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2020 Board Slate
Bios for Board Nominees:
Lisa Burkard is the Managing Director for Spectrum Group Consulting Services, LLC, an independent consulting firm assisting global companies in the design, implementation and management of global mobility and international benefit strategies. She is a human resources professional with 30+ years of experience including extensive international experience leading global total rewards strategy and philosophy, governance, communication and vendor management. She has several certifications including CCP, GRP, and CEBS. She obtained a Bachelors of Business Administration specializing in Risk Management and Insurance from University of Georgia and a Masters of Business Administration from Georgia State University.
Lisa Kidd is a Sr. Compensation Analyst at Hoshizaki America, Inc.. Lisa joined Hoshizaki in 2018 where her current focus is job evaluations, market and data analysis, survey management, and base pay and short-term incentive design and management. Prior to joining Hoshizaki Lisa worked at The Southern Company for 25 years where she was responsible for a wide range of compensation projects including market pricing, equity analysis, annual base pay program, short-term incentive, long-term incentive, and equity pay plans. In addition to Compensation, Lisa has a strong background in Human Resources having spent several years while at Southern Company in recruiting, selection, affirmative action planning, performance management, organizational design, labor relations and HRIS related processing. While working in the utility industry, Lisa served as the Project Manager of the Total Rewards Committee for the NHRG (Nuclear Human Resources Group). Lisa holds a Bachelors' degree in Marketing from the University of Montevallo and is a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP).
Jasmine Mahmood is a Sr. Compensation Analyst with over 5 years of experience as an HR professional. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and HR at Georgia State University. After graduating, she continued in her passion, gaining her first role under the HR umbrella in Talent Acquisition where she gained enough experience in reporting and full cycle onboarding to get her role as an HR Associate. Jasmine's experience as an HR associate played a pivotal role in her seeing all aspects of HR first hand, and allowed her to expand her reporting experience in HRIS/Workforce analytics. Delighted with her experience in HR, Jasmine decided to obtain her PHR, took an opportunity to work in Compensation for Asbury Automotive Group(her current role), and obtained her CCP. Her increased love for Compensation has caused her to be heavily engaged with the profession and network. Jasmine has joined the AACA since her entrance into the field of Compensation, and has been an engaged member since.
Wayne Camp has been a member of AACA since its formation and he joined the Board in 2013 as a Director-at-Large. His many years of compensation experience have been at BellSouth, AT&T and Scientific Games, where he had responsibility for the executive compensation functions. Wayne currently is in private practice, specializing in providing executive compensation consulting services to small and mid-size firms.
Michael McCauley, CCP, CSCP is a Principal, Career Office for Mercer with a focus on broad based compensation and incentive design. Mike has served on the AACA Board for the past 10 years, as the VP of Membership, Director-at-Large and VP of Finance, and is a volunteer with W@W peer reviewing articles submitted for publication. Prior to joining Mercer, Mike was the Manager of Sales Incentives with Abbott Mike and the National Director of Compensation and Benefits for the American Heart Association.
Jim Robinson currently serves as the Manager of Compensation and Benefits at MARTA, Atlanta's regional transit authority. He has over 35 years of experience in the field of compensation and benefits, with expertise in the areas of job evaluation, salary administration, sales and incentive compensation, performance management, welfare and retirement benefits. Mr. Robinson holds a BA from Duke University, an MBA for the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and is a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS). He has previously served as the President of the Atlanta Area Compensation Association and receive their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Diane Tuccito has over 25 years of executive level global HR experience and applies this experience and knowledge to design solutions for her clients' issues. She has been the top HR Executive for companies in diverse industries. Diane has a strong business acumen that enables her to align HR solutions with the business strategy. She has been recognized as a leader in the HR profession and has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from SHRM-Atlanta and the Pinnacle Award from SHRM National. Diane received her BS from New York Tech and her MBA from University and has her SPHR, CCP and GRP. As Vice President of Human Resources at Flex HR, Diane provides clients with strategic HR solutions for their talent issues. She offers her clients the benefit of her vast knowledge and experience to efficiently and effectively manage all aspects of Human Resources. Diane also helps her clients with specific HR projects including but not limited to organizational design, competency modeling, HR analytics and dashboards, compensation and total rewards strategies and incentive plans, HR policies & procedures, leadership and employee development, employee engagement and survey design, HCM system selection and implementation, executive and career coaching, and outplacement.
Shakira Questelles is a compensation professional with experience in managing compensation programs including base pay, variable pay, project management, and mergers & acquisitions. As a member of the AACA, she has been an active volunteer assisting with the programs and marketing committees. She has over 13 years' experience in Human Resources. Shakira hold a Master's of Science in Human Resource Management from Troy State University, is a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and a Professional in Human Resources (PHR).
Stephanie Friedman is a global compensation leader with a background in international compensation, managing survey data, designing independent compensation surveys, consulting, systems business process management, and leading reporting for firms across the United States and Europe. She has over 20 years human resources experience. Stephanie obtained her Bachelor of Art in International Affairs from American University of Paris.
Gayla Jenkins, has been a member of AACA for over 9 years. As a Total Rewards Leader, she has extensive experience in the development, oversight and administration of Total Rewards Programs on both sides of the coin. As a consultant Gayla has assisted clients by performing total compensation studies, developing programs, and managing projects. On the employer side, Gayla provides strategic and operational leadership in the development, implementation, communication, and administration of compensation and benefits programs.
Nicole Long is a human resources leader and consultant with extensive experience in compensation and benefits in the private, non-profit, and public sectors. She has over 30 years' experience in compensation and human resources and has led organizations in size from 250 to 100,000+ employees. She has a Bachelor's of Business and Psychology from Wesleyan College and a Master's of Science in Human Resources and Organizational Behavior from Georgia State University. She is SHRM-SCP certified as well.
Crystal Hodges has been President of the AACA for the last year. Prior to serving as President, she was the Director of Marketing & Website for the AACA. Currently a Compensation Specialist at McKinsey and Company she has worked in compensation for private, government, and consulting firms. Crystal received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Midwestern State University (Wichita Falls, TX) and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Human Resources from Georgia State University. She also holds the Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and Senior Human Resource Professional (SPHR). Certifications.


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The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is the lead Federal agency in promoting access to health care services that improve the Nation's health. With a statutory emphasis on special needs, underserved, and vulnerable populations, HRSA mobilizes its bureaus, programs, staff, and partners to assure access to quality health care. The four main strategies to achieve this goal are to: eliminate barriers to care; eliminate health disparities; assure quality of care; and, improve public health and health care systems. To fulfill HRSA's mission, its programmatic portfolio includes a range of programs or initiatives designed to increase access to care, improve quality, and safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation's most vulnerable populations.
Collectively, HRSA programs work to improve access to care for the more than 38.7 million Americans who are uninsured and the 40 million who live in medically undeserved areas. HRSA supports over 700 community health centers; funds services for people living with HIV/AIDS through the Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency) Act; assists States and health care organizations in improving services to mothers and children; oversees the National system that allocates organs, tissue, and bone marrow for transplantation; and works with academic health centers and other training programs to enhance the diversity and distribution of the Nation's health care workforce.
The primary operating units in HRSA each contribute to the overall mission and major goals and objectives:
- The Bureau of Health Professions: provides national leadership to assure a health professions workforce that meets the health care needs of the public.
- The HIV/AIDS Bureau: provides leadership in the delivery of high quality HIV primary care and supporting services for uninsured and underinsured individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS.
- The Maternal and Child Health Bureau: works on behalf of America's mothers, children, and families in ways that will assure continued improvement in their health, safety, and well-being.
- The Office of Rural Health Policy: serves as the leading Federal proponent for better rural health care services.
- The Office of Special Programs: ensures access and capacity to scarce resources including assurance of access to organ and bone marrow transplantation programs.
- The Bureau of Primary Health Care: increases access to comprehensive primary and preventive health care and works to improve the health status of underserved and vulnerable families and individuals.
More information about HRSA, its programs and activities is available on the HRSA web site www.hrsa.gov.

