when the Pirates' bumblebee throwbacks will make their debut.
(My thanks to Mets Police blogger Shannon Shark for one of the screen shots used in this post.)
Photo by the Tugboat Captain; click to enlarge
Family affair: Generally speaking, a day with the Lukasas (or the Lukae, as we like to call ourselves) is no day at the beach. But yesterday it was — literally. My mom just turned 92 (!), so we took her out to lunch at a nice French restaurant and then went for a stroll along the shore of Long Island Sound. That's her on the left, with my brother Roy in the middle.
For most of Mom's recent birthdays, she's been a bit wistful — maybe feeling the loss of my father, or the loss of various friends who she's outlived, or just the accumulation of aches and pains that come with age. But yesterday was different — she was uncharacteristically chipper about her age. "I'm already looking ahead to 93," she said. Her own mother lived to be 97, and I think there's a strong chance Mom could beat that number. Amazing lady.
I was busy with my family all day yesterday and didn't get around to dealing with the Ticker until late at night. I was pretty pooped, so more things than usual didn't make the cut (sorry about that), and I included a few things without fully researching them (ditto). Thanks for understanding.
Baseball News: Herbert Hoover is the Nats' new racing president (from Tommy Turner). "¦ Ken Burns's new film about Jackie Robinson premieres tonight on PBS. "¦ Wow — mono-gold uniforms with purple trim for James Madison (from Daren Stoltzfus). "¦ Cream unis yesterday for UNC (from Christopher Newbury). "¦ Throwbacks with Northwestern-striped stirrups yesterday for Indiana (from Craig McKean). "¦ Not sure which Nats player this is, but he seemed to have a cup holder on his balaclava. "¦ The Mariners wore their Sunday creams yesterday, and that uni looks even better with striped socks and striped stirrups. "¦ Meanwhile, in that same game, check out the socks worn by A's OF Khris Davis. Never seen that combination of logo and striping on an MLB player before. "¦ Speaking of the A's, Josh Reddick appeared to be wearing his Spider-Man costume under his jersey. "¦ After Red Sox 3B Pablo Sandoval popped his belt during a swing on Saturday, a Blue Jays fan taunted him yesterday with an XXXXXXXXXL belt. "¦ I'm not sure what Nebraska's softball team was wearing yesterday, but it appeared to involved pink lettering on a pink jersey (from Matthew Daley). "¦ It's a little hard to see, but a Harrisburg Senators player had the MLB logo on his pants yesterday (good spot by @213MFS). "¦ Giant hen's head logo on the jersey for Delaware. "¦ The Rockford Rivets have created a bobblehead set for hometown heroes Cheap Trick (from @HOVG).
Pro and College Football News: This is pretty great: Gene Sanny, whose custom-painted electric football figurines have previously been featured on the site, has now designed trading cards for his electric football players. Very cool. … Is Clarendon coming back to UCLA football? Shmaybe (thanks, Phil).
NBA News: The Wizards and Hornets went red vs. purple yesterday (from Robert Kahn). "¦ The Spurs wore black at home last night, so the Warriors wore white on the road.
College Hoops News: The U. of Kentucky is suing a small distiller because — get this — the school wants to protect its supposedly exclusive rights to the word "Kentucky." The university says it's mostly concerned with protecting the sale of T-shirts and caps connected with the school's basketball team. Douchebags.
Soccer News: In the 1970s, Leeds United players had uni numbers on their socks (from @KohlenSchaufler). … "I've recently run a set of articles on what I feel is the best-looking league season, the 1990-91 Italian Serie A," says Denis Hurley. "Here is a recap."
Grab Bag: In minor league hockey news, the Albany Devils went G.I. Joke yesterday. … Reader Aaron Dana collects beautiful old sports patches and posts them on Instagram and Tumblr. He also does some awesome sports-themed artwork. Great, great stuff and highly recommended. "¦ There's a new book about Japanese uniforms from all walks of life (thanks, Brinke). "¦ Here's your latest chance to vote on the NASCAR paint scheme of the past weekend. "¦ What's even better-looking than a color-on-color lacrosse match? A color-on-color lacrosse match in the snow (from Matt Shevin).
MLB, Throwbacks
60 comments to Mets Debut New 1986 Throwbacks
Wally1912 | April 11, 2016 at 7:57 am |
The A's socks are made by Stance, the official supplier to the NBA. Strange, because Twin City Knitting generally supplies socks and stirrups to MLB clubs.
http://www.champssports.com/product/model:260233/sku:M3110GRE
DenverGregg | April 11, 2016 at 8:04 am |
Congrats and many happy returns for Mama Lukas!
Eltee of DC | April 11, 2016 at 8:39 am |
Mama Lukas Huzzah!
James G | April 11, 2016 at 8:06 am |
Paul, you have Alabama throwbacks in the Baseball News section but that is Indiana Hoosiers baseball in the link.
Paul Lukas | April 11, 2016 at 8:29 am |
D'oh. Fixed.
Jason M (DC) | April 11, 2016 at 8:07 am |
The only players on the 1986 Mets that could have or might have needed an accent on their jerseys were Sid Fernandez and Keith Hernandez. But Fernandez was born in Hawaii and Hernandez in San Francisco. Considering they were born in the US, I'd figure that they would more likely spell their name without the accent. So the 86 Mets might not have needed to think about accents on name plates.
Brian W | April 11, 2016 at 1:44 pm |
Apart from his nickname "Mex," Keith Hernandez is 100% gringo-ized.
Happy birthday to your mom. Probably would make a great article about all the things she has seen in her lifetime.
Dumb Guy | April 11, 2016 at 8:14 am |
JMU! JMU!
That's what the ballplayers at James Madison should be shouting… through megaphones! ……since those unis look more like cheerleader costumes.
(Yes, I'm a JMU alum)
DJ | April 11, 2016 at 8:28 am |
Colleges and universities should have some right to protect their "brands" from trademark infringement. But I suspect that, as schools define their brand more precisely (specific Pantone colors, logos, wordmarks, etc.) they will narrow their ability to claim infringement.
So if this distillery were to use a bright blue and white label, with block letters, to identify itself, UK might have an issue. Just calling themselves "Kentucky"… not so much.
Anthony Nuccio | April 11, 2016 at 9:51 am |
Well said, DJ.
dgray | April 11, 2016 at 1:18 pm |
You would think so, DJ. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Instead of defining brands more precisely, universities are now using the technique of extremely aggressive prosecution as a way to expand the value of any marks they might own.
Ultimately, this works to the detriment of everyone, including the schools themselves. And as the linked article states, it is almost always the "little guy", the small businesses that can't afford the $400-$500 an hour for an IP attorney, that's the target.
Led by Duke University (always near the top of the "trademark bullies" listings) it's a greedy shameful behavior that would probably, and justifiably, be decried, if the various alumni became aware of it.
Rob S | April 11, 2016 at 8:37 am |
The style guide link in the Mets piece doesn't work. Looks like some extra text got caught in the link.
Iain | April 11, 2016 at 8:38 am |
The Leeds United numbers weren't actually on the socks. They were tags that were not attached to the socks. They are top 10 on this list of coolest items of sportswear ever – http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/06/features.sportmonthly3
The tags were attached to an elastic that would help to hold up the sock. I still have a pair from my club team in the early 80s.
arrScott | April 11, 2016 at 8:45 am |
Props to the Mets for getting the squatchee right. But the gray underbrim is problematic. The underbrim is supposed to be a functional part of the uniform, not an element subject to team or personal aesthetics. Dark green was originally believed, based on superstition and hunches, to be better for the eyes than just continuing the brim top's fabric underneath. Then, some little bit of actual scientific study was supposedly done indicating that gray was actually more functionally appropriate. Then supposedly more study was done indicating that black was superior to gray. Since this is a matter of pure function – objectively better or worse performance for players – then changing to an outdated underbrim color is bad design. It is the equivalent of insisting that a game played with 1913 throwbacks be conducted with only a single ball that would grow progressively dirtier and harder for batters to see over the course of the game. More authentic, yes. But to the detriment of the game and player performance.
Unless, that is, the color of the underbrim has no objectively measurable effects on player comfort and performance, and the whole progression from green to black has just been so much superstition and hokum. Which is probably the case. But that's not what baseball collectively claims to believe. So within the context of what baseball believes to be true, switching to period-color underbrims is a mistake.
Jon Rose | April 11, 2016 at 9:03 am |
I'm scratching my head trying to remember if the Mets wore a gray underbrim in '86. My own fuzzy memory doesn't recall seeing them on any team before 1990ish. But I could be wrong.
I know black is more functional, but I still prefer the classic green. It just looks more basebally.
We've been thru this many times before:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/steiner2-java/images/skus/OROSPHS008000_zoom_IMAGE1_284416.JPG
arrScott | April 11, 2016 at 10:10 am |
Funny thing is, if you Google search for 1986 and the name of any Mets player, you'll mostly find pictures with green underbrims. Though mostly those images appear to be from 1985 and prior seasons, as is typical with Google results for baseball players. So the Mets apparently wore green underbrims in 1985, and had switched to gray by the time of the '86 postseason. Do we know when the Mets made the switch, and was it team-wide or an option available to players?
It's not the greatest image, but here's Doc Gooden in Game 2 of the Series, and his underbrim is pretty clearly gray.
Okay doke. I stand corrected. Thanks!
Steve D | April 11, 2016 at 1:08 pm |
The 1986 Mets wore green underbrims the whole season and NLCS. They switched for game 1 of the World Series to grey.
Rex (acctracker) | April 11, 2016 at 8:57 am |
Hasn't Calipari ruined the Kentucky, in addition to the Massachusetts & Memphis, names already?
BoSoxer | April 11, 2016 at 8:58 am |
We ALL know of you aversion to the Mets blue tops. However, I never really liked the Mets racing stripe uni era and definitely prefer the blue top over this throwback uniform. At least they ditched the black alts!!!
It looks like the nameplates on the Mets throwbacks, even the normal ones without accents, are bigger than the 1986 originals. That's pretty disappointing; you'd think they'd be able to keep that tight.
It was pretty glaring. Even my normally not uni-conscious girlfriend mentioned how big the nameplates were.
gene sanny | April 11, 2016 at 9:12 am |
thanks for sharing the football cards pics :) thought i'd mention that i know i messed up on the Cardinals cards…. forgot to change the template to read NFC instead of AFC…. if anyone's going to notice that, it's you guys here :)
Sam T. | April 11, 2016 at 9:27 am |
The Mets 80's racing stripes were tacky then. They're still tacky now.
Todd | April 11, 2016 at 9:36 am |
last year, the Nats used Coolidge as their "visiting President" to promote the 2015 White House Christmas Ornament. It doesn't seem to be the case for 2016, at least according to the ideas currently being floated.
http://www.whitehousegiftshop.com/2016-White-House-Ornaments-s/2399.htm
I lied, still has to do with the Christmas Ornament
http://shop.whitehousehistory.org/2016-white-house-ornament
Right. The ornament series celebrates the presidents in numerical sequence, so each year it's the next president. Hoover succeeded Coolidge, who was the subject of the 2015 ornament. I'm a native Iowan, and once upon a time my dad recorded all the audio tour and exhibit narration for the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, so I have a little bit of sympathy for Hoover. Nonetheless, it would be insane for the Nats to add Hoover to their racing presidents lineup without some connection to an arbitrary thing like the White House ornaments. There's simply no arguing that the guy was a monumental failure as president, to the point where it's not really even funny to add him as a joke. Hoover is the kind of president you include if you have to because you're including all of them.
It'll all be fun and games – especially FDR next year – until 2022, when it will be Nixon's turn. Could be a close contest between what happens first: The Nats add Ike to the racing presidents lineup in 2019, or the Eisenhower Memorial (which began work in 1999) finally opens.
Todd | April 11, 2016 at 10:29 am |
oh man, FDR should be interesting.
I wonder if they are planning to do anything with it being an election year. Have the candidates involved in the races?
Have the candidates involved in the races?
To the best of my knowledge, no. I don't believe the Nats have previously invited candidates to participate in other events, either, such as first-pitch ceremonies.
On the other hand, candidates do sometimes use mascots to troll their opponents at campaign rallies. So maybe that's something the Racing Presidents could make fun of?
Rob S | April 11, 2016 at 10:22 am |
Confirmed! Penguins going with "Pittsburgh Gold" third uniforms for their home playoff games.
Hopefully this leads to the retirement of the "Vegas gold" Edge jerseys.
Jon Rose | April 11, 2016 at 4:08 pm |
Agreed 100%. I loved when all the 'Burgh's teams had the same color scheme. That metallic gold rooooned it!
Jeffb0721 | April 11, 2016 at 11:56 am |
Alt title for today's entry… Another one where Paul writes in detail about his favorite team, as if the rest of us should care just as much as him…
Mike Engle | April 11, 2016 at 12:03 pm |
When Paul's favorite team gives him a lot of material to write about, when other local readers are able to share what the SNY guys said, and when it's all free to read, I'd say we're pretty lucky. Especially when it's literally the first 86 home Sunday of the year to see this stuff in action.
Paul doesn't need help in defense, but I'm happy to do so.
Paul Lukas | April 11, 2016 at 12:04 pm |
Yeah, how dare I post something about my favorite team. On my website. The nerve!
Nobody said you had to care, Jeff. If you'd like to post a comment about *your* favorite team (especially if that team did something uni-notable yesterday, such as debuting the first new throwback of the 2016 MLB season), please feel free.
Dumb Guy | April 11, 2016 at 3:28 pm |
My stock response to whiners (regarding just about anything) is…
When YOU run you own ________, you can do it however YOU want.
Jerusalem Stone | April 11, 2016 at 12:22 pm |
Mazal Tov to Ms. Lukas on her birthday! And kudos to Paul for consistently being a great role model for how to honor one's mother :)
Sam | April 11, 2016 at 12:52 pm |
Khris Davis did the same thing with his socks during the spring
https://butattheendoftheday.com/2016/03/24/oakland-as-of-khris-davis-appears-to-be-wearing-stance-socks-during-a-game/
Tim F. | April 11, 2016 at 1:24 pm |
Khris Davis is wearing a pair of socks from Stance's casual MLB Collection: https://www.stance.com/shop/product/oakland-athletics-green-and-gold
You can see in this picture that they are only calf-length and actually worn over longer green socks or tights: https://twitter.com/PhilHecken/status/719566168919556098
I'm guessing the equipment guys weren't thrilled about that.
tosaman | April 11, 2016 at 1:30 pm |
The University of Kentucky's athletic department comes off as a complete douchenozzle in its situation with the distiller.
'Mr. Schlafer, the university athletic official, says the letter was a pro forma entry to negotiations…'. Right, cuz nothing says good faith like threatening to sue before you even talk with the other side.
'The university has asked a judge to dismiss the case, on the grounds that, as an arm of the state, it has sovereign immunity and cannot be sued.' Um, I'm not a lawyer, but how fair is that? 'I can file a civil suit against you but you can't file one against me.'
I know it shouldn't, but the whole I'm big/you're little vibe has gotten under my skin.
Here is Jesse Orosco celebrating the 1986 NLCS victory in a green underbrim.
https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/orosco-nlcs.jpg?quality=90&strip=all
The team wore green for the whole season and NLCS. Then the whole team switched to gray for game 1 of the World Series. It is possible somebody kept their old cap into the WS, but I don't recall it happening.
Rob S | April 11, 2016 at 3:15 pm |
That photo has too much shadow under the brim, as it looks black.
Hard to find a clear photo…trust me, it was green. Will look more later.
Dovey | April 11, 2016 at 1:53 pm |
I thought Cespedes was wearing stirrups on Sunday but on review I was just confusing a white top of his shoe's tongue as a peek of sani-sock. Which is probably for the best because if they were stirrups he was wearing them terribly
Chaucer59 | April 11, 2016 at 2:04 pm |
Is like to see the Big Blue Bully go after Kentucky Fried Chicken. That would be interesting!
scottrj | April 11, 2016 at 3:43 pm |
Umm, *they* actually did ("they" meaning the Commonwealth, not the University). With some undisclosed measure of success, I might add.
http://www.snopes.com/lost/kfc.asp
Not really fair to offer the link without letting on it's a parody.
McSean | April 12, 2016 at 10:45 am |
But, It's not a Parody.
walter | April 11, 2016 at 4:41 pm |
With respect to the Mets' 1986 uniforms, I'm glad they got the belt tunnels right. It is likely the most frequently fudged detail of the throwback trend; they must be expensive and complicated.
Brett Alan | April 11, 2016 at 7:16 pm |
Love those electric football trading cards! Although I wonder why the statuesque Cardinals are in the AFC….
Oakville Endive | April 11, 2016 at 9:26 pm |
Not sure if ticker has picked this up before, but some club hockey teams are going with "Rebirth" unis. I like Indiana's
http://www.si.com/nhl/2016/04/07/rebirth-sports-acha-club-hockey-jerseys-gallery
Dan T. | April 11, 2016 at 10:41 pm |
Okay, I know I'm a homer, but the UNC baseball cream w/Carolina blue (no navy/black trim) uniforms are perhaps the most beautiful baseball uniforms ever created.
More photos here. This…is perfection:
http://www.goheels.com/PhotoAlbum.dbml?SPSID=668152&SPID=12960&DB_LANG=C&SITE=UNC&PALBID=1859460&DB_OEM_ID=3350
Ravi | April 12, 2016 at 7:32 am |
One other note on the Mets throwbacks:
The original 86 jerseys featured a 25th anniversary commemorative patch on the left sleeve (1962-1986). This patch remained as is on the throwbacks, and thankfully wasn't updated to a 55th anniversary.
(apologies if this was listed in the comments section, as I only skimmed through it)
If a throwback includes an anniversary patch, the patch is never updated. It's always reproduced as it was on the original.
Tim | April 12, 2016 at 9:32 am |
The Nationals player with a pouch in his balaclava is Wilson Ramos.
Alan | April 12, 2016 at 4:26 pm |
It's funny, in the broadcast, Keith and Ron talked about not remembering having the big blue v-neck, but it was definitely there.
Kurt | April 12, 2016 at 8:46 pm |
Don Meredith had same type of face mask as Mike Phipps last year of his career…
https://kacsports.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/1968-pro-football-sim-dandy-don-turns-out-lights-on-broadway-joe/


Units of Pediatric Hematology1,Pulmonology2,Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey3, Hematologic malignancies including acute leukemias rarely associate with cystic fibrosis (CF). In this paper, we describe a case who was diagnosed with CF when she was three months old and presented with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) at the age of 17 years. Although she received reduced doses of chemotherapy because of her clinical status she responded well. She is the first CF patient who developed AML in our department among 296 CF patients over a 22-year period. Keywords : acute myeloblastic leukemia, children, cystic fibrosis.


Lincolnshire County Council Officers are recommending that Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) be awarded a contract to run the county's library services.
On December 1, the Council's Executive will be asked to take a decision on the future of Lincolnshire's library services.
If the Executive decides to award a contract, it would mean that GLL would take on the running the county's 15 major libraries, along with online services and specialist support for those unable to reach their nearest library because of, for instance, disability, age or ill health.


text:
Disappointment of rare successive first-round losses by Capps, lessened by his best run at Sonoma, big lead in Mello Yello standings
There is never a good time to post back-to-back losses in the opening round of an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event, but when it happens the blow is lessened when you had dominated the 13 previous events.
For the first time since early June of 2015, reigning world champion and current points leader Ron Capps and the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T team were eliminated in the first round of Mello Yello competition Sunday in the NHRA Sonoma Nationals near San Francisco after a similar early exit the previous Sunday near Denver.
But Capps and the team led by crew chief
Rahn Tobler and assistant Eric Lane with the NAPA AutoCare Centers crew will head for Seattle this week for the last event of the three-week Western Swing with a nearly insurmountable 183-point lead in the standings with three events remaining before it is determined which 10 drivers will race for the season title in the six-race Countdown to the Championship when points are reset with the regular season winner holding a 30-point lead.
The NAPA team had its worst qualifying performance of the season at Sonoma, which is the closest to Capps' hometown of San Luis Obispo, Calif. His best run of the weekend was in the first round but his time of 3.941 seconds at 328.86 mph would have been quick enough to win three other match-ups but it wasn't good enough to beat Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tommy Johnson Jr.'s 3.905 (332.02) for the second straight race.
"The first thing Tobler will tell you is we've got to qualify better and we weren't trying anything special," said Capps, who has not qualified No. 1 in 15 events this season but has a career-best six event titles.
"We had a couple of runs where we had dropped cylinders and again I brag about how good Tobler is at catching these small things. It only took two or three runs. That was a great run in the first round.
"But we can't qualify like that and race a good car like one of our teammates in the first round. The good thing is we've earned the points lead we have and can afford to give up a round or two here."
"We are still striving to win the regular season and Seattle is obviously a great racetrack to look forward to. We've got to stay focused, and the fact is that our first round run at Sonoma was a great run and it gives us a lot of encouragement going to Seattle.
DSR FUNNY CARS
Event winner: J.R. Todd (Kalitta Motorsports)
No. 1 qualifier: Robert Hight (John Force Racing), 3.807 sec., 339.87 mph-world record
RON CAPPS, NAPA AUTO PARTS 2017 Dodge Charger R/T
Crew chief: Rahn Tobler; Assistant: Eric Lane
SUNDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP ELIMINATIONS
First round: Tommy Johnson Jr. (3.905 sec., 332.02 mph-career best) def. CAPPS (3.941, 328,86)
Qualified: No. 12
FRIDAY: 4.032 sec., 306.12 mph, (Session 1); 7.001, 96.47, (Session 2)
SATURDAY: 4.000, 321.96, (Session 3); 5.571, 126.10, (Session 4)
SONOMA BY THE NUMBERS
Career best time, speed: 3.839 sec. (2017, Phoenix); 333.58 mph (2017, Phoenix)
Last event (July 23), Denver: Qualified: No. 5, lost in first round to teammate Tommy Johnson Jr.
A year ago at Sonoma: Qualified No. 5, lost in championship round to John Force
Career at Sonoma: Wins 4 (1997, 2010, 2011, 2013); Runner-up 3 (2002, 2005, 2016); Poles 1 (1998)
2017 NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES FUNNY CAR STANDINGS
(Official after Sonoma; 15 of 24 events: wins in parenthesis; DSR drivers in CAPS)
1. RON CAPPS (6) 1,276 —–
2. MATT HAGAN (3) 1,093 -183
3. JACK BECKMAN (2) 1,049 -227
4. Robert Hight (1) 1,035 -241
5. TOMMY JOHNSON JR. (1) 982 -294
6. Courtney Force 874 -402
7. John Force (1) 821 -455
8. Tim Wilkerson 727 -549
9. J.R. Todd (1) 724 -552


text:
Attacks · Demos · The Team · Publications · Disclosure · FAQ · Press · Contact us
Cloak & Dagger is a new class of potential attacks affecting Android devices. These attacks allow a malicious app to completely control the UI feedback loop and take over the device — without giving the user a chance to notice the malicious activity. These attacks only require two permissions that, in case the app is installed from the Play Store, the user does not need to explicitly grant and for which she is not even notified. Our user study indicates that these attacks are practical. These attacks affect all recent versions of Android (including the latest version, Android 7.1.2), and they are yet to be fixed.
TL;DR — Main Takeaways
We uncover a series of vulnerabilities and design shortcomings affecting the Android UI.
These attacks abuse one or both of the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW ("draw on top") and BIND_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE ("a11y").
If the malicious app is installed from the Play Store, the user is not notified about the permissions and she does not need to explicitly grant them for the attacks to succeed. In fact, in this scenario, "draw on top" is automatically granted, and this permission is enough to lure the user into unknowingly enable a11y (through clickjacking).
The possible attacks include advanced clickjacking, unconstrained keystroke recording, stealthy phishing, the silent installation of a God-mode app (with all permissions enabled), and silent phone unlocking + arbitrary actions (while keeping the screen off). See the full list below.
These attacks are practical: we performed a user study (with 20 human subjects), and no user understood what happened.
Most of these attacks are due to design issues, and they are thus challenging to prevent. In fact, one may say that some of these functionality work "as intended"; Nonetheless, this work shows that this functionality can be abused.
To date, all these attacks are still practical (see "Which versions of Android are affected" and "Responsible Disclosure" below).
List of Attacks
Attacks that abuse the "draw on top" permission:
Context-aware clickjacking & Context hiding: two techniques that make luring the user to enable the accessibility service practical, even when the latest security mechanisms (e.g., "obscured flag") are correctly implemented and enabled. (Note: others have identified ways to use clickjacking to get a11y. See "FAQ" below.)
Invisible Grid Attack, allowing unconstrained keystroke recording, including password, private messages, etc.
Attacks that abuse "accessibility service" permission:
Unconstrained keystroke recording, including passwords. According to the documentation, this should not be possible (See "security note" here)
Security PIN stealing
Device unlock through PIN injection + perform arbitrary actions while keeping the screen off!
Stealing two-factor authentication tokens (SMS-based, Google Authenticator, and other app-based tokens)
Ad hijacking
Web exploration
Attacks that abuse both permissions:
Silent installation of God-mode app (with all permissions enabled)
Stealthy phishing (for which the user finds herself logged in, as she would expect)
Which versions of Android are affected?
Here is the current status (as of June 19th, 2017). Previous versions are very likely to be vulnerable as well.
Android 5.1.1 (32.0%*)
Android 6.0.1 (31.2%)
Android 7.1.2 (7.1%)
Invisible Grid Attack vulnerable vulnerable vulnerable
Clickjacking → a11y vulnerable vulnerable vulnerable
Silent God-Mode vulnerable vulnerable vulnerable**
Stealthy Phishing vulnerable vulnerable vulnerable
PIN stealing vulnerable vulnerable vulnerable
Phone Unlocking (while screen off) vulnerable vulnerable vulnerable
Leaky a11y (passwords, 2FA tokens, CCs) vulnerable vulnerable vulnerable***
*Relative numbers of devices running a given version of Android. The numbers are taken from Google's dashboard, and they are clustered by Android "main versions", e.g., "Android 5.X".
** Google implemented a partial fix (only on Android 7.1.2): "on top" overlays do not appear anymore whenever an app's permission list is shown. However, this is only used for "normal" permissions, and not for "special" permissions, such as "draw on top" and a11y. This is problematic: since the "clickjacking → a11y" is still possible, a malicious app can use the "Phone Unlocking (while keeping the screen off) attack" to enable these permissions while keeping the screen off, thus making the silent installation of a God-mode app still practical. We suggest Google to extend their protection mechanism to the entire Settings app (or, at the very least, to "special" permissions as well).
*** Although Google marked our bug report as "Won't fix", we noticed that the Google keyboard actually received an update that, at first glance, seems to avoid leaking passwords. In fact, when typing passwords, the accessibility events generated by the Keyboard app itself now contains "Dot" instead of the actual character. However, we found a workaround for our attack: each accessibility event has access to the "hashcode" of the node generating the event. Since it's possible to enumerate the widgets and their hashcodes (which are designed to be pseudo-unique), the hashcodes are enough to determine which keyboard's button was actually clicked by the user.
Invisible Grid Attack
Context-aware/hiding Clickjacking + Silent God-mode Install Attack
Stealthy Phishing Attack
Yanick Fratantonio (@reyammer), University of California, Santa Barbara (soon at EURECOM!)
Chenxiong Qian, Georgia Institute of Technology
Simon Pak Ho Chung, Georgia Institute of Technology
Wenke Lee, Georgia Institute of Technology
You can reach us by sending an email to team@cloak-and-dagger.org
Cloak and Dagger: From Two Permissions to Complete Control of the UI Feedback Loop
Yanick Fratantonio, Chenxiong Qian, Simon P. Chung, Wenke Lee.
In the Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (S&P), San Jose, CA, May 2017.
[PDF] [Slides] [Talk] Distinguished Practical Paper Award!
Black Hat USA, Las Vegas, NV, July 2017.
[Black Hat White Paper] [Slides] [Talk]
Please use the following bibtex entry to cite our work:
@InProceedings{fratantonio17:cloakdagger,
author = {Fratantonio, Yanick and Qian, Chenxiong and Chung, Simon and Lee, Wenke},
title = {{Cloak and Dagger: From Two Permissions to Complete Control of the UI Feedback Loop}},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (Oakland)},
month = {May},
address = {San Jose, CA}
We responsibly disclosed our findings to Google's Android security team. A timeline of the disclosure steps and responses from Google are posted here (we will keep this updated as time passes):
August 22nd, 2016 — We opened several issues on the bug tracker for the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
August 31st, 2016 — Android security team sets severity as "Moderate" for one of the bugs ("draw on top" → unconstrained keystroke recording).
September 30th, 2016 — Android security team marks one of the reported bugs ("a11y" → unconstrained keystroke recording + leaking security PIN + unlocking device while keeping the screen off) as "work as intended".
October 10th, 2016 — We follow up pointing out that the Accessibility Service's documentation states that a11y should not be able to access passwords (see "security note"), and that a11y should not be able to unlock the device and perform arbitrary actions while keeping the screen off.
October 13th, 2016 — Android security team states that "The password will be repeated if the user explicitly turns that on in settings under Settings → Accessibility → Speak passwords. The option is off by default. If the user explicitly enables this feature, it is not a security vulnerability."
October 14th, 2016 — We follow up clarifying that our attack works even without this feature (In fact, our report does not even mention that.)
October 18th, 2016 — Android security team marks this bug as "High severity".
November 28th, 2016 — Android security team downgrades this bug as "not a security issue" and marks it as "Won't Fix (Intended Behavior)" because "limiting those services would render the device unusable".
December 19th, 2016 — A draft of our IEEE S&P'17 paper is shared with Adrian Ludwig, director of Android Security.
March 15th, 2017 — We follow up, pointing out that the documentation states otherwise. We also follow up on all the other bugs we opened, asking for a status update.
May 3rd, 2017 — We follow up a second time asking for a status update for the bugs we reported.
May 4th, 2017 — Android security team keeps our a11y findings as "won't fix", but they state they will update the documentation. We did not receive updates about the other bugs we reported.
May 8th, 2017 — We have a telco with the anti-malware and a11y Google teams during which we thoroughly discussed all the details of our research.
May 19th, 2017 — The a11y team confirms the a11y-related issues we reported as "won't fix".
May 22nd, 2017 — This website and our research paper at IEEE S&P are made public.
Current — All the attacks discussed by this work are still practical, even with latest version of Android (Android 7.1.2, with security patches of June 5th installed).
How can an app stealthily obtain the two permissions?
A malicious app can declare the "draw on top" and the a11y permissions through its manifest file. If the app is hosted and installed through the Google Play Store, the attacks will not require the user to explicitly notify the user about the two permissions. In fact, in this scenario, the "draw on top" permission is automatically granted, and this work shows how it is possible to get access to a11y (through clickjacking) even when the latest security mechanisms are enabled and correctly implemented.
Why is the "draw on top" permission automatically granted?
This behavior appears to be a deliberate decision by Google, and not an oversight. To the best of our understanding, Google's rationale behind this decision is that an explicit security prompt would interfere too much with the user experience, especially because it is requested by apps used by hundreds of millions of users. For example, Facebook requires this permission to implement "Android chat heads", one of its very popular features.
Are these permissions shown to the user after the app is installed?
They are not. For Android 5 (or older versions), the list of permissions requested by the app is shown at installation time: however, the "draw on top" and the a11y are not included in this list (because they are treated as "special"). For Android 6 (and later), the list of permissions is not shown to the user at installation time (and, as mentioned above, the "draw on top" is automatically granted).
How difficult is it to get an app with these two permissions approved to the Google Play Store?
A quick experiment shows that it is trivial to get such an app accepted on the Google Play Store. In particular, we submitted an app requiring these two permissions and containing a non-obfuscated functionality to download and execute arbitrary code (attempting to simulate a clearly-malicious behavior): this app got approved after just a few hours (and it is still available on the Google Play Store).
What do you recommend to users?
We recommend users to check which applications have access to the "draw on top" and the a11y permissions. Unfortunately, both permissions are considered "special" and, for this reason, certain versions of Android may show "no permission required" even if, in fact, the app has access to both the permissions required for our attack. Here we provide instructions for several versions of Android (if you have recommendations regarding instructions for others Android versions, please let us know and we will post them here):
Android 7.1.2:
— "draw on top" permission: Settings → Apps → "Gear symbol" (top-right) → Special access → Draw over other apps.
— a11y: Settings → Accessibility → Services: check which apps require a11y.
— "draw on top" permission: Settings → Apps → "Gear symbol" (top-right) → Draw over other apps.
— "draw on top" permission: Settings → Apps → click on individual app and look for "draw over other apps"
This work shows that the user should not consider her device's UI as a trusted source of information. Thus, from a conceptual point of view, the user should rely on other means than the device's UI itself. An alternative solution is to use command line tools (such as adb) or to determine the permissions requested by each app through the Play Store website. For example, to check the permissions of the official LastPass app (which requires both permissions), you can go to its Play Store page, scroll down, and click "View details" under "Permissions". The "draw on top" permission will appear under the "Others" / "draw over other apps" label, while the a11y will appear under "Others" / "bind to an accessibility service".
Why are these bugs not fixed yet?
Some of the issues uncovered by this work are design-related issues — not simple bugs — and it thus necessarily takes more time to fix them. Moreover, these are not "classic" low-level issues, but UI-related problems. These issues may be more challenging to fix since changes may introduce backward compatibility issues and changes that are "visible" to end users. Finally, some of the bugs were marked as "won't fix", and they will thus not be fixed.
Are these attacks practical?
We believe so. We performed a user study with 20 human subjects, and none detected to be under attack. We report more details in our paper.
These permissions have been abused by existing works. What is the difference?
Previous work has shown that, for example, ransomware abuses the "draw on top" permission to create inescapable fullscreen overlays and block the device. In this work, instead, we show how to abuse these permissions to mount stealthy attacks, for which the user does not even suspect she has been infected.
Are you the first ones to use clickjacking to enable a11y?
Nope! Actually, while we independently had the idea of mixing the two permissions, we discovered the possibility to use clickjacking to obtain a11y thanks to a blog post from other researchers. The article also discusses 1) how Google attempted to address the problem by relying on the "obscured flag" mechanism, 2) how a problem in the defense's implementation makes the attack still possible, and 3) that Google considered this new new attack to be not practical and marked this as "won't fix". This blog post motivated us to work in this direction: among the other attacks we uncovered, we show how the "obscured flag" defense mechanism is vulnerable even if it were implemented correctly, how it can be abused as a powerful side-channel (see "Invisible Grid Attack"), and how these attacks are extremely stealthy and practical (as showed by our user study). We hope our work will motivate Google to patch these vulnerabilities.
These are "just" UI issues. Why should I care?
We hope that this work shows to both app and system developers how UI issues can be as powerful as classic low-level bugs (e.g., buffer overflows), and that should be considered as first-class bugs.
What do you think Google should do?
Other than suggesting Google to fix the reported bugs and to implement the defense mechanism proposed in our paper, we have a number of short-term recommendations:
Do not automatically grant the "draw on top" permission.
Perform extensive vetting on apps requiring both permissions.
The "draw on top" and a11y should be listed under the apps' "normal" permissions (currently, the user needs to navigate to a special, dedicated menu).
Disable all overlays when the user is interacting with the Settings app.
What is Google's official reply to the press coverage?
According to several news articles, a Google spokesperson said: "We've been in close touch with the researchers and, as always, we appreciate their efforts to help keep our users safer. We have updated Google Play Protect — our security services on all Android devices with Google Play — to detect and prevent the installation of these apps. Prior to this report, we had already built new security protections into Android O that will further strengthen our protection from these issues moving forward."
Will you make the proof-of-concept publicly available?
Since it is still possible to launch these attacks against real users, we will not publicly disclose the proof-of-concept (for now). However, upon request, we will be happy to share the PoC with selected security researchers.
Do you have a question that is not covered here? Send us an email!
This work received significant press coverage. Here there are some articles: NewsWeek, The Register, ThreatPost, TechCrunch, The Hacker News, On The Wire, Kaspersky Blog, Daily Mail, International Business Times, Android Central, Android Police, EndGadget, Mashable, ComputerBild (in German), Android Authority, SoftPedia, HelpNetSecurity, XDA Developers, The Hill, SlashGear, Express UK, Malaysia Sun, Indipendent UK, Security Now, Silicon UK, Graham Cluley, The Merkle, Inc., 9to5google, NowSecure, Gigazine (in Japanese), Science Daily, Security Affairs, CanalTech (in Portuguese), CyberScoop, Info Security, Appelmo (in Italian), HeadLines.nl (in Dutch), Android Planet (in Dutch), DobreProgramy (in Polish), WccfTech, BGR, AppInformers, Gadgets 360, Android Headlines, TelePolis (in Polish), Redes Zone (in Spanish), Chip Online TR (in Turkish), MojAndroid (in Slovak), N+1 (in Spanish), Popular Mechanics, Android World (in Italian), Unwire (in Chinese), iDevice (in Romanian), Digital (in Bulgarian), NhipSongs (in Vietnamese), Cepkolik (in Turkish), ITMedia (in Japanese), TekCrispy (in Spanish), 3DNews (in Russian), Libero.it (in Italian), QDSS (in Italian), Xakep (in Russian), Unboxholics, Neowin, Blasting News, KCRA, HotForSecurity, SpiceWorks, Latest HackingNews, DeccanChronicle, MobileSyrup, HackRead, RapidMobile, Noah Conference, Digital Trends, AndroNews (in German), Conservative Angle, Tech Hook, GSM Portal, Live 24 News, TiotsGoa, Atman, DailyUpdate, Kalen2utech, MyBroadBand, PC Tablet, Sohu, Digi163, ITWire, BGR India, TechNews Inc., Thaivisa, Ausdroid, Koco, The Christian Post, TechDroider, PPPFocus, Security Intelligence, GuidingTech, OpenSourceforu, SensorTech, EMGIGroup, TcInet, FileHippo, Heise (in German), KCCI, NextInpact, BTCoin Info, Blorge, Yahoo! Tech, Bit Media, HappyTech, Generation NT, GBHackers, TechGround News, AntiCorruption, Notebook Check, Security Online, TecnoExplora, The Viral News, KakNut, HackersPortugal, Spinonews, LongRoom, TechGossip, TechStutn, Craw, Uroft, Bongo Gadgets, UK Star, Best of Viral, Breaking Tech (in Italian), Android-IT, Irish Sun, TeknoFormat (in Turkish), WinFuture (in German), F-Hack (in Italian), WLWT News, RadioRegional (in Portuguese), TVBS (in Chinese), NewReport (in Greek), CERT Italia (in Italian), Mobil Mania (in Czech), Android Community, Ifnar (in Chinese), Sina (in Chinese), Viet Times (in Vietnamese).
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I understood that this film was about the 'hormones-maffia', but actually that line is secondary to the story of one of the characters. In Belgium we find a small group of people dealing in hormones for their life-stock in order to get them extra fat extra fast. We see buyers and sellers and get a little bit of history on the subject. The person we get to know better is Jacky, a man who is dependant on hormones in different ways, for his cows and for himself. Because of the use of hormones (caused by an accident in his youth) Jacky looks like a bull and he has a bulls-head, hence the title. I find the drama around Jacky out of proportion and would have been more interested in the maffia side of the story. The film is well-shot with moody images though, you will hear a whole set of different Belgium languages and dialecs and the humour is good. "Rundskop" is a nice film, mostly because of the way it is shot. It is presented as a thriller and that is not really the case.