Bowie's latest in a decade with a weird two big heads and a little body thing in a Berlin studio reminded me of the time we rode there. And think he's pondering how hard it is to tell a story in such a connected world. Maybe who has time for art anymore too, when we're all showing off our coolest self on social networks, not looking at walls in studios.
Our host for our visit to Berlin was Karl Addison from Partybots and @idrawalot. We rode along the Wall, visited a famous shop, drank beer, and ate.
It's a city I'd ride again and spend more time looking at the art. It's got more bike lanes than most.
A mass of unrelated objects collected in hopes of finding a purpose juxtaposed with the street films questions art and its meaning, all art not just visual but performing as well, meaning in a chaotic world of hectic routine.
Much like walking into Mark V's messy corner of the shop and out with a clean, well-functioning bike that'll takes me places, way out of the routine.


"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man." — Albert Einstein.
For several years I have been curious and concerned about reports from many parts of the world that bee colonies were vanishing or dying. Because of their ability to pollinate fruit and vegetables bees are of enormous importance to mankind. Finally a breakthrough in understanding this problem has appeared on the scene. Whether this solves the whole bee problem or is simply one part of a more complex issue remains to be seen.
An article in Natural News by David Gutierrez on September 30, 2008 has linked the bee die-off in the Baden-Wurttemburg state of Germany to direct contact with the insecticide clothianidin found on corn seeds (German Research Center for Cultivated Plants). This pesticide had been applied to rapeseed and sweet cornseeds in the Rhine River Valley.
Piles of dead bees were discovered at the entrance of hives in early May 2008. Clothianidin was found in the tissues of 99% of the dead bees. This is the time when corn seeding takes place according to Walter Haefeker, president of the European Professional Beekeeping Association. The Julius Huehn Institute (federal agricultural research agency) stated "it can be unequivocally be concluded that a poisoning of the bees is due to a rub-off of the pesticide ingredient clothianidin from cornseeds." This chemical is estimated to have killed two-thirds of the bees in this state.
Clothianidin is widely used insecticide marketed in Europe under the brand name Poncho. This insecticide is a derivative of nicotine which acts systemically as a neurotoxin which poisons the nervous system of insects. After application to the seeds of plants clothianidin spreads throughout all plant tissues.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified clothianidin as "highly toxic" to honeybees. This chemical was approved for U.S. use in 2003 and German use in 2004.
A subsidiary of the chemical giant Bayer, Bayer Crop Science which manufactures clothianidin, blamed the honeybee deaths on incorrect application of the insecticide. They claimed that application of a fixative prior to spraying with clothianidin would have prevented the poison from spreading to the environment. They related that the fixative was not applied so the poison spread into the air.
The German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety placed a provisional ban on the seven neonicotinoid pesticides (Poncho, Elado, Antarc, Chinook, Faibell, Mesurol, Cruiser). until the manufactures had sufficient data to convince the government regulators they were safe. Six of these substances are made by Bayer while Mesurol is made by Syngenta.
The same charges that nicotinoids from Bayer were killing bees were raised in France in 1999. In that nation Bayer's best selling pesticide imidaclopid was banned from use in sunflower seeds after being blamed for killing one third of the country's honeybees. In 2004 France extended the ban to sweet corn seeds. A new application for clothianidin was banned in France a few months ago.
In North Dakota beekeepers sued Bayer, alleging that imaclopid caused the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in that state in 1995. Within 12 months of use one third of that state's honeybees were dead.
Around the world honeybee stocks are declining. Obviously this could have an enormous impact on global food supplies. Approximately 80% of world food crops are pollinated by honeybees. In the USA alone this accounts for 130 crops and $15 billion of food each year.
Two million honeybee colonies have been lost in the USA in recent years. Massive dieoffs of bees have been reported from Europe. Taiwan discovered the disappearance of 10,000,000 bees in a two week period. U.K. Farming Minister Lord Rooker has advised that British honeybee population could disappear within the next 10 years.
Beekeepers have become quite alarmed by Colony Collapse Disorder where bees simply disappear leaving empty hives. The neonicotinoid pesticides have been implicated as the possible cause for CCD. Because the pesticide spreads through all plant tissues bees could be getting exposed through the pollen of treated plants. One study actually concluded that neonicotinoids are likely to become concentrated in bee hives in high levels by the mechanism of transported pollen.
In low dosage research studies have shown that neonictinoids produce symptoms that could explain CCD. Termites exposed to these doses of imidaclopid experience disorientation and immune system failure, while bees exposed to low doses of this chemical develop impairment of communication, homing, foraging, flight, olfactory discrimination, and learning.
Adverse Weather Conditions Currently there is a scarcity of sun spots which contributes to lower temperatures. This summer was the coldest Alaska has experienced in 100 years with the summer temperatures about three degrees below normal. Last winter was unusually cold in the USA and Northern Europe. North Carolina had unprecedented heavy snow storms. The northern USA had very low temperatures with heavy snowstorms. The same cold weather pattern with bad storms was widespread in Europe last winter. We appear to be changing over from a warm weather cycle to a cold weather cycle which has been observed for thousands of years. The prime influence in causing this change appears to be the changing activity of the sun and has nothing to due with man made production of heat. Of great importance 200 years of glacial shrinkage  has come to an end. The winter of 2007-2008 has brought unusually large amounts of winter snow. This has combined with unusually cold temperatures in June, July and August 2008 to start reversing 200 years of glacial shrinkage. Growing seasons will become shorter and crop yields will become smaller.
Supermarkets have only a three day supply of products on their shelves. High transportation costs have made these stores more vulnerable to shortages of food. Very high fuel costs came near to driving truckers out of business in the summer of 2008. It is not hard to envision food riots in major cities when supermarkets have nothing to sell.
Ethanol Production is not economic and has removed large amounts of corn from the marketplace. This has increased the cost of producing cattle, hogs, and chicken.
Fallout of depleted uranium from bombs and shells is carried by wind to oceans where it enters oceans during rainstorms. The radioactivity from this fallout kills the algae  that are the start of the fish food chain that leads to our ocean fish. This will lead to fewer mature fish that will become more expensive.
Inflation is driving the price of food to higher levels making many foods not affordable to much of the populace.
The U.S. government does not require labeling of genetically modified foods. Thus, American citizens are unable to avoid eating dangerous GMO food. GMO foods have fewer calories than normal food. Farmers have learned they can feed GMO food to animals if they want to thin them.
As discussed in this article, lack of bees is causing decreased production of fruits and vegetables. This contributes to decreased quantity of produce marketed and increased costs for the produce available to be sold. Whether the nations of the world will take a powerful stand against the pesticides made by powerful companies like Bayer and Syngenta remains to be seen.
 Battros, Mitch Earth Changes Media Newsletter November 7, 2008.
 Ciola, Greg, MD. Beware of the Coming Food Apocalypse GMOs (genetically modified organisms), pg. 9. Axion Publishers, Orlando, Florida.
Dr. James A. Howenstine is a board certified specialist in internal medicine. Check out the third edition of his book A Physician's Guide to Natural Health Products That Work .


text:
title: 'Domain Verification Email'
taxonomy:
    category:
        - docs
---

##### Verification Link Email

When you first sign up for your Reclaim Hosting account, you will see the following warning before entering your contact details:

> Please note: EDU email addresses often flag emails from our domain registrar as spam. For best results, use a personal email address such as a Gmail account.

We highly recommend that you use a personal email account, such as Gmail, in order to guarantee the receival of important Reclaim Hosting emails.

One of the emails that will be sent to you contains a **verification link to verify your email address**. It will look something like this:

![verification email](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u516/Brumface/2757b579-6909-4da1-a079-93fba3bbe48a_zpsunmxnnox.png)

Until this is done you will see a yellow **warning** banner at the top of your Client Area homepage:

![Pending verification screenshot](http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u516/Brumface/46d80111-482a-4e30-8851-0d1ca20893ba_zpsts0i5d7y.png)

```
Greetings! We haven't received a response to the verification email sent to (your email). New regulations
dicated by ICANN, the organizational body for all domain registrations, require the primary contact's
email address be verified within 14 days of registration. If the email address is not verified before
(your relative date) the domain name with be deactivated.
```

#####I can't find the verification link email in my inbox.

As mentioned above, new Reclaim users have 15 days to verify their email address or their account will be suspended. If you can't find the email, click the **Resend Email** to receive another copy. (Make sure to check your spam folders!)

If you still aren't receiving the email, contact support with a personal email address that we can use to update your contact details and resend the verification link email.

#####My account was suspended.
If you've waited for your account to be suspended before taking care of this, no worries. Your website content hasn't disappeared, you just wont be able to access it until you verify your email address.

#####I just verified my email address, but I'm still not seeing my website content.
This is to be expected. Because your domain was suspended, it could take up to a few hours to get everything working again.

As always, if you feel like something else may be going on, open a support ticket & let us know!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Okla. television campaign aims to build public support for marriage equality
Freedom to Marry and Freedom Oklahoma have launched a new 30-second television ad that will run across the state of Oklahoma over the next week as part of its public education campaign to build support for marriage equality.
By Staff Reports Monday, May 5, 2014
The ad features the Cuyler family and focuses on Ed Cuyler, a retired Army colonel who served in the Army for 12 years, with 22 years in the Army reserves. Cuyler is a recipient of the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing five soldiers. He and his wife, Robbie, have been married for 36 years.
In the TV spot, Ed Cuyler talks about why marriage matters to his daughter Deedra and her partner Amber, who are raising three young children in Lawton, a rural town about two hours south of Oklahoma City.
"Here in Oklahoma, we value family. When Deedra told me she was gay, as her dad, I was worried because I wanted to protect her. When Deedra met Amber, I realized she could have a family. Only marriage means the ability to take care of your family," he says.
In January, a federal judge ruled that Oklahoma's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, and last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit heard oral arguments in the case.
A ruling is expected in this case — and a similar 10th Circuit case from Utah — within a few months.
Freedom Oklahoma, Freedom to Marry, Marriage Equality, Oklahoma
New playbook evolves in the world of sports: How to come out as gay
Twin brothers' Eagle Scout awards overshadowed by anti-gay policy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Naomi Beirne - Marketing Intern & Japanese Language Specialist
Naomi Beirne is a Marketing Intern & Japanese Language Specialist at KW Commercial 889-9898 with Russell Bernstein, CBI. She is currently a student at San Jose State University, studying Japanese and Public Health.
Naomi's focus on studying Japanese stems from her cultural heritage (born to a Japanese mother and Irish-American father), and she aims to be involved in the Japanese American communities that she lives in. Her studies in Japanese and Public Health have piqued her curiosity into the intersection of private and public sector in international context.
Naomi is involved as a student research assistant at her university on projects pertaining to ESL education. Outside of classes, Naomi is a leader in a cultural student organization in which she manages social media and marketing; making content in both English and Japanese. She hopes to continue utilizing these experiences to create marketing content that appeals to international audiences.
In her free time, Naomi likes to learn new languages; she can hold conversations in Spanish and ASL. She has recently started coding in Python, and she hopes to pick up other programming languages.
Spending time in the kitchen relieves stress for Naomi, helps her connect with her roots by making traditional Japanese food and with her creativity with experimental baking projects (she has been through a pie phase, coffee phase, and currently on a pearl milk tea phase).
Naomi can also be found volunteering at local comic and anime conventions that she has been attending for more than 10 years.


After the drought we experienced in 2011 became the new drought of record, many vowed to never complain about rain again. The constant rains we've experienced since September and into the New Year have stalled preparations for 2019 planting and have caused some farmers at the very least to wish for a little dry spell. Walter Vajdak grows dryland corn and cotton in Burleson County.
Vajdak says right now excessive moisture is keeping him from getting the 2019 crop underway.
Every day that passes without being able to do any field work causes Vajdak to make adjustments to how he normally would get this year's crop planted.


text:
Transactions of Interest
Key Lending Considerations
Encina Business Credit, LLC (EBC) announced today that it has provided a $57.5 million senior secured revolving credit facility to a manufacturer and supplier of concrete construction products.
Chicago, IL –April 18, 2019–Encina Business Credit, LLC (EBC) announced today that it has provided a $57.5 million senior secured revolving credit facility to a manufacturer and supplier of concrete construction products. The credit facility consists of a revolving line of credit based on accounts receivable, inventory, and a rental fleet. The loan will be used to refinance an existing facility of the company.
Launched in March 2016, EBC is an independent asset-based lending platform targeting middle-market borrowers in the U.S. and Canada. The firm provides revolving lines of credit and term loans ranging in size from $10–$100 million and secured by accounts receivable, inventory, machinery & equipment and real estate. The platform lends to both privately-owned and publicly-traded companies across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, retail, automotive, oil & gas, services, distribution and consumer products. Borrowers use loan proceeds to fund working capital, acquisitions, refinancings, growth, restructurings/turnarounds, debtor-in-possession (DIP)/exit financings and other special situations. Positive cash flow is not a requirement.
Encina Business Credit, LLC (EBC) announced today that it has provided a $15 million senior secured revolving credit facility to an oil field services company
Encina Business Credit, LLC (EBC) announced today that Dan Williams has joined the company as a Managing Director
Copyright © 2019 Encina Business Credit, LLC, all rights reserved.
123 North Wacker Drive, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60606 (312) 801-5456


text:
This script is set up to be used in a Jenkins build of Atomic, for building the snapshot documentation

    #!/bin/bash
    mvn clean package -P docs
    cd ../..
    cp -r ./docs/org.corpus-tools.atomic.doc/target/doxygen/doc-snapshot/* ./doctemp
    cp -r ./docs/org.corpus-tools.atomic.doc/target/docbkx/html/* ./userdoctemp
    cp -r ./docs/org.corpus-tools.atomic.doc/src/main/resources/ ./userdoctemp/assets
    rm ./userdoctemp/assets/.gitignore
    rm ./userdoctemp/assets/README.md
    git checkout gh-pages
    git pull origin gh-pages
    if [ -d doc-snapshot ]; then
      rm -r -f doc-snapshot
    fi
    mkdir ./doc-snapshot
    mkdir ./doc-snapshot/dev
    mkdir ./doc-snapshot/user
    mv ./doctemp/* ./doc-snapshot/dev/
    mv ./userdoctemp/* ./doc-snapshot/user/
    git add $(git ls-files --others --exclude-standard)
    git commit -a -m 'Update documentation (user and developer) (SNAPSHOT)'
    git push origin gh-pages
    # Uncomment in Jenkins and set to correct branch
    # git checkout issue/67


Bathroom Remodel for Less Than $1000 – Through the thousands of pictures online in relation to bathroom remodel for less than $1000, we all picks the top series together with best quality exclusively for you all, and this photos is actually one of pictures collections in our ideal graphics gallery concerning Bathroom Remodel for Less Than $1000. I'm hoping you may as it.
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I fell blessed to share with my students some knowledge that my teacher Sri Dharma Mittra has so generously shared with me as well as my own expirience of 18 years practice and teaching of Yoga. I am sertified 500 and 800-hour DYRT, and 500-hour TT Ishitva institute. I speak English, Hebrew and Russian.
I am trained in mat Pilates and certified in vinyasa yoga. I am in the middle of an aromatherapist certification, so the use of essential oils is a part of every session. I am particular about form and alignment but also focus on breath, energy and the subtle body. I love to delve into and help with people's goals and concerns.


Ok, now I had made this for the Paper Crafts gallery idol challenge...but it just HAPPENED to fit the MOXI FAB WORLD Splatter Challenge too. So why not enter both?
I used my beloved crayon technique to create the splatter. You can see a video of how I do this here.
Fabby, fabby card!! Just the right amount of splatter.
Amazing...this card is sure to win something!
What a fabulous splatter technique! I am going to have to try this one!
have to try this crayon technique soon!
This is super lovely, Wida! I adore the colors and splatter effect!
Seriously, this is my fave (so far;)! Those splatters are a-ma-zing! The way I do splatters just looks messy. Your splatters are artistic! Love, love, love!
fan-freaking-tastic card! Love the splatter paired with those open flowers.
Absolutely Beautiful Wida!!! I love your crayon splatter!
Wida!!! Huge congrats on making top 20! You must be jumping up and down. Well done! Your card is so interesting too ... those splatters are perfect. And the embossed stripes at the bottom. Hooray!
Wida!!!!! I am so happy for you, friend! Your hard work paid off!!! I just knew it would. Congrats, girl! You deserve it!
Wida - YAY!!! I am SO super excited to have seen your pretty face as one of the top 20! You totally deserve it, and I look forward to having you color my world next round! Squeal!


The Committee of the Whole meeting that took place on Monday January 21, had robust discussions, an extensive public meeting, and a presentation from the Rideau Valley Conservation Association (RVCA) on drinking water source protection, as well as a number of other agenda items. Mayor Peckford noted that Councillor Craig McCormick was absent due to urgent family matters (more on that matter elsewhere in this edition).
The public meeting dealt with a zoning by-law amendment application, ZBA 18-18 (Beach Road). The owners of an unaddressed vacant property had requested that the zoning of the property be changed to allow new commercial uses to be added to the existing activities on the property. Currently, according to North Grenville's Official Plan, any new structures must be built 300 metres from a licenced pit. This is to allow for the possible expansion or continued use of this type of resource extraction. The application asked to have this distance shortened.
Yann Bossel, the owner of the licenced pit, and a dairy farmer, spoke against the application because of his concerns about how these activities could affect the future use of his property. It was a thorough discussion, which involved several municipal staff, including North Grenville Planner Jordan Jackson, who presented the Planning Department's recommendation to approve the application. The meeting lasted a full hour before the vote took place, which resulted in three votes for and one against. The recommendation to approve the application will need to be voted on again at the next Council Meeting.
One item that emerged at the meeting came from an impromptu discussion during the section of the meeting assigned to Parks Recreation and Culture, about the potential for a sledding hill in North Grenville, brought forward by Mayor Peckford. She noted that a sledding hill was discussed during the campaign and it remains a matter of significant interest in the community. She added that it is an item that Municipal Council is interested in pursuing. There was one site considered by the previous Council, which was the former Kemptville landfill site. At the time, it appeared that the primary reason for the site not to be considered was municipal liability. Based on the level of discussion at the meeting and the number of questions from the Mayor, this looks to be an item sure to be discussed again in the near future.
Another important part of the meeting revolved around the municipal budget consultation process. The first public consultation on the budget was proposed for Monday, February 4, which would include presentations from the Treasurer and CAO about the fundamentals of a municipal budget and how residents and organizations can go about making budget requests to Council. It was decided that this meeting be held at 2 pm at the North Grenville Municipal Centre.
On Thursday, February 7, there will be another public budget consultation, with Maplewood Hall in Oxford Mills being a possible location. It was suggested that this meeting be held at 7 pm to allow those who work outside North Grenville enough time to return home, have dinner, and then go to the meeting.
Wednesday, February 13, will be the opportunity for residents and organizations to make requests to Council to have items considered for the budget. On Wednesday, February 20, there will be a meeting where Council can provide direction to municipal staff about the budget. The operating budget will be presented at a meeting on Wednesday, February 27, and the capital budget will be presented a week later on Wednesday, March 6.
These budgets will be based on both public input and Council direction. The final review of the budget will take place at the Committee of the Whole Meeting on Tuesday, March 12, with the final vote on budget approval potentially taking place at the Council Meeting of Tuesday, March 19. The public is encouraged to speak with the Council member who is the liaison for the department to which they'll be making their budget request. The idea, which was implemented for last year's budget, is to have the relevant Council liaison be a champion for these budget requests, and be able to speak in support of them.
The CAO advised Council that the first installment of the cannabis funding from the provincial government had been received ahead of the January 22 deadline, and amounted to $8,832. This was based on the number of households (6,927) in North Grenville according to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. The CAO added that, because North Grenville opted in to allow retail cannabis stores, we can expect that the second installment will be the same amount. This is more than the minimum of $5,000 that was promised to all municipalities by the provincial government.
Mayor Peckford outlined a special meeting that she was able to arrange with the cooperation of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister and local MPP Steve Clark, involving a policy advisor in the Provincial Infrastructure Minister, Monte McNaughton's, office. The meeting was in preparation for the upcoming Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference where municipalities get to sit down with ministers to discuss their funding priorities and where members of Council will have opportunities for learning and networking. The meeting focused on exploring the landscape for potential funding for the expansion of County Road 43, which is a clear priority of the mayor. Mayor Peckford, County Warden Sayeau, and key municipal staff will have an exclusive meeting with Minister McNaughton specifically to discuss County Road 43 funding at the conference.


