What's your favourite place to work?
Where do you go to do deep work?
Is it different from where you do reading?
Where do you do most of your correcting?
Do you have that favourite chair where you love to read?
This is where, each morning, I spend time reading, free writing, and meditating. It's my comfort space.
But it's not where I spend time doing research or deeper writing.
I'm a big believer in flexible seating – providing students with different options for where they sit/stand when doing work during the day. I am noticing a stream of pictures and articles of classrooms focused on flexible seating. There are definitely some amazing looking classrooms with all kinds of seating arrangements and different options for sitting and working.
But is it all necessary? What are they key aspects that should be considered?
My wife, a Learning Resource Teacher, spends a great deal of time working with teachers helping them with implementing flexible seating in their classrooms among other things. Everything from standing desks to squishy seats. But, she is also very aware that this doesn't work for all children.
As a parent, she knows that our 8 year old finds it difficult to concentrate in the classroom, especially with so many options. At times, according to his teacher, he is almost overwhelmed with the options. Although he likes the different options, flopping across a ball, bouncing on a squishy seat, he finds it very difficult to stay on task unless he's at a more conventional seating arrangement. As parents, we've experienced this same situation with a couple of our children. Providing options can be a great thing but it can also become an overwhelming distraction.
Much like the 'Ditch-the-teacher-desk' that became a trend, flexible seating seems to be something that has become a topic of conversation.
I know that there are great reasons for getting rid of the teacher's desk. I got rid of mine years ago. But, I also learned that there were other considerations to keep in mind that, well, I didn't consider before I made the move. I needed a working space in the classroom and had to make adjustments in order to manage this. When I was an administrator and a few teachers wanted to get rid of their desks, we met in each room to discuss the different ways to accommodate this while still providing options for the teacher to work. With 5 of us in the room, brainstorming ideas about the advantages and disadvantages was also a discussion about classroom design which eventually led to further classroom changes.
•Naturalness: relates to the environmental parameters that are required for physical comfort. These are light, sound, temperature, air quality and 'links to nature'. In particular there are specific requirements needed for children's learning environments.
•Individualisation: relates to how well the classroom meets the needs of a particular group of children. It is made up of Ownership, Flexibility and Connection parameters. Ownership is the first element and is a measure of both how identifiable and personalized the room is. Flexibility is a measure of how the room addresses the need of a particular age group and any changing pedagogy. Connection is a measure of how readily the pupils can connect to the rest of the school.
•Stimulation (appropriate level of):has two parameters of Complexity and Colour. Colour is straightforward, but does encompass all the colour elements in the room. Complexity is a measure of how the different elements in the room combine to create a visually coherent and structured, or random and chaotic environment. It has been suggested that focused attention is crucially important for learning.
How do you view the learning environment (as a student or a teacher)? Is this view based on opportunities for learning?
What was the main focus for how you designed the learning space?
Where did you get your inspiration for the space?
Did you consider Naturalness, Individualisation, & Stimulation in the design?
Have you asked others about the design? What were the reactions (learning focused or other)?
Have you considered safety and movement in your design? Can it accommodate all learners?
Each summer a new list of "must read" books crops up.
And, I must admit, I go through them checking to see what's been added to the list. What should I add to my "Reading List" that continues to grow at a rate only slightly slower than my 16-year-old son.
About a year ago, I noticed that despite all the reading I was doing and had done, many things were pretty much unchanged. Sure, there were slight differences. I felt smarter and more capable, especially during Twitter chats and evening parties where I could offer a book suggestion for many topics.
But, still not the significant change I had expected. I mean, wasn't something supposed to change? Isn't that what the whole 5 hour rule is all about? What was I missing?
It was another great "AHA" moment! These people read in order to DO!
See, in order for change to happen, you have to do.
Instead of consuming more, I had to create more.
Instead of planning more, I had to execute more.
Routines aren't any good if all you do is write them out.
You need to set the alarm for5 AM and then get out of bed!
You need to develop a fitness plan and then execute it.
You need to organize an eating routine and then follow it.
In order to write better, well, you have to write.
I mean, really, look at what it did for my reading!
So for the last year, I've been doing more, consuming less. I write more blog posts and journal more.
I develop routines that I don't need to write down every day – they're routines!
I was spending so much time looking for that "perfect" way to track time and workout and … I was spending more time consuming and not near enough time on doing.
What you can do is create the conditions where change is more likely to happen.
To create these conditions, one has to do something. It is in the act of doing that something is created. But to do this, you have to begin to find your own voice.
When you are pouring yourself into your work and bringing your unique perspective and skills to the table, then you are adding value that only you are capable of contributing.
As a teacher, this is so important. It is the act of creating, of bringing your unique voice to the classroom, that great things will happen. It may take time for you to find that voice, but until you spend more time creating and less time consuming, the voice will be lost, covered over by layers of other voices, one's you've read.
What are your consumption habits? Do they keep you from being creative and doing more?
Are you spending time learning about being more creative or are you doing more to be more creative?
Are you always looking and reading about ways to find "balance" or are you making decisions and doing things to thrive?
I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas about this topic. Leave me a comment or send me a note on Twitter at @kwhobbes.
Until next Wednesday, seek what is vital, focus on the important; find your own creative voice.
When I began teaching, I struggled most with planning.
And organization. Maybe time management.
I was often stressed and tired, spending hours planning only to have most of the plans end up being replanned.
The process would start all over again. Neverending it seemed.
Oh, then there was correcting. On weekends. Usually binge correcting — the predecessor of binge watching before Netflix was a thing.
I sometimes would borrow units from other teachers but this really didn't cut down on the work time since I usually ended up retooling them, often only taking a few ideas from them. Often the units didn't really work as new curricula were just coming out which was different and "resource-based".
Ahead of its Time — Maybe too Much!
The curricula were ahead of their time. The idea of resource-based teaching meant that, well, there were no textbooks for each subject. Except math. There was a math textbook but one was suppose to supplement it with other resources.
And manipulatives. All sorts of manipulatives.
There was just one problem — it was hard to find resources besides, well, textbooks. The internet hadn't yet become the firehydrant of information that it is today and accessing other resources was difficult.
Thus began my obsession with resource hoarding.
I was in my 5th year of teaching and my third as a grade 7 homeroom teacher. I was struggling more than I had ever struggled. I was entertaining thoughts of quitting. Not only did I have a large class but I was struggling with implementing the new curricula. Actually, struggling doesn't quite cover it. I was suffering. I was exhausted. I actually cried at my desk.
I remember the "AHA". Clearly.
I was planning in my room. I had copied the Learning Objectives and cut them into strips — a suggestion from one of the amazing teachers I worked with at the time — matching them together as I was building units. It was a unit in ELA and one of the LO looked vaguely familiar. There was that little niggle at the back of my brain but it took a while to become clear.
It was similar to one of the Social Studies LO's.
That night I took my first foray into cross-curricular planning as I found that the LO's in different subjects fit together. I could cover different LO's by developing units that were cross-curricular. The beginning of Inquiry was seeded.
I'd like to say that after that night things all fell together and shortly thereafter it was all better and I became an amazing teacher.
See, that realization was just the beginning. What followed still required a great deal of work. A lot of work. Late nights. More binge correcting. I still had to plan the units, make connections and then figure out how to plan assessment. It was around this time that I came across Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe which introduced me to backward planning. I did improve. I began to explore teaching in new ways. Classroom design became important. The effort began to pay off.
In his book, The Dance of the Possible, Scott Berkun discusses how part of the creation process is actually having to do the work.
No matter how great your idea is, there will be energy you have to spend, often on relatively ordinary work, to deliver it to the world.
The "AHA" was only the beginning. In fact, it would take a few years before I would become what I considered "good" at planning and being able to make connections. It would take even more years before I was comfortable sharing what I was doing. It took hard work, spending time working with curricula, making plans that didn't work in order to develop the skills to make plans that worked better. Trying them and making adjustments.
Pursuing the process was important. It meant never being satisfied with what I had done but always looking for ways to improve it.
Indeed, there are easier ways to get plans and units and, given the present conditions that many teachers face at this time, this need is being filled in a number of ways.
I'm not against teachers paying teachers to use their creations.
Teachers are looking for ideas and sites like Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachersprovide a buffet of options. This is partly a result of a system that doesn't always provide adequate resources and is geared toward efficiency and grades. The demands on teachers time have increased and teachers are looking for options that allow them to have some sort of life outside of school. Young teachers are not staying in the profession and one of the factors is the heavy demands on time.
Teachers are not being provided the time to have those "AHA" moments themselves. Instead of being able to struggle through the process which leads to an "aha", many teachers are just getting through the day.
If we want to do better things for students, we have to become the guinea pigs and immerse ourselves in new learning opportunities to understand how to create the necessary changes. We rarely create something different until we experience something different.
This is really how I ended up with my "AHA" moment — immersed in something new. But, in order to do that, there needs to be the conditions for that to happen. I would suggest this isn't the present conditions in many schools where teachers are under extreme pressure to improve test scores and rankings. The focus is on data and documentation, making sure teachers are filling in the forms in the division-wide LMS.
There are teachers, outliers, who do things differently. They do things differently, often without great supports.
As an administrator, there were always teachers like this in each school where I worked. Part of my role was to provide them with time, to give them the opportunity to be creative, to try new things, to have "aha" moments.
But it wasn't all teachers. Some weren't ready or willing to chart new territory.
And we have to be okay with that.
We can't expect everyone to be an outlier. In the past, I would suggest that often what these outliers were doing eventually found its way into many classrooms. There needs to be the opportunity for this to happen. It cannot be demanded of everyone.
And it's hard work. Very hard.
Not all teachers work in an environment that supports creating. There are many students and parents that focus completely on grades. Constant accountability is stealing away time from the creative pursuit of learning in many jurisdictions.
But there's something else happening.
We are living at a time of information overload and struggling with managing the amount of information that is available. As teachers struggle with ever-increasing demands, the draw of the Listicle is powerful — 5 Easy Ways to …., 10 Innovative Ideas for …, 7 Creative Ways to…. — why struggle with your own when there are lists and books which provide the options.
There are still teachers doing amazing things.
However, too often the product, what you see, the highlight reel lessons, overshadow the relationships and the process. The spectacle of learning replaces the wonder of learning. The process is the learning.
To be willing means to forgo what's easy. It's hard. We need to support teachers so they can find their creativity, to delve into the process that leads to "AHA"!
It requires hard work. It means doing and making, trying and retrying. All the while building relationships with students, parents, and colleagues.
How often do we see the struggle as being an important part of the process?
How can teachers be supported to embrace an iterative process that, often, doesn't end?
What is the impact on teachers of all the 'Listicals' and 'How to' offerings?
Where do you go to work? Do you have a long commute? Is it in the cab of a truck or tractor? Is it in a restaurant? What does it look like? How does it feel? Are you excited to get there?What is the environment like?
Do you have a special place where you like to think and reflect? Write? Read? Share with someone else what you are doing/dreaming?
Is there a coffee shop where you like to go?
Do you like quiet or working in the midst conversations and people?
Sometimes one, sometimes the other?
What about doing creative work?
Does it matter where you go to do these things?
Some days I like the coffee shop, other days, the quiet of writing at my desk. It can change during the day.
I work at so many different places — kitchen table, living room, office, library, coffee shops. Some days I like the quiet while other days I listen to music or just like the sound of conversations around me. It really depends. Not all days are the same.
It really depends. Not all days are the same.
Not all days are the same.
I believe this applies to most people. For many people, there is very little choice in where they work. However, as I discussed in my previous post, this is changing as more people choose where they will work.
As a classroom teacher, I have undergone a series of shifts related to classroom design. Like many teachers, I began with the desks in rows which was more default than by any actual thought on my part. I did what knew — desks in a row. I was worried about planning, classroom management and organization without realizing how the physical classroom design affected students.
Over time this changed. Beginning about 17 years ago, I began to explore different classroom configurations including getting rid of desks for tables in groups and pairs, adding desks back but including beanbag chairs and wobble balls and allowing for different configurations depending on the students. I added plants and even put posters on the ceiling — you know you can tell when students aren't listening when they begin to gaze upwards. I also tried a small tent in the classroom, a rocking chair, rugs and a variety of other non-tradtional items. Yet, through it all, I always felt there was something amiss.
Today, much classroom design still revolves around the idea of classroom-like-box — paying attention to different factors such as placement of materials, work centers, group learning areas, individual learning areas and a variety of other factors which can affect individual learners.
What if it was conceptualized differently?
The consensus is that workspaces generally will become more flexible (to accommodate different types of employees), more collaborative (this is the way work is going), and more natural.
As in business where such companies as Google, which is known to "take measures to ensure its employees work in extremely unique environments that are designed to foster creativity and out-of-the-box thinking", push the boundaries of the work environment, there are schools that push the boundaries of design. However, a vast majority of public schools were constructed between 1950 and 2000 when school design was limited to the hallway/box version. This doesn't mean that creative teachers aren't reconceptualizing how they use this space in new and creative ways but it does mean that there are limitations. And, not all jurisdictions will allow for a Starbucks-type classroom — there are safety regulations that one must adhere to in whatever one does.
A recent publication by OCED — The Handbook for Innovative Learning Environments — outlines 7 Principles of learning to design learning environments.
Each of these principles focuses on a different parts of designing a learning environment with the first two related to the physical environment of the classroom.
Principle 1 — The learning environment recognises the learners as its core participants, encourages their active engagement and develops in them an understanding of their own activity as learners speaks to ensuring the main focus of the design is the learner and their learning needs. Such a focus requires that educators focus on designing a learning environment that has a multitude of options. However, as mentioned, many schools were built at a time when the prevailing ideas about schools focused on the direct teaching method. Teachers need to be creative when designing classrooms. One way to do this is to actively include students in arranging the room. This doesn't mean letting students do whatever they want but it does mean having them use the room and provide suggestions for different areas of the room.
Principle 2 — The learning environment if founded on the social nature of learning and actively encourages well-organized co-operative learning. Learning is social but it also has an individual aspect to it that needs to be recognized. Organizing the learning space may require creative ways of meeting both these needs. Like my own learning, depending on a number of factors, being social or having more individual space really depends on what I am doing at the time. Attending to different learning needs sometimes is difficult in a classroom and requires creativity. One method I found worked well was walking-discussions — students were allowed to walk around the school or school grounds and have discussions related to the topic we were exploring.
'Learning environment refers to the diverse physical locations, contexts, and cultures in which students learn. Since students may learn in a wide variety of settings, such as outside-of-school locations and outdoor environments, the term is often used as a more accurate or preferred alternative to classroom, which has more limited and traditional connotations — a room with rows of desks and a chalkboard, for example.
This definition comes closer to what I consider when thinking about design. I know that the traditional image of classroom does conjer up images of desks in rows with a board and other tradtional classroom fixtures but that is beginning to change. The more the discussion can move away from stressing 'testing, marking, grades' to include discussions of 'learning environment, demonstrating understanding, portfolios, collaboration, feedback, learning continuum, learning ecosystem' the greater the possibility to envision classrooms differently.
What would you do differently if you could design your classroom differently?
What would your students do differently?
Why is efficiency one of the main factors of school design?
What if creativity was the main factor for school/classroom design?