subset: commoncrawl


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Thursday, March 17, 2011
11 comments:
You are too cool. I wish I would do things like that. I bet the glaze would look great next to the goldish bedding. and sanding it would be so coolReplyDelete
I love the table!!!! I would sand it on the edges....it will add to its character. You could try a little glaze on the back to make sure you like it...then you will know for sure!!! Put it next to the bedding, see how it looks, have fun!!!ReplyDelete
I think it would look fab with the glaze and sanded edges! You are quite crafty, love that!ReplyDelete
Mrs. Kindergarten
I'm with the above comment, a glaze and sanded edges. A lovely piece!ReplyDelete
I have to admit, I'm not really sure what a glaze does? BUT...I do love the shabby chic look, and think that the sanded edges would add so much character :)ReplyDelete
I think distressing it is a fabulous idea!ReplyDelete
oh wow -- what a great project!! i have no practical advice, other than to tell you i'm so impressed!ReplyDelete
I kinda like the sanded edges idea! But then again, I think I'd have to see the whole room first as I'm not quite sure of the ambiance. But whatever you do, I'm sure it's going to look great!!ReplyDelete
Happy Weekend Dear! xo
DD2 took a cabinet in one of the bathrooms and 'aged' it or 'antiqued' it...whatever that means. All I know is, it turned out GREAT and is perfect in the bathroom. I always vote for making something look old.ReplyDelete
Bravo. It looks great so far. Can't wait to see it finished.ReplyDelete
I don't know too much about furniture but maybe you could put a wash on it of a fun pastel color to match the room? Make it shabby chic!ReplyDelete
You are doing a FABBBB job!
xoThe Beckerman Girls


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There's an interesting ballot initiative for South Dakotans in November. It's called "JAIL for Judges." The idea is that if you're involved in a legal proceeding — criminal or civil, as plaintiff or defendant — and you don't like the outcome, you can sue the judge. That's right: sue the judge.
You might suspect the trial lawyers are behind this, but you'd be wrong. The man behind it is a conspiracy theorist with a history of legal difficulties and quixotic court cases. He also happens to not be a resident of South Dakota; that was just the easiest (which is to say, the only) place he could get his initiative on the ballot.
He says it's a question of democratic accountability. Judges, he says, have to be accountable to someone. In this case, that someone would be a special grand jury with rules admittedly designed to favor the plaintiff (that is, the person suing the judge). This neatly overlooks the fact that judges in SD, like in many states, are elected, and therefore already democratically accountable.
One might think this is one of those nutty propositions that show up on ballots from time to time, only to garner about 10% of the vote. One would be wrong. This thing is actually polling as a winner. If it wins, its backer says he has a multi-millionaire who'll finance efforts to get it on the ballot in other states.
Anyway, I thought I'd blog it and see what people think.


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In this blog we have talked about the amazon affiliate program , the Kdp platform or the famous createspace tool , all of them dedicated to monetize our different creations whether they are web content or our publications taken to physical books or in e-book format
To the set of tools that Amazon puts at our disposal to help us monetize our work (obviously in exchange for a percentage of 10% for the use of the platform), we will add a fourth tool based on crowdfunding, the Mechanical Turk platform , the which allows people to receive a small compensation for specific actions.
No doubt we should be surprised by the strange name of Mechanical Turk , which owes this to the character Wolfgang von Kempelen that left the Europeans stunned by creating a "fake" mechanical automaton named Turk because he apparently played chess using "artificial intelligence" to beat practically any opponent (it is said that he came to win Benjamin Franklin and Napoleon Bonaparte).
We talked about a fake automaton behind the life-size wooden mannequin that sat behind a small closet where it housed a network of mechanisms: cogwheels and springs that "made" his invention work and, above all , hid a well-hidden chess expert in its interior: hence Mechanical Turk has a very appropriate name, because although apparently results are obtained from machines, in reality they are obtained from hundreds of thousands of humans who do the work in parallel and sometimes in minutes .
We see how Mechanical Turk is a crowdsourcing platform to which companies, universities and research centers turn for labor (cheap) where plaintiffs publish simple tasks for registered users (around 500,000) as workers, always through a computer and providing them with the necessary tools.
The platform offers compensation to users who complete these microtareas or in English HIT (Human Intelligence Tasks) , that is human intelligence tasks proposed by companies that do not have personnel to carry them out and that thanks to this platform are possible because it has virtually available microtrailers who can perform these tasks in clear change of "micropayments"
In each HIT, at least the following concepts are specified:
- Definition of the task
- Desired output (especially its format)
- How the work items are displayed
- Amount of remuneration
- Everything relevant
If we ask about that microtareas we refer to tasks that a machine can not do today as for example:
- Translations
- Transcriptions of locutions to text
- Opinions about products
- Surveys
- Processing of photographs or videos (label objects select the best, audit images based on content, classify objects, etc)
- Verification or data cleanups
- Information gathering
- Data processing
- etc
Regarding the compensation, these microtareas is a function of complexity, but unfortunately they are not very high ( in fact there is a documentary that deals with the precariousness of these workers), since they can range between 2 and 20 cents of dollar per completed task .
If the work is of quality you can access offers with a higher compensation; if not, whoever carries out the order has the right to deny them the money. Amazon, on the other hand, takes a commission of 10% of the total paid by the employer.
Apart from these "office" tasks there are very interesting examples that have used or use this platform as they are experiments in social sciences, artistic and educational research or even in the search for missing persons
At the sw level, Amazon also offers an Application Programming Interface ( API ) for web services for developers to use to send tasks to the Amazon Mechanical Turk website, approve completed tasks and incorporate responses to their applications.
For these types of applications, the transaction looks similar to any remote procedure call: the application sends the request and the service provides the results.


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Collect the colored notes in order to get an extra bonus level at the end of the stage.
At the beginning of the first level, jump to the top of the first tree, hover left to find a secret area, then shoot to go to bonus area.
Johnny can hover when falling or jumping by shooting downward.
Collect as many single notes and treble clefs as possible in order to get 1000 and an extra life.


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Snowflake Showcase
The Snowflake Showcase products are oh so pretty! Have you looked at them? I know the promotion is almost over, however, I still have 2 more cards to share with the products. My Snowflake Showcase Subtle Card in today's post features the Snow is Glistening Stamp Set and the Snowfall Thinlits. Scroll down to take a peek!
Snowflake Showcase Subtle Card
For my class featuring the Snow is Glistening Stamp Set, I knew one card I wanted to stamp the snowflakes. The set has an assortment of them and the only obstacle I faced was picking my color palette. Thinking outside the box, I went for Powder Pink. Next, Soft Sea Foam caught my eye and then I went to my neutrals to pick Early Espresso and Very Vanilla. I love creating different color combinations so people can see how amazing it turns out when all the elements are put together. Remember there is no wrong in art. Use your imagination and pick a color combination that is different from anything you have tried.
A closer look
The two pieces of card stock layered on the Powder Pink are cut 3 3/4″ x 5″ and placed on a diagonal after I attached the Powder Pink Ribbon. Next, as I was creating my snowflake embellishment, it reminded me of a cookie. Do you see it? The Powder Pink or Soft Sea Foam looks like icing on a cookie. Now I want to make snowflake cookies! I do love the contrast with the colors. The Early Espresso really makes the other colors pop.
Online Extravaganza!
The annual sale is coming! It is starting on November 23rd and it looks like every 48 hours something new will be added to the 10% off sale! By the time the Online Extravaganza ends, almost every item offered from Stampin' Up! will be 10%. That is crazy! I hope you have your shopping list ready to go! I would hate to see anyone miss out on their MUST HAVE items from Stampin' Up! My online store is open 24/7 and be sure to include my current host code BKTAMVSB so I can send you a treat in the mail! I truly appreciate you shopping with me more than I can ever express. Have a terrific day!
Happy Stampin'
attach the CURRENT HOST CODE located on my home page and receive a treat from me!
Please omit Host Code on orders over $150
Product List
Shopping List long?
I would love to help you with your Stampin' Up! adventure!


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Entering CashUnity on her birthday proved lucky for Bournemouth woman Jan Wiltshire.
A regular customer of Carly's Crafts in Winton, Jan entered on her birthday after buying wool from Michele Kennedy to knit a gift for a friend.
To her amazement, her entry was drawn as the winner meaning she is £1,000 better off.
Jan won £500 cash, £250 to spend at Carly's Crafts and five £50 vouchers to spend at other CashUnity businesses of her choice.
To find out what she will be doing with her money and where she will be spending the rest of her vouchers, read the next issue of 4Dorset.