text:
Nusk Al Madinah Hotel
A Classy Stay in Central Madinah
Medina, Saudi Arabia (5N)
A Classy Stay in Central Madinah 3
South Central Area Of Prophetic Mosque Saad Bin Obadah Street, Medina, Saudi Arabia Map
About Nusk Al Madinah Hotel
Situated in the Central Area of Medinah city, Nusk Al Madinah Hotel is a 4-star property providing easy access to the city's must-see attractions. Due to its convenient location, guests can check out ... Read more
Situated in the Central Area of Medinah city, Nusk Al Madinah Hotel is a 4-star property providing easy access to the city's must-see attractions. Due to its convenient location, guests can check out various sites like Al Masjid an Nabawi (330 m), Green Dome (380 m), Jannatul Bazi (720 m), The 7 Mosques of Medina (1.9 km) and more. The Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport (MED) is located at a distance of about 14.6 km and Yanbu Airport (YNB) is about 160.5 km away from the hotel. The Hejaj Al Bar Train Station is at a distance of about 6.4 km. Tourists and guests can reach the hotel via public transport too; the SAPTCO Bus Station Medina is located about 1.5 km away from the hotel premises.
Accommodation & Dining
Nusk Al Madinah Hotel has about 150 rooms available on-site. There are different room types like Triple Room with the city view, Classic Double Room, Quadruple Room and Standard Twin Room. All the rooms come with an array of comfort facilities like linens, carpeting, heating, air conditioning, slippers and soundproofing.The accommodations are also furnished with carpeting, sofa, attached bathrooms and different kinds of bedding setups like extra-long beds, single beds, king beds and queen beds, depending upon the type of room the guest opts for. The Hotel offers all the essential amenities to rejuvenate the tired traveller. The property offers free Wi-Fi services, a 24-hour front desk, luggage storage, daily housekeeping, concierge, contactless check-in/out, smoking area, dry cleaning and more. The guestrooms at the hotel offer a variety of facilities like flat-screen television, mirror, hairdryer, bathrobes, cleaning products and towels to please all its clientele.
For dining, snacking and drinking, there is a coffee shop, 24-hour room service and restaurant available at the Nusk Al Madinah Hotel. The on-site restaurant serves American, Singaporean, Seafood and Thai cuisines for the guests to indulge in. One can also choose from the buffet menu available at the restaurant. Read less
Al Haram - 0.1 km / 0.1 mi
Prophet s Mosque - 0.4 km / 0.3 mi
Baqi Cemetery - 0.7 km / 0.4 mi
Quba Mosque - 3.4 km / 2.1 mi
Uhud Battle Field - 4.5 km / 2.8 mi
Graves of Hamza - 4.5 km / 2.8 mi
Qiblatain Mosque - 4.8 km / 3 mi
Al Noor Mall - 4.8 km / 3 mi
Islamic University of Madinah - 7.3 km / 4.6 mi
Al-Rashid Mega Mall - 8.4 km / 5.2 mi
Mount Uhud - 9.8 km / 6.1 mi
Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Stadium - 10.1 km / 6.3 mi
King Fahad Garden - 10.9 km / 6.8 mi
Taibah University - 12.5 km / 7.8 mi
The nearest airports are:
King Abdulaziz Intl. Airport (JED) - 398.4 km / 247.6 mi
Medina (MED-Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz) - 14.1 km / 8.7 mi
When would you like to stay at Nusk Al Madinah Hotel ?
Al Madinah Concorde Hotel
Al Rawda Al Aqeeq Hotel
Amazon Resort
Nusk Al Madinah Hotel is situated about 2 km away from the city centre. Guests can check-in from 2:00 PM and check-out until 2:00 PM at Nusk Al Madinah Hotel. There are express check-in/ out facilities available too. If someone wishes to bring their private car, then there is an on-site car parking facility on the premises. The staff members are well versed in English and Arabic languages.
There are an array of recreational offerings to ensure that all the guests have enough activities to do during their stay at Nusk Al Madinah Hotel. There are an abundance of facilities available like an elevator, shops, doorman, safety deposit box, facilities for disabled guests, gift/ souvenir shops, wheelchair accessible and luggage storage for before check-in or after check-out. Also, there are many tourist attractions near the hotel like Quba Mosque (2.9 km), Mount Uhud (6.1 km), Masjid al-Qiblatain Mosque (93.8 km), Abu Bakar Masjed (330 m), Masjid Al Ghamamah (150 m) and Grave Of Hamzah (4.4 km). One can also go shop at the Rashed Mall; it is about 4.8 km away from Nusk Al Madinah Hotel.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nusk Al Madinah Hotel
What is the smoking policy at the hotel?
There are smoking areas available at the Nusk Al Madinah Hotel.
Can I have breakfast at Nusk Al Madinah Hotel?
All the guests are offered the breakfast buffet at the hotel.
How can I reach Nusk Al Madinah Hotel?
Apart from public transport, guests can take a cab service or drive their private car to reach the hotel.
What are the check-in/ out timings at Nusk Al Madinah Hotel?
Guests can check-in/ out from/ until 2:00 PM from the hotel. They can also request an early check-in or late check-out which may be charged an additional fee by the hotel.
When can I access the front desk?
At Nusk Al Madinah Hotel, the front desk is open all day and night.


text:
More flight training cash available for girls of all ages in 2016
March 1, 2021 October 30, 2015
Wendy of Alabama won the 2015 First to Solo™ Challenge
The Institute for Women Of Aviation Worldwide (iWOAW) is proud to announce that support from iWOAW's business members and public donations make it possible for iWOAW to offer additional flight training cash prizes to First to Solo™ Challenge winners in 2016.
Wendy Rose, an Alabama resident, never thought of learning to fly before she heard of the First to Solo™ Challenge. Instead, she focused on giving opportunities to her daughter, Dana, who dreams of becoming an astronaut. It was her husband who learned about Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week and the First to Solo™ Challenge in early 2015 who suggested that she takes on the challenge.
"I wasn't sure at first. However, I decided to set my goal on becoming a pilot and fly my little girl high in the sky, to be closer to the stars, until she can get there and higher on her own," said Rose.
Seven weeks after her first small aircraft flight experience, Rose became the first woman among eligible First to Solo™ Challenge candidates to solo. She won $1,500 in flight training cash and a Sennheiser headset. She now wants to become a flight instructor.
In 2016, iWOAW will offer flight training cash to two additional eligible women who solo promptly after discovering flight during Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week, bringing the number of annual recipients to three. The winner, first finalist, and second finalist will receive $2,500, $1,500, and $500 in flight training cash respectively.
Our annual exit surveys among women and girls who attend Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week activities consistently show that 72% of them never thought of seeking information about aviation opportunities prior to hearing about the week's activities. The surveys also show that their exposure to aviation during the week changes their perceptions dramatically. Indeed, 78% of the respondents state that they are considering aviation for pleasure or a career as a result of the experience.
The First to Solo™ Challenge is designed to turn enthusiasm into tangible action. It provides a cash incentive for women to start flying lessons promptly after their first small aircraft flight experience during their week.
Due to the exponential growth of the Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week movement and its worldwide scope, iWOAW made it a priority to expand the First to Solo™ Challenge rewards to incentivize more aviation vocations among the female population and promptly close the wide gap between genders in aviation.
"Most outreach initiatives are restricted to age groups that are not in position to act for at least another decade," says Mireille Goyer, iWOAW's Founder and President. "Statistic data shows that nearly 50% of all pilots, male and female, learn to fly in their 20s, not their teenage years. The Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week initiative breaks ranks with the standard industry approach by targeting girls of all ages, worldwide."
To become eligible to win the First to Solo™ Challenge 2016 prizes, women must go on a first small aircraft experience by attending an official Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week activity or buying a discovery flight at their local flight training center from March 7 to March 13, 2016 and then report their flight at the week's official website before March 15, 2016.
Categories Press Releases Post navigation
2016 Theme – "It's a jungle out there. 60 years of female bush pilots."
Announcing World's First All-In-One Peer-Reviewed Online Global Aviation Resources Hub


text:
Sherrod Brown (D)
Rob Portman (R)
Ohio was admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803, and elects U.S. senators to Class 1 and Class 3. Its current U.S. senators are Democrat Sherrod Brown (serving since 2007) and Republican Rob Portman (serving since 2011), making it one of seven states to have a split United States Senate delegation; these states being Maine, Montana, Ohio itself, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Not counting Vermont, where Independents have caucused with the Democrats since 2001, Ohio has had the longest current split delegation, having had two senators from the opposite parties since 2007. John Sherman was Ohio's longest-serving senator (1861–1877; 1881–1897).
List of senators
Class 1 U.S. senators belong to the electoral cycle that has recently been contested in 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2018. The next election will be in 2024.
Dates in office
Electoral history
John Smith Democratic-
Republican Apr 1, 1803 –
Apr 25, 1808 Elected in 1803.[1]
Resigned. 1 8th 1 Elected in 1803.[1]
Retired. Apr 1, 1803 –
Mar 3, 1807 Democratic-
Thomas Worthington
10th 2 Elected in 1807.[2]
Resigned. Mar 4, 1807 –
Edward Tiffin
Vacant Apr 25, 1808 –
Return J. Meigs Jr. Democratic-
Republican Dec 12, 1808 –
Dec 8, 1810 Elected in 1808 to finish Smith's term.[3]
Elected in 1808 to full term.[3]
Resigned to become Governor of Ohio. 2 11th Mar 4, 1809 –
May 18, 1809 Vacant
Appointed to finish Tiffin's term.[3]
Retired when successor elected. May 18, 1809 –
Dec 11, 1809 Democratic-
Republican Stanley Griswold
Vacant Dec 8, 1810 –
Elected to finish Tiffin's term.
Retired. Dec 11, 1809 –
Alexander Campbell
Thomas Worthington Democratic-
Dec 1, 1814 Elected to finish Meigs's term.
Resigned to become Governor of Ohio.
13th 3 Elected in 1813.
Retired. Mar 4, 1813 –
Jeremiah Morrow
Joseph Kerr Democratic-
Mar 3, 1815 Elected to finish Worthington's term.
Retired.
Benjamin Ruggles Democratic-
Republican Mar 4, 1815 –
Mar 3, 1833 Elected in 1815. 3 14th
Died. Mar 4, 1819 –
William A. Trimble
Re-elected in 1821. 4 17th
Dec 13, 1821 –
Jan 3, 1822 Vacant
Elected to finish Trimble's term.
Lost re-election. Jan 3, 1822 –
Ethan Allen Brown
Republican 19th 5 Elected in 1824.
Resigned to become U.S. Minister to Colombia. Mar 4, 1825 –
May 20, 1828 National
Re-elected in 1827.
Retired. 5 20th
Dec 10, 1828 Vacant
Elected to finish Harrison's term.
Mar 3, 1831 National
Jacob Burnet
22nd 6 Elected in 1830.
Lost re-election. Mar 4, 1831 –
Thomas Ewing
Thomas Morris Jacksonian Mar 4, 1833 –
Mar 3, 1839 Elected in 1833.
Lost re-election. 6 23rd
Democratic 25th 7 Elected in 1837. Mar 4, 1837 –
Mar 3, 1849 Democratic
Benjamin Tappan Democratic Mar 4, 1839 –
28th 8 Re-elected in 1842.
Lost re-election.
Thomas Corwin Whig Mar 4, 1845 –
Jul 20, 1850 Elected in 1844.[4]
Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. 8 29th
31st 9 Elected in 1849.
Mar 3, 1855 Free Soil
Salmon P. Chase
Thomas Ewing Whig Jul 20, 1850 –
Mar 3, 1851 Appointed to finish Corwin's term.
Lost election to the next term.
Vacant Mar 4, 1851 –
Mar 15, 1851 9 32nd
Benjamin Wade Whig Mar 15, 1851 –
Mar 3, 1869 Elected late in 1851.[5]
Republican 34th 10 Elected in 1854[6]
George E. Pugh
Re-elected in 1856. 10 35th
37th 11 Elected in 1860.
Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Mar 4, 1861 –
Mar 6, 1861 Republican
Mar 6, 1861 –
Mar 21, 1861 Vacant
Elected to finish Chase's term. Mar 21, 1861 –
Lost renomination. 11 38th
40th 12 Re-elected in 1866.
Allen G. Thurman Democratic Mar 4, 1869 –
Mar 3, 1881 Elected in 1868. 12 41st
43rd 13 Re-elected in 1872.
Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
Lost re-election. 13 44th
Elected to finish Sherman's term.
Retired. Mar 21, 1877 –
46th 14 Election date unknown.
Lost renominiation. Mar 4, 1879 –
George H. Pendleton
John Sherman Republican Mar 4, 1881 –
Mar 4, 1897 Elected in 1881. 14 47th
49th 15 Elected in 1884.[7][8]
Henry B. Payne
52nd 16 Elected in 1890.
Lost re-election.[9] Mar 4, 1891 –
Calvin S. Brice
Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of State. 16 53rd
55th 17 Elected in 1896. Mar 4, 1897 –
Joseph B. Foraker
Mark Hanna Republican Mar 5, 1897 –
Feb 15, 1904 Appointed to continue Sherman's term.
Elected in 1898 to finish Sherman's term.[10]
Elected in 1898 to the next term.
Died. 17 56th
58th 18 Re-elected in 1902.[11]
Retired.[12]
Vacant Feb 15, 1904 –
Charles W. F. Dick Republican Mar 23, 1904 –
Mar 3, 1911 Elected in 1904 to finish Hanna's term.
61st 19 Elected Jan 12, 1909.[12]
Theodore E. Burton
Atlee Pomerene Democratic Mar 4, 1911 –
Mar 3, 1923 Elected Jan 10, 1911. 19 62nd
Retired to run for U.S. President.
Resigned to become U.S. President. Mar 4, 1915 –
Jan 13, 1921 Republican
Warren G. Harding
Appointed to finish Harding's term, having been elected to the next term. Jan 14, 1921 –
Mar 30, 1928 Republican
Frank B. Willis
Simeon D. Fess Republican Mar 4, 1923 –
Jan 3, 1935 Elected in 1922. 21 68th
Died.
Mar 30, 1928 –
Apr 5, 1928 Vacant
Appointed to continue Willis's term.
Lost nomination to finish Willis's term. Apr 5, 1928 –
Dec 14, 1928 Democratic
Cyrus Locher
Elected to finish Willis's term.
Died. Dec 15, 1928 –
Oct 28, 1929 Republican
Lost re-election. 22 71st
Oct 28, 1929 –
Nov 5, 1929 Vacant
Appointed to continue Burton's term.
Lost election to finish Burton's term. Nov 5, 1929 –
Nov 30, 1930 Republican
Roscoe C. McCulloch
Elected in 1930 to finish Burton's term. Dec 1, 1930 –
Jan 3, 1939 Democratic
Robert J. Bulkley
A. Victor Donahey Democratic Jan 3, 1935 –
Jan 3, 1941 Elected in 1934.
Retired. 23 74th
76th 24 Elected in 1938. Jan 3, 1939 –
Jul 31, 1953 Republican
Robert A. Taft
Harold Hitz Burton Republican Jan 3, 1941 –
Sep 30, 1945 Elected in 1940.
Resigned when appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. 24 77th
Vacant Sep 30, 1945 –
James W. Huffman Democratic Oct 8, 1945 –
Nov 5, 1946 Appointed to continue Burton's term.
Retired when successor elected.
Kingsley Taft Republican Nov 5, 1946 –
Jan 3, 1947 Elected to finish Burton's term.
John W. Bricker Republican Jan 3, 1947 –
82nd 26 Re-elected in 1950.
Lost re-election. 26 83rd
Jul 31, 1953 –
Nov 10, 1953 Vacant
Appointed to continue Taft's term.
Lost election to finish Taft's term. Nov 10, 1953 –
Dec 2, 1954 Democratic
Thomas Burke
Dec 2, 1954 –
Elected to finish Taft's term.
Lost re-election. Dec 16, 1954 –
Jan 3, 1957 Republican
George H. Bender
Frank Lausche
Stephen M. Young Democratic Jan 3, 1959 –
Lost renomination.
91st 29 Elected in 1968.
Resigned to become U.S. Attorney General. Jan 3, 1969 –
William Saxbe
Robert Taft Jr. Republican Jan 3, 1971 –
Dec 28, 1976 Elected in 1970.
Lost re-election and resigned early. 29 92nd
Appointed to finish Saxbe's term.
Lost renomination and resigned early. Jan 4, 1974 –
Howard Metzenbaum
Appointed to finish Metzenbaum's term, having been elected to the next term. Dec 24, 1974 –
Howard Metzenbaum Democratic Dec 29, 1976 –
Jan 3, 1995 Appointed to finish Taft's term, having been elected to the next term.
Elected in 1976. 30 95th
100th 32 Re-elected in 1986.
Retired. 32 101st
103rd 33 Re-elected in 1992.
Mike DeWine Republican Jan 3, 1995 –
Jan 3, 2007 Elected in 1994. 33 104th
106th 34 Elected in 1998. Jan 3, 1999 –
George Voinovich
Lost re-election. 34 107th
Sherrod Brown Democratic Jan 3, 2007 –
present Elected in 2006. 35 110th
present Republican
Rob Portman
Re-elected in 2012. 36 113th
Retiring at end of term.
118th 38 Elected in 2022. Taking office Jan 3, 2023 Republican
J. D. Vance
To be determined in the 2024 election. 38 119th
Years in office
Living former senators
As of November 2022[update], there is one living former U.S. senator from Ohio. The most recent senator to die was John Glenn (served 1974–1999) on December 8, 2016. The most recently serving senator to die was George Voinovich (served 1999–2011) on June 12, 2016.
Date of birth (and age)
Mike DeWine 1995–2007 (1947-01-05) January 5, 1947 (age 75)
Longest service
Last served
John Sherman March 21, 1861 March 6, 1877 Combined total: 31 years, 353 days
(11,675 days)
John Glenn December 24, 1974 January 3, 1999 24 years, 10 days
(8,776 days)
Howard Metzenbaum January 4, 1974 December 23, 1974 Combined total: 18 years, 359 days
Benjamin Ruggles March 4, 1815 March 3, 1833 17 years, 364 days
Benjamin Wade March 15, 1851 March 3, 1869 17 years, 353 days
Shortest service
Kingsley A. Taft November 6, 1946 January 3, 1947 1 month and 4 weeks
Joseph Kerr December 10, 1814 March 3, 1815 2 months and 3 weeks
Stanley Griswold May 18, 1809 December 11, 1809 6 months, 3 weeks and 2 days
Cyrus Locher April 4, 1928 December 14, 1928 8 months, 1 week and 3 days
Thomas A. Burke November 10, 1953 December 2, 1954 1 year, 3 weeks and 1 day
Youngest at beginning of service
Thomas Worthington July 16, 1773 April 1, 1803 29 years, 8 months and 16 days
Alexander Campbell 1779 December 11, 1809 30 years
Benjamin Ruggles February 21, 1783 March 4, 1815 32 years and 11 days
George E. Pugh November 28, 1822 March 4, 1855 32 years, 3 months and 4 days
William A. Trimble April 4, 1786 March 4, 1819 32 years and 11 months
Oldest at end of service
Stephen M. Young May 4, 1889 January 3, 1971 81 years, 7 months and 30 days
Henry B. Payne November 30, 1810 March 3, 1891 80 years, 3 months and 3 days
Theodore E. Burton December 20, 1851 October 28, 1929 77 years, 10 months and 8 days
Howard Metzenbaum June 4, 1917 January 3, 1995 77 years, 6 months and 30 days
John Glenn July 18, 1921 January 3, 1999 77 years, 5 months and 16 days
Ohio portal
Politics portal
List of United States representatives from Ohio
List of United States Senate elections in Ohio
United States congressional delegations from Ohio
^ a b Taylor, William A. (1900). Ohio in Congress from 1803 to 1901. Columbus, Ohio: Century Publishing Co. p. 96 – via Internet Archive.
^ "Ohio 1807 U.S. Senate". Tufts Digital Collations and Archives. A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 1787–1825. Tufts University. Retrieved February 13, 2018. , citing Taylor, William A. Ohio Statesmen and Annals of Progress: From the year 1788 to the year 1900. Columbus, OH: Press of the Westbote, 1899. 50.
^ a b c Taylor, William A. (1900). Ohio in Congress from 1803 to 1901. Columbus, Ohio: Century Publishing Co. p. 97 – via Internet Archive.
^ Taylor & Taylor, p. 215, vol. I.
^ Taylor & Taylor, p. 240.
^ Taylor & Taylor, p. 30, vol II.
^ Burke, p. 28.
^ Taylor & Taylor, p. 94.
^ "Foraker will succeed Brice: Ohio's Republican Legislators Vote Solidly for the Ex-Governor" (PDF). The New York Times. January 14, 1896.
^ Byrd, p. 153.
^ "SENATOR FORAKER CHOSEN". The New York Times. January 15, 1902. p. 3.
^ a b Walters, Everett (1948). Joseph Benson Foraker: An Uncompromising Republican. Columbus, Ohio: The Ohio History Press. pp. 283–284.
Burke, Dewayne (1938). Henry B. Payne: His Congressional Career (M.A. thesis). Ohio State University. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
Byrd, Robert C. (October 1, 1993). Wolff, Wendy (ed.). The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992. United States Senate Historical Office (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160632563.
Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 . State of Ohio.
United States senators from Ohio
Ruggles
Donahey
H. Burton
K. Taft
Bricker
R. Taft Jr.
Metzenbaum
DeWine
S. Brown
E. Brown
Pugh
Foraker
T. Burton
Bulkley
R. Taft Sr.
Lausche
Saxbe
Voinovich
Ohio's current delegation to the United States Congress
▌Sherrod Brown (D)
▌Rob Portman (R)
(ordered by district)
▌Steve Chabot (R)
▌Brad Wenstrup (R)
▌Joyce Beatty (D)
▌Jim Jordan (R)
▌Bob Latta (R)
▌Bill Johnson (R)
▌Bob Gibbs (R)
▌Warren Davidson (R)
▌Marcy Kaptur (D)
▌Mike Turner (R)
▌Shontel Brown (D)
▌Troy Balderson (R)
▌Tim Ryan (D)
▌David Joyce (R)
▌Mike Carey (R)
▌Anthony Gonzalez (R)
Lists of United States congressional delegations
Dakota Territory
Northwest Territory
Orleans Territory
Southwest Territory
Lists of former House members
List of former senators
Lists of United States senators by state
Lists of Ohio politicians


text:
Election 2017: Q&A with District 3 candidate Carolina Osorio Gil
by Kelsey O'Connor September 12, 2017 September 12, 2017
Carolina Osorio Gil. Kelsey O'Connor/Ithaca Voice
ITHACA, N.Y. — Carolina Osorio Gil has been an activist and community organizer in the community for years. She said she feels it's time to step up into public policy and lawmaking and is running for the District 3 seat of Tompkins County Legislature.
Osorio Gil is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Most of Osorio Gil's family lives in Colombia and South America. She came to the U.S. from Colombia when she was four years old. She came to Ithaca to go to college at Cornell and has been here for 19 years, though she did leave to get her master's degree in early childhood development.
► Return to the Meet the Candidates page
Ithaca Voice Reporter Kelsey O'Connor spoke with Osorio Gil to talk about why she's running, affordable housing and other key issues for Osorio Gil.
Why are you running for Tompkins County Legislature?
Earlier on in my campaign and I think my answer had to do with the times and the times that we're in and feeling as a community organizer this impetus, this obligation to take that next step to public policy and to policy making and lawmaking. I still feel that way and also in the time (since announcing campaign) after attending Legislature meeting and other meetings of the sort, I have come to realization that another part of the reason that I'm running is because there is, in my opinion, I've yet to confirm actually, inadequate representation of working class and low-income people on the Legislature.
And so the people who are making the laws, it appears to me, there could definitely be more representation from traditionally marginalized, low-income working class people like myself. Longtime renters who are the subjects of a lot of the legislation and the topics that are being discussed, such as affordable housing, I'm a person who struggles with affordable housing and I'm a person, who — I don't think you need to experience all of these things, but I do think that adds something, to have a voice at the table of someone with that actual experience. And it's not like I've experienced every single issue, but I do spend a lot of time in the trenches with people who do have a lot of these experiences, and I'm very tapped in to the receiving end of a lot of the services that are managed by the county legislature.
What do you think are the biggest issues facing Tompkins County?
I think there's several issues that go hand in hand including affordable housing and the housing situation that affects people in different socio-economic levels and situations, including students, low-income recipients of Section 8 for example and other services like that and all the way to homeowners and renters. Then hand-in-hand with that there is the issue of transportation and access to services. Property taxes go with that as well, which is one of those issues, I don't think any of us are going to present a solution necessarily to that, but it is an issue. In my first round of canvassing and campaigning, I asked what the biggest issue was and that was one that came up across the spectrum. It affects renters as well, whether they realize it or not because when you pay you're rent, you're paying into somebody's property taxes as well.
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And some of the issues that are coming up with the living wage across the county, and the issue of the jail and incarceration and the massive drug epidemic and how to deal with that affects community members throughout the county as well and I think also an issue that I don't know if this is an official issue or how this is going to be dealt with, but an issue I constantly have is representation and participation of the public in policy making. Even in the articles I've read it discusses repeatedly how few people show up, how few people participate in the discussions that lead to lawmaking and I think, at least historically from the work I've done, it comes from both ends. Maybe people don't show up but maybe not enough is being done to bring people to the table to make all of this accessible. And so that's also part of my platform also of what I'm doing.
Whether I'm elected or not, the first thing I'm going to do is prepare a guide of how to run, what to do, simplifying and demystifying some of those elements of running for office. And not just running for office, but participating and getting to know local government and getting to know the county legislature and what it does. Why should you care? And how you can participate, whether it's attending meeting and speaking at them to running for office yourself.
I don't know if there's more to say on this topic, but what issues do you think need more attention in Tompkins County?
Yeah those ones. I don't know what more can be done, if anymore can be done, but it's worth mentioning that we are living in the context of this federal government that is attacking immigrants and attacking undocumented people, people who come here to work and to live and to go to school and to try to live their lives. It's not one of those issues that's a county issue, but when ICE comes and picks people up, it feels like an issue for sure.
I'm a cultural organizer. A lot of it comes from the culture of the community we create together. Those are changes that come from the grassroots, but they can also be addressed through policy and lawmaking for sure.
Do you think any voices or community are underrepresented on Tompkins County Legislature?
Absolutely. That's what I'm saying, if there's one thing that really frustrates me is that the people who are affected by the services provided are not, from what I see, represented in the leadership of those (boards and committees in Tompkins County) and so you're just over and over again receiving and what's being decided about you. And it's not to say they're not at all represented, but it's definitely a place that more work can be done. The onus is not just on individuals to find out about these meetings … but also to the organizers of those meetings and those of those circles to be more inclusive of people. And that's for people of color, low-income people, people with disabilities across the spectrum. I don't know every single demographic. Young people, old people. That's one of the lessons I think that can come from community organizing and grassroots organizing that can be applied to local government, like in county government. Who's at the leadership table? Who are the stakeholders? Who is being affected most and where are their voices?
…I also want to acknowledge the issue of the blue cards that came up in the (Government Operations Committee). I am supportive of having a more, less of a stringent policy of having to name yourself. A lot of LGBTQ people, people of color, different communities feel very in danger in those situations and I can certainly understand that.
What do you think the biggest gaps in housing are in Tompkins County?
My personal story is a desire for home ownership and being a low- to moderate-income person wanting to own a home. And seeing that as, if I won this election, I would not be able to buy a house because I can't afford to buy a house in the third district. It's like the only way you can afford a home is to become a landlord and to buy a property where you can rent part of that. That creates another one of these cultures where we're all landlords if we want to own homes. Something about that just doesn't sit well with me. It's not the biggest issue, but it is an issue.
I've talked to people in my district who are not going to be able to afford their homes because of the property taxes. So affordability of home ownership is a big issue. Another really big issue that I've seen on another, that one is more personal to me, is an issue, there was recently a Human Health and Services Committee meeting where DSS gave a presentation and they were talking about temporary housing vouchers, emergency housing vouchers.
I, several years ago, experienced helping a couple women receiving those. … They were at that time, several years ago, there was no housing downtown. From my experience, it was like you better get in line for months. So the people I knew dealing with this emergency housing had to go live in a small, rural area outside. When I went and took them out there, it was dangerous. … It's creating this situation where you're in an emergency, you need to go live somewhere right away, and this is your only choice. And not only do you have to live in these unsafe and kind of slovenly living conditions, but there's a few buses a day that will bring you to town. … It just creates this situation that's really problematic.
I don't know all that goes into checks and balances or regulation of that, but that seems like a real crisis.
What were some of your takeaways from the jail study?
I was glad that those were the results and not surprised. I'm not an expert on the topic, but I was in line with what a lot of us have been saying about focusing on alternatives to incarceration, on preventing people from entering the criminal justice system. Diversion programs and just keeping that head count low there. This is a main thread of all of my thoughts on a lot of these issues — if we can create the kind of communities and the kinds of cultures we wish to see in the world, then part of that is changing our views on who goes to jail and why and how often.
When someone is sent to jail, to prison, their life is change. Regardless of due process, they're stigmatized. And everything is different. The way they view themselves is different, their chances for success and how they see themselves. One change in our culture in dealing with this can really help so many people. A lot of the people who go through the criminal justice system have drug problems. Dealing with some of those kinds of issues that bring you there in the first place, and in this community we're grateful to have a lot of services in the community, and just continuing to work on those.
What is your stance on Tompkins County having a living wage?
I'm a total supporter of living wage. It's something that definitely, what it comes down to for me is that people, I'm someone who cares deeply about undocumented workers, farm workers — whether undocumented or documented — people of color, who some of them are not going to be affected by this legislation because they're not even counted as people. … People making a dignified living wage is something that is really important. I was asked by somebody — when you get into debates about this, it's like 'Well what about the businesses and small business?' and I think it's something that's definitely worth sitting and talking about and working through with the goal of having people make a living wage in a timely manner, not in 10 years.
There's people who say a lot of young people are working like teens, but really if you go to a lot of places, the people at the cash registers are people who are working multiple jobs. They're not teens, they're people trying to make enough and not having time to spend with their kids. The priority to me is that people make a decent wage so that they can live a quality of life that then allows them to go shopping, to spend their money locally, to participate in community building and to run for office and to do things like that.
Tagged: district 3, Election 2017, tompkins county legislature
Kelsey O'Connor
Kelsey O'Connor is the managing editor for the Ithaca Voice. Questions? Story tips? Contact her at koconnor@ithacavoice.com and follow her on Twitter @bykelseyoconnor.	More by Kelsey O'Connor


The Trump administration today announced it is sanctioning 17 Saudis for their role in the killing of journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Treasury Department announced.
Those to be sanctioned include Saud al-Qahtani, a former top aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as the Saudi Consul General Mohammed Alotaibi, the source said – but not the crown prince himself.
'The Saudi officials we are sanctioning were involved in the abhorrent killing of Jamal Khashoggi,' according to a statement from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
'The United States continues to diligently work to ascertain all of the facts and will hold accountable each of those we find responsible in order to achieve justice for Khashoggi's fiancée, children, and the family he leaves behind,' Mnuchin said.


I originally wrote this as an Aprils fools post, I was going to declare myself as leaving blogging because I didn't want to do it anymore and was happy with life without it. However being in Japan after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami; it seemed inappropriate to fit in some April fools joke, more serious things needed to be addressed at that time. Then I noticed I was quickly approaching my 250th post so could adapt it somewhat (admittedly 3 months later). I never had a 2 year post, or a year review post in 2010-2011, but the 1/4 mille milestone seemed the next appropriate one to look back at what I've achieved since blogging here.
So this is one of those re-capping posts and an update on my life at the moment as I've currently been busy filling this blog up with guest posts rather than finding time to write my own material.
As the work here in Fukushima is understandably slow so I've been helping out in evacuation centres around the area. Mostly people want English teachers for boosting morale and to help with children. The Fukushima prefecture has lost 60% of the foreign English teachers due to them moving abroad after the earthquake and tsunami (mostly teachers with children noticeably), so there are a lot of jobs going at the moment, when learning English is now more important than ever as it helps with communicating needs worldwide.
Over the past few months I have been posting a fair amount on campervan living and how to get the most out of living in one. I had an enjoyable 6 months in mine and learnt a lot so I thought I'd finish off with a bit of a joke post…. The Ideal Home photo essay.
But firstly a quick recap on the previous campervan series posts.
Whether You Should Buy or Rent a Campervan – Start here before you set off on your travels, I have the answer for this question.
How to Pick the right Campervan for Travel – If you don't have yours yet, this post is essential reading.
Where to Find a Place to Park and Sleep in a Campervan – I never paid for this in my entire 6 months.
Eating in a Campervan – Meal ideas, and how a gas stove won't stop you making amazing meals.
Washing in a Campervan – The ever popular question – how do you keep clean in a campervan? is answered here.
Washing Clothing in a Campervan – For those who've lived with a washing machine all their life and can't find the space for one in their van.
Tinting Windows for a Campervan – Essential in a hot environment and remarkably cheap to DIY it.
Keeping Your Campervan Maintained – The basics are covered in simple terms to make your vehicle and life a lot more easier!
I have been asked to review a hotel comparison website called HotelCalculator.com so this is what this post is about.
Firstly – it's got a cool an appropriate name, you already know what it's about just from the title. It is a place to compare hotel prices in the city you are interested in visiting.


As Danielle mentioned about a week ago, the MLab's primary project this year is writing and designing a co-authored book tentatively titled, An Illustrated Guide to Prototyping the Past. Here are some photos from our second collaborative workshop on the book.
Post by Maasa Lebus, attached to the PrototypingThePast project, with the guide tag. Images for this post care of Maasa Lebus, featuring Tiffany Chan, Katherine Goertz, Evan Locke, Danielle Morgan, and Jentery Sayers.


12 Gates Brewing is celebrating the holidays by doing what they do best – brew beer. Although we are a few days into their Twelve Gates of Christmas, which features the brewery releasing a new beer every day for 12 days, there's still plenty of great new beers to be had. Having already released a Peppermint Stout, Cinnamon Bun Porter, Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout, Spruce Pale Ale and Wassail Blonde Ale, the next week brings a Smoked Porter (Dec. 6), Licorice and Juniper Porter (Dec. 7), French Oak and Apricot West Coast IPA (Dec. 8), Rum Ham Dunkelweizen (Dec. 9), Brown Sugar Cinnamon Habanero Porter (Dec. 10), Rose Hips and Hibiscus Wheat (Dec. 11) and Grave Concerns (American Double Stout) Dec. 12).
Big Ditch Brewing has tapped a pair of new beers – their seasonal favorite Fresh Baked and the latest in their Innovation Series, 100% NY. The former is a lightly spiced brown ale reminiscent of fresh baked oatmeal cookies brewed with chocolate malt, toasted English brown malt and house toasted oats. The beer is finished with cinnamon and vanilla. The latter is a pale ale made with 100% local malt from New York Craft Malt and 100% NY Centennial, Cascade, Chinook and Alpharoma hops from Koester Hops and Willet Hop and Grain. Expect light citrus, earth and pine hop flavor and moderate bitterness. Cheers!
We are only a few weeks away from Christmas so the 25 Days of Christmas are well underway at Hamburg Brewing Co. The month-long promotion runs through December 23 in Hamburg's taproom and features daily promotions at the brewery. Here's how it works – start by picking up a loyalty card and promotion sheet at the brewery, then visit the taproom to participate in the daily promotions throughout December to get your loyalty card punched. Get at least 12 punches to receive a $50 gift certificate and gain entry to the Grand Prize drawing (drawn Dec. 28). Here are the daily promotions as part of 25 Days of Christmas.
Rusty Nickel Brewing is the latest brewery to throw their hat into the cocktail game. They already have the beer, including favorites like Slice O' Havens and Not Yo' Granpa's Cream Ale, and unique mixologies, such as the Vanilla Bourbon Milk Stout and Beermosa, and are now adding locally crafted cocktails, ciders and wines to their ever-growing menu of adult libations. Some local producers the West Seneca brewery is adding to their boozy stable include Niagara Craft Spirits, Niagara Distilling Company, Lockhouse Distillery, Black Squirrel Distillery and BFLO Distilling Company as well as cider from BlackBird Cider Works and wine from Midgard Winery. Stop in and experience the booming local craft cocktail scene.


Family Picture Ideas: Print Family Pictures On Glass To Last Add to Flipboard Magazine.
I love family pictures! I display them on my walls and keep adding to them year after year. Especially with the grand-babies coming now, my walls are getting covered in family pictures.
I found when the new cell phones came out with great cameras , I rarely took the time to have any printed off. But I missed hanging family photos in my home. So I decided I needed to do something about that before all my family pictures got lost in my sea of data.
I wanted to find a way that made it easy to transfer photos from my phone or even Instagram to hang in my home. But then I also ran into another problem, framing them. It seems to take me ages to buy the right size and then actually get them hung.
I think I found a great solution for that problem. I discovered a company called Fracture. You can check them out at FractureMe.com. They will print my pictures that I upload for them on glass. Yes, you heard me right…glass. Instead of separating the picture, frame, and mount, a Fracture combines all three into a beautiful, lasting, final product.
How much easier can that get?
Here is the process – upload your family photo, place your order, and in a few days you'll receive your Fracture picture in a custom, environmentally-friendly packaging, ready to be mounted on your wall. They even include the screw.
How Long Will My Fractured Family Picture Last?
Now if you are like me you are wondering how long will the picture last. Here is their guarantee – "We make every Fracture by hand, in Gainesville, FL. We check every image for quality, and send them to you in our safe, environmentally-friendly packaging. Every Fracture comes with a Happiness Guarantee and Lifetime Warranty." The company says the fractures will last for a very long time if kept indoors and not exposed to extreme humidity or poor handling.
Usually they say that they will print your picture and ship it in less than 4 days. I find that to be really fast. I am sure that leading up to the holidays that print schedule will change. You can look in their FAQ section under Ordering Questions and it will tell you where they are that week with their print and ship schedule.
They will give you 60 days to be sure you are happy with it. That is a very generous amount of time. Then they guarantee the Fracture for life. That is a good warranty in my book.
Cost of shipping could be expensive because glass is heavy, but I found out that they have free shipping on orders of $100 or more. They also offer international shipping and the prices for that usually start around $20 USD.
Is It Expensive To Print My Pictures On Glass?
But…is it expensive? Check out their prices here. I think you will be surprised. Prices start as low as $15. That is a great price for a picture that is ready to hang right out of the box.
It really will depend on the size of the picture. A small square 5″x5″ will be around $15 and it goes up to 15″x15′ square photo for around $115. They print them in portraits, landscape and square, and they all have their own prices.
Can I Have Old Family Pictures Printed This Way?
Now that I have you thinking…think about a series of pictures. Maybe some historic pictures of your family.
Really show off the old family pictures in an amazing way. I love to walk into peoples homes and see their history hanging on their walls. They are a great conversation starter.
I can think of some family pictures my grandmother had in a shoe box under her bed. I need to ask my mom where those pictures are. What a great historic family picture wall those would create. My grand-children will enjoy seeing them as much as I will. I need to put that on my To-Do list.
But Fracture also has a gallery of photos and art work that you can choose from to hang in your home. Art does amazing things for the decor in a room. If I have a piece of art that I really like, I will plan an entire room around it.
Some of the pieces, as you can tell, are very modern. But many are not. They are pieces we have grown up seeing and loving. Here is a link to their gallery. Check it out!
Of course, the word "Fracture" will not be at the bottom of pictures you buy. This is to give you an idea of the great art work you can get from them.
Think of the great gift ideas this could be. No more worrying about what kind of frame will fit into their homes or if they will like it. What is not to like about a picture printed on glass that last forever? Wedding gifts are now easier. Baby shower gifts will be a cinch. Gift certificates are available also.
The options are endless when you think about creating great family picture ideas around the house. Each room can now be used as a huge canvas for all your loved ones, your trips and adventures in life.


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Why the Cybersecurity Skills Gap Continues to Widen
by Dice Staff Aug 20, 2020 6 min read
With employees preparing for long-term remote work that is likely to stretch into 2021 (and possibly beyond), cyber-threats are a growing concern. That means cybersecurity is increasingly valuable to businesses looking to stay afloat during uncertain times.
And yet the cybersecurity skills gap remains, with important positions unfilled.
The reasons for this skills gap, along with all those open positions, are numerous, but a recent survey conducted by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) and the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) finds that many cybersecurity workers feel constrained by a lack of career development and training offered to them.
At the same time, security pros believe that organizations lack strategic planning when it comes to cybersecurity. The result is that enterprises that need highly-skilled and motivated employees to ensure the business is secure are not taking the right steps to nurture the talent needed to make that happen.
"The data uncovered in this research year-over-year also demonstrates that there are multiple issues contributing to the problem of 'a cybersecurity skills gap,' including that businesses don't understand the role of information security, there is no clear and agreed upon career map within our profession, and cybersecurity professionals are under constant stress of attempting to improve collaboration efforts with IT," Jon Oltsik, senior principal analyst and fellow with ESG, wrote in the report titled The Life and Times of Cybersecurity Professionals 2020.
Cybersecurity Skills by the Numbers
The survey is based on interviews with 327 cybersecurity professionals and ISSA members, with the majority working in North America and others representing Europe, Asia, and parts of Central and South America.
Of those surveyed, seven out of 10 report that their organization has been affected by the worldwide cybersecurity skills shortage. What's more, around 45 percent believe that skills shortage has gotten worse over the past year, while 48 percent believe it has stayed about the same. Only 7 percent believe there's been an improvement.
One reason for this muddied view of cybersecurity is that about 68 percent of those surveyed don't believe they have a well-defined career path. When asked, about 52 percent of participants think that hands-on skills count the most, while 44 percent believe that hands-on experience (combined with certifications) are equally important.
Steve Durbin, managing director of the not-for-profit Information Security Forum, believes that one of the major issues with this skills gap is a disconnect between human resources and the security teams. Simply put, HR doesn't quite realize which cybersecurity skills are important, and the demands that protecting the enterprise from threats (both internal and external) have on cybersecurity professionals.
"This hinders the organization's ability to identify relevant talent and provide adequate support for the professional development of the security workforce," Durbin told Dice. "To bridge the divide, the information security function needs to adopt a series of well-established HR concepts. Workforce planning, the adoption of competency frameworks, along with a well-structured workforce management program, also known as talent management, are fundamental to the future success of attraction and retention strategies."
Membership has its benefits. Sign up for a free Dice profile, add your resume, discover great career insights and set your tech career in motion. Register now
COVID-19 Adds to the Security Headache
The ESG and ISSA study was conducted in late 2019 and early 2020, which means the survey's results likely missed the effects that COVID-19 is having on the cybersecurity profession. The pandemic has unleashed more stress on security pros trying to ensure workers and data stay safe outside the confines of the traditional corporate IT network.
Even before COVID-19 hit, however, the skills gap was getting wider, and open positions more numerous.
A November 2019 report by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, (ISC)², found that, while there were approximately 2.8 million security professionals working worldwide at the time, another 4 million trained professionals are still needed to close the cybersecurity skills gap. That's an increase of 145 percent.
Durbin believes that, in the world of COVID-19, enterprises and organizations need to rethink their approach to how they recruit and hire cybersecurity professionals. He recommends businesses develop champion or ambassadorial programs to reinforce the value of a career in information security, as well as consider new methods to encourage the recruitment of competencies and skills that are under-represented in the organization.
"In today's COVID-19 reality, to rectify the continued cyber skills shortage, organizations are being encouraged to realign their focus to candidates with aptitude, attitude and broad experience," Durbin said. "Redefining candidate requirements will enable organizations to expand their group of potential candidates, helping to build tomorrow's security workforce in a cost-effective and timely manner."
He added: "To build a sustainable security workforce, organizations should adapt to market demands by seeking candidates with diverse competencies and skill sets coupled with providing competitive benefits and structured career development. For some these changes are already underway but for the majority, the approach is still new and untried."
More Effective Security Leadership
In addition to other findings, the ESG and ISSA survey notes that lack of training and career development can have an impact on the effectiveness of an organization's CISO and how workers view their boss.
Of those surveyed, about 42 percent rated their organization's CISO as "very" effective, while another 47 percent thought of their security leader as "somewhat" effective. Another 12 percent rated their CIS as "not very" or "not at all" effective.
"Overall, there is room for improvement," Oltsik wrote in the report. "This may reveal that few CISOs have the blend of business, leadership, communications, and technical skills necessary for success."
One way for a CISO to become more effective is to ensure that cybersecurity is a shared burden across the whole enterprise, said Lisa Plaggemier, the chief strategy officer at MediaPro, a Seattle-based provider of cybersecurity and privacy education. This can include a wide range of improvements, from teaching developers to incorporating good security practices into the DevOps process. Employees should also be trained to recognize threats, such as phishing, before they damage the organization.
"Providing more security knowledge to people in IT, software developers, data architects, etc. so that they can do their jobs more securely could reduce the burden on the already stretched security professionals," Plaggemier told Dice. "Some security teams resist enabling people outside of the security function, but as long as we 'keep it all to ourselves' and don't work with the business, we will perpetually feel like we don't have enough resources to get the job done."
Dice Staff
cybersecurity career remote work work life balance
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As the number of cybersecurity threats has increased over the last decade, CISOs and their teams have benefited from budget increases. This wellspring of security spending was meant to help organizations create…
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When the Pentagon wants to find a vulnerability, it calls a white hat hacker. While some U.S. government agencies struggle with adopting more nimble IT technologies and practices, the Defense Department is show…
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A dermatome is an area of skin innervated by the cutaneous branches of a single spinal nerve (all spinal nerves except C1).
The dermatomes of the trunk are almost horizontal.
The upper limbs nerves come from the brachial plexus.
The anterior surface of the lower limbs come from the lumbar plexus nerves.
The posterior surface of the lower limbs come from the sacral plexus nerves.


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music / Hip-Hop
Juice WRLD and DJ Scheme share new song "Buck 50"
The song appears on the deluxe edition of Scheme's album FAMILY.
By Jordan Darville
Juice WRLD and DJ Scheme. Photo by Chris Long.
Juice WRLD's tragic death hasn't stopped his music from being released at a regular clip, but unlike most posthumous rap careers, the songs are usually sturdy and feel true to the artist's vision. Last week saw the release of "Bad Boy," a great collaboration with Young Thug produced by Pi'erre Bourne, and today South Florida hip-hop staple DJ Scheme has shared "Buck 50" featuring bars from Juice.
It doesn't take long for all the elements of the song to fall into place — Scheme's beat blends vintage funk sounds with the vibe of an underwater palace's ballroom, and Juice glides through the sounds with confidence. His melodies are tight, but his lyrics are witty and tailored as well ("It's three strikes in this game of life, but I ain't worried, I'm Barry Bonds" is a personal favorite) The guitar solo that ends the song is especially poignant, a fittingly epic conclusion to the rousing display of skill we just heard. The track is streaming below, and it's taken from the deluxe edition of Scheme's album FAMILY, out today.
Read Next: Watch the video for Juice WRLD's new song "Face 2 Face"
DJ Scheme, Hip-Hop, Juice WRLD
music / News


Are you the king or queen of dairy? Milk is such a delicious drink that goes along so well with so many different other flavors. It's creamy, rich tasting and soothes you as it's drunk. When you are able to enjoy a tall glass of ice cold milk the only thing that you can focus on is how thirst quenching and revitalizing that it is. Unfortunately, you can't bring milk along with you anywhere because it goes bad so quickly when it's not refrigerated and that's where the wonderful world of vaping comes into play. Thanks to vaping, you no longer have to concern yourself with transporting around different kinds of foods, preparation or calorie counts, the only thing that you have to worry about is juice what juice that you want to fill your mod with. It's going to be a no-brainer, you need to bring this wonderfully refreshing and satisfying blend along with you for a craving crusher that will have you counting down the minutes until your next moment to vape. Feel a smile slowly spread across your face as you inhale the silky smooth, wonderfully flavored vapor that this juice produces and remind yourself of just how amazing you thought vaping was the very first time that you ever picked up a mod. Dairy King E Liquid is vaping royalty with their delightful blends that touch your taste buds and instantly bring about an effective, relaxing sensation. You are going to be blown away by just how high quality and unique all of their different juices are. Lemon Milk combines a sweet, fresh, slightly zesty lemony taste to a glass of creamy, cool milk for something that is going to be exactly what you needed.


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CREOLOGIC
Don't Get Exposed – Google plans to Penalize Slow Sites With Speed Badges
by Ivan Boychuk
in WEB DESIGN
In the digital age, we enjoy nearly instantaneous access to information. But slow page loading speeds disrupt this continual flow of data and can lead to frustration. Google recognizes this and has recently begun taking steps to penalize sites that take too long to load.
5 Things You Can Do Right Now To Improve Conversion Rates On Your Website
Conversion Rate Optimization: What Is It And How Can It Help Your Business?
Why Google Wants to Penalize Slow Page Loading Speeds
Google prides itslef on being a company built upon the idea of providing a quality user experience to all those who use its products and services. Therefore, slow page loading speeds stand in direct conflict with their core values.
Their continual drive to push the boundaries of the online experience has led them to begin developing new ways to signal to users which pages will load quickly, and which pages will not. That's the idea behind their "speed badges" which are currently being developed.
What Google's Speed Badges Will Look Like
Although not finalized, Google has put forth a few ideas for how their speed badges will appear when people are using their Chrome Web Browser.
Let's take a look!
Image Courtesy of Chromium Blog
One way Google intends to use page speed badges is to let users know when they can expect to wait longer than average for a page to load. This badge will likely appear to users in the following format when they click on a "slow page":
For fast-loading pages, Google is also toying with the idea of adding a green progress bar instead of the traditional blue bar to act as a subtle way of letting users know that the page will load quickly:
What this Means Moving Forward…
Google already penalizes slow sites with its ranking system but with the implementation of their page speed badges, a site that takes longer than average to load will be even further affected. In today's increasingly time-conscious society, every second is highly valued.
If people see that your site takes longer than average to load, they're not likely to click through to your pages. This makes it all the more important for you to assess your website's page loading speed.
How to Avoid Getting Burned by Google's Page Speed Badges
There are a couple of things you can do to make sure your site won't be marked as "slow" in the Chrome Browser.
First, it's a good idea to perform an assessment of your site to see where your pages are lagging. This can be done using a free tool called Google Page Speed Insights. Just simply enter the URL for the page you wish to evaluate into the search box:
You'll then be provided with a list that illustrates some of the reasons your pages may be lagging and the estimated time savings you can achieve by addressing these issues:
The next option is for those who are thinking of building a new site, or starting their first site from scratch. This involves hiring a professional web developer that prioritizes speed in their website design process. For example, CreoLogic has been building fast, search engine optimized websites for nearly 2 decades.
A good website developer has the know-how and experience to make sure your site will load quickly and therefore not be penalized by Google's speed badges.
Whether you currently have a website or you're looking to build one, it's important to consider the impact Google's Page Speed badges will have on your business when they are released in the near future.
Here are 4 MAJOR Benefits of PPC Advertising for Small Businesses
7 Statistics That Show Why Your SMB Needs a Content Marketing Strategy
Ivan Boychuk
Ivan Boychuk is a freelance writer who creates SEO content for businesses to help their websites achieve a higher ranking in search engines like Google.
How To Use UX Design To Your Website's Advantage
Is Your Website Mobile Friendly?
Core Web Vitals: Everything You Need to Know
How We Leverage Shopify to Open Online Stores for Our Clients in Record Time
How We Use Shopify App Integrations to Triple Online Sales Our Our Clients
6 Reasons We Want You to Migrate Your Online Store to Shopify
Mobile-First Indexing – What it Means for Your Website
Welcome to the CreoLogic blog. Blogging about SEO, Web Design, Online Chat, and Free Tools.
© 2019 CreoLogic


One of the greatest technical challenges in working with Bitcoin has always been finding an effective way to secure it. Although financial security is a serious and complex issue regardless of the underlying financial system that is being used, warranting billions of dollars of spending on the part of major banks every year, in the case of Bitcoin the scale is tipped in favor of the attacker even more than it normally is. There are two key factors that contribute to this: irreversibility and anonymity. Irreversibility means that transactions, once completed, cannot be reversed, so if a Bitcoin exchange is hacked there is no way to force the money back automatically as might be possible under a centrally controlled banking system. Anonymity means that there is no way to tell who or where the thief is physically through the financial system, leaving investigators with very little evidence to work with (although on one prominent occasion a $310,000 thief was caught through other means). Although Bitcoin is technically far more secure than most other financial systems available, in practice its digitally slippery nature means that even the tiniest security flaw in implementation is magnified greatly, and so it is only with services that are quite secure by themselves do Bitcoin\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s advantages truly shine through And, over the past two years, we have seen a number of very painful reminders that we are simply not there yet. A list of top 20 Bitcoin heists exists on the Bitcointalk forums, showing a number of incidents in which tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars were suddenly whisked away, leaving entire companies nearly, or totally, bankrupt in an instant.
that the summer of 2011 brought. Even Bitcoin\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s core developers admit that the currency won\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t be truly ready for the masses until the security problem is solved.
In the past two weeks, however, three incidents took place which provide a convincing argument that we are well on the way to getting there. The first is, perhaps counterintuitively, another theft. On March 4, BitInstant announced that an unknown intruder had gained access to their VirWox account and made a series of withdrawals to three unknown addresses, presumably their own. The total amount lost: $12,480. Not $1.1 million, like the MyBitcoin scam of 2012, not $90,000 to $310,000 like the four major 2012 thefts from Bitcoinica and BitFloor, and not even the $15,000 that was the size of the February 2012 Bitcoinica theft that almost no one has even heard of, but simply $12,000 - only a rounding error for a corporation of BitInstant\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s size. But it wasn\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'t just the fact that the incident was small that is surprising, but rather what the attacker did to get the money.
The attacker contacted our domain registrar at Site5 posing as me and using a very similar email address as mine, they did so by proxying through a network owned by a haulage company in the UK whom I suspect are innocent victims the same as ourselves. Armed with knowledge of my place of birth and mother\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s maiden name alone (both facts easy to locate on the public record) they convinced Site5 staff to add their email address to the account and make it the primary login (this prevented us from deleting it from the account). We immediately realized what was going on, and logged in to change the information back. After changing this info and locking the attacker out, overnight he was able to revert my changes and point our website somewhere else. Site5 is denying any damages, but we suspect this was partly their fault. After gaining access, they redirected DNS by pointing the nameservers to hetzner.de in germany, they used hetzner\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s nameservers to redirect traffic to a hosting provider in ukraine. By doing this, he locked out both my login and Gareths\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s login and they used this to hijack our emails and reset the login for one exchange (VirWox), enabling them to gain access and steal $12,480 USD worth of BTC. No other exchanges were affected due to either Mult Factor Authentication, OTP, Yubikey\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s and auto lockdowns.
BitInstant have since learned their lesson, and are now using multifactor authentication for their VirWoX account as well.
Unbeknownst to us, Tihan was using the mtgox api key as the password for a website called LastPass ... Whoever is responsible for the latest theft used the MtGox API key as a password in LastPass hoping that simple security measures were not followed in the setting up of the LastPass. They gained access to MtGox. They transferred a third of the refund money, presumably to themselves.
The MtGox API key was made public in a source code leak a few days before the hack, an enterprising digital hacker decided to try the key as a password on LastPass, and, voil\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\xc3\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\x83\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\xc2\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\xa0, the thief earned himself a small fortune. In the case of BitInstant, on the other hand, it took a complex procedure including a form of domain spoofing and social engineering to get anywhere, and the profits were over twenty times smaller. The flaws that the attacker used were not unique to Bitcoin; these are attacks that can be used against businesses no matter what industry they happen to be in, and in the case of social engineering even those that have nothing to do with the internet are not secure. If BitInstant\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s defenses after this hack represent anything less than top-notch security, then it is safe to say that pretty much no one is secure.
The second development in Bitcoin security comes from Exante\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s recently announced Bitcoin Fund, a Malta-based hedge fund that intends to open the door for institutional investors to enter the Bitcoin markets. The fund will also be the first professionally developed way for investors to trade bitcoins on margin, long and short, and the shorting functionality in particular may turn out to be a significant boon for Bitcoin\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s stability.
But the maintennance of such a fund poses a significant security challenge. Exante is in possession of $3 million worth of bitcoins, and if the bitcoins are lost or stolen the fund will have no choice but to shut down in an instant. Exante, however, has risen up to the challenge, and the security measures that they describe are impressive. First of all, the private keys themselves, stored in a BitcoinQt wallet.dat, are encrypted with AES256. The data is then stored in a TrueCrypt container on three flash drives. The container password is then split into three parts using a mechanism known as Shamir\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Secret Sharing. The way basic 2-of-3 sharing works is this: suppose you are trying to hide a secret value, x. Pick a random y, on about the same scale as x. Write down three numbers in three separate places: x-y, y and x+y. Obviously, no single piece by itself will help you find x. However, if you have any two of them, it\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s very easy to combine them in order to get x back, either directly by adding or subtracting y or indirectly by taking (x-y)+(x+y)=2x and then dividing by 2 to find x. Shamir\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Secret Sharing is a clever mathematical generalization of this; for example, you can "split" a number into 15 pieces such that any 9 of them (but no 8 of them) are enough to get the original number back. This provides security against theft and redundancy of loss at the same time. Strictly speaking, SSS is unnecessary; multisignature transactions accomplish the same thing using the scripting power of the Bitcoin protocol directly. However, it is effective, and is used to store critical data like root SSL certificate authority private keys, which can cause millions of dollars of damage if leaked. Finally, each flash drive is duplicated several times and the pieces are stored in three separate jurisdictions.
This is the security setup that the team at Exante has deemed strong enough to store millions of dollars of bitcoins securely. This is the gold standard that all major Bitcoin businesses that handle such large quantities of customer funds can aspire to, and it provides a level of security comparable to that used to store data or physical objects tens or even hundreds of times greater in value. Most businesses will, of course, not need nearly so much protection; this level of security is reserved for high-level financial services, but what is important is that, for the first time, a group of professional, internationally trusted and established hedge fund managers has decided that Bitcoin can be made secure enough to be taken seriously.
Finally, we also have another development in Bitcoin security, this time coming from within the existing Bitcoin community: BIPS. The new merchant platform from WalletBit includes a number of upgrades, including significant improvements in usability and, in some cases, lower fees than BitPay, but where BIPS truly stands out is in its security. Like all other major merchant services and exchanges, BIPS keeps most of its funds in cold storage. Its cold storage platform, however, is one of the most advanced that have ever been implemented for use with BTC. BIPS\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' Kris Henriksen writes, "without revealing to much of our infrastructure, we backup to 1 SAN (12 WD Red harddrives), 2 NAS (5 WD RED drives) all running raid 6, and then from there to the robotic tape library", and director of marketing Adam Harding adds "BIPS follows the same security practices as WalletBit and even more so. This includes regular tape backups of every server stored in a fire proof faraday cage under lock and key. This is the same feature we offer for our cold storage with an additional password only the user knows but in the event of a global EMP, the bitcoind is backed up every hour." Tape backups are a method of data archival that, Harding adds, "is the most reliable backup method out there and still used by every major organization." The tapes themselves are stored in a datacenter in Denmark, although the hard drive backups ensure that there is no single point of failure against loss. BIPS\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' security scheme is not quite as impressive as that created by Exante; a form of secret sharing is technically used in the RAID 6 implementation, but multi-jurisdiction or even multi-location storage is not yet something that BIPS have implemented. However, for the tiny startup that BIPS is, the setup is quite impressive.
What all of this shows is that Bitcoin security is now being taken very seriously, and established Bitcoin businesses have developed comprehensive security policies and physical systems that are proving increasingly effective against attack. There are still details to be ironed out; two months ago, another Bitcoin exchange lost its funds primarily due to a disappeared shareholder with sole access to the cold storage USB, and mechanisms for Bitcoin exchanges to demonstrate solvency and possession of full reserves to their customers are another improvement that may be needed in the future. However, what Bitcoin users, detractors and journalists need to realize is that we are no longer living in 2011 or 2012. Most of the businesses that were insecure have now been weeded out by natural selection and, as for those that remain, the greater attention to Bitcoin paid by established players like Exante and the Silicon Valley investors in Coinbase and BitPay is ensuring that services run by trustworthy individuals with established reputations on the line are available. Over the course of this past year, although the size of the Bitcoin economy has grown by a factor of ten the total volume of hacks and thefts has actually considerably gone down. Although security will never be a solved problem either in the world of Bitcoin or anywhere else, the crippling hurdle that turned so many away from Bitcoin in 2011 and 2012 is now well past us.


New Riviera licensed Trademark Emblem from Lloyd Mats for vintage Buick Riviera vehicles. The Riviera logo is General Motors approved for Lloyd's custom fit carpet floor mats in Ultimat, Velourtex, TruBerber and Classic Loop carpet materials. Lloyd Mats makes custom fit floor mats for all GM cars, SUVs and trucks.