text:
Johnnie Cochran
Loyola Marymount University School of Law, University of California, Los Angeles
Johnnie L. Cochran Jr.
Education and Early Career
Cases Involving Police
O.J. Simpson Trial
Controversies, Later Work and Death
Johnnie Cochran Biography
Lawyer (1937–2005)
Attorney Johnnie Cochran took on highly publicized police brutality cases and defended such celebrity clients as Michael Jackson and O. J. Simpson.
Born on October 2, 1937, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Johnnie Cochran eventually established himself as a sought after attorney dealing with high-profile police brutality cases involving the African-American community. He attracted famous clients like Michael Jackson and led O. J. Simpson's defense team in the 1995 murder trial. Amidst much debate over the case, Cochran entered the national spotlight and became a celebrity himself, making screen appearances and writing his memoirs. He died on March 29, 2005.
Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. was born on October 2, 1937, in Shreveport, Louisiana, to Hattie and Johnnie L. Cochran Sr. The family moved to California in 1943, where the younger Cochran eventually excelled as a student in what was becoming a more racially integrated environment. In 1959, he received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and later attended Loyola Marymount University Law School, graduating in 1962. Upon passing the bar, Cochran worked as a deputy criminal prosecutor in Los Angeles. By mid-decade, he'd entered private practice with Gerald Lenoir and soon launched a firm of his own—Cochran, Atkins & Evans.
Around this time, Cochran began to build a reputation for taking on cases involving questionable police actions against African Americans. In 1966, a black motorist named Leonard Deadwyler, while attempting to get his pregnant wife to a hospital, was killed by police officer Jerold Bova. Cochran filed a civil suit on behalf of Deadwyler's family; though he lost, the attorney was nonetheless inspired to take on police abuse cases over the ensuing years. During the early 1980s, he oversaw a settlement for the family of African-American football player Ron Settles, who died in a police cell under questionable circumstances. The following decade, Cochran won a huge, unprecedented court payment for a 13-year-old molested by an officer.
In the early 1970s, Cochran also went to court in defense of Geronimo Pratt, a former Black Panther accused of murder. Pratt was convicted and imprisoned, while Cochran maintained that the activist was railroaded by authorities, pushing for a retrial. (The conviction was eventually overturned after more than two decades. Pratt was released, with Cochran also overseeing a wrongful imprisonment suit.) In 1978, Cochran once again became part of the city's legal force when he joined the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, although he eventually returned to private practice.
Over the years, Cochran's roster included famous entertainers like actor Todd Bridges, who was charged with attempted murder, and pop icon Michael Jackson, with Cochran arranging an out-of-court settlement for the singer in relation to child molestation charges.
In 1994, Cochran joined Alan Dershowitz, F. Lee Bailey, Robert Shapiro, Barry Scheck and Robert Kardashian to form the core of the so-called "dream team" of lawyers hired to defend athlete/actor O.J. Simpson in his trial for the murders of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. The "trial of the century," as it was dubbed, began in January 1995 and was among the most publicized in history, followed by millions around the world.
Cochran, displaying his trademark style, came to lead the team, with some conflict rising among the attorneys amidst sensational proceedings. Upon Simpson trying on bloodied gloves that prosecutors alleged were used during the murder, Cochran came up with a phrase that would become famous: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." Under the auspices of Bailey, who had a private investigator background, the team also discovered that detective Mark Fuhrman had made racist, highly incendiary remarks about African-American citizens. Cochran thus made controversial closing statements in which he compared the detective's philosophy to that of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Simpson was found not guilty in his murder trial, yet nonetheless faced civil litigation, with millions in damages awarded to the Brown and Goldman families.
Because of widespread coverage of the Simpson trial, Cochran entered the superstar realm of celebrity, reportedly receiving a $2.5 million advance to write his memoirs. Yet more controversy followed the lawyer when items from his personal life were publicly revealed. His first wife, Barbara Cochran Berry, wrote her own memoir—Life After Johnnie Cochran: Why I Left the Sweetest Talking, Most Successful Black Lawyer in L.A.—accusing her ex-husband of cruel behaviors that included physical and emotional abuse. Cochran's longtime mistress, Patricia Sikora, also spoke out against the attorney.
Cochran penned the books Journey to Justice (1996) and A Lawyer's Life (2002). He appeared on Court TV's Inside America's Courts and was also featured on a number of TV programs, including Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Chris Rock Show and The Roseanne Show as well as the Spike Lee film Bamboozled (2000). Cochran continued to take on new cases into the new millennium, ranging from work for clients like Abner Louima, who was tortured while in New York City police custody, and rapper/music mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs, to an anti-trust litigation issued against racing giant NASCAR.
In 2004, Cochran's associates revealed that he was suffering from an undisclosed illness. He died from a brain tumor on March 29, 2005, at the age of 67.
https://www.biography.com/law-figure/johnnie-cochran
Robert Kardashian
Attorney Robert Kardashian helped defend O.J. Simpson during his 1995 trial for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
Robert Shapiro
Attorney Robert Shapiro is known for representing many high-profile clients, perhaps most notably O.J. Simpson.
One of television's best known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted "The Tonight Show" for 30 years. His farewell show in 1992 drew 50 million viewers.
Jelly Roll Morton was an American pianist and songwriter best known for influencing the formation of modern day jazz during the 1920s.
Robert Kennedy
Robert Kennedy was Attorney General during his brother JFK's administration. He later served as a U.S. Senator and was assassinated during his run for the presidency.
Attorney Marcia Clark rose to fame as the lead prosecutor in the 1994 trial of O.J. Simpson for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
Ron Goldman
Ron Goldman and his friend Nicole Brown Simpson were both murdered outside of her home in June 1994.
Truman Capote was a trailblazing writer of Southern descent known for the works Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood, among others.
Kenny Washington
One of the first African-American college football stars, Kenny Washington was one of two black athletes to reintegrate the NFL in 1946.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Drug baron and 'American Gangster' inspiration Frank Lucas dead
US computer scientist Katherine Bouman (R) speaks with ranking member Frank Lucas (R-OK) in the Rayburn House office building in Washington, DC, on May 16, 2019. /AFP
Former American drug kingpin Frank Lucas, whose criminal exploits were profiled in the film "American Gangster", has died at the age of 88, his nephew told media Friday.
Adrian Lassiter told Rolling Stone magazine his uncle had died of natural causes without giving further details.
Raised in North Carolina, Lucas became one of New York's biggest heroin dealers between the late 1960s and 1975, claiming that he imported the drug from Southeast Asia in the coffins of American soldiers who died in the Vietnam War.
This claim was challenged by several of his contemporaries but was featured in Ridley Scott's 2007 biopic, in which he was played by Denzel Washington.
Lucas told the New York Times in 2000 that he was making $1 million a day at the peak of his criminal empire.
He was known for his flamboyant displays of wealth, including his outing to the 1971 boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden, where he appeared wearing a long coat and hat made from chinchilla.
"I could not have people who made less money than me walking around thinking they ruled the world," he wrote in his autobiography "Original Gangster."
Arrested in 1975, he collaborated with the US authorities and was paroled in 1981 despite a 70-year prison sentence.
He was again arrested in 1984 and sentenced to an additional seven years in prison for drug trafficking.
Drug baron American Gangster
Mother of reckless driver urges crash victims to stop condemning her family
Authorities look for ways to prevent swine fever epidemic
Dramatic drop in Mekong water level sparks alarm
New energy minister stresses sustainability
Agriculture minister to tackle drought and falling prices


The City Centre is the heart of Nottingham. Student or professional, the city will appeal to you. This location is home to many attractions such as the Corner House, the Capital FM Arena and intu Victoria Shopping Centre.
Upon entering the city, one can see the Corner House. This a popular multi storey complex that houses many bars and restaurants, as well as a multi screen cinema operated by Cineworld, a casino and a mini golf course. This is also the location of one of Nottingham's many night clubs.
The Old Market Square is in the centre of the city. It is a pedestrianised square and, as such, is the largest survivng square of it's kind in the UK. It is well known for its fountain feature and many seasonal events which take place here throughout the year including the Christmas Market, the Summer Beach and the Game City Festival. Many shops, bars and banks face into the square. Nottingham's Council House is located opposite the fountains.
The Lace Market is a historic area of Nottingham. Located a short walk away from the Old Market Square, it was the centre of the world's lace industry during the British Empire. The area is a protected heritage area due to it's impressive 19th century industrial architecture.
Intu Victoria Centre is Nottingham's shopping centre. It includes various shops, restaurants and cafes as well Victoria Bus Station. The shopping centre stands on the grounds of the old train station. Only the clock tower and the Victoria Station Hotel have survived from the old station.
At night, the city really comes to life as it is a popular night out amongst students. Popular night clubs include Rock City, Stealth and Pryzm. Or maybe you just want to go for a drink at one of the city's many bars including the oldest pub in England, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem.


text:
Weird – piosenka napisana i wyprodukowana przez Charliego Midnighta, Marca Swerskiego i Rona Entwistle'a, a nagrana dla trzeciego albumu Hilary Duff zatytułowanego Hilary Duff (2004). Singel został wydany jako radiowy w Hiszpanii w grudniu 2004; teledysk nie został nakręcony. Duff powiedziała o piosence: "Uwielbiam [ją] ... Jest naprawdę dziwna, gdy słuchasz tego bicia i słów. [Piosenka] jest o kimś, na puncie kogo ma obsesję. I wszystko co on zrobi jest jakby to [tylko] powiedział, że to zrobi. I zrobił to, co powiedział. Wszystko kręci się wokoło i wstecz. Ona nie jest do końca pewna kim on jest i co robi, ale ona to lubi."

W wydaniu Hilary Duff magazynu Life Story Magazine jej magazyn poinformował, że "Weird" miał być pierwszym singlem promującym album, ale "Fly" go zastąpił. W listopadzie 2004 Duff powiedziała, że chciała żeby "Weird" był drugim pełnym singlem z albumu, ale  "Someone's Watching over Me" zastąpił go w Australii.

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne
 Okładka płyty

Single Hilary Duff
Single wydane w roku 2004

en:Weird (song)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Die Panzerbrigade 6 mit letztem Sitz in Hofgeismar war eine Brigade des deutschen Heeres und zuletzt als Verband der 2. Panzergrenadierdivision unterstellt. Die Brigade wurde 1993 aufgelöst. Die Truppenteile der Brigade waren in Niedersachsen, Hessen, und Nordrhein-Westfalen stationiert. Bis 1981 wurde die hier beschriebene Brigade als Panzerbrigade 34 bezeichnet.

Geschichte

Als Panzerbrigade 34 bis 1981

Heeresstruktur 3
Die spätere Panzerbrigade 6 wurde 1975 als Panzerbrigade 34 mit Sitz in Kassel aufgestellt. Zunächst unterstanden ihr die Stabskompanie 34, die Panzerjägerkompanie 340 in Wolfhagen (aus Teilen der Panzerjägerkompanie 50, Panzergrenadierbrigade 5, aufgestellt), das Panzergrenadierbataillon 341 in Allendorf (aus Teilen der 5./Panzerbataillon 63 als 2. Kompanie und 5./Panzerbataillon 64 als 3. Kompanie aufgestellt und 1976 nach Wolfhagen verlegt) und die Panzerbataillone 342 und 343 in Arolsen (aufgestellt aus je einer Hälfte des Panzerbataillons 44). 1975 wurde die Panzerpionierkompanie 340 in Hannoversch Münden aus der 2. Schwimmbrückenkompanie aufgestellt. Im gleichen Jahr wurde die Nachschubkompanie 340 in Fuldatal aufgestellt. 1975 gliederte sich die Instandsetzungskompanie 340 in die Brigade ein. Vorher gehörte diese Kompanie unmittelbar als 2./Versorgungsbataillon 2 zur 2. Jägerdivision. 1975 wurde auch die InstandsetzungsAusbildungskompanie 16 unterstellt. 1976 wurden auch das Panzerbataillon 54 in Wolfhagen sowie der Spähzug in Hessisch Lichtenau (später Kassel) als Brigadeeinheit geführt. Die Panzerbrigade 34 war von 1976 bis 1977 eine Modellbrigade für die Erprobung des Heeresmodells 4.

Als Panzerbrigade 6 ab 1981

Heeresstruktur 4

1981 wurden zur Einnahme der Heeresstruktur 4 die Unterstellungen und entsprechend die Bezeichnung der Panzerbrigade 6, 14 und 34 "getauscht":

  →  Die bisherige Panzerbrigade 6 wurde 1981 zur "neuen" Panzerbrigade 14. Die Unterstellung der Brigade wechselte im Vorgriff bereits 1976/77 von der 2. Jägerdivision zur 5. Panzerdivision. Der Standort des Stabes blieb unverändert Neustadt.
  →  Die bisherige Panzerbrigade 14 wurde 1981 zur "neuen" Panzerbrigade 34. Die Unterstellung der Brigade wechselte im Vorgriff bereits 1977 von der 5. Panzerdivision zur 12. Panzerdivision. Der Standort des Stabes blieb unverändert Koblenz.
  →  Die bisherige Panzerbrigade 34 wurde 1981 zur "neuen" Panzerbrigade 6. Die Unterstellung der Brigade wechselte 1975 von der 12. Panzerdivision zur 2. Jägerdivision. Der Standort des Stabes verlegte 1981 von Kassel nach Hofgeismar.

Nach der Umbenennung unterstanden der Panzerbrigade 6 die Stabskompanie (Hofgeismar), die Panzerjägerkompanie 60 (Arolsen), die Panzerpionierkompanie 60 (Hannoversch Münden, Auflösung 1992), die Nachschubkompanie 60 (Fuldatal, Auflösung 1993), die Instandsetzungskompanie 60 (Kassel, ab 1986 Hofgeismar, Auflösung 1993), das Panzergrenadierbataillon 62 (Wolfhagen, Auflösung 1992), das Panzerbataillon 61 gem./gekad. (Wolfhagen und Arolsen Aufstellung 1980, Außerdienststellung September 1992), das Panzerbataillon 63 (Arolsen) Indienststellung 1981 Außerdienststellung Dezember 2002, das Panzerbataillon 64 (Wolfhagen) Außerdienststellung Juni 2008, das Panzerartilleriebataillon 65 (Arolsen), das Feldersatzbataillon 25 (Fuldatal) und die Ausbildungskompanie 2 / 2 (Dössel bei Warburg).

Die Brigade umfasste im Herbst  in der Friedensgliederung etwa 2900 Soldaten. Die geplante Aufwuchsstärke im Verteidigungsfall betrug rund 3300 Soldaten. Zum Aufwuchs war die Einberufung von Reservisten und die Mobilmachung von nicht aktiven Truppenteilen vorgesehen. Zum Ende der Heeresstruktur 4 im Herbst  war die Brigade weiter Teil der 2. Panzergrenadierdivision und gliederte sich grob in folgende Truppenteile:

  Stab/Stabskompanie Panzerbrigade 6, Hofgeismar
  Panzerjägerkompanie 60, Arolsen
  Panzerpionierkompanie 60, Hann. Münden
  Nachschubkompanie 60, Fuldatal
  Instandsetzungskompanie 60, Hofgeismar
  Panzerbataillon 61 (teilaktiv), Arolsen
  Panzergrenadierbataillon 62, Wolfhagen
  Panzerbataillon 63, Arolsen
  Panzerbataillon 64, Wolfhagen
   Panzerartilleriebataillon 65, Arolsen

Heeresstruktur 5 bis zur Auflösung
1993 wurden die Panzerbataillone 63 und 64 der Panzergrenadierbrigade 5 unterstellt. Das Panzerartilleriebataillon 65 wurde 1993 der Panzerbrigade 14 unterstellt. 1993 wurde die Auflösung der Panzerbrigade 6 befohlen und die restlichen Brigadeeinheiten wurden außer Dienst gestellt.

Kommandeure
Folgende Kommandeure führten die Brigade (Dienstgrad bei Kommandoübernahme):

Als Panzerbrigade 6 ab 1981

Als Panzerbrigade 34 bis 1981

Verbandsabzeichen

Die Blasonierung des Verbandsabzeichens für den  Dienstanzug der Angehörigen der Panzerbrigade 6 lautete:
 Gold bordiert, gespalten von Silber und Rot, ein gespaltener, vorne roter, hinten silberner steigender Löwe.

Die Tingierung des Schildes entsprach der Flagge Hessens. Der Löwe ähnelten dem Bunten Löwen ("Hessenlöwe") der Ludowinger aus dem hessischen Landeswappen. Die Verbandsabzeichen der Division und der unterstellten Brigaden waren bis auf die Borde identisch. In der Tradition der Preußischen Farbfolge erhielt das Verbandsabzeichen der Panzerbrigade 6 als "dritte" Brigade der Division einen gelben Bord.

Da sich die Verbandsabzeichen der Brigaden der Division nur geringfügig unterschieden, wurde stattdessen gelegentlich auch das interne Verbandsabzeichen des Stabes bzw. der Stabskompanie pars pro toto als "Abzeichen" der Brigade genutzt. Es zeigte einen Adler auf einem Mainzer Rad ähnlich wie im Wappen Hofgeismars. Die Schildteilung in rot-weiß entsprach der hessischen Flagge und dem Verbandsabzeichen.

Anmerkungen

Literatur

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

06
Panzerbrigade #:6
Organisation (Hofgeismar)
Gegründet 1975
Aufgelöst 1993
Historische Organisation (Hessen)
Hessische Militärgeschichte
Hessische Geschichte (20. Jahrhundert)
Geschichte (Landkreis Kassel)


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Rudimentary Peni's Archaic reissue... wasn't easy
Rudimentary Peni's Archaic was originally released in June 2004 on ten inch vinyl and CD. Some tracks are written by Grant and some by Nick whilst others are co-written by both members. Archaic deals more with personal experience than the majority of the bands previous releases. The twelve songs on the album cover a variety of, shall we say, darker topics including mortality, despair, cremation, and the closing of the British national health service. The brevity of the lyrics (often a single line) is matched by the pummelling harshness of the guitar riffs, which hammer away as if pouring salt into an open wound.
We're now proud to present the remastered version of Archaic. The vinyl version is on 180g white wax and features gatefold sleeve, 6 full size double-sided art cards, bonus poster, and download card. Also available: CD version in gatefold wallet with 16 page art/lyrics booklet, and a limited edition shirt.
Truth told, we had a bit of trouble with this one. Firstly, in between cutting the vinyl and being ready to press it, our original pressing plant managed to damage one side of the metalwork. We decided to move to another pressing plant and had the damaged side recut there. We pressed the album, only to discover that it now had two B-sides. That original plant had also managed to mislabel the metalwork, so the side we thought was damaged (A) was actually side B. Now we had to recut B again at the new plant. This time we pressed it on white vinyl so there can be no confusion. Honestly, the final cuts are much better sounding than the ones we discarded, so we're not going to cry into our milk for too long about it. About 50 copies of the double-B side version on black vinyl made it into circulation via our mail order department before we caught the mistake. Those customers have already been sent replacements at no charge. All of the rest of the double-B side vinyls have been destroyed.
Next up in the Rudimentary Peni reissue series is Death Church, in January.
Personnel • Nick Blinko • Grant Matthews • Jon Grenville
One and All
In Crematorium Flame
Mercy of Slumber
The Enlightened Dreamer
X N.H.S
Farewell Tomorrow
House of the Void
Rehearsal for Morality
Total Running Time: 15:33
Buy Rudimentary Peni stuff from the Southern web shop.
tags: Reissues, Rudimentary Peni, Remasters
categories: New Releases, Outer Himalayan


Explore a new delicious culinary journey!
The Lebanese Brands Gathering is a unique event hosted by Adon & Myrrh at House Of Adon- Bdadoun (20 minutes away from Baabda).
Hand-in-hand with more than 15 Lebanese F&B brands, we aim to raise awareness about the high quality of our local products.
Adon & Myrrh hosted a cooking session for 12 lucky winners! Loyal clients and winners of the Facebook competition were au Rendez-vous.
Adon & Myrrh participated in the 2014 Christmas Fair in Badaro.
The fourth Lebanese cooking festival at Biel, Beirut was held in November 2014.


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Are shipping containers the future of affordable housing?
Jan 28, 2019 | Uncategorised
Millions of people need homes. Millions of shipping containers are going unused. Could this be an answer to the global housing crisis? Cleveland Containers explore further
England is facing a housing crisis. According to housing charity Shelter, more than 50,000 households a year are being forced out of their homes, and there are more than 9 million renters in unsecure rented accommodation. The situation is shaky even for those who own their own homes. 28,900 homes were repossessed across the UK in 2013.
But this situation isn't unique to England. House prices are soaring across the world, which is placing home ownership out of reach for millions. And that's just in the developed world. Around 850 million people are currently living in "informal settlements". In numerous rapidly urbanising cities, the average housing costs can be up to 200% of the net monthly income.
There is no single explanation as to why the world's facing a housing crisis, and there's no easy answers for how to solve it. But one major factor is a general dearth of good quality, affordable housing. Many developments in the housing market are focused on constructing high-end units that are expensive to build and out of the price range of most. This needs to change.
Desperate times often call for radical solutions. One thing the world isn't lacking is shipping containers. There may be up to 40 million shipping containers in the world right now, and experts believe that only six million are currently in use.
Who'd live in a shipping container?
Shipping containers are built to be strong, secure, and practical. These are all sound benefits for storage and mass transit, but do they make for comfortable accommodation?
The idea of living in a shipping container might strike some as odd – unfeasible, impractical, and maybe even a little unappealing. But it's important to think of shipping containers not as finished products, but as raw materials – as exoskeletons for future homes.
Because really, there's no end to what you can do with a shipping container. They can easily be insulated and fitted with windows, doors, indoor partitions, electricity and running water – everything that's needed for human inhabitation. A single shipping container can be transformed into a cosy dwelling in no time at all. But if more space is needed, you can just stack multiple containers on top of each other.
And if you're really wondering whether people would be comfortable living in converted shipping containers, just consider the great reaction that greets shipping containers converted for retail use. They're thought of as cool, hip, quirky. When used as affordable housing, it's no stretch to say that many won't think of shipping containers as a last resort, so much as actively desirable.
Urbanisation that leaves nobody behind
Using shipping containers for accommodation is a form of modular construction. Most of the work can be done offsite, and then it's simply a case of transporting the containers to location for installation. Because of this, it's possible to completely transform areas in a very short timeframe.
There are numerous examples of shipping container villages that have been rapidly constructed on brownfield sites to create a hip new urban developments for work, rest and play. Though most of these "villages" have been built with shopping, dining or entertainment in mind, it's easy to picture a village created just for accommodation.
In a matter of months, you could transform an unused piece of land into a thriving new community, a brand new village where the quality of life is high but the cost of living is low. For an example of how this might work, look to Richardson's Yard in Brighton.
Compared to more standard accommodation, it does not cost much at all to convert a shipping container into a home. And once the conversion is complete, running costs are minimal; one American-based manufacturer claims that all-electric modular shipping container homes can be run for less than $50 a month.
Shipping containers address more than one crisis
Beyond providing high-quality affordable housing, converting shipping containers for human use addresses another major problem facing the world right now – global warming.
Why are there so many unused containers in the world? It's because it can be prohibitively expensive to ship empty containers back to their origin. Many shipping firms, therefore, choose to use brand new containers for each shipment. The end result is a hugely inefficient system, and millions of unused containers left to rust around the world.
Of course, you could recycle these containers, but melting them down uses around 8,000 kWh of energy. Converting them, however, can use as little as 400 kWh.
This is just one reason why converted shipping containers are considerably greener than other building types. The cement industry is one of the biggest producers of carbon dioxide in the world. As well as cutting the emissions that would come from a more traditional build, shipping containers make very good use of existing materials that would have otherwise cost the Earth to break down.
A cure for the global housing crisis?
The lack of affordable housing is just one factor contributing to the global housing crisis. This is an extremely complex issue with no quick fix. In many countries, the problem is one of attitude – too much emphasis is put on home ownership, and far too many treat property as a tradeable asset rather than a fundamental requirement.
Building more affordable homes won't solve the global housing crisis overnight. But the situation's getting critical, and desperate times call for a creative approach to problem-solving. There are many millions of unused containers in the world, and many millions of people who need homes.
So are shipping containers the future of affordable housing? At the very least, they're a great place to start in our search for a solution.
21ft x 9ft Open Plan Portable Office £3,100.00 + Vat


our perspectives and remember what it was like to actually learn the language from square one. Do you remember? Do you remember the anxiety of being called upon when you were unsure of your pronunciation? Do you remember not knowing what the teacher was saying in the target language and feeling overwhelmed? Brush away those cobwebs, and it just might help you connect more with your students. Here are 10 language learner commandments adapted from the list that H. Douglas Brown offers in his book entitled Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. I hope that they re-open your eyes as much as they did mine!
We need to encourage risk taking in the language! Praise students for their efforts to communicate in the language no matter how rudimentary it is. Make sure to not correct every error in the classroom or students will lose their motivation to try. Strive to only correct those errors that interfere with learning or understanding. Give outside of class assignments to speak or write and test out the language in non-threatening ways.
Build your students' self-confidence. TELL them that you believe in them. TELL them that they have the ability to speak the language. TELL them that they are making great strides. TELL them that you are proud of them. Many of our students simply do not get the praise they need from home… we need to be their cheerleaders and lift their spirits! By the way… not only must we use verbal communication, but SMILE and be receptive in non-verbal ways as well. Let the students themselves make inventories of what they have learned or accomplished so far in the course. Many times, seeing where you've come from and where you've managed to go will do wonders for self-esteem.
Encourage your students to use right-brain processing. Help them to get the big picture by using movies and audio in class. Read in class, do skimming activities, do free writes such as a diary, and oral fluency exercises where you encourage speech without fear of correction. Help them to see that communication and understanding is the goal… not perfect language.
Tolerance is a word used a lot in today's world… it's something that our students are very familiar with. Use this to your advantage and teach tolerance in the classroom… for ambiguity. Help them to understand that it's ok to not understand every single word. This is normal and that they can still understand the message. Teach them strategies to figure out meaning from context and to ask for clarification in speech. Keep explanations brief and don't be scared to use English to briefly explain or clarify something that is conceptual and difficult to convey via the TL and comprehensible input.
Teach students to use their intuition. Praise them for good guesses. Help them to see patterns in the language so that they can make educated guesses. You do not always need to explain errors explicitly, but rather show examples of the pattern, so that the students themselves can figure out the problem.
Do not always correct the mistakes made in class… let the students discover their own mistakes. Ask the class if they see anything that needs to change. Have them peer correct a writing assignment and give feedback to their classmates. Have them make a list of their common errors and have them put the list in their notebooks to look at before turning in an assignment.
Get your students to make goals for themselves beyond the classroom. Try to get them to commit to a certain amount of time to devote to the language outside of class… whether through study, oral practice, written practice or reading. There are so many options today for our students… Skype, Facebook, educational sites on the internet, etc. Autonomous language learning ideas can be found in The Interent TESL Journal article entitiled "Motivation and Learner Autonomy: Activities to Encourage Independent Study": http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Nowlan-Autonomy.html You can even have them make a contract listing what they hope to accomplish each week. Check in with them periodically to see how they are doing and give them rewards for their work… students LOVE extra credit!
Are there any commandments that you think should be added? Be sure to comment below!
Thank you Yona for sharing a wonderful set of ideas that are so important to bring to the Spanish classroom. I love that they also are really a set of best practice for life outside the classroom too! So appreciate the reminder at this point in the school year as we're energizing for this last stretch.
Thanks Catharyn! Honestly, it was very enlightening to write and think about my own practice! I think little reminders help us to stay aware and in the moment... it's so easy to get bogged down with the everyday grind.


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Wardrobe: For public events, there is a coat check requirement (coats, jackets, capes), including any umbrellas and backpacks that may be carried along. Visitors are required not to leave any items such as identification cards, credit cards, cash, keys, mobile phones, valuables, jewellery, etc. in the checked items. The visitor bears the risk of loss or damage to all objects left at the coat check. This also applies if these are left inside objects such as bags, backpacks, etc. BoVG's liability for this is excluded.


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Birdstriking The Pleasure Routine Chui Wan and Deadly Cradle Death Play Brick and Mortar - 6/1
San Francisco's Brick and Mortar Music Hall will be hosting an awesome Beijing invasion on June 1st in the Mission District. A Recordings Ltd. (Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre's record label) artists, Birdstriking will be performing in support of their new self titled album. The strange and experimental nu-gaze band, The Pleasure Routine will be sharing the bill with Birdstriking along with the psych, slightly prog influenced experimental band, Chui Wan and Birdstriking/Chui Wan combo side project, Deadly Cradle Death. If all of that info is not cool enough, long time Brian Jonestown Massacre member, Ricky Maymi will be DJing at the show!
You can get out of town (and the country) just by proxy of wandering into this awesome International show. Get a taste of a different culture! The music is going to be noisy, ear splitting and massively fun.
Published: May 19, 2015 |
Xiu Xiu Supports Timber Timbre at The Fillmore - 5/15
Xiu Xiu may be getting a little too big for the britches of The Deli Magazine San Francisco, but we'd like to give them a shout anyway. It is important for us to continue to highlight this local music duo because they are an emerging experimental art rock powerhouse who will probably never get the mainstream or even indie media coverage they deserve due to their highly off kilter and at times, grotesque art and music style.
This Friday (May 15th), Xiu Xiu will be supporting the soulful Canadian rock band, Timber Timbre at The Fillmore in San Francisco. Timber Timbre sounds like a nice blend of The Black Angels and The Black Keys. They sound good and they sound cool (like James Dean cool), so experiencing their live show after Xiu Xiu's out of the box performance will allow you to let your hair down and dance and shuffle around a bit. Don't miss this show!
Mamaleek Debuts the First Single from New LP - Nothing But Loss
A brand new single from the San Francisco based experimental black metal band, Mamaleek has emerged. The new track is entitled, Nothing But Loss and is the very first single to be released from the musical duo's (who are also brothers) upcoming full length album, Via Dolorosa (which Vice kindly defined as "Way of Suffering" in Latin, a reference to the street in Jerusalem down which Jesus supposedly dragged himself to his death).
The exciting thing about Nothing But Loss is that it is not normal at all. It's an intense metal track that sounds like the guitar riffs are being guided with a slide (if you're not sure what is slide is or what slide guitar is, it would behoove you to look it up for reference) and has almost a country, honky tonk style to it. It's pretty cool to hear the guitars wail and whine beneath death metal vocals. The graveling screaming is almost romanticized because of the slight sweetness of the music, as Mamaleek chose to write the song in a higher octave, so it's not the usual creepy black metal style that's played in the lowest tones of E or A. The unique choices the band makes in regards to how they interpret black metal makes them all the more relevant as a ground breaking band.
At the end of the song, it slows down and breaks down a bit to create a dramatic tapering off of strangeness. The song is surprisingly pleasing to listen to and has a lot of character. They have a scary band name and an even scarier album name, but don't let that put you off. Mamaleek's new album is due out on May 26th via The Flesner Records
Mamaleek
Album Premiere: Old Earth - ...until they're called
Bay Area based experimental folk rock singer/songwriter, Todd Umhoefer, better known as Old Earth has given us the pleasure of premiering his brand new EP entitled ...until they're called. If the name of his collaborative music project doesn't give you an idea of the sound of his music, we can surely report that this new Old Earth release is rootsy, earthy and folk rock based with strong elements of avant classical music.
The album features four other musicians, mysteriously referred to as, Burnett, Fritch, Lopez and Moen bring an eerie "Sleepy Hollow" style of depth to the three track EP. There are a couple creative elements that we like: first thing is that the three songs are composed to musically play into one another, making the EP one long 12 minute track. We also like that Umhoefer collaborates with a female vocalist, as mixed gender collaborations seem to be cropping up in the local folk scene these days. We've recently seen Travis Hayes work a female voice into his new music and we think it's cool.
Old Earth is a polished but not self serving solo project that has a lot of sincerity and even more portential. He's got the "knowing" vibe of Neutral Milk Hotel and is willing to take creative risks
Enjoy Old Earth's ....until they're called in its entirety below via bandcamp.com
...until they're called by Old Earth
old earth
Beauty Pill unveils new video + releases new LP after 11 years
Beauty Pill's new album "Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are" was released last Tuesday, April 21 via Butterscotch Records. The album comes 11 years after the band's last release and after band leader Chad Clark survived a rare and typically fatal heart disease. It's a deeply personal political album that combines the experimental side of indie rock with wholly new layers of electronics, beats and samples. Check oiut the video for "Dog with Rabbit in Mouth Unharmed."
Published: April 30, 2015 |
Beauty Pill


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Russia and the US election hacks: sorting through the confusion
by Jeffrey Pawlick Dec 15, 2016 May 1, 2020 / 9 mins /
Over the past couple of weeks, Americans have been alarmed by article titles along the lines of "Russian Hacking in US Elections" or "The CIA and FBI on Election Hacking."
Yesterday in fact, an article in the New York Times bore the title: "The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the US."
These headlines are vague at best and confusing at worst. "Hacking the election," to many people's minds, suggests the idea that Russia penetrated information systems used to collect votes, changed the total numbers, and fabricated a win for Trump. And "weapons" and "invasions" suggest physical damage—bombs.
Of course, that is not the case. The Russian operations were neither direct nor atypical. And they were not surprising. On the other hand, the evidence for Russia's involvement seems stronger by leaps and bounds than what Trump has been prepared to admit.
Clarifying what it means to hack the elections
A top CIA official has said that Russia influenced the elections not only to undermine confidence in American democracy, but also specifically to support Trump. This support, however, would not have come in the form of altering the vote count.
Instead, Russia reportedly penetrated both Republican National Committee and Democrat National Committee networks, but only released (damaging) information about the Democrats, thereby boosting the cause for Trump.
In addition to the DNC hack, Russia also seems to be responsible for the breach of the email account of John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clinton's campaign.
How could this happen?
While such high-level breaches are alarming, they are entirely feasible. Russian hackers reportedly penetrated the DNC networks using a family of exploits alternatively called "The Duke," "Cosy Bear," or "APT 29." This is the same family of malware (malicious software) which recently targeted the state department.
APT stands for Advanced Persistent Threat, a class of attacks which give agents insider access to a system. APTs deactivate security systems and override alerts in order to remain under the radar. Some persist in a system for months before they are detected.
APT 29 is delivered by some type of social engineering such as a phishing email. After penetration, the malware searches for security products to disable. Then it sends a signal back to a compromised website to indicate successful penetration. Next the APT installs a set of commands and modules which give attackers backdoor access.
With this access to the DNC servers, the attackers obtained emails which they released during the past summer, much to the Clinton campaign's chagrin.
How strong is the evidence for Russian involvement?
The strongest statement for Russian involvement came in early October. That declaration was unanimous: all 17 US intelligence agencies voiced agreement on Russian involvement.
Since October things have been a little less direct. This week the New York Times published the aforementioned claims that Russia hacked both the DNC and the RNC, but only publicized material from the DNC. The Times seems to be the only major news agency to make this statement. As evidence, they cite "interviews with dozens of players targeted in the attack, intelligence officials who investigated it and Obama administration officials who deliberated over the best response."
Then today NBC said that US intelligence officials believe with a "high level of confidence" that Putin was personally involved in the Russian campaign. They argue that Putin himself approved orders to interfere in the elections. NBC's sources are "two senior officials with direct access to the information."
According to other reports, the CIA and FBI are not completely in agreement. Apparently, since the October statement by all US intelligence agencies, officials from the FBI have become more skeptical than their counterparts in the CIA.
In the way of independent analysis, the editors of Arstechnica published a detailed article about the reasons to suspect Russian involvement. They note that the families of malware used to execute the attacks were built specifically for espionage, and have been used before against Russian opponents. In addition, the attack software was regularly maintained and professionally updated in a way that would require long-term and organized funding. Finally, evidence from the code includes time-stamps from someone in the same time zone as Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as software from someone speaking Russian.
Of course, a sophisticated attacker could leak these details to intentionally implicate the Russians. Still, most independent analysts have agreed with Russian involvement.
And the President-Elect…
Finally, Trump's response to the hacks has been simply to shrug off the claims and remind everyone that "the election ended a long time ago." Rather than addressing the evidence directly, Trump has launched an ad hominum attack on the CIA.
"These are the same people," he noted, "who said Saddam Hossein had weapons of mass destruction."
While sensationalist headlines about "The Perfect Weapon" obscure the facts about what really happened, the response from the Trump transition team has done little to make things more clear. Overall, porous political claims have been quick to rise to the surface, while solid technical evidence is taking more time.
Jeffrey Pawlick is a PhD Candidate in Electrical Engineering at the Tandon School of Engineering, New York University.
By Jeffrey Pawlick
Jeffrey Pawlick
jeffrey_pawlick.1695@mercatornet.com
Jeffrey Pawlick holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from New York University, where he developed mathematical models for risk analysis in cyber security and information privacy in the Internet of things....	More by Jeffrey Pawlick
Tagged: hacking, US election, Vladimir Putin


[17:21] - Flight 1803 is ready to depart SBSP with a final destination of SBCT.
[18:32] - Landed at -383fpm. With 569gal of fuel onboard and a pitch angle of 4deg.
[18:33] - Arrived safely at SBCT. We hope you enjoyed your flight!


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Masterplan receives Gold recognition for landscape design emphasizing nature preserves
Original Article by PRISM >
Freehold Communities has announced that Headwaters in Dripping Springs, Texas, has won the Gold award for Best Landscape Design at The Nationals, which honors the best in the building industry.
Headwaters received the honor at the International Builders' Show, February 19, 2019 at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. U.S. and international home builders, developers, consultants, and other industry professionals were in attendance for this prestigious event.
All of Freehold's new communities express the company's Vital Community™ approach that embraces healthy living, engagement, connectivity, stewardship and distinctive home design. And all are distinguished by extensive amenities, including nature preserves, or innovative merging of homes and open space, such as "agrihoods."
"Since opening, our communities have been recognized by our peers with top awards, and The Nationals win is among the most prestigious honors yet for Headwaters," said Freehold Communities Texas Division President Matt D. Matthews. "Working closely with our landscape architecture partner, RVi, we have created a truly unique community. We are grateful to our entire team for making this project possible."
"Even in the Texas Hill Country, it's rare to have an opportunity to work with such an extensive natural palette. Freehold Communities' commitment to making the required open space an amenity for the residents and the public resulted in a truly unique plan," said Patrick Smith, Director of Landscape Architecture for RVi. "Headwaters is a community where every single home opens to and embraces the natural hill country landscape."
Boasting 1000 unique homesites, Headwaters in Dripping Springs harmonizes unique community amenities with its beautiful natural setting. The Hub coffee bar and co-working space, for example, offers inspiring Texas Hill Country vistas. The vast open spaces and parks incorporate the structures of the original ranch building. This area includes Headwaters' unique Star-Gazing Amphitheater – part of its Homestead Park – one of the most distinctive amenities of a masterplanned community anywhere in the United States. Perched atop a protected hilltop in the center of the community are the remnants of the original ranch home the Townes family built in the last century. It has been partially deconstructed, revealing classic stone masonry no longer seen today.
The original ranch home is preserved as part of Headwaters' Homestead Park, which also includes the Star-Gazing Amphitheater.
The Headwaters master plan employs an enlightened, preservation-development approach. Designers crafted the community to preserve the natural landscape, protect the Barton Creek watershed and provide for the well-being of the people who call it home. The plan preserves over 1,000 acres for parks and open space, with miles of trails. The land plan allows each home back-up to open space, while preserving the hilltops for magnificent views and natural contours. It also strictly limits impervious cover so that rainwater is absorbed into the soil and vegetation. And Headwaters limits the number of homes to 1,000. Forward-thinking design guidelines encourage the use of native species and home designs that respect the history and natural resources of the property.
Headquartered in Boston, and founded in 2013, Freehold is currently developing eight masterplans throughout the United States, five of which opened in 2017.
All of Freehold's eight new residential and mixed-use communities – in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee and California – express the company's Vital Community™ approach that embraces healthy living, engagement, connectivity, stewardship and distinctive home design. And all are distinguished by extensive amenities, including nature preserves, or innovative merging of homes and open space, such as "agrihoods."
About Freehold Communities
Freehold Communities is developing over 10,000 residential lots in Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida and California. We create Vital Communities™ that embrace healthy living, engagement, connectivity, stewardship and distinctive home design.
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Many of the best looking lamps are used to create a nice glow to accent the table they are on. You get to use the light they give off for whatever reason as well as enjoy what it reveals. They are also great for low light requirements. By simply adding a low wattage bulb you get the perfect setting for a romantic evening.


S/N appointments are available Tuesday - Friday. Drop off between 7:30am - 8:00am and Pick up same day 4:00pm - 5:30pm. Kittens must be at least 12 weeks of age and over 3 pounds. Low-cost vaccinations and microchips are available to cats ONLY at time of surgery. All cats must be in individual pet carriers or traps.
We also except WALK -INs Tuesday thru Friday from 8:00am -8:30am if we are not full with previously scheduled appointments.
Cats must be between 3 months old to 7 years old.
or consent to vaccination at time of surgery, at owner's expense.
Owners of cats over 3 months old must show proof of Rabies vaccination, or consent to vaccination at time of surgery, at owner's expense.
Cats must appear to be in excellent health. Cats that appear sick or unhealthy will not undergo surgery.
NEED TO CANCEL OR RESCHEDULE? Leave a message on our clinic mailbox at (408) 794-7201 with the name of the person who schedule the appointment and the original appointment date. Do not submit an online application to reschedule.
See Fees page for current low-cost spay/neuter fees.
We do not schedule S/N appointments for feral cats. We accept feral cats for S/N surgery on a walk-in basis Tuesday - Friday drop off between 8:00am - 8:30am. For the feral program the cats have to be over 3 months of age, one cat per trap and the trap must be completely covered with a towel/sheet to reduce the animals stress.
FVRCP, flea treatment and earmite treatment (if needed). All feral cats will be ear-tipped and may be microchipped (while supplies last).