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Look at this boy! I took him from a shelter so he could have a place to die with love surrounding him. He was in horrible shape-- I "knew" he didn't have much time. Well, he fooled me.Instead of being an old dog, it turned out that he was just horribly neglected and is really only about 3 years old.He had an eye removed and was neutered at the shelter vet (who did a great job) and now he loves sitting on his foster dad's lap to give him kisses. Mike and Tiffany are great with their fosters. (I have GREAT foster homes! Thank you to all of you!)Sebastian's eye area was very swollen after it was removed, but he's doing so much better.You can see the big tumor/cyst on his back, but it has been removed. It was huge under the skin, and he had a six inch incision, but the vet said it was not cancer and he's healing just fine.His foster mom trimmed his hair down because it was matted and in bad shape, so he gets to wear a sweater on cold days. I think he likes that. He has friends to play with and is good with the other dogs.Sebastian is a real sweetheart who loves getting attention. If you are interested in adopting this sweet boy, just email us at email@example.com.
Must Love Pekes is a blog for those who love Pekingese, their looks, their antics, their personalities. It is written by me, Linda, and I have been rescuing Pekingese for over 15 years. Lots of them have gone through our home. We have loved them all.
Friday, March 16, 2012
2 comments:
- lady jicky said...
what a sweetie and you can tell he just loves his jumper!!
- March 16, 2012 at 2:57 AM
- Doris Sturm said...
That's wonderful! Sebastian does look like a little old man and I was surprised he was just three, but that's great. He gets a chance at a happy life with his own family eventually - but meanwhile, I'm so glad he's well taken care of. He certainly has personality - you can see that in his face!
- March 19, 2012 at 8:06 AM
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Our client, an international company that provides maintenance services to the oil and gas industry, is looking for « Brand and Communications Specialist».
- Higher education (preferably degree in marketing/communication);
- Knowledge of the English language (advanced level);
- Excellent PC skills (Excel, Word, Power Point);
- Excellent analytical skills (experience in data analysis);
- At least 3 year of solid experience in marketing and brand management;
- Experience in social media engagement across one or multiple platforms would be preferable;
- Excellent communication and presenting skills;
- Open-minded person with ability to work in multicultural and diverse environment;
- Ability to work under pressure, multitask and meet deadlines.
Main responsibilities:
- Leverage brand image in Ukraine to maximize long term sales and profitability;
- Launch new products to the market based on local market situation and global portfolio;
- Fuel & Forecourt management: develop and implement marketing plan, promotions, image campaigns and also day-to-day activities of marketing department;
- Be responsible for operational execution of marketing campaigns: description, FAQ for staff, day-to-day communication;
- Maintain brand communication in Ukraine according to global/regional campaigns, coordinate and lead execution of creative, btl and media agencies to create consumer demand (brief preparation, business case calculation and approval with all related departments, budget allocation);
- Evaluate, plan and control marketing annual budget;
- Develop and product advertising materials for promo-campaigns, product POSM and plan logistics;
- Media Relations management: develop and regularly update company key messages and fact sheets, ensure that they are aligned with company standards and overall company messages, coordinate external events, provide responses to media inquiries.
Company proposes:
- Competitive salary level;
- Benefits.


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Ariel Top in Desertleaf
We've never met a crop we didn't love, but the Ariel Top has so much more to love. Firstly yes to the print, yes to the flattering Bardot neckline, yes to the off the shoulder full sleeve and double yes to the soft linen blend fabrication. So that's a yes all round.
- Off the shoulder cuffed sleeve
- Elasticated hemline for that perfect fir - Boned bodice for perfect body contouring
- Exposed back zip closure
- Internal zip guard to ensure easy and safe closure
- Fabrication: 23% Linen, 77% viscose, Lining: 95% polyester, 5% elastane
Size & Fit
For your convenience we've provided a general size chart. Please note garment sizes may vary depending on the style and fit of the item. If you're unsure of the fit please do not hesitate to contact us. All sizes are based on standard Australian size chart.View Size Chart
Australia - Auspost Express
FREE when you spend over $150, or $11.95 if order value is under $150.
Delivered in 1-3 business days for major metro areas and capital cities.
International – DHL Express
Delivery internationally starts from just $11.95, delivered within 2-5 business days. (Local duties & taxes not included)


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Our Partners
Clearbanc Funding
Clearbanc provides ecommerce companies with fast, affordable growth capital. Founders use the funding to alleviate cash flow issues, which allows them to grow much faster. Clearbanc makes funding decisions solely based off of data, so they don't charge interest, take equity, require collateral, or hold customers to fixed repayment schedules.
Shipping & Fulfillment Software
Better shipping starts here. Scale your business with the
industry-leading tools found in ShipStation. A user-friendly, web-based shipping platform.
No more copy/paste. Import orders from your eCommerce platform and your marketplaces. Track inventory and manage orders all in one place. Send customers a notification email linked to a branded tracking page.
E-commerce Platform
The eCommerce platform that has everything you need to sell online, on social media, or in person.
Create your site and start selling today!


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Let Go - Conquer Your Fear Without Quitting
Torben Rif
Publisher: Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press
Do you feel caught in a negative, looping behavior pattern? Do you ever wonder why the same situation seems to play out in your life with a revolving cast of characters? If you have become a "people pleaser" or fancy yourself a self-styled rebel, perhaps these are the surface level manifestations of something stirring deep within you—a need to let go. Other symptoms of holding on to the past are a constant need for acknowledgment or a fear of showing vulnerability. The common thread that runs through these behaviors and patterns is that the symptoms likely arise from a specific negative experience, which has never been fully processed. Never been let go. You have allowed this experience to take control of your destiny, and it is keeping you from living free and being who you really are. THE TIME HAS COME TO LET GO!


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Bangladesh Chhatra League on Wednesday instructed it followers all over the country to help farmers in paddy harvesting in the midst of a labour shortage.
BCL issued a press release, signed by its President Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon and General Secretary Golam Rabbani in this regard.The farmers have been experiencing an extreme shortage of labour and scarcity in paddy prices throughout country during the ongoing Boro season.
Over the past three weeks, a bountiful harvest has been overshadowed by the grief, and travesty of rice farmers throughout Bangladesh.
Protests have erupted in villages, towns, districts, and in Dhaka as well. In some areas, a standout form of protest has been to set a rice field on fire in order to send a very clear message: selling at current prices is the worst option.
Amid the labour shortage, Deputy Commissioner of Chuadanga, Gopal Chandra Das shown his support for marginalized and helpless farmers by harvesting paddy alongside labourers.


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A recent study by researchers at Georgia Regents University in Augusta gathered evidence that excess fat alters brain function, at least in mice. The study, published in February in The Journal of Neuroscience, not only supports previously gained knowledge that obesity negatively affects both memory and learning skills, but goes on to determine how excess fat can influence the brain. Until now, researchers did not understand how weight could modify cognitive abilities.
While fat cells create substances that flow through the bloodstream into numerous body parts, the brain lies behind a protective barrier that generally blocks undesirable molecules from entering. When the substance, namely interleukin 1, is released through the bloodstream, it begins biochemical processes that generally lead to inflammation and poor health. According to medical professionals, the passage of interleukin 1 into the brain, specifically the hippocampus, should not be possible. The hippocampus is the area of the brain which is in control of both learning and memory.
What researchers found upon examination of the mice was that the interleukin 1 had entered the brain and was subsequently causing cognitive impairment. The mice were found to have low levels of those biochemicals associated with healthy synapse function as well as high levels of inflammation. Synapses connect neurons and aid message communication in the brain. Traffic patterns of neural activity become negatively affected when synapse health fails. Additionally, if inflammation continues for a long period of time, it eventually hurts the cells.
What research found was that the obese mice performed poorly on memory and reasoning tests, even those in which they previously did well. Original researchers wished to determine if it was the obesity itself affecting the brain or some other physiological factors. To that end, the study's overseers simply removed the majority of the fat. When the mice recovered, their interleukin 1 levels were almost non-existent. When the surgically reduced mice were run through the same tests they failed pre-surgery, they began to perform very well. To test this further, the scientists took the fat preserved from the obese mice and implanted it into lean mice. These mice began to perform poorly almost immediately after surgery.
The findings, though convincing, were of little practical value to any human patients. The amount of fat removed from the mice was of a percentage that would be impossible to excise in a person. Scientists were of the belief that fat was impairing cognitive function but felt the need to find alternative solutions.
They came up with an experiment that was far less invasive then surgery. The scientists used mice prone to obesity and allowed them to gain weight. When the mice became heavy enough, they began half on a daily 45 minute exercise program and allowed the remaining mice to remain sedentary. Although the mice required to exercise did not lose much weight, they did lose significant fat. These mice not only had biochemical levels that indicated healthy synaptic functioning, they also exhibited low levels of inflammation, and performed much better in testing procedures than the obese mice.
The results indicated that, regardless of actual weight, the difference in overall fat amounts determined if cognitive functioning levels would be higher or lower. These studies were performed on mice, not humans, and therefore may not be indicative of how a human brain may respond to body fat. While the studies may not reveal how the human body reacts to fat, there is no current evidence to the contrary. The possibility remains that humans, as with mice, may experience cognitive impairment due to nothing other than body fat. It is possible, therefore, that obesity in humans may negatively affect the brain and how it functions.
By Dee Mueller
Fast Co.Exist
The New York Times


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Author: Steven Van Tassell
Welcome to all of the new Dynasty Owners! Many of you have been asking questions about how to play or questions about what you can do to improve your team for this year and beyond. For those of you with questions about how to play, Tim just did an awesome Zoom presentation where he went over how to navigate the Dynasty Owner desktop and mobile sites, so we aren't going to review that here. Go check it out, learn how to use the website and maximize the time you spend on your team – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elecGOhF0o0.
If you want ideas about what you can do to improve your team for this year and beyond, then this is the place for you. Hopefully this article will help you with that aspect of the game as we'll offer some tips on how you can fix up that neglected team you inherited (or drafted on your own for original Owners).
In addition, all Owners can go back and read the initial Dynasty Owner Draft Tips articles from August – (https://dynastyowner.com/2019/07/dynasty-owner-draft-tips) and (https://dynastyowner.com/2019/08/dynasty-owner-draft-tips-part-2). They may help you in preparing for next year's rookie drafts or if new Dynasty Owner leagues are created for Year Two. On to the hopefully helpful tips!
Learn the Scoring System
The Dynasty Owner scoring system is different than scoring in most other fantasy football leagues, so knowing the scoring system will help you prioritize free agent claims and analyze trade offers. The draft tips articles have a more in-depth analysis of some of these differences, but here are a couple of quick highlights.
Quarterbacks score more points in Dynasty Owner than standard leagues. QBs get .1 point for every 2 yards passing (instead of .04 points per yard as standard in many leagues) and passing TDs are worth 6 points in Dynasty Owner (instead of just 4 points as in many leagues).
Players on your Bench score points in Dynasty Owner. Everyone on your Bench accumulates points and 20% of your bench scoring will be added to your final score.
Players who return kicks or punts return extra value. We have points for kickoff and punt return yards. It's .25 points for every 10 yards.
All Dynasty Owner stats are based on the Standard Dynasty Owner scoring system as outlined in the updated Dynasty Owner Constitution. Standard Dynasty Owner scoring gives you .1 points for every yard rushing or receiving, .1 point for every 2 yards passing, 1 point per reception, 6 points for a rushing, receiving or passing touchdown and 2 points for a successful 2-point conversion (rushing, receiving, or passing). Interceptions or fumbles lost cost you 3 points, while a fumble that is recovered by the player's team is a loss of only 1 point. Bonus points are available for 100-199 yards rushing (2 points), 200 yards rushing or receiving (6 points), 300-399 yards passing (1 point) and 400 yards passing (4 points). There is also a 3 point bonus for clutch scoring, which is a score that results in a lead change in the final two minutes of the 4th quarter or overtime. Kickoff and punt return touchdowns are worth 6 points for the player and kickoff and punt returns are worth .25 points for every 10 yards. Standard Dynasty Owner scoring for kickers gives you 1 point for every extra point, while a missed extra point will cost you 1 point. It's 2 points for a field goal of between 0 and 39 yards, 4 points for a field goal between 40 and 49 yards and 5 points for a field goal of 50 yards or longer. A missed field goal of between 0 and 39 yards will cost you 3 points, while a miss of 40 yards or more is a loss of 2 points.
Injured Reserve Is Your Friend
Are you stuck with Ben Roethlisberger or Cam Newton on your inherited roster, but don't want to release them and pay the waiver fee? What about those of you who took over a team with Kerryon Johnson, Will Dissly, John Ross or Preston Williams? You want to keep them for next year and beyond since it's a Dynasty league and in the case of Dissly and Williams, their salaries are ridiculously inexpensive.
The answer is to put them on Injured Reserve. There's no fee to do so and you get a 50% reduction in your weekly salary if you are over the $80 million salary figure. This can help if you're strapped for Dynasty Dollars because the previous owner spent too much on salaries. Using Kerryon Johnson as an example, putting him and his $1,625,923 annual salary on Injured Reserve will save you almost $300,000 over the rest of the regular season.
- Annual
Salary = $1,625,923
- Weekly Salary = $116,137 (Annual salary divided by 14-week Dynasty Owner regular season)
- IR Salary Reduction = $58,069 (50% of weekly salary)
- Rest of Season Salary Reduction = $290,345 ($58,069 * 5 weeks left in regular season)
You can only have one player on Injured Reserve at a time, so if you're stuck with Cam Newton and his $20.76 million salary, it's better to put him on Injured Reserve than Kerryon Johnson. Either way, Injured Reserve is a quick and easy way to save some precious Dynasty Dollars.
This is Not the NFL Practice Squad
The NFL practice squad is reserved for young players who a team wants to keep around and develop. Not so in Dynasty Owner as anyone can be on the Practice Squad. If your starting QB has a bye, put him on the Practice Squad for one week so you don't get a zero in your Active lineup or on your Bench. The Practice Squad is a great place to have a third kicker, so you don't get a zero from your Bench kicker when he's on bye.
Have more than one player injured and out for the year? Stash one on Injured Reserve and the other one on your Practice Squad.
Like Jarrett Stidham as the Patriots QB of the future after the G.O.A.T. retires? Grab him and put him on the Practice Squad.
Additional Players Can Be Added
Dynasty Owner drafts were 20 rounds, but there are 24 roster slots (including the Practice Squad). This is good news for everyone, but especially new owners who are replacing people who probably didn't fill up those spots. If you've got room under the salary cap and are willing to spend some money for Dynasty Dollars (they are cheap – only $1 for $1 Million Dynasty Dollars), adding players might be a good move.
You could add up to 4 players who might help you win this year.
- J.D. McKissic (RB – DET) – Available in 76% of Dynasty Owner leagues for only his $645,000 annual salary this year
- Zach Pascal (WR – IND) – Available in 71% of Dynasty Owner leagues for only his $525,000 annual salary this year
- Mason Rudolph (QB – PIT) – Available in 37% of Dynasty Owner leagues for only $980,472 annually for the next three years
Or, you could add players who might not help this year, but could stick around on your Dynasty Owner roster at a low salary for the foreseeable future. Players such as:
- Hunter Renfrow (WR – OAK) – Available in 67% of Dynasty Owner leagues for only $708,686 annually for the next four years
- KeeSean Johnson (WR – ARI) – Available in 50% of Dynasty Owner leagues for only $682,328 annually for the next four years
- Drew Lock (QB – DEN) – Available in 39% of Dynasty Owner leagues for $1.75 million annually for the next four years
Stockpile Draft Picks
The draft is extremely important in Dynasty Owner. New Owners will be able to fill holes in their roster with the best available rookies who will be playing on inexpensive rookie contracts for the next four years. It's a great place to find the next Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, Aaron Jones, Kenny Golladay, Terry McLaurin, or George Kittle.
Draft picks can be traded in Dynasty Owner. It'll cost you Dynasty Dollars in the future, but for now, there are no trade fees so if you can find another Owner who is willing to deal picks for next year, make them an offer and start to hoard those picks.
Make the Playoffs
To quote Jim Mora – Playoffs?!?!? The team that you inherited (or drafted) might not be great, but they could still have a shot at the playoffs. New Dynasty Owners in my league inherited teams who are 4-5 and just one game out of the playoff hunt.
Even if you lose in the first round of the playoffs, you still get 5% of the Championship pot. If the Championship pot in your league is $300 million Dynasty Dollars, you get $15 million Dynasty Dollars for just making the playoffs. That's a nice chunk of change that you can put towards adding players for 2020 and beyond, so don't automatically assume as new Dynasty Owners that you need to trade away all of your assets and build for the future.
It's not too late to get your team into shape for the rest of the beta season of Dynasty Owner or build for next year. There's plenty of things that new Dynasty Owners (or original Owners who aren't doing well this year) can do to improve their teams right now. Hopefully these tips are helpful and make Dynasty Owner a more enjoyable experience for all Dynasty Owners!
Steven Van Tassell is a freelance writer for Dynasty Owner.
Follow us on Twitter: @SteveVT33 and @Dynasty_Owner


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Drone Racing: The 10 Fastest Drone Motors
Posted by Drone Parts Blog on
Drone racing is going to be the next big thing. We'll show you the fastest drone motors so you can start your custom build and get ahead of the game.
Keyword(s): drone motors
Drone racing is quickly becoming an incredibly popular hobby for people all over the world. According to Forbes, the official Drone Racing League raised over 32 million dollars through fundraising in 2017.
To anyone who wants to participate in this racing sport, much consideration needs to be taken into how the drone is built. To ensure that it can reach the fastest speeds possible, there needs to be a quality motor built into the drone.
With so many drone motors to choose from, this choice can be overwhelming for beginners to the sport.
But this should not be a hassle anymore.
Below is a list of the top ten drone motors that can be used in order to build a drone for speed. Plus, there is some additional information to assist in choosing the motor that is right for any sort of racing drone.
Read on.
What is Drone Racing?
First, some important basics.
Considered a type of motorsport racing, drone racing involves moving a drone through a set of obstacles. This is done in the form of a competition where there are several racers all flying their drones at once.
There is some bit of high tech involved in drone racing.
The racers wear headsets in order to watch camera feed provided by the drone. This allows them to see where to drones are and determine how to move around the course.
With origins starting in Australia in 2014, it's now a huge worldwide sport, with racing associations in Australia, Europe, America, and Canada. In 2016, the Dubai championship paid the winner of the competition a massive 250,000 dollars in prize money.
This goes to show how serious the sport has become from its humble origins.
Why do Motors Matter?
Whereas the frame is the body of the drone, the motor is its heart and soul. The motor of any racing drone allows it to run and can help provide it with thrust and speed.
If the motor is too large, it can slow down the drone and make it inefficient. On the other hand, if the motor is too tiny, it won't be powerful enough to move the drone. It's a big balancing game when it comes to choosing the correct drone motor.
That, therefore, begs the question, what should you consider when choosing a drone motor?
What to Consider When Choosing a Motor
There are several aspects that need to be taken into consideration when choosing a motor for a racing drone. These have been listed below.
1. The Motor's KV
KV refers to revolutions per minute for each volt of power given to the drone. It has to do with how many copper wire windings are present in the motor, so there is no real difference in the hardware itself between two of the same motors with different KV levels.
Most motors come in a range of KV ratings, usually between 2300 KV and 2600 KV. However, some drone motors can even range between 6000 and 7000 KV.
It's also important to note that a higher KV will not necessarily make a drone faster. In fact, some of the quickest lap times have been made by drones with 2300 KV drone motors.
It's always best to consider every aspect of a racing drone, including setup, the weight of the motor and choice of battery and props, before considering the KV of a drone's motor.
2. Width and Height of the Motor
The size of a drone's motor can also have an effect on the overall speed of the drone.
The more width the drone's motor has, the more power it has to spin a propeller. So a bigger width will increase its overall efficiency. This is the same with the height of the motor.
Despite this, it's also worth noting that if a motor is too big for a drone, it will get too heavy and weigh the drone down. This increases the RPMs needed to move the drone and thus makes it inefficient.
When choosing a drone motor, there is a chance of finding numbers in its name. The first two numbers in the name of a motor are its width and the second two numbers are its height. For example, a 2105 motor will have a stator width of 21 millimeters and a stator height of five millimeters.
This is useful in assisting anyone making a drone as it can help them decide on a motor before they buy it.
Top 10 Fastest Drone Motors
Having trouble picking through the hundreds of drone motors that are out there on the market? No need to worry.
Here is a comprehensive list of the 10 fastest motors that can be used to make any drone lightning fast.
1. T-Motor F40 Pro
Considered one of the best race drone motors available right now, the T-Motor F40 Pro is a favorite with racers everywhere. It is a very powerful motor that is both efficient and durable. It comes in two different KV types, 2400 and 2600.
For efficiency's sake, the best motor to go with is the 2400KV one. This will help get the greatest possible number of laps for any drone in the shortest amount of time. On the other hand, the 2600KV is built for durability.
The T-Motor also comes in a range of models, including the v2 and the v3. As of now, v3 is considered the better make. Not only does it have a slightly higher stator, it has also been redesigned to be even more powerful than its predecessor.
It has a very solid design that, although it is a little heavier, provides more protection and power to the drone motor. This makes it a perfect motor for any sort of racing drone.
2. X-Foot 2207
The X-Foot 2207 is a unique motor that is starting to gain traction in the drone racing world. Created by a dedicated drone racer, it features incredible thrust figures that are unique to its design.
An important rule in drone racing is that the more grams of thrust a motor produces, the quicker the drone flies. Unlike other motors which start at 1100 grams of thrust and peak at 1500 grams, the X-Foot starts at a generous 1300 grams and peaks at an incredible 1634 grams.
It's considered one of the fastest drones on the market for this reason.
This motor can only be bought from its creator. But for a similar and just as impressive motor, there are many drone motors on this list that one can pick from so read on!
3. BrotherHobby Returner R5 2306
Another popular choice for drone racers is the BrotherHobby Returner R5. It has considerably higher top end powers, making it great for both freestyle flying and for competitions.
It has such a tiny weight as well, registering at about 28 grams. This makes it one of the lightest motors for a 2306 motor and gives one of the highest thrust to weight ratios that can be achieved for this sort of motor.
For a similar experience, there is also the option of purchasing the BrotherHobby Returner R4. Despite being a slightly older version, it still has similar perks to the R5.
4. Emax RS2205S
In early 2016, the Emax RS2205 was released onto the drone motors market. It quite literally revolutionized the motor industry by showing the world that a small motor can work with five-inch propellers.
Today, it has been upgraded to the Emax RS2205S. Although it still has the same power as its predecessor, with the help of arc magnets and a thinner stator, it has a much faster response time.
Therefore, it is considered one of the best drone motors in the 2205 range.
5. Emax RS2306
Emax continued to go into making bigger and better things after creating the RS2205. This came in the form of the Emax RS2306.
Unlike the other, it has a wider and taller stator size, so it may not be suitable for smaller or light drones. However, it is a complete step up in power from the RS2205S.
Therefore, with so much power to offer, this is one drone motor that needs to be considered by every serious competitive drone racer.
6. T-Motor F80 2407
This drone motor is very interesting, specifically for its use in the DRL Racer X.
For those who are unaware, the DRL Racer X currently holds the Guinness World Record for the top average speed reached for a drone. With the power of a 2500 KV T-Motor F80 2407 motor, this drone can fly at top average speeds of 179.78 mph.
7. Lumenier RB2206C-9
The Lumenier has a KV rating of 2450 and 2206 stator size, making it perfect for any sort of drone racing. It also comes at a very light 28 grams, making it a fantastic lightweight racing motor that won't weigh down the drone's frame.
Lumenier motors are always made with care and precision in a climate controlled facility. Not only does the motor have even glue distribution, but advanced curing procedures also means that the magnets inside the motor won't slip.
When put under huge amounts of pressure during a drone racing events, this motor won't fail any drone racer.
8. Racerstar Racing Edition 1104
This high-quality motor runs very smoothly and is incredibly powerful.
By looking at the numbers after its name, this is one of a few drone motors which is a pretty small size. At 5.5 grams, it is also incredibly lightweight, making it perfect for high-speed racing where it won't weigh the drone down.
9. DYS BE1104 1104 Brushless Motor
At an incredible 7000KV and with a tiny weight of 6 grams, this drone motor packs a lot of punch. Although it is barely the size of a fingernail, it will give any drone the upper advantage during any sort of drone racing.
It also comes as a 6500KV version if there is a preference for this level of revolutions to watt power.
10. Brotherhobby Tornado T1 2205-2300
This drone motor comes at a fairly standard 2300KV, making it optimal for drone racing. It also has the perfect size for a drone that is built for speed in that it's not tiny but it's also not too cumbersome like some other drone motors are.
Not only is this a powerful motor, but also it cools down incredibly easily. For a lot of drone motors, overheating can damage and weaken the magnets within them over time.
It also has curved magnets instead of rectangular ones. Surprisingly, this actually helps provide the motor with more power.
How to Make Any Drone Faster
Here are some more tips to help make any racing drone just that little bit faster.
One way is to remove any protective gear on the drone. Although this may make it more susceptible to damage, it will not only decrease the weight of the drone but also make its battery last longer.
Another way to make a drone go quicker is to ensure it has high-quality batteries installed in it. There is nothing worse than a drone running out of juice midway through a flight, costing the racer his/her chance of winning.
Luckily, manufacturers are always improving battery life, so it shouldn't be too hard to find one that works with any drone.
Trying to find a low weight camera can also improve the speed of a drone. Since they are vital for standard competitions, there needs to be a camera on a racing drone. By ensuring the camera is lightweight, the drone won't slow down and potentially lose a race.
Removing extra skins or stickers can also ensure a drone goes faster. Despite making a drone stand out and look cool, those accessories can and will weigh down a competitive drone. So drop the fancy add-ons and just go with a sleek and classic style.
The Fastest Drone Motors Are Only a Click Away!
With so many drone motors to choose from, it is important that they are all accessible in one convenient place. Just think about the KV level, size, and weight of the motor that's desired, and it's certain there is one there for any racing drone!


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Thursday, February 05, 2015
BROADWAY WORLD -- Playhouse Creatures Theatre has announced that it will present "Hunter Gatherers," a black comedy about an annual dinner party that blurs the line between civilized and primal man, March 3 – at the Duo Theatre. Written by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb and directed by Eric Tucker (Wall Street Journal's 2014 Director of the Year), The production will have its official opening Saturday, March 7. Nachtrieb holds a degree in theatre and biology from Brown University and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. He is a member of New Dramatists and is playwright-in-residence at the Z Space Studio in San Francisco.


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Couch Surfing
The morning I broke my collarbone, the ER doctor told me to plan on being uncomfortable for awhile. He wasn't kidding. Three weeks into my recovery, I am still pretty much couch bound and am (barely) surviving the longest period of inactivity that I can remember. I'm trying to remain positive about my situation and each day that passes is another step closer to resuming my normal, active life. In the meantime, I am mastering the most American sport there is: couch surfing.
After a winter of routinely waking up before sunrise in order to ski before work, I have now embraced sleeping in (for frame of reference, sleeping past 7am feels like an indulgence). It's hard to say if it's because there isn't really a great reason to rush out of bed or that having a broken clavicle makes sleeping a little bit of an adventure (unless you sleep Dracula-style, on your back with your hands folded on your chest anyway…which I do not). Either way, waking up unrushed and with the sun has been a pleasant change of pace.
While I have embraced grabbing some extra sleep during the week, I have nearly mastered the lazy Saturday/Sunday. Once I get over the initial disappointment of watching my girlfriend head out in the morning for a yoga class, a run, or to the mountain, I get over it with a big breakfast and binge watching a show on Netflix or catching up on all the movies I have missed over the last five years. In the past, any movie over 90 minutes was intimidating; nowadays, the longer the better.
Without burning through the majority of my free time by driving to/from the mountain, skiing and organizing, drying, packing, and unpacking ski gear, I've also had plenty of time to catch up on the stack of magazines and books that piled up on the coffee table over the winter. I have so efficiently worked through my pile, that I justified a pretty substantial Amazon order to keep me busy (and supplemented that order with a few trips to Barnes & Noble). Even better, ordering books on Amazon and browsing Barnes & Noble are perfect afternoon-killing activities.
Social media has been a little bit of a Jekyll-and-Hide proposition for me. When you're essentially couch bound, being able to watch the world from the safe, comfortable confines of your living room is a pretty cool luxury. However, when you are couch bound and reaching for the remote is uncomfortable enough that you find yourself gritting your teeth, hearing about all the awesome shit your friends are doing kind of sucks. A couple of my particularly active friends have come dangerously close to getting hidden due to their massive amount of pow pics, fresh tracks, and overall rad springs they're having. I've joked in the past that one of the things that keeps me driven to get out as much as I do is a healthy fear of missing out on something…now, social media helps keep me informed of what exactly I am missing out on.
Perhaps the best part about the recovery is that it has allowed me to re-energize my psych. Sometimes over the course of a season, I feel like I'm just grinding out activities and lose some of the enjoyment from them. Having a forced break has gotten me excited about running and biking this spring, and has given me an abundance of free time to think about a cool trip to take once I'm healthy again. After all, as much as I like couch surfing, I'll have some time to make up for.


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Coast already has enough attractions
DOES the Sunshine Coast really need new events or activities?
Do these people actually look at the area they live in?
We have so much here on the Sunshine Coast that surely beats the Gold Coast hands down.
You might try looking at places like Australia Zoo, Aussie World, Sea Life, the Ginger Factory, Qld Air Museum, Big Pineapple and Wildlife HQ or the aqua fun park.
Or if you want something free why not try Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Gardens, Mary Cairncross Reserve, Buderim Forest Park, Foote Sanctuary, Kondalilla Falls, Wappa Dam, Noosa National Park and beaches and rivers galore.
This list is just a small part of what is on offer here.
I could go on and on as there is just so much to see and do right here on our beautiful Sunshine Coast.
Grab the kids, grandparents and a picnic basket and go explore.
This is a family place.


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"The Biggest Little Feed & Farm Supply in Town!"
Animal Feeds – Alpaca
Shamel Milling offers a complete line of Livestock Feeds for Alpacas.
Concord Maid Alpaca Feed
(grower and maintenance ration)
Visit Us
Shamel Milling Co.
9384 Genesee Road
East Concord, NY 14055
Open Hours
M-Sat.: 8am - 5pm
Closed Sundays January & February


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Rats bring Bubonic plague, not presents
December is a time for holiday cheer -- snow glistening on the ground, people singing about reindeer, hot chocolate in a thermos. All feel-good stuff. Xbox's Games with Gold for December harness none of that spirit.
Next month, Xbox Live Gold subscribers get four games that don't have much of a running theme connecting them. On Xbox One, Warhammer: End Times -- Vermintide is free for the entirety of December. Swooping in at the mid-month mark, Telltale's Back to the Future: The Game -- 30th Anniversary Edition gets added. It's the second straight month that a Telltale title has been used as a Game with Gold.
Over on Xbox 360, the surprisingly-excellent Child of Eden is free for the first half of December. Although it was originally marketed as a Kinect game (and one of the better-functioning ones at that), it's still playable with a controller. For the second part of the month, pulpy action piece Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death takes over. As usual, both Xbox 360 titles are available on Xbox One through backward compatibility.
Bundle up Next to December's Games with Gold [Xbox Wire]
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15 50 House Plan image above is part of the post in 15 50 House Plan gallery. Related with House Plans category.
For House Plans, You can find many ideas on the topic 15 50 house plan india, 15 50 house plan south facing, 15 50 house planning, 15 x 50 house plans map and many more on the internet, but in the post of 15 50 House Plan we have tried to select the best visual idea about House Plans You also can look for more ideas on House Plans category apart from the topic 15 50 House Plan.
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15 50 House Plan Gallery


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The recuperating Governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, caused an emotional scene when he stormed the Unity Chapel Church (UCC) in Government House, Jalingo for thanks giving at the weekend.
Suntai was pronounced dead when an aircraft he piloted crashed near Yola, the Adamawa State capital, on Thursday, October 25 last year.
He spent 10 months in Germany and United States hospitals for treatment, returning on August 25.
He wrote the House of Assembly of his readiness to resume duty but was stopped by the lawmakers on health grounds.
Last Friday was exactly one year since the governor and his Aide de Camp (ADC) Iliya Dasat, Chief Detail Joel Danladi and Chief Security Officer (CSO) Tino Dangana who were also on board the ill-fated Cessna 208 aircraft survived the air mishap.
The three aides who were treated in Germany were with the governor during the thanksgiving service. Also accompanying the governor were his wife Hauwa, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) GT Kataps and Chief of Staff, Aminu Jika, among other aides.
Suntai's thanksgiving ceremony, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), came a few days after he went out for a fishing expedition to shake off officialdom.
The congregation was all tears on seeing him. The tears of joy followed the governor's speech, which turned out to be the morning sermon for the worshipers.
"I thank God that I survived the air crash to see this day. I am happy to reunite with you again," Suntai said.
He thanked Taraba residents for their prayers on him which he said have helped him.
The governor preached forgiveness and asked everybody whom he said he may have offended to forgive him.
"Do not hold anything against your enemy or anyone at heart. For me and my family, we have forgiven all our adversaries," he said.
Suntai said what God has done and shown him, even if he drops dead today (on Friday) he would die a fulfilled mortal.
Posted by SirVic for wetopup(News Laboratry)


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Introduction: How to Neatly Store Plastic Packets
How to fold plastic packets into tight triangles so they can be stored easier and neater.
Step 1: Strip
1. Flatten out plastic packet.
2. Fold a handle length strip over.
3. Repeat until the entire packet is the a long rectangle shape
Step 2: Triangle
Starting from the sealed side (the bottom of the packet) fold the corner on to itself and then up towards the top
Step 3: Tuck In
Fold the remain end in the opposite direct and tuck into the pocket in the side and you are done
Be the First to Share
4 Discussions
OCD strikes again!
thanks most of my friends just think i have O.C.D
Great idea, that's so neat and tidy, I used to stuff them into a drawer, it got pretty messy.
Love it!


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Category Archives: charities
Every City Needs a Norte!
Traverse City, Michigan is blessed to have an organization like Norte Youth Cycling (a.k.a. El Grupo Norte). Not only do they strive to make bicycling fun and safe for kids of all ages, but they also are tireless advocates for … Continue reading
League of Michigan Bicyclists Hiring a Tour Director
Interested in being the Tour Director for the League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB)? Well, here's a link to download and open a job description containing more information about the position.
Let's get it right – highlight yourself at night!
You would think this would be an obvious safety concern to those involved, but lately it has been quite surprising and dismaying to see so many pedestrians and cyclists walking/pedaling at night in dark/non-reflective clothing. Not only is it … Continue reading
Holiday recycle by bicycle
Thanks to Norte! for posting this great photograph of Christmas tree recycling by bicycle taking place here in Traverse City. What a super-Eco idea for removing your Christmas tree!
An opportunity to be part of Detroit's rebirth
The Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative is working to raise funds to obtain a state matching grant for a new Greenway Friendly Bus Stop (see image above) at the corner of Gratiot and Conner in the City of Detroit. Not only … Continue reading
Why we ride…in silence
On this particular race day, ten kids ranging in age from eight to 15 were lined up waiting for the start of our neighborhood bike race. Some were perched upon slick ten speeds, others like me, astride our three-speed, banana … Continue reading
B-cycling San Antonio's Mission Trail
During our recent Texas adventure, Kathy and I each rented a B-cycle (link to a brochure) through San Antonio's Bike Share Program and spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon pedaling San Antonio's magnificent River Walk/Mission Trail through San Antonio Missions National Park. … Continue reading
Art and architecture along The Peg's riverfront trail
While on a three-hour layover in The Peg (Winnipeg, Manitoba) during our trans-continental train trip across Canada, Kathy and I decided to take in some of the sights of this dynamic city on the prairie. One of our favorite activities was walking the North … Continue reading
This ain't no fiction – pedaling books by bike
Public library systems in several North American cities have successfully initiated a book bike program which literally (bad pun) brings books right to you on bicycles. The earliest version of this I have come across is from the Pima County … Continue reading
Creative brand names for bicycle co-ops/collectives
While perusing the list of bicycle co-ops/collectives across the nation on the Bike Collectives Network website, several of their titles stood out as very imaginative, creative, and memorable brand names. Below is a list of my twelve favorites and my … Continue reading


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680575510661941908.post6873761307964008759..comments2020-08-04T03:39:46.016-04:00Comments on Husband Amused: Storm Almost OverAlexander Millerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8680575510661941908.post-20954969735874555472012-03-19T11:16:09.395-04:002012-03-19T11:16:09.395-04:00Ale, so happy to hear it seems to be passing. I s...Ale, so happy to hear it seems to be passing. I seriously think it is just misfiring/storming neurons as well... healing or re-routing or getting their timing screwed up. The fact that vision is unchanged and pain (other than your scalp) is not there are HUGE in terms of the tumor or other brain events. So far, Lynds has not experienced any significant headaches (as she had regularly pre-diagnosis - for years). She'll, very rarely, get a quick stab of slight pain and then it's gone.

I hope you've seen the last of these brain melts. Always thinking about you. Great job of documenting these things as they happen!

Always,
Donnadonnab1https://email@example.com


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Late in the last century, Europe was extremely pessimistic about its future in semiconductors. More than a cultural pessimism, Europeans had a real reason to forecast dim scenarios: Japan was a juggernaut that looked to be unstoppable. Technology was globalizing well beyond the shores of the many European countries, where competition was well-bounded in well-understood historical and cultural norms. Yet, Europe was only on the precipice of being an integrated economic region. The Maastricht Treaty, or the Treaty on European Union, was not signed until 7 February, 1992.
Across the Atlantic, where semiconductor technology had been invented, American companies were bleeding market share. Its start-up companies were dropping as if they were charging a machine gun nest. How could European companies survive?
Yet, well into the second decade of this century, its clear that these doomsday predictions were wrong. Many European companies not only survived, they prevailed. So what was difference that made the winners winners?
VLSIresearchs G. Dan Hutcheson answers these questions in this video.
For more information, please refer to
Video of Presentation: How Europe's Best Tech Companies Prevailed
Slides: Europe's Best Tech Companies in the Era of Globalization
August, 2016
The contents of this release are approved for use by media for news purposes identifying VLSIresearch as the source. No advertising or promotional use of this release by corporations can be used without VLSIresearch approval. All trademarks, service marks, and logos are the property of VLSI Research Inc or their respective owners.
More information about The Chip Insider is available here:
More information about the ForecastPro is available here:
VLSIresearch is an award-winning provider of market research and economic analysis on the technical, business, and economic aspects within semiconductor, nanotechnology, and related industries. VLSIresearch provides intelligence for faster and better decision making in the areas of semiconductors, photovoltaics, LEDs, manufacturing, materials, and critical subsystems. VLSIresearch was founded in 1976. Learn more at www.vlsiresearch.com.
Contact: Risto Puhakka| email: analyst @ vlsiresearch.com | ph:408.453.8844
VLSIresearch | Ph: 408.453.8844 | 2290 North First Street Suite 202 San Jose, CA 95131
intelligence to make better decisions faster


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Chocolate "Olives"
Chocolate "Olives" are whimsical almonds disguised in chocolate that's made exclusively for TOOC using our premium olive oil.
Out of Season
Alright, these whimsical favorite Chocolate Olives aren't really olives but the chocolate that surrounds each almond is made exclusively for us by a California chocolatier using our premium olive oil. Great all by themselves or on cakes, ice creams and sorbets, our Chocolate Olives are yummy for you to eat or make a fun addition to give to someone else. 8 oz.
Write Your Own Review
There are no Nutrition Facts define here.
No Recipies for this product.


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This stand alone message preached by Rev. Dr. Lovell Parham points us to maximize our GOD-given gifts and talents. We are individually gifted and don't need to compare ourselves to each other. Make the most of your gift.
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Sunday, 5 February, 2012 - 14:30 to 17:30
London's First Ever FREE Summer Camp & Teen Travel Fair Approximately 35+ groups will be attending to showcase their worldwide residential programmes for ages 6+. There will be residential traditional summer camps from the UK, Europe, USA and Canada and as well as dedicated teen travel opportunities worldwide purely for secondary school students. Traditional Summer Camps for children offer the opportunity for children to develop, gain confidence and learn new skills. The camps attending the camp fair offer a wide range of options including all land and water sports, outdoor adventure, all types of arts, crafts and theatre. Some camps offer the opportunity to combine these activities with a language and/or an intensive sport option such as football, golf or tennis (and others!) In addition to the camps above, there will be programmes for secondary students offering enrichment and grade improvement in Maths, English, Languages and Science. Languages covered at the Fair will include French, German, Mandarin and Spanish. Teen programmes offer a taste of adventure and encourage independence. Teens can sail, scuba dive, ski, cycle, trek overland and explore exotic destinations such as China, India, Mongolia, Brazil, Fiji, Costa Rica, South Africa, Tanzania and more. Some of these programmes can be combined with language immersion and/or community service or enrichment programmes There will also be teen programmes offering enrichment, pre-college courses at Universities in the USA as well as internships for 16+ in London and in the USA. These courses allow students to explore future career paths in areas such as marine biology, environmental science, ecology, architecture, nursing, sports management and engineering. In addition programmes offering SAT tuition will be there. SATs are the essential test required by all American Universities and the testing technique must be mastered before being taken. Camp Experts UK will also be on hand to discuss other options for parents if none of the camps exhibiting are appropriate. Their advice is totally free.


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April was my first full month of investing in the stock market. I started buying shares in companies around Mid-march, and so some of the dividends I would have naturally received this month will be pushed over into May… so I will be seeing a nicer payout from dividends next month. Although, after receiving my first month of dividends I can see how this dividend growth investing strategy can really work out and earn a good deal of money which will consistently grow over time.
I could list a million things I'd love to spend my investment gains on, but will be disciplined in reinvesting all of it into my dividend machine to earn more and more as time goes on and lead me to an early retirement.
|Ticker Symbol
|Dividends Received
So for my first month of investing I've received $25.01 in dividends. This does not include any capital appreciation ($250+ for this month) and I would not like to rely on capital gains due to their liquidity.
I had bought shares of Pengrowth Energy Corp (PGF), Dream Global REIT (DRG.UN), Pure Industrial REIT (AAR.UN) and Temple Hotels (TPH) pretty much on their ex-dividend dates rather than before in March so did not receive their dividends which would have amounted to roughly another $25, but will see them next month as these are monthly dividend payers. When I first started investing I fell in love with REITs and the thought of monthly dividend payments, but invested only in quarterly-paying dividend growth stocks this month, as I added shares of Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS), SNC Lavalin Group (SNC) and Telus (T).
Hopefully some good purchasing opportunities arise for the month of May, or I may hold off as I'm starting to wonder when a market correction is due with all the talk of rate hikes. Anyways, only time will tell here and I look forward to documenting more of my journey as I embark on it.
Thanks for reading everyone!


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By Sarah Gain
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E-commerce is no longer a value-add but an obligation if enterprises aim to meet the service expectations of customers. However, falling short of security best practices, organisations are leaving their businesses open to attacks.
|~|Kevin-Isaac-BODY.jpg|~|The most common motivation for launching an attack is to gain access to information, according to Symantec's Isaac.|~|E-hijacking is a real and growing threat to businesses. Some of the biggest financial institutions in the Middle East have fallen prey to e-terrorists who take over an organisation's website and hold it to ransom, demanding large sums of money. Some hackers even divert the website to a different site that displays unsuitable content, according to the CIO of a leading regional financial institution, which has suffered this type of attack. This is not the only type of threat facing enterprises and financial institutions that provide e-commerce facilities. E-terrorism takes many forms and can have a devastating effect on businesses.
In all computer-dependent nations, organisations need to be concerned about potentially ruinous cyber attacks, and the Gulf States are no exception. According to a paper recently published by Cisco Systems, "The corporations most vulnerable to cyber attacks are those that are heavily involved in, and derive the majority of their revenues from electronic commerce or dot-coms."
As an organisation's dependency on computers and network communication increases, it is only logical its vulnerability to information security threats grows too. These threats can originate from many different sources, including organised criminals, industrial spies, disgruntled employees and amateur hackers, who all have different motivation for launching an attack. Hackers seek to deny services, often with the aim of extorting money from their victims, but the most common impetus is to gain access to information, according to Kevin Isaac, regional director for Symantec in the Middle East and Africa.
"Malicious code created to expose confidential information represented 54% of the top 50 malicious code samples at the end of 2004, up from 44% in the first six months of the year," he states, adding the total number of internet threats per capita in the Middle East has increased by 4% over the last six months.
While e-commerce is still in its infancy in the Middle East when compared to the US or Western Europe, its adoption is beginning to grow apace. Etisalat's eCompany recently announced the volume of e-payment transactions rose by 138 % during the 1Q05 compared to the same period last year.
The increase is attributed to a 41 % growth in credit card-based payment services and the recently launched real-time bill query and payment service, eZeePay. "The strong growth in e-payment transactions reflects the growing need for viable and secure e-payment technologies in the region. The security and safety of credit card transactions is a critical factor in providing a versatile and convenient real-time bill payment solution for consumers," says Ahmad Abdulkarim Julfar, general manager of eCompany.
A joint research by global analyst IDC and security vendor Symantec found that between July and December 2004, the Microsoft SQL resolution service stack buffer overflow was the top attack detected by sensors based in the financial services industry. This attack is commonly associated with the Slammer worm. However, other malicious code, including some versions of Gaobot and Spybot, also use this attack to compromise computer systems.
"Five of the top attacks against financial services organisations use http as an attack vector. Known as web application attacks, they target applications or services that are conducted on or through http. These attacks are worrisome because they allow hackers to circumvent perimeter security measures such as firewalls. They may also provide attackers with good access to an organisation's confidential information," Isaac explains.
Other verticals were also affected in much the same way. The study shows the government, manufacturing and retail sectors have fallen prey to the Slammer worm, and have been targeted by malicious code such as spyware.
Http attacks are also a major concern for all fields, especially the telecom industry, where it accounted for seven out of the top ten incidents. "It is the risk you take. We cannot afford to not be online — it is the only way to remain competitive. However, it is a major risk as we are exposing ourselves to attack," says Fawaz Bassim, technology and product development manager for Wataniya Telecom.
As viruses and malicious code attacks grow in number so does the cost incurred by companies, governments and private individuals to clean up systems and restore them to working order — this includes the cost to eliminate and repair the damage done by the virus, lost revenue and the impact of downtime and on worker productivity. However, these costs are not the only problem faced by organisations in the event of a security breach. For many, the public embarrassment that such an event may involve can be devastating.
"To be seen to fall victim to hacking or virus attack demonstrates to a company's customers the organisation is not protecting itself well enough and does not have effective security in place. It highlights the business' information could be easily exposed. For banks in particular, where the entire business is based on trust, this could be devastating," says Youssef Laban, CIO of Banque Saudi Fransi.
Causing customers to lose confidence in this way is even more detrimental than the pure technical expenses incurred following an attack. The misfortune of internet auction house, eBay, for example, was well publicised and when its website went down briefly earlier this year the company's share price dropped sharply.
However, things were slightly different for a Middle Eastern bank, which prefers to remain un-named. Although the bank's online security was breached in a similar way, the damage was minimal because the incident was not made public.
"If our [situation] had been made public we would have lost more money through the loss of potential customers and the closure of accounts than we would have spent if we had just invested heavily in state-of-the-art, end-to-end security in the first place. We were extremely lucky, but we learnt the hard way that it's better to make a big outlay to begin with rather than risk losing everything further down the line," according to the bank's CIO. ||**|||~|Ahmed-Etman-BODY.jpg|~|Conventional patching is only effective against known threats and is managed on an emergency 'triage' basis, which can be disruptive to normal operations, says ISS Middle East's Etman.|~|Although research conducted by Stonesoft in the Middle East's private and public sectors reveals that a majority of regional organisations have budgeted to enhance their security infrastructures within the next twelve months, many are concerned about the difficulty in integrating and managing their current environment.
"Companies in the Middle East are facing a unique challenge. They are increasingly vulnerable to cyber-crimes and viruses, while at the same time, many industry sectors are facing increased competition and enhanced business opportunities. These companies require solutions that can be implemented without causing much disruption," says Jari Valvisto, director of Stonesoft in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe.
While it will always cost corporations more to defend themselves against these cyber attack strategies than it will cost internet terrorists to mount such disruptions, organisations can never tell what type of attack will be launched and must therefore protect against a wide range of possible scenarios. "Security is indeed a very big challenge, but it is one that must be met. We cannot afford to risk our confidential records and an all-round, multi-layered solution is essential," affirms Mohamed Shafi, database administrator for GHQ — UAE Armed Forces.
Traditionally, security has been treated as a series of ad hoc projects, rather than a process despite the fact it impacts efficiency across corporate functions. "Conventional patching is only effective against known threats, and is typically managed on an emergency 'triage' basis, which can be disruptive to normal operations. Also, the IT infrastructure remains exposed until patching is complete," says Ahmed Etman, senior territory technical manager for the North and South Gulf at ISS Middle East. In order to buy time to allow for more rational security operations, and to minimise business exposure, a security solution must protect IT assets against both known and unknown threats, he advises.
Enterprises cannot optimise their operations and profits with a conventional, reactive approach to security. However, while enterprises are starting to realise this fact, many businesses still rely on the cycle of patch and panic. "Most financial institutions, and businesses in general, have the attitude that these attacks are something that only happen to other people. They do not begin to establish an effective security infrastructure until after they have suffered a severe breach. But it is not enough to wait until something goes wrong. It is too late by then. Good security needs to be put in place to prevent such attacks and it needs to be maintained [thereafter]," stresses Banque Saudi Fransi's Laban.
Indeed, a security platform that provides pre-emptive, enterprise-wide protection is clearly needed if enterprises are to not only assure business continuity and regulatory compliance, but also meet an array of other critical obligations such as reducing the exploding cost of security, eliminating emergency patching and improving communications and co-ordination among key departments including network, systems and security administrations.
"Enterprise security must map directly to operational processes already in use. Such process integration is key in leveraging the security infrastructure to optimise corporate security posture, reduce cost and support business objectives," explains Etman.
Threats exist within the network vector as well as within the application vector; hence enterprise security demands a multi-layered approach, incorporating a range of security technologies such as IPS, anti-virus and vulnerability assessment to address all types of threats.
To be effective, this approach must cover all infrastructure points, including networks, servers, desktops, remote offices and mobile devices. "With constantly evolving threats, security must be continuously refined and updated. It has to be integrated and operationally efficient. Manual threat response, information sharing and reporting is complex, time-consuming and ineffective. Automation allows centralised command and control, and a higher degree of visibility," says Laban.
Developing a seamless and holistic security infrastructure delivers actionable information and industry analysts and corporate management are calling for security best practices that establish a process for enterprise-wide security. Gartner Research has coined the term 'vulnerability management' to describe an automated process that includes four critical steps: establishing and maintaining a security configuration baseline; discovering, prioritising and mitigating exposures; establishing security controls and eliminating root causes of vulnerability.
It is also essential to strike a balance between IT performance, availability and risk. "High levels of security are important, but it is not acceptable if they slow the network down — this is frustrating to users. An incredibly secure infrastructure is useless if it prevents people from doing what they need to do, so an equilibrium must be achieved between security and usability," Laban adds.
In a successful security environment, continuous vulnerability assessment and threat prevention need to be combined with enterprise-wide information management and reporting. To enable this, the infrastructure must include a number of core capabilities.
Vulnerability mapping is essential to provide a real time picture of when new assets join the network and when new vulnerabilities are discovered, to help establish what is at risk. In addition, intrusion detection systems (IDS) monitor and reactively respond to security events as they occur. While firewalls permit or deny traffic based on source, destination, port or other criteria, they do not analyse traffic for attacks or search existing vulnerabilities.
Critically, they also do not address the internal threat presented by company insiders. "A surprisingly high percentage of attacks are actually launched by employees and while some may be accidental, many — perhaps even the majority — are carried out maliciously by disgruntled employees. This is a danger that businesses certainly need to be more aware of," says Heini Booysen, software program manager at IDC Middle East and Africa.
Protection prioritisation, based on asset importance and network configuration criteria, can also assist by categorising the most critical areas to protect first. Intrusion prevention technology and remediation, meanwhile, map to existing IT processes for a common enterprise security view and collaboration across IT units, protecting against threats and addressing policy exemptions.
Finally, an element of customisable reporting options show incremental progress in risk reduction and business-based reports provide the detail necessary to pass audits and maintain compliance standards. "Players in the Middle East financial sector are gearing up for regulatory compliance through investments in their IT infrastructure," says Adel Helal, senior vice president and head of the IT division at Union National Bank, commenