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Deloitte Corporate Finance Limited and MENA Private Equity Association join forces to develop Private Equity thought leadership for the region has been saved
Press releases
Deloitte Corporate Finance Limited and MENA Private Equity Association join forces to develop Private Equity thought leadership for the region
Press release
30 November, 2014 – Deloitte Corporate Finance Limited and The MENA Private Equity Association, the leading regional representative body for the private equity and venture capital industry, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the Association's annual Private Equity and Venture Capital report.
The collaboration aims to bring together, the already established Deloitte Middle East Private Equity Confidence survey and the MENA Private Equity and Venture Capital report to prepare the authoritative annual report on the state of the private equity markets across the MENA region. The report will present deep industry insight, thought leadership, broad data analytics and focus on industry hot topics. The report will also incorporate the views of a wide range of private equity practitioners and cover the key drivers of deal activity, regional trends and the firepower and appetite of PE firms to invest.
Declan Hayes, Managing Director, Deloitte Corporate Finance Limited commented: "We are delighted to be collaborating with The MENA Private Equity Association and we are confident that the report will build on the success of each of our annual surveys and will become the authoritative annual market assessment of the state of the MENA Private Equity market".
Lina El Zein, Director of The MENA Private Equity Association (MENA PEA) said: We are thrilled to join hands with Deloitte to develop the annual Private Equity and Venture Capital report, which is the most trusted source of industry statistics and information on the current state of the regional Private Equity and Venture Capital industry. We are also confident that such collaboration will benefit all industry stakeholders."
Both Deloitte and MENA Private Equity Association will be working closely together on the preparation of the research and the report which will give an invaluable strategic assessment of the state of the Private Equity markets and its likely prognosis over the next 12 months.
Press contact
Elissar Hajj Zarwi
Brand & Communications Leader
Deloitte & Touche (M.E.)
Tel: +961 (0) 1 748444
Fax: +961 (0) 1 748999
About MENA Private Equity Association:
The MENA Private Equity Association is a non-profit entity committed to supporting and developing the private equity and venture capital industries in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Association aims to foster greater communication within the region's private equity and venture capital networks and facilitates knowledge sharing in order to encourage overall economic growth, and will actively promote the industries' successes to local stakeholders and build trust with investors, regulators, and the public regionally and internationally.
Our mandate:
- Enhance transparency through industry statistics and information sharing
- Offer a platform for collective knowledge sharing from top practitioners to develop best practice guidelines in various industries.
- Leverage the expertise of leading lawyers and consultants to maintain an open dialogue with regional regulators.
- Bring together members and experts from different industries to participate in member-only, flagship roundtable events to help members identify investment opportunities and build new contacts.
We help the private equity and venture capital communities through the following specific initiatives:
- Issue the Annual Private Equity & Venture Capital reports.
- Reach out to family offices and investors in the GCC region and raise awareness about the members of the association and the important role they play in growing companies.
- Gather GP's and industry professionals, as well as operators in education, healthcare, retail, oil and gas, information technology, consumer goods, food and beverage, financial services, among others, to help identify investment opportunities.
- Issue white papers summarizing the roundtable discussions.
- Partner with relevant associations in Europe, North America, and Asia to offer co-memberships, discounted rates to attend global events, customized training programs, and exposure to global research.
About Deloitte:
Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte has in the region of 200,000 professionals, all committed to becoming the standard of excellence.
Deloitte's professionals are unified by a collaborative culture that fosters integrity, outstanding value to markets and clients, commitment to each other, and strength from cultural diversity. They enjoy an environment of continuous learning, challenging experiences, and enriching career opportunities. Deloitte's professionals are dedicated to strengthening corporate responsibility, building public trust, and making a positive impact in their communities.
About Deloitte Corporate Finance Limited:
Deloitte Corporate Finance Limited is a Company limited by shares, registered in Dubai International Financial Centre with registered number CLO 748 and is authorized and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority. A list of members is available for inspection at Al Fattan Currency House, Building 1, Dubai International Financial Centre, the firm's principal place of business and registered office. Tel: +971 (0) 4 506 4700 Fax: +971 (0) 4 327 3637. Deloitte Corporate Finance Limited is an affiliate of the UK and Middle East member firms of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.
About Deloitte & Touche (M.E.):
Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) is a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) and is the first Arab professional services firm established in the Middle East region with uninterrupted presence since 1926.
Deloitte is among the region's leading professional services firms, providing audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through 26 offices in 15 countries with around 3,000 partners, directors and staff. It is a Tier 1 Tax advisor in the GCC region since 2010 (according to the International Tax Review World Tax Rankings). It has received numerous awards in the last few years which include Best Employer in the Middle East, best consulting firm, and the Middle East Training & Development Excellence Award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).


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Colour cameras
However, in vision applications there is often no benefit in including colour information, as the algorithms used are frequently only affected by contrast. There can even be disadvantages in using a colour camera, as spatial resolution can be decreased whilst transmission bandwidth, CPU overhead, and costs can increase.
Even where colour information is crucial, such as in the printing industry, it may be better to use a suitably coloured filter or a monochrome illumination to get a stable solution. But of course there are many applications where colours need to be accurately measured or differentiated and in these situations it is important to understand the methods that the camera uses to generate the colour information.
Single chip colour cameras
The most common type of colour cameras used in vision have a single CCD or CMOS sensor overlaid with coloured filters that cover each of the pixels. These are usually red, green and blue, arranged in the pattern shown below, called a Bayer filter array. There are twice as many green pixels compared to red or blue which mimics the resolving power and greater sensitivity to green light of the human eye.
To obtain a usable full colour image, it is necessary to interpolate the red, green and blue values for each pixel using an algorithm. There are a variety of different algorithms available that only differ in the way colour is gained.
Although this gives a full colour image, it cannot fully compensate for the fact that only 1/4 of the pixels are red, 1/4 are blue and 1/2 are green. This can reduce the spatial resolution of a sensor.
It is worth remembering that white light contains a full spectrum of light, so when it is used to illuminate a black dot on a white background, all of the pixels will see the transition and the full spatial resolution of the sensor is retained.
Using a common colour mosaic sensor, two RGB-values have to be interpolated on the basis of neighbouring pixels. This might lead to problems at both edges of the sensor and along well defined edges in an image in cases where insufficient colour information for the interpolation is available. Image artefacts are the result. The use of 3-chip prism cameras with suitable lenses can overcome this problem. Bayer to RGB conversion can be performed in the camera, on a frame grabber or on the host PC. If it is handled onboard the camera, the bandwidth needed to transmit and store the RGB data is tripled - less if a technique like YUV4:2:2 is used. If the camera transmits raw Bayer information to save bandwidth, the user has more flexibility in deciding which interpolation algorithm to use.
As the Bayer to RGB conversion is very CPU intensive, the FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) of a frame grabber can be used for this task. The main advantage of a colour camera based on one chip or sensor is the fact that the camera electronics is identical to the one of a monochrome camera, only the chip has to be modified with colour filters, resulting in relatively low additional cost.
There are other types of colour filter arrays such as the CYGM filters (Cyan, Yellow, Green, Magenta), also called complementary colour filters. These are sometimes used on CCTV cameras as the filters attenuate less light which increases the low light sensitivity.
Three-chip colour camera
Another method of producing a full colour image is to use a prism that splits the white light into its red, green and blue components and has one sensor for each colour. If an application requires accurate colour measure ment rather than a simple differentiation between colours, a 3-chip colour camera will be the best choice.
The obvious advantage of this method when compared with the single chip design is the fact that the spatial resolution of each colour plane is retained and the colour fidelity and colour accuracy is improved. The main disadvantage is that 3-chip colour cameras are inevitably larger and more expensive. The higher cost is due to more material needed, three sensors and a prism, and also due to the necessary high precision in aligning the sensors towards the prism. In addition these cameras require the use of special colour corrected lenses, as otherwise colour fringes will make the subsequent analysis more difficult.
Most 3-chip cameras for machine vision have sensors in which the pixels are 'co-site aligned' i.e. each pixel in each colour plane will be in the same position relative to the incoming light. This is particularly important for highly precise measurement applications. Some cameras that are not specially designed for machine vision have sensors that are spatially offset (typically only in one axis and by 1/2 a pixel), which gives the appearance of greater spatial resolution when viewed on a monitor or TV. For machine vision applications where subpixel accuracy is required, co-site aligned cameras should be used.
Multilayered colour imaging sensor technology
Multilayered colour imaging sensors use a different method of capturing colour images. This type of sensor uses a layered design, where each point on the sensor array has photosensitive receptors for all three primary colours, mounted on top of each other as shown in the diagram below.
However, multilayered sensor technology is not yet mature and there are a number of problems associated with it. There can be a degree of electron diffusion at the deepest (red) layer with a corresponding loss of sharpness. Another potential problem is colour 'noise' caused by crosstalk between the photosensitive layers. Also, because the 3 colour sensitive layers are stacked on top of each other, the output needs to be weighted in order to 'white balance' the image and the colour balance tends to alter depending on the intensity of the incoming light.

subset: commoncrawl


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A buddy of mine is doing a documentary on PBS and Sesame Street. It made me think of this clip (from The Muppet Show), which he showed me last time he visited. I hadn't thought about it in years.
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Blurring the Borders
- Spot prawns
- Rapini, pickled raisins, pine nuts
- Mapo dofu
- Lemongrass pork sandwich
SMALLWARES BRINGS A RAFFISH air of feral youth, lipstick hues, and tongue-tingling spices to the family-values village of Beaumont. Red windows cast film-noir light on a room that recalls a Chinese drinking club reimagined by Ikea. Behind an elongated bar, happy staffers shake to the metronomic beats of the Cars. At tiny tables, a motley of Korean noodles, Japanese comforts, Oregon larder, hallucinogenic heat, and bits of candied meat tumbles through a parade of tight, precise dishes. Italian olive oil even drizzles into the act. In these casual quarters, the snacking is fearless, and so is the thinking.
A neighborhood away, Aviary spins a different mood: a cinder-block bunker of modest reserve serving culinary provocations on a stretch of NE Alberta Street known more for hipster aspirations than serious eating. The aura of indie music and industrial kitchen clanking is familiar, but audacity runs through a menu of globe-smashing intrigue. It takes chutzpah to put crunchy chicken skin at the center of a salad hosting fat cubes of fresh watermelon—in February, no less!—while making room for Thai chiles, bitter-herbal watercress vines, and a left-field carpet of baba ghanoush singing ecstatic sesame notes and as light as whipped cream. It's all a heady surprise, supremely refreshing, and unlike anything you've eaten.
At Smallwares and Aviary, two exciting and original food minds are breaking from the flames, dudes, and snouts that hog Portland's stage. Asia is the jumping-off point, but inauthenticity rules—backed by real technique. Seasonality is acknowledged but not worshipped. Both still have bumps: not every experiment works. But they are bound by a disciplined, New York-expat spirit, cross-cultural cooking, and a refreshingly girlie energy.
Neither place makes ordering easy. Categories are nowhere to be found, and assembling a meal from à la carte esoterica is largely up to your imagination. Risk-averse eaters need not even try. The wise diner comes with a group and settles in to share dishes and join the spirit of discovery.
Smallwares launched in February, oozing creative independence. Owner Johanna Ware, 31, offers not so much a menu as a rethinking of the four food groups: edgy raw seafood, brave new vegetables, remodeled Asian classics, and offbeat meats. Her playbook includes taste fixations gleaned from David Chang's Momofuku Noodle Bar; New York's Michelin-starred, globe-hopping Public; and Portland's farm-loving Nostrana. Nothing tastes as it seems. Jump on in.
Oysters on the half shell arrive with a Thai fever. A crazy wave of brine, fish sauce, cilantro, and lime spills from each shell. For a night of nibbling, ear-warming invigoration, this is the starting point. Pristine spot prawns surf their own sea of fiery chiles, pickled onion lust, and lush, green-gold Sicilian olive oil. It tastes like luxury and fury. Grab two orders.
What the kitchen calls mapo dofu is more accurately a masterful reinvention of the Sichuan classic. Instead of firecracking hunks of pockmarked tofu, Ware mimics the bean curd's silken interior in an elegant egg custard beneath a bright field of angular scallions. But prickly whooshes of Sichuan peppercorns leave no doubt: China is calling the shots.
Even homely stalks of Italian rapini hold surprise. Ware serves the slim, broccoli-like trees, firm but tender, in a broth of sweet miso paste, adding toasty pine nuts and pickled golden raisins. In ways that seem incomprehensible, the results are fruity, crunchy, nutty, earthy, and positively irresistible, like peanut butter and jelly from beyond. A companion summed it up neatly: "I want to drink this stuff."
For all her crafty exuberance, Ware seems to have chile on speed dial. The problem hits home with an oxtail curry numbing enough to humiliate Novocain. As she rallies more converts, Ware should remember: spices sing best in harmony.
- Fried chicken-skin salad
- Tempura green beans
- Four-cup chicken
- Hoisin-glazed short rib
- Brix Layer cocktail
Unlike the quick burn at Smallwares, Aviary's mysteries unfold slowly on a seemingly random list of dishes, each its own constellation of cuisines and juxtapositions. France winks at Chinatown. Japan dances with India. Think of an iPod shuffling from Ravel to M.I.A.
The restaurant opened as one of 2011's brightest stars; then a fire shuttered it for months. Recently, the kitchen rebooted with expanded ambitions and a new wave of cocktails as surprising as the food. Through it all, this spare room has perplexed and impressed. On any night, it's possible to encounter the weird, the forgettable, and the transcendent.
This much is clear: chef Sarah Pliner, 40, is on the rise. Her journey through the New York kitchens of French master Alain Ducasse (Essex House) and Indian modernist Floyd Cardoz (Tabla) has yielded techniques and spice knowledge beyond Portland's typical home-schooled kitchen. What's missing is the "come eat my damn food" confidence of Le Pigeon or the personalized dinner-party focus of Beast. And better lighting wouldn't hurt.
The art and originality—the most difficult ingredients of all—are already here. Four-cup chicken, a riff on a Taiwanese dish, sums up Pliner's potential. Elegant coils of chicken—poached, seared, and clutching inspired bits of dried apricots and scallions—stand upright in an iconic Chinese broth sharpened by tomato water. The real brilliance is found bobbing around the edges: opium-caliber blobs of creamed taro root intoxicated by truffle perfumes. You don't so much eat it as inhale it.
I'd return to Aviary just for this trio of dishes: tempura green beans, piled in a crosshatch over green curry transformed by coconut milk, honey, lime, and fresh tahini; cured salmon glistening between black caviar beads and butter-whipped fennel; and spicy duck legs with a dark swamp of richness, a poached egg, and buttery brioche croutons that seem straight from a Paris bistro.
Aviary and Smallwares expose the conventions creeping into Portland's heralded un-conventionality. One hits the gut with playful addictions; the other teases the mind and makes your tongue smile. Their double dares come with delicacy and restraint, from food to mood. Rule-breaking food meets brains and beauty, at last.


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Tiverton High students construct a boat
TIVERTON — Bill Phillips is used to it now, that first day of class when he tells his students they will build and pilot a boat.
His students know enough by then, about physics, geometry and design, to know that building a boat is difficult, Phillips said. They have learned enough in high school to think he is nuts.
But then they build a boat.
Phillips is a teacher at Tiverton High School, leading students in the woods program, construction trades and boat building.
On a Thursday morning he was in a garage bay at the school, watching as a half dozen students went to work with sanding blocks, smoothing the edges and side rails of a 16-foot flat bottomed Sakonnet River skiff — a classic quahogger's boat — that will be finished and then sold before the students leave for the year.
The boat was half done, the floor and sidewalls built up, the transom in place, the gunwales taking shape before a mahogany rail is bent and fitted into place over the top.
"Our goal is to give the kids some skills in the marine trades," Phillips said. "But, if you want to learn how to work with wood, you can't do any better than building a boat.
"There isn't a true straight line or a square cut in any of this.
"If you are working on an old house in New England, you need to be able to deal with that."
That is the point in Phillips' class and in all the classes at the high school, especially the classes in technical education, according to Edwin Fernandes, the head of the technology and career education department. He also teaches design.
"The whole department is built on a strong foundation that is set down in the ninth grade," he said. "We teach a little of everything that year, an introduction to tech."
By the end of ninth grade, students have learned the basics of drafting and woodworking, as well as the fundamentals of electricity and web design. They get an introduction to how business works.
Through their time in the school, the teachers keep bringing students back to the basics. Zach Fenster's engineering students design boats and bridges that are then produced in wood or through a 3D printer and tested to make sure they are strong or move in a straight line. Cathy Marshall's culinary arts classes cook up red sauce and then write essays, explaining the math and chemistry involved.
Some students work with business teacher Judy Moore to write a business plan to market the sauce.
In Fernandes' class, students are spending their free time designing and building a solar powered electric go-cart.
But the boat gets a lot of attention, teachers admit.
The class has had boats on display at the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport and students just retrieved a boat that was on display at the Rhode Island Boat Show in Providence at the end of January.
"That was a really great weekend," Phillips said. "Our kids spoke to hundreds of people about our boats and our program.
"This whole project is a great learning experience. The kids learn all these terms that are used in the marine trade — ballast, transom, fore and aft - and they learn how to cut odd angles and make things fit."
And they learn they can do something difficult, Phillips said.
"When we start this project, the kids are hesitant," Phillips said. "They aren't sure then can built a boat that is strong and water tight."
But Phillips sends them down to Nannaquaket Pond, where three of the boats students built are moored for most of the year. He promises them they will ride in the boat they build.
"The kids really love this," he said. "They come to class excited to learn.
"Once we put the boat in the water, all of them get to ride in it. That is a really great day.
"There is a big learning curve with this project, but my students who have worked on this through the years, they say it is something they will remember all of their lives."


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Photograph by Chris Rainier
The first Enduring Voices Language Revitalization Workshop for Northeast India was held in Shillong, Meghalaya, India, on December 17, 2011. Representing National Geographic Society were Fellows Dr. Gregory Anderson and Mr. Christopher Rainier; Dr. Gracious Temsen and Dr. Ganesh Murmu represented Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages. The workshop brought together eight young linguists and language activists from across Northeast India.
Related Features
Hidden Language Recorded
A language previously unknown to linguists, and spoken by about 800 people, has been documented in the mountains of northeast India.
Arunachal Pradesh, India Expedition 2011
Read the full report from the Enduring Voices team's 2011 expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, India, where they visited five endangered language communities.
Arunachal Pradesh, India Expedition 2010
The Enduring Voices team made its third expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, India in November 2010.
Arunachal Pradesh, India 2011 Photos
See photos from the Enduring Voices 2011 expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, India, where they visited five endangered language communities.
Northeast India Workshop Photos
See photos from the first Enduring Voices Language Revitalization workshop in Shillong, Meghalaya, India, that brought together eight young linguists and language activists from across Northeast India.
Meet the Team
Gregory Anderson, Linguist
Dr. Gregory D. S. Anderson is a linguist who is director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the documentation, revitalization, and maintenance of endangered languages.
David Harrison, Linguist
K. David Harrison is a linguist and leading specialist in the study of endangered languages. He co-leads the Enduring Voices project at National Geographic and is an associate professor at Swarthmore College.
Chris Rainier,
Chris Rainier is considered one of the leading documentary photographers working today. His life's mission is to put on film both the remaining natural wilderness and indigenous cultures around the globe and to use images to create social change.
Living Tongues
The Enduring Voices Project represents a partnership between National Geographic Mission Programs and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages.
Talking Dictionaries
Join Us
Support the Enduring Voices Project on Facebook.
Ethics Statement
Ethics Statement
View the Enduring Voices Project ethics statement.
The Last Speakers
The Last Speakers
The poignant chronicle of K. David Harrison's expeditions around the world to meet with last speakers of vanishing languages.
"The Last Speakers" is now published in Japanese. Read the interview with Dr. Harrison here and purchase the Japanese edition here .


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It's time once again to check in with apologist Greg Koukl. In a recent podcast ("Is Consciousness an Illusion?" 12/4/11), he talked about Daniel Dennett's 2006 book Breaking the Spell.
Let me first seize the opportunity to agree with something. Koukl says, "Reality is the kind of thing … that will injure you if you don't take it seriously." It's good to see us with the same goal of seeing reality clearly.
But we don't agree on everything. Koukl said:
[Dennett has] made a claim in this book about something that is very, very difficult for a materialist to deal with that makes sense completely within a Christian worldview. (3:05)
The "something" is consciousness. So Koukl says that the scientist has a tough time explaining consciousness, but it's easy for the Christian.
While it's true that science has much to discover about consciousness and how it works, I don't see anything in particular that ought to keep the naturalist up at night. Science has an unanswered question—big deal. Science has lots of unanswered questions. It also has a marvelous track record for answering them.
But what trips me up here is the idea that the Christian worldview adds to the discussion. How does God explain anything?
Let me make clear that I can never prove that God didn't do something. For example, let's consider a few claims about God by Pat Robertson. He said that God is "lifting His protection from this nation" to allow terrorist attacks (2001). And that Hurricane Katrina might be God's doing (2005). And that the people of Haiti made a pact with the devil, in response to which God allowed the earthquake that killed 300,000 (2010). These are assertions without evidence (and, in the case of Haiti in particular, of much contrary evidence), but I can't prove that "God did it" is false.
The fact is, "God did it" can explain everything. As a result, it explains nothing.
"God did it" is simply a repackaging of "I don't know." It tells us nothing new. I'm no smarter after hearing "God did it" than before. It tamps down one set of questions, but others pop up: Who is God and how does he act in the world? Is he one of the thousands of gods that humans have already formed religions around or someone new? Why did God do what he did? What natural laws did God use to do it, and what laws did he suspend? How can we communicate with him?
And think about the size of various claims. The claim "1 + 1 = 2" is not controversial. The claim "I had a sandwich for lunch" is unsurprising, and thorough evidence could be provided to back it up. But the claim "There is a being that created the universe" is without scientific precedent—that is, science knows of no supernatural anything, let alone a being that could create the universe. I can think of no bolder claim than "God did it." It's baffling to me how apologists can toss out that immense claim and simply let it hang there, supported by nothing more than wishful thinking and tradition.
"God did it" doesn't do it. It satisfies only those who want their preconceptions affirmed.
But let me take a step back for a moment. I'm treating this claim with the dignity due those that make testable pronouncements about reality. Perhaps that's my mistake—if it's simply a theological claim divorced from reality, fine. In that case, it's a claim to be taken simply on faith, with no pretense of evidence or verifiability, and I have no use for it.
Let me end with a song, "Tell Me Why" by Pat Benatar*, which nicely makes the "God did it" claim.
Tell me why the stars do shine,
Tell me why the ivy twines,
Tell me what makes skies so blue,
And I'll tell you why I love you.
Because God made the ivy twine.
Because God made the stars to shine.
Because God made the sky so blue.
Because God made you, that's why I love you.
This Christian explanation is poetic, but for those of us who prefer to actually understand the world, Isaac Asimov has a new and improved refrain:
Nuclear fusion makes stars to shine,
Tropisms make the ivy twine,
Rayleigh scattering make skies so blue,
Testicular hormones are why I love you.
I'll stick with the discipline with the track record for explaining reality.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
*Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, EMI Music Publishing.
Related posts:
- Don't Move the Goalposts. Apologists often say about the puzzling questions at the limits of science, "If you can't answer them, we can!" For the old questions (such as "What causes disease?" or "What causes drought?") this claim is now laughable. Why is Christianity's claim to answer the new questions any less so?
- Philosophical Grounding: A Parable. We're told, "The atheist borrows from the Christian worldview!" But dig into this claim, and you'll see there's nothing there.


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Those, who do not understand the differences between Monetary Sovereignty and monetary non-sovereignty, do not understand economics.
Historically, whenever dollars have been taken from our economy, or even when dollar growth has been reduced, the economy has gone into recession or depression. (See: Cause of recessions and depressions)
Congress and the President insist the federal deficit must be reduced. There are but two methods for reducing the deficit: Increase federal taxes and/or reduce federal spending. Both methods reduce the number of dollars in the U.S. economy.
7/29/11: Roya Wolverson, Time Magazine: "The bad news just keeps coming. The U.S. economy grew even less than expected in the second quarter, at a rate of 1.3%, down from what many economists predicted would be 1.8% or higher. The reasons for the continued lackluster performance haven't changed. Consumers, squeezed by higher gas and other prices, are buying less of everything from electronics to meals out to new furniture."
Recently, I posted, "Based on where Obama and the Tea/Republicans are headed, there will be a depression (not just a recession) next year. Only a miracle of realization, by both parties, can save us now. (See: Depression in 2012)
7/30/11: Alan Rappeport, Pharmaceuticals Magazine: "Merck, the US drug company, will cut as many as 13,000 jobs, or 13 per cent of its workforce, as it looks to slash costs and invest in emerging markets. The cuts, to be achieved by 2015, follow those announced last year when Merck said it would reduce its staff by 17 per cent. Merck has been looking to achieve the savings it promised when it acquired Schering Plough for $41bn in 2009."
Congress and the President remain ignorant. They continue to call for increased taxes and/or spending cuts. The depression cometh.
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
No nation can tax itself into prosperity, nor grow without money growth. Monetary Sovereignty: Cutting federal deficits to grow the economy is like applying leeches to cure anemia.


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We barely escaped the extemporaneous shelters and choking black clouds of Spokane with our sanity intact. In exchange for potable water, we were able to negotiate with the roving Fuel Lords for an equal amount of petroleum - not much, but maybe enough to make it to Exile Station. As we burst onto the shattered highway, a shadow fell hard over the vehicle, a darkness that endured even unto the spiritual realm.
It was Helhawks. And they would take their toll in blood.
The Ann storyline that you sort of authorized is now underway, and carries on thus for two weeks. It's different from what we usually do because she is different, and we enjoyed the opportunity. The two weeks we needed coverage for happen to be back to back - lucky, for everyone involved really - and so we won't need to gorge ourselves on viscous continuity until PAX at the soonest.
Typically the way the "cycle" goes for a new game is that I will obtain it, my friends will obtain it, we will swear dark oaths about how this time will be different, and then after weeks pass without being able to synchronize our schedules I will uninstall the product to make room for gig after salacious gig of HD video.
Even games I like a great deal won't get played to their fullest extent, because some time during Quake 3 CTF I largely lost my appetite for playing games solo. It's not a coincidence that Quake 3 hit about the time I was taking full advantage of Battlefield Communicator and then Sidewinder GameVoice - the latter being my favorite Microsoft product of all time. Once I could play games with a simulacrum of LAN camaraderie simply by clicking twice, it was hard to imagine settling for ButtTuba or xDemonDaevilx when, with a modicum of effort, I could secure the services of (CW)Gabriel. It's even true of games like Myst and Freedom Force, both of which I have specific crews for, but squad based action games are so vastly improved by dependable cohorts that I tend it to feel it most intensely in that genre.
Tribes: Vengeance was the last game I played consistently by myself, because I enjoyed the game so much but also because I could not pay a person to play it with me. The formula certainly saw alterations, but there is nothing else quite like it - even within the series itself.
Most recently, Battlefield 2 has proven itself to be perfectly tolerable - and perhaps even enjoyable! - when played in the absence of one's realspace compatriots. They've done two specific things that make it work: one, the Squad system "emulates" true fraternity by giving you positional data, an exclusive channel, and group stats. Seeing someone with a green name when you're up to your ass in destruction is a relief too sweet to mangle trying to describe it. The second thing they've done becomes apparent only after you've stuck with the game a few nights: their merit system. As you play, and Lord A'mighty is this ever insidious, commendations begin to trickle in as you prove your simulated valor. I play medics exclusively, as I do in all games they are available in, and my medals reflect that: Basic Medic Combat. Basic First Aid. I had a couple great rounds in a tank, so I picked up something for that. My Squad proved critical in last night's exploits, and we received affirmations for it from the top. It's the regular old "unlockables" thing they always use to hook you, but it's rare to see it in an FPS like this - and even then, to have such granularity is striking.
I'm not sure how many people are actually reading this, today being a vacation for some people, but the site will be going down later today for a "brief interval," for what I am assured will be "the betterment of all humanity." The server guys always offer up a treatise when I ask a simple Goddamn question. I imagine that it is still going on.
dumb ideas will outlast you


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What Time Does the Daytona 500 Start?
TV Guide
Ready to watch the Daytona 500?
"The Great American Race" will air Sunday at 12/11c on Fox and Speed.
Check out TVGuide.com's sports listings
Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. be able to win this year after coming in second last year? Or will Matt Kenseth win his third Daytona 500? We'll find out Sunday.
Will you be watching the Daytona 500? Take our poll below.
Take the poll for this article at TVGuide.com >
View original What Time Does the Daytona 500 Start? at TVGuide.com
Related Articles on TVGuide.com


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Azure HPC and Batch Team at SC14 Conference
The Azure Big Compute team is attending SC14 this week, the annual conference for high performance computing and analysis. It's been a great year for HPC on Azure, and we look forward to catching up with customers and partners about doing large-scale compute in the cloud. Just two weeks ago, we released the preview of Azure Batch. This new managed service provides "job scheduling as a service" with auto-scaling of compute resources, making it easy to run large-scale parallel and high performance computing (HPC) work in Azure. We have new customers building large-scale cloud solutions with Batch in a range of industries including genomics, financial risk, and image progressing. One customer was amazed by how easily his organization could use 10,000 cores, and another customer is eager to test with 150,000 cores. Whether your need is large or small, we're ready for you.


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Joe Biden promotes shotguns for self-defense. Is he off base? …e President Joe Biden told a questioner on a Facebook chat that a shotgun works as well as a semi-automatic weapon for self-defense. The comment is not wrong, but it's curious.
Joe Biden is getting a lot of attention today for suggesting that homeowners interested in protecting themselves with firearms buy a shotgun instead of a semi-automatic assault rifle. Was his comment off base?
Gun-control advocates aren't happy that the vice president of the US – who's supposed to be pushing the administration's gun plan – wandered off the reservation and appeared to back ammo-based home defense. Gun-rights people charge that Mr. Biden is offering an uninformed choice that smacks of government intervention.
"Nice of Joe to take it upon himself to decide what others do and don't to protect himself," wrote conservative commentator Michelle Malkin today on her eponymous website.
How did this all start? During an online Facebook town-hall forum hosted by Parents Magazine, VP Biden fielded a question from "Kate" to the effect that if assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are banned, will "law abiding citizens … then become more of a target to criminals?"
Biden was already off-put, since the previous question had focused on drug legalization. Perhaps the forum administrators weren't filtering reader submissions in quite the manner he'd expected?
"Is this Parents Magazine?… I have Parents Magazine in my home, I've never heard anybody in Parents Magazine ask these kinds of questions, but I'm delighted to answer them," said the VP, according to a transcript of the event.
Then he launched into his shotgun spiel. "Kate, if you want to protect yourself, get a double-barreled shotgun," he said.
Then Biden added that he and his wife, Jill, live in a wooded area, and he's told her that if there's ever a problem to walk outside, put their double-barreled shotgun on the balcony, and fire off two blasts.
"I promise you: Whoever's coming in is not going to – you don't need an AR-15 [assault rifle]. It's harder to aim, it's harder to use, and in fact you don't need 30 rounds to protect yourself. Buy a shotgun. Buy a shotgun."
Look, Biden has previously talked about his gun ownership – he's got a double-barreled shotgun and a Beretta handgun, he says. What he's trying to do here is make the obvious point that you don't have to a military-style assault rifle with a 30-shot magazine to defend yourself, if that's what you want. Other firearms would be just as effective.
Somebody once said that the sound of a pump shotgun being loaded is one of the scariest things a criminal can hear. Of course, Biden didn't mention pump action – a double-barrel is a different kind of weapon. But gun discussion forums are full of talk about shotguns and their effective use in home defense. In that sense Biden's comment perhaps wasn't too far off-base.
And even some conservatives felt that the shotgun answer at least blunted the conspiracy theory that the Obama administration is intent on rounding up the nation's private firearms.
"As goofy as it is, I think this is actually kinda sorta effective at blunting the 'gun-grabbing' critique liberals naturally face whenever they get itchy about 'assault weapons', writes the commentator Allahpundit at the conservative Hot Air website.
But others on the right leaped on Biden's comments. Are shotguns easier to use than assault weapons? Not necessarily, as the physical characteristics of both sorts of weapons can vary tremendously. Plus, has Biden really schooled his wife with shotgun tips? His house in D.C. is indeed in a wooded area – the grounds of the US Naval Observatory – but it's also surrounded by high-level security fences and other devices and guarded by lots of Secret Service personnel who presumably have access to actual fully automatic assault rifles. He's got a house in Delaware that's not US government property, but at the moment that's surrounded by Secret Service, too.
And what's with Biden's advice to his wife to "fire two blasts outside the house" if bad guys appear? As many critics noted, you fire a double-barrel shotgun twice, and it's … empty.
"If [criminals] did keep coming, his wife would be left with either an empty gun or fumbling for two more shells," writes the Washington Examiner's Paul Bedard.
"Typically, homeowners buy pump shotguns that hold at least three shells and can hold more. Double-barreled shotguns are usually far more expensive and are used in fancy bird hunts," adds Mr. Bedard.


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Kansas Medicaid committee will meet later this year
Legislative Democrats: Medicaid oversight important
After some hesitation from a top Republican, Kansas legislative leaders have decided that a committee monitoring the state's overhaul of its Medicaid program will have two days of meetings later this year.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports (http://bit.ly/13lbaCo ) that Senate President Susan Wagle said this week that she wanted to hear from the leaders of the House and Senate health committees before committing to meetings of the oversight committee.
Medicaid covers medical services for the needy and disabled. Gov. Sam Brownback turned over administration of most of the program this year to three private health insurance companies.
Democrats said during a meeting of legislative leaders that they thought oversight is important. Wagle and House Speaker Ray Merrick then agreed to the meetings.
Dates haven't been set.


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I quilted straight lines echoing the colourful zig-zags about 1/4" apart, using my walking foot. I then used my Hera marker to trace lines radiating from the "valleys". I love the look it gives the quilt.
For the binding, I decided to use the same white as the background. I really wanted the focus to remain on those zig-zags and on the quilting.
To be fair, I will show the suggestions to members of a jury composed of my family, and they will choose. :-). This giveaway is open to everyone and I will announce the winner on Wednesday, February 4.
And this is the 2nd finish on my 2015 Q1 FAL list!


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The word "cruise" implies that this is an easy phase of the mission, however nothing could be further from the truth. See just how much work it takes to get the Phoenix Mars Lander to its proper destination on Mars while it travels at 60,000 miles per hour!
Mars and Earth are at their closest this month so now is your best chance to see our planetary neighbor.
On Saturday August 4, 2007 the Mars Phoenix Spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Florida.
Getting a spacecraft from its "birthplace" at Lockheed Martin in Colorado to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida is no easy task. With an able assist from the U.S. Air Force, NASA moved its Phoenix Mars Lander another step closer to Mars. This video chronicles the delicate procedure of moving an immense and demanding passenger across the country.
Literally going where no spacecraft has gone before, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander will visit the north polar region of Mars. Scientists hope that these chilly, isolated plains will give up secrets frozen in shallow underground layers of water ice. With its sophisticated suite of laboratory instruments, Phoenix will determine whether this region of Mars could have ever been hospitable to life.
On July 4, 1997, we got more than a fireworks show to celebrate the birth of our nation. That date marked America's first successful trip back to the surface of Mars since the Viking missions of the 1970s. The Mars Pathfinder mission and its gutsy rover, Sojourner, fascinated the world as they performed nearly flawlessly on our neighboring planet. In this video, Pathfinder alumni reminisce about the little mission that could.
This animation demonstrates how the rover will enter, descend and land on the surface of Mars.
Diana Blaney describes her research on a windy afternoon on Mauna Kea, as technicians prepare NASA's infrared telescope for a night of Mars watching.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
In the summer of 2006, a group of engineers from JPL were invited on the ultimate field trip. In this digital story, Ashley Stroupe and Mike Garrett discuss the journey and how their small but mighty Cliffbot braved the daunting geology of the Norwegian arctic in the hopes that the training might prepare the robot for unforgiving martian terrain.
Credit: NASA/JPL/Caltech/Kjell Ove Storvik/Hans Amundsen/AMASE/ASTEP/CIW/UNIS
Images of "Victoria Crater" in Mars' Meridiani Planum region, taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, provided detailed, three-dimensional information that was used to create this animation of a hypothetical flyover. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity reached the edge of this crater in September 2006 and began exploring its rim clockwise.
Victoria is about 800 meters (one-half mile) in diameter. This animated flyover approaches the crater from the south, and then moves counterclockwise around part of the rim. An enhanced glimpse of Opportunity appears at a location where the rover was seen by the orbiter.
Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/U.S. Geological Survey
Images of the "Columbia Hills" region inside Mars' Gusev Crater, taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, provided detailed, three-dimensional information that was used to create this animation of a hypothetical flyover. NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has been exploring this range of hills since 2004.
Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/U.S. Geological Survey
NASA's Opportunity rover, now exploring Mars for three years, is half a world away from its twin, Spirit.
Scientists expected the Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity to run for three months. Three years later the hardy rovers are still operating on opposite sides of the red planet.


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A Taste of Tampa
A thousand years from now Tampa will be described by archaeologists as a "large commercial center of no particular interest." I can't imagine anyone going there for a weekend getaway. Aside from Busch Gardens (which is, granted, a wonderful amusement park) and attending various sporting events, there isn't much to do. The town's biggest attraction is its proximity to other places, places you really want to go-Orlando, Clearwater, Sarasota.
Yet every now and then you find yourself in Tampa. You may be having a terrible fight with your spouse and have to get away for a day or two and brood in some anonymous motel room. Tampa is good for that sort of thing. Or maybe you're involved in some federal court case and have to give a deposition. Or maybe you're stuck there due to some missed connection at Tampa International Airport. Yes, sooner or later everyone ends up in Tampa.
And while you're there it's good to know that Tampa has two of the best restaurants in Florida. They are a little weird, I grant you, but they combine longevity, ambience, and good food in such a way that they have become part of Florida history.
The first is the Columbia. True, there are other branches (Sarasota, St. Pete, Orlando) but they all pale in comparison to the original, which occupies a whole city block in Ybor City. The architectural style is Hollywood Spanish Colonial, circa 1930. There are tiles everywhere, plus arches with columns, patios and dark wood paneling. This is the sort of building that doesn't really exist in the United States; even in San Juan it would turn heads.
I recently had lunch there and was placed in the balcony, which overlooks a glass-covered patio. It sounds pretty, but that wasn't really the effect; there was something old-fashioned and even a little gloomy about the place. Yellow light filtered in and illuminated the yellow rice; there was too much brown everywhere. Ybor City, by the way, is the capital of the color brown; with all due respect to this famous historic district, I must say that it has the ugliest color scheme of any place I've ever been.
But all this is redeemed by the food. It manages to be both authentic and delicious. I always start with the black bean soup, which is very thick and served over rice, with chopped onions liberally sprinkled on top. It tastes even better, I've discovered, if you add a little vinegar. If I'm really hungry, I order the shrimp al ajillo also; it's an appetizer (or "tapas") of grilled shrimp in a very powerful garlic sauce. It is so strong that part of you doesn't want to eat it, but you do anyway. This brings up another point that is crucial when it comes to dining at the Columbia-bring breath mints.
Perhaps the biggest bad-breath producer is the legendary 1905 salad: lettuce, tomatoes, strips of ham and cheese, and green olives, all saturated in a thick garlic dressing. It's a meal in itself, but there too many good things on the menu to limit yourself to a salad, even a spectacular one. So order it as a side with your entrée.
The food is perhaps best described as old-fashioned Spanish Caribbean. There are no newfangled twists and turns, nothing nouvelle, just classic cooking. The roast pork Cuban style is flaky and juicy, all the shrimp dishes are superb, and the waiter brings those hot Cuban rolls, wrapped in paper. If you've spent a lot of time in Latin America you recognize the Columbia immediately for what it is -the real thing. You could be dinning in Managua. Plus, it's very informal and quite well-priced.
If the Columbia justifies Ybor City, then Bern's Steak House justifies Tampa. It is one of the strangest restaurants in the United States, with some things good and some bad; but there is nothing tentative going on here. Bern's takes the words "steak house," deconstructs them and puts them back together in an experience that can border on the spooky.
First of all, it's in a giant windowless building, totally unadorned and rather ugly. But once you enter, things change dramatically. There's a two-story lobby often said to resemble the entrance to a bordello: red wallpaper, paintings in elaborate gold frames, various candelabra and chandeliers. But as dramatic as the space is, you sense that there is something "off." It's like walking into a film noir.
Like the Columbia, Bern's is a gigantic space split up into many smaller ones. The dining rooms do not match the drama of the lobby and bar, and the tables seem crammed in. The feeling is not as luxurious as one would hope. When I had dinner there recently, I sat in the Rhone Room, which had a photomural of the Rhone River taken about 1965 and not aging well. My fellow diners reflected the confusing atmosphere. On one side was a table of drunken yuppies, and on the other side was a very formally dressed older couple who kept ordering the most expensive champagne and caviar.
But of course the real test of a steakhouse is the steak, and here I'd give Bern's a B plus. It's not the best I've ever had but it is a cut above most. It should be; the menu describes all possible permutations, then you and your waiter have an in-depth conversation about exactly what's going to happen. Doctors should plan operations as carefully as they plan steaks at Bern's. The meat's most distinctive feature was a crinkly crust around the fat. You also get soup (onion or vichysoisse), a forgettable salad, some carrots soaked in liquor and a passable baked potato.
After dinner but before dessert you are offered a tour of the place, and by all means take it-once. The kitchen is about what you would expect, but the wine cellar is a bit of a shock. Vincent Price could film a movie here. First of all, it's the biggest wine cellar of any restaurant in the world, nice and chilly, dark and maze-like, the bottles covered with dust. And this is only part of Bern's wine holdings; there are other buildings scattered throughout the neighborhood, and the collection is said to be worth $30-40 million dollars. I got a sniff of something from 1814 and I must say, it was quite intriguing. Very fruity.
Bern's saves the best (or the worst) for last. It is the custom to go upstairs for dessert, where they have an endless maze of little rooms. An empty one is found for you and your party. This sounds nice but it doesn't quite work; the tiny rooms are not very comfortable and they're too brightly lit. And who wants to be locked with your boss in a little tiny room, as happened to me.
When you finally exit Bern's it's like returning to earth. The door closes and you're in a parking lot in Tampa, Florida, in the middle of the night. Fortunately, one of Tampa's claims to fame is a sleazy and corrupt nightlife. One of its strip clubs, the Mons Venus, is world famous for setting new heights- or lows-in the industry. And it is not alone. The whole area around Dale Mabry teems with something for every taste.
And there I am, with my goody-two-shoes boss in tow. Boy, have I learned my lesson about having dinner in Tampa-bring two cars.


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Up to [NetBSD Developer Wiki] / wikisrc / users / ryoon
Request diff between arbitrary revisions
Keyword substitution: kv
Default branch: MAIN
Fix commands. and style
Fix typo again.
Fix typo.
Add updating pkgsrc/lang/openjdk7 memo.
This form allows you to request diffs between any two revisions of a file.
You may select a symbolic revision name using the selection box or you may
type in a numeric name using the type-in text box.


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Events for July 29, 2022
Events Search and Views Navigation
4:00 pm
Royal Esquire Club Happy Hour
Every week Tuesday to Saturday The perfect after work destress and networking spot has become the Royal Esquire Club's Happy Hour. The beverages are at Happy Hour prices and The Comfort Zone restaurant has a Happy Hour Menu that is second to none. Music, food, sports bar and much more await […]Find out more »


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The problem with the aufbau principle for finding electronic configurations
Monday, August 3, 2015
Thursday, July 19, 2012
more on the 'sloppy aufbau principle'
Eric Scerri,
UCLA, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry,
Los Angeles.
website: http://ericscerri.com
In a recent posting I mentioned what I called the 'sloppy aufbau', that seems to have taken root in almost all chemistry and physics textbooks which claim to explain how the electronic configurations of atoms develop as one moves through the periodic table.
Although the reception has been encouragingly favorable, a few textbook writers have written to me to say that their book covers the topic adequately and does not fall into the trap that I am trying to highlight. On checking each of these books I find that although a number of them issue cautions when using the n + l rule or the aufbau principle, none of them actually state explicitly that for scandium, and the following atoms in the first transition, the 3d orbitals are occupied before the 4s.
What I want to do here is to emphasize that what I am urging and what has been discussed in recent articles by Schwarz is nothing new. It seems to be a matter of 'having to rediscover the wheel'. In addition to a few old textbooks from the 1940s and 50s that give a full and accurate account, I have found two articles in the Journal of Chemical Education that warn explicitly against the use of the sloppy aufbau even though they don't call it so.
For example, exactly 50 years ago, R.N. Keller wrote,
In the case of scandium, cited above, the 19th electron assumes a 3d state rather than a 4s state because the Sc+1 ion has lower total energy with a 3d1 than with a 4s1 configuration.
However, the Sc+ ion is more stable if the 20th electron occupies a 4s orbital rather than a 3d, or, a 3d14s1 state is more stable for this ion than a 3d2 or a 4s2 state. Similarly the lowest lying state for neutral scandium, 3d14s2, is a more favorable state energetically than any other state such as 3d3, 4s24p1, etc.
Or saying this in a slightly different way, the effective nuclear charge in tri-positive scandium is such as to cause the 19th electron added (i.e., Sc+3 + e- ---> Sc2+) to occupy the 3d level because this level lies lower energetically than the 4s.
However, once the 19th electron has been added, the whole electronic energy level system for Sc+2 is now slightly different from that for Sc+3. The interaction of the nucleus of scandium with the 19 electrons in Sc+2 produces a field which favors a 4s state for the 20th electron added (i.e., Sc2+ + e- ---> Sc1+). The resulting field in turn favors a 4s state for the 21st electron added.
R.N. Keller, Journal of Chemical Education, 39, 289-293, 1962.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Even earlier, in an article published in 1950 (62 years ago), also in J Chem. Ed., the author D.F. Swinehart also complains of the careless use of the aufbau and among other things says,
It is rather odd to see this clear-cut case of a regression in the teaching of chemistry and physics. This is not supposed to happen. So why does it happen? Or is it just part of the overall downgrading in science education, especially in the US, as described in the latest issue of Scientific American?
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Matthew Prince, CEO of the online security company CloudFlare, watched his company's top cryptographer turn "white as a ghost" after learning about a bug in the essential infrastructure of the internet last week. That flaw, he says now, is the worst thing to happen to the internet since it became a mass medium in the early 2000s.
The heartbeat read overrun vulnerability—popularly branded as "heartbleed"—is part of the most widely-used encryption systems on the internet, and it exposed practically everyone's data to both hackers and government spies for the last two years. It's worth checking to see if you need to change your passwords at many popularly used sites, including Facebook, Yahoo and OkCupid.
The bug was discovered thanks to a new project called HackerOne, a collaboration backed by Microsoft and Facebook, designed to standardize the practice of rewarding hackers who help fix vulnerabilities they find, rather than exploiting them. HackerOne hosts the Internet Bug Bounty, which focuses on software that is essential to internet functionality. That includes OpenSSL, the open-source software where heartbleed was found by Google researcher Neel Mehta, who donated his $15,000 bounty to the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
But the bug has existed for two years. Why did it take until last week to discover, and why did the means of the search only exist four months ago? The answer lies in in how the basic infrastructure of the internet is governed by its users—or not.
This software "is as close to a public good that you have," Prince says. It's open-source code managed by a foundation. While that has plenty of advantages, it also means the software is comparatively under-invested in by experts in the field and not as efficiently maintained—Prince describes it as a "spaghetti nest of code." It received less than $1 million in income from donations and consulting work last year.
In other areas of critical infrastructure, Prince noted, the government might be responsible for the management, but NSA surveillance scandals have made many in the tech community (inside and outside the US) loath to trust government agencies. Indeed, the NSA is one of the few actors with the capability to truly exploit the bug, and some have suggested that it may well have done so. The internet has a long and growing tradition of self-governance—see the ongoing evolution of ICANN, which tracks domain names—but there are clearly gaps.
This has left major internet companies to coordinate around the issue, but that creates its own problems, including perceptions of an insiders' club privy to early warnings of problems. Prince, whose company was informed by OpenSSL soon after the flaw was discovered because it provides security to a significant chunk of the internet, said there is already resentment from those who were not clued-in immediately. Companies including Yahoo were not informed until the public announcement and were left scrambling to protect their users.
Or take some other fallout from the bug. You can learn more about the technical details here, but heartbleed allows an intruder to comb through the most recently-used data on a server. Among the many sensitive things that could be in that data are "SSL certificates"—essentially, keys that create encrypted connections and assure browsers that users' data (a credit card number, for instance) can be safely entered. If an intruder were to obtain these SSL certificates, the browsers could be fooled into thinking dangerous sites aren't.
Typically, Prince says, websites don't use many different certificates. Now, for security reasons, they may need to revoke them all. But because the process to check for revoked certificates takes time, some web browsers don't check whether certificates they've already downloaded are broken. Prince, meanwhile, is worried that revoking and re-issuing the hundreds of thousands of certificates used by his networks will slow connections. He fears that the knock-on effects of resetting the certificates and the way they are processed between web browsers and servers could be an "almost unfixable problem."
Researchers are working to determine exactly how vulnerable the bug has made online encryption and patch the holes, but the case certainly serves as an eye-opener about the fragility of the internet.


text:
Howdy, pardner. I'm Pioneer Woman, also known as P-Dub. Also known as P-Widdy. Also known as P-Widdy-Dub-Diddy-Diddy-Dub-Dub.
I love to cook.
I love to eat.
I do both on my Food Network show every Saturday morning! Here are the show times:
PW Food Network Show
Saturday mornings @ 10:00 am Eastern Time/9:00 Central
(Note: There are also various showings of different episodes throughout the week!)
Here's Food Network's page, where they'll post updates, photos, videos, etc.
The Pioneer Woman on Food Network
Saturday, June 20: Chuck and Crew! My father-in-law and his crew of fearless fence-builders have been working hard, so I take them a big lunch so they won't have to stop and run to town for food. (Coincidentally, Ladd and Josh get wind of the food and crash the party!) See you this Saturday morning.
Saturday, June 13: Perfecting the Pantry. I make four recipes with primarily pantry ingredients. So much fun!
Saturday, April 18: Dinner Through the Decades! I dish on delicious dinners throughout the different decades of my life. Good stuff, Maynard!
Saturday, April 4: Freezer Fundamentals! While ranch work is going on outside, freezer work is going on inside! I share four more of my favorite freezer basics, which can be made into a whole bunch of different meals.
Saturday, March 28: Easter Weekend! Join me as I spend Easter weekend delivering Hot Cross Buns to friends, cooking the kids a springy lunch, decorating Easter treats with the boys, and getting potluck food ready for Easter Sunday. It's that time of year!
Saturday, February 14: Shipping Cattle! While my family ships cattle, I whip up a make-ahead dinner followed by a heavenly pancake bar for a late post-shipping breakfast. Good food all around!
Saturday, February 7: Kitchen Confessional – Chocolate! I spill the beans on four of my very favorite chocolate recipes. They'll make anyone's heart go pitter pat!
Saturday, January 25: Football, Football, Football! Join me on a football-centric weekend involving our small town's homecoming parade, my boys' Saturday games, and a Sunday evening of game film with Coach Ladd. Football is our lives!
Saturday, January 17: Chicken in Bulk! I take a trip to the supermarket to buy a whole bunch of family pack chicken…along with lots of things that go with it. If you're a little rusty on chicken-friendly recipes, drop by Saturday morning!
Saturday, January 10: Souper Good! I make some of my favorite soup recipes for various people in my life. Nothing says "I love you" like a nice, warm bowl of soup!
After a little break through the holidays, new episodes of Pioneer Woman begin Saturday, January 3! We'll kick off the new shows with a new installment of 16 Minute Meals—with a little bit of a healthy twist! See you Saturday at 10 Eastern, 9 Central.
Saturday, December 6: This Saturday night is the hour-long Pioneer Woman Christmas special on Food Network! Here are some key words you need to know: Kabobs, gingerbread, cowboys, roping, dancing, and eighties wigs. See you at 8 Eastern, 7 Central!
Saturday, November 15: Thanksgiving! Join me as I show you some of my very favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, from dressing to sweet potatoes!
Saturday, November 8: Perfect Pies! I make four pies in one day, each one simple, easy, and splendidly delicious! Get ready for the holiday season !
Saturday, September 13: Pasta Pronto! One of my favorite PW episodes to date, this show features four of my favorite quick-and-easy pasta dishes. Yay for noodles!
Saturday, August 16: Hitting the Road! Before the girls and I take off on a college trip, I stock the fridge with some ready-made food and snacks for the boys. Great ideas for make-ahead meals!
Saturday, August 9: Kitchen Confessional! In this show I dish (haha) on my favorite comfort foods of all time. Love these recipes!
Saturday, July 19: Engagement Party! My sister-in-law Missy and I throw a big engagement celebration for our good family friend, Haley. Prime Rib, gorgeous cupcakes, flowers, drinks, party favors…this'll be a fun episode!
Saturday, July 12: Takeout at Home! My girls and I love Chinese food, so I surprise them with an at-home dinner of all our favorites!
Saturday, July 5: 16 Minute Meals, All Day Long! I share 3 meals and a snack that take almost no time at all to make.
Saturday, June 7: Big Day at the Building! I cook lunch for the crew on the day we reveal the new corner entrance to the Building we're renovating in town. Great food, lots of excitement!
Saturday, May 31: Spring Burning! While the crew burns pastureland, I'm firing up the grill and making one of my favorite dinners…and desserts. Lots of excitement on the ranch in this episode!
Saturday, May 24: Essential Cooking Tools! I take you along on a shopping trip to a restaurant supply store (swoon) and show you all the cool things you can find there, from iron skillets to scoops to torches…and some delicious things you can make with them!
Saturday, May 17: Calf Working! The guys have such a long day of working calves that I wind up taking them breakfast…AND lunch! Fun show—lots of kids, calves and cowboys!
Saturday, May 10: Filling Edna Mae's Freezer! I cook up individual portions of delicious food for Ladd's grandmother, Edna Mae. All she has to do is heat it up!
Saturday, April 12: Pa-Pa's Birthday! It's my father-in-law Chuck's birthday, and we're throwing him a big birthday dinner complete with a Cajun Surf-and-Turf dinner and cowboy-friendly gifts. Hope you enjoy!
Saturday, April 5: Gathering Bulls! After the kids help Marlboro Man gather some big ol' bulls, they come up to the Lodge for a lunch of delicious comfort food. This is one of their favorite menus!
Saturday, March 15: B-Man! My older boy Bryce and I have dinner—including the best ice cream sundaes known to man—together.
And pssst. This meatloaf? Fugghetaboutit! So good.
Saturday, March 8: 16 Minute Meals…Around the world!
Saturday, February 22: Lighten Up! With Ladd and the kids away, I go into a little bit of a boot camp mode where I exercise a little more…and share some of the things I eat when I want to eat a little lighter.
Saturday, February 15: Shakespeare Movie Night! In this super fun episode of PW, Alex's homeschooling group heads to the Lodge for a night of Julius Caesar! I make fun Italian-inspired food (get it?) and we all have a great time together. Hope you enjoy this one—the food is delish!
Saturday, February 8: Us & Them! Tim and Missy come up to the Lodge for dinner…while the kids decide to have their own separate meal.
Good food, good times!
Saturday, February 1: Make-Ahead Potluck! It's Potluck Sunday (which is my favorite kind of Sunday) and while Ladd and the kids are working cattle the day before, I whip up a load of make-ahead potluck favorites. (Pssst. Our pastor went straight for these cheesecake squares!)
Saturday, January 25: Football Camp! While Marlboro Man and his fellow coaches hold an all-day football camp for the kids, I cook lunch…
…And treats for the hungry athletes.
We almost didn't have enough!
Saturday, January 18, 2014: New episodes begin! After a short break through the holidays, a new batch of shows begins this Saturday, starting with "Bulk Buys," where I share a few of the grocery ingredients I buy in bulk…and the great recipes I can make from them. See you this Saturday!
Saturday, November 16: Thanksgiving! Last year I showed the whole Thanksgiving feast; this year, I take a slightly different approach and show all the glorious things you can do with Turkey Day leftovers!
Saturday, November 9: Scrumptious 16-Minute Meals! I love 16-minute meals more than anything, and this Saturday I'll be sharing three more of my faves!
Saturday, November 2: Tex Mex for Cowboys! While the guys wean calves, I make a big (translation: huge) Tex Mex spread of fajitas, beans, and cinnamon ice cream. This is some of my favorite food in the world!
Saturday, October 26: Sweet Deliveries! I'm so exited about this show, as I had such a fun time shooting it. I'm on the go throughout the whole show, delivering sweet treats to loved ones in my life…and walking you through the recipes along the way.
There are quick sleepover treats, tropical-flavored cookies…and these ridiculous chocolate desserts that are so good, they'll make you cry. See you Saturday morning!
Saturday, October 12: Make-ahead corn dip, bulk spaghetti sauce, and luscious drip beef sandwiches are the stars of "Make-Ahead Marvels…"
Along with guitar-playin', singin' teenagers. Hope you enjoy the show!
Saturday, October 5: Moving Cattle! Ladd and the kids are moving cattle around, and I whip up a delicious pizza lunch with two different varieties, along with Lemon-Limeade and a yummy ice cream pie. You'll love the food in this one…good stuff!
Saturday, September28: Choppin' Down Cedars! Cedars are a problem on any ranch, and it takes constant maintenance to keep them at bay. Marlboro Man and the kids spend the day chopping down cedars and I make them a big spread of pasta, salad, and these hilariously simple cookie treats. Bet you can't eat just one!
Saturday, September 21: Our cowboy Josh and our oldest child are spending the day doing some miscellaneous ranch work, and to thank Josh, I make him a big ol' lunch…and a chocolate pie to take home with him. This is my favorite pie on the face of the earth!
Saturday, August 31: Building Pens! The guys tear out an old set of pens and the kids help them build new ones while I make a big Tex-Mex lunch to deliver to them on site. You'll love this menu—a real crowd pleaser!
Saturday, August 25: (Sorry for the confusion; this is next week!) Alex's Surprise Birthday Party! My 16-year-old (how did that happen?) daughter's friends come over for a big surprise, then we all feast on a big, beautiful pasta bar…and birthday sundaes. Sweet friends, good times.
Saturday, August 17: Dear Pioneer Woman! I answer questions about food, love…and washing dogs.
Saturday, August 10: Big House Cleanup! After some heavy rains, our homestead is in need of a little pick-me-up, so we spend an afternoon sweeping and tidying up…then we light a bonfire of branches and sticks. Dinner menu is fried chicken, potato salad, colorful cole slaw…and fun little key lime pies! Hope you enjoy, friends.
Saturday, August 3: Breakfast Delivery. While the guys are working calves, I whip up a big, hearty, stick-to-your ribs breakfast. Probably the most cowboy-friendly menu there is! So delicious.
Saturday, July 27: Simply the Best. I list lots of my favorite things around the ranch—everything from the Best Grilled Cheese to the Best Dimples!
Saturday, July 20: Fill the Freezer! I do a week of cooking to stock the freezer…starting with an epic supermarket journey with my boys. Hope you enjoy this one! I loved making this one.
Saturday, July 6: Five Girls and a Baby! My good homeschooling friends (one with baby in tow) make the trek out to the ranch for a fun, food-filled evening. (I got my baby fix!)
Saturday, June 29: The Fourth of July! Follow along as we host our annual Fourth of July party at our house. It's a total blast! (Get it?)
Saturday, June 22: The Building! We have a site meeting at the old building we're restoring in our small town, and I bring along box lunches…
Including these delectable black pepper potato chips!
Saturday, June 8: Pickup Picnic! To deliver to the cowboys and kids after a long morning of calf working, I whip up spicy roasted chicken legs, cowboy beans, deviled eggs…and the most decadent brownies in the universe. Lots of great ranching in this episode. Hope you enjoy!
A brand new season of Pioneer Woman premieres Saturday, June 1! Lots of fun episodes planned this time around, featuring the family, the ranch…and Charlie, of course. See you then!
Saturday, April 20: Investment Club Reunion! Years ago, I was part of an investment club in town. It's been ten years since our last meeting, so we all decided to get together and do what we always did best: EAT! We have chicken tortilla soup, loaded cornbread, the best margaritas ever…
And this cake, which is ta die fer.
Saturday, April 13: The Sleepover Six: The Drummond cousins have a crazy sleepover at the Lodge…and they may or may not have a prank somewhere in their plans…
Saturday, April 6: Edna Mae's Birthday! The kids and I surprise Edna Mae with a home-delivered birthday meal…including this multi-layer cake! We had a lot of fun.
Saturday, March 30: We're having a long day of school at the Lodge: We do our lessons in the morning, then I make the kids a big lunch while they do their science experiments and math drills. (We have a quick spelling bee at the end…Fun!)
Saturday, March 23: The whole family comes over after church for a big Sunday Brunch.
I make a big glazed ham, biscuits and ham gravy, a pretty and yummy fruit salad, and fun eggs baked in potato cups. Great Easter-friendly recipes!
And my sister-in-law Missy brings these gorgeous cupcakes. We had a delicious time.
Saturday, March 16: The calf-working crew comes by for a rib-sticking lunch of pork chops, the best green beans ever, a delicious hash brown casserole…and a yummy cobbler!
Saturday, March 9: Marlboro Man's coaching my football-playing boys and I'm making food to get them through not just their practice, but the big playoff game. Go, team!
Saturday, March 2: When Marlboro Man brings our friends Butch and Julie over for an impromptu dinner, I have to think fast to get food on the table before they get to the house. (And there maybe a rubber snake prank along the way…)
Saturday, February 23: This show's about two "Special Deliveries" on the ranch. First, I take orange sweet rolls and bacon to the cattle-working crew…then, to thank my BFF Hyacinth for taking my oldest to homeschool coop, I whip up a surprise dinner for her household. (Yummy stew alert!)
Saturday, February 16: Cowboy Tailgating! While the guys work cattle, I whip up a tailgating lunch of hearty lasagna, delicious garlic cheese bread, and these luscious fried fruit pies. There's nothing like lunch on the side of a horse trailer!
Saturday, February 9: Ten Things I Love! Using list form (one of my favorite things) I go through ten of the things I love the most. From Bassets to horses…to cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, I'll walk you through all the things that makes my heart go pitter-pat.
(Hint: Mac and Cheese is involved.)
Saturday, February 2: "Sixteen Minute Meals!" Who wants to spend four thousand hours making dinner? Not me, that's who! I mean whom. I mean who. Never mind. This episode examines three different (exceedingly busy) nights on the ranch…and the delicious throw-together meals that result. They really do take sixteen minutes.
Season 4 begins this Saturday morning, January 26, at 10:00 eastern/9:00 central! We have a big Ranch Games competition with Tim's family, and the events include a calf scramble, roping…and a goat milking competition between Missy and me.
The new CHRISTMAS episode airs Saturday morning, December 8 at 9:30 Central/10:30 Eastern and Sunday morning, December 9 at 7:00 Central/8:00 Eastern.
Hope you love the show. There are meat-a-balls, Christmas trees, chocolate treats, and Christmas cheer galore.
Merry Christmas, friends!
Saturday, October 6: High School Reunion! I have my best friends from high school out to the Lodge for our annual reunion and make lots of food to kick off the weekend. There may or may not be gift bags…and there may or may not be neon scrunchies.
Saturday, September 29: It's my oldest child's fifteenth birthday, so she has her three best friends over to hang out and have dinner. I make the food and by the end of the day, I think I'm fifteen again, too. Being a teenager is fun!
Saturday, September 15: Horses are front-and-center in this week's new episode! I may or may not embarrass myself by riding.
To send with the kids on horseback, I make yummy chocolate-dipped granola bars that are to-die-fer. Yum.
See you Saturday morning!
Saturday, September 8: The girls and I have pasta while Marlboro Man and the kids are out of town, then we all reunite in a big Burger-and-French-Fry-Fest.
Saturday, August 30: We have our good family friends over for a big spread of Mexican food!
Mango margaritas are involved. Amen.
Saturday, August 25: In another typical (not) cooking show episode, I give my two Basset Hounds a bath. *Enter at your own risk.*
Saturday, August 19: My girl has her best buddies over for a picnic and sleepover and we make all sorts of fun food…
Including these crazy, bedazzled cookies!
Here are photos from previous seasons/previous episodes.
Saturday, March 24: Rise and Shine: For this show, I took a slightly different approach and chronicled three breakfasts on three different days: a quiet breakfast at home by myself, a birthday breakfast for my father-in-law, and breakfast burritos for the cowboys.
(Hollandaise sauce makes an appearance.)
Saturday, March 17: Triple Act!: In this episode, my mom and Betsy visit on the same weekend and we have a total girl-fest of food: Seafood pasta, spinach salad, olive cheese bread…and creme brulee. Yay for moms and sisters!
Saturday, March 10: Sleepover!: On this Saturday's episode, my girls spend the night at my BFF Hyacinth's house while her boys come to the ranch for the night. I made them breakfast food for dinner…and dinner food for breakfast.
It was a yummy and delicious sleepover.
And Marlboro Man took them all to cut down cedar trees, so he got some benefit out of it too!
Saturday, March 3 – Marlboro Man's Birthday Party: It's MM's birthday, and the kids decorate the Lodge while I whip up one of his favorite meals….and this ridiculously easy four layer chocolate cake.
It was a fun show to film! The shirt I wore is permanently stained with chocolate.
Random highlights from the show:
* I go feeding with Marlboro Man.
* I open gates for Marlboro Man.
* Because that's what ranch wives do.
* I make chocolate cake.
* I make chocolate frosting.
* The kids and I go to town and manage to shove 43 balloons into the back of my vehicle.
* My hair is lighter in this show. I decided to get highlights right before we filmed it and when I left the hair place I was convinced I was a platinum blonde.
* You probably will not notice.
* That had nothing to do with cooking. I just wanted to mention it.
* I make easy chocolate curls to adorn the cake…then Marlboro Man's candles melt them within seconds.
* Unfortunately, I have no leg to stand on when it comes to teasing him about his age considering I'm two weeks older.
* I make Chicken Parmesan for Marlboro Man's dinner, which makes me laugh considering he's a cattle rancher. Har.
* I make yummy blackberry ice cream with chocolate chips. It's in my new cookbook. It's very purple.
* The kids make Marlboro Man "gift certificates" for things like hauling off the trash, washing his pickup, etc. Sometimes we do this when there's nothing we can think of that he really wants or needs. It's a fun, homemade way to make a birthday special.
* Charlie smelled like skunk throughout the filming of this show.
* Not that you will notice this. I just thought I'd share.
Saturday, February 25 – Potluck Sunday!: >On this Saturday's show, Marlboro Man and the kids travel to two awesome Oklahoma spots to shop for everything from boots to chaps to winter coats to hats.Next week, I'll feature one of the shops on my site. It's a fixture around these parts. On the food front, the next day is a big potluck at our church, so I whip up comfort food to the max and Charlie helps me. Help being a relative term… Saturday, February 15 – Camping by the Creek!: This week chronicles my mother-in-law's annual camping trip with the kids. She braves the cold, I cook the food. (I like that arrangement…) Saturday, February 9 – Chocolate!: In this week's episode, I make three of my favorite chocolate delights, putting a new twist on each one. Come to Mama. Oh dear. Love. Inside this jar of love is…well, you just have to try it. Saturday, January 28 – The Big Game: The show highlights my husband's two best friends from college, Tony and Bill, who travel to the ranch to watch Arizona State (their alma mater) play Arizona (their arch rival) on TV. I make football food like guacamole, wings, and brownies, but the real fun of the show is the dudes. THE CHRISTMAS SHOW (aired December 2011) Update: The PW Christmas show was a blast. We filmed at the end of November, then into December and the edit barely made it in time! But it was fun to actually film a Christmas special…at Christmastime. Loved it. SEASON 1 (aired Fall 2011)Here are some behind-the-scenes shots from from Season 1: My kids and I are having fun. And chowing down. What am I getting ready to pour into that bowl of ground beef? The mystery deepens… Walter! Get outta my parsley. Roping is not exactly my strong suit. Fortunately, Food Network edited out my body-shaping camisole. "I vant to grab your jeans." Marlboro Man would like me to hurry up and snap the photo so he can eat already.


text:
Kevin Ollie gets statement win against Michigan State
- UConn opened its season with a 66-62 upset of Michigan State on Friday in Germany.
- Kevin Ollie won his first game as the Huskies' coach after taking over for Jim Calhoun.
- Shabazz Napier had a game-high 25 points for UConn.
No Calhoun, no problem.
The Kevin Ollie era officially began Friday night after 26 seasons of Jim Calhoun patrolling the sidelines.
All the questions and towering expectations about replacing a legend certainly won't go away, but after a 66-62 upset win over No. 14 Michigan State in the Armed Forces Classic, Ollie earned the statement win that all first-year coaches desire in their first game as head coach.
This win might have meant more.
If any coach in the country had something to prove, it was undoubtedly Ollie, who replaced Calhoun and is under a one-year contract while trying to motivate an undermanned team that is barred from playing in the postseason
"It's all about these players because they believed, they didn't go nowhere; they stayed loyal to the program. That's what it's all about." Ollie said on the ESPN broadcast.
Shabazz Napier led the charge with 25 points in a game where UConn played like the ranked team, leading Michigan State by as many as 16 points in the first half. The Spartans cut it to 62-60 late in the game, but four clutch free throws in the final 13 seconds from Napier sealed the win.
But should a season-opening victory over a ranked opponent be so surprising? It wasn't really Ollie's first game directing the Huskies. Calhoun, who was commentating on the game at press row, had missed over 40 games over his career due to issues ranging from cancer and NCAA suspension to food poisoning.
"He's always been by my side and I appreciate him so much," Ollie said of Calhoun after the game. "He told me don't lay on this, build on it and continue to make them play hard. It's a great win for our program, for the new era. A lot of people could have quit but they stayed here for what Coach Calhoun built."
Of all the things that seemed different in a game played at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and featuring tribute camouflage uniforms, Ollie roaming the sidelines seemed fitting.
What does the win mean? For the team, it's a minor statement and obvious confidence booster, but hardly a sign that UConn will be a major force. And remember, due to poor academic progress rate scores under Calhoun, UConn is barred from any postseason tournament (NCAA, NIT, Big East).
For Ollie, the win was a major statement because it showed the coach deserves more than the one-year contract he was given in August. With an undermanned roster and no NCAA tournament for motivation, it wasn't hard to argue Ollie had the most to prove of all the new coaches this season.
For a team that went from the preseason top five last year to losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Iowa State, this season's Connecticut squad seemed scrappier and played with more passion. But with no postseason tournament in reach, what were the Huskies playing so hard for? It definitely seemed as if they were fighting for their coach.
It wasn't just his first win -- it was a win that could help him remain as Connecticut's coach long-term. A statement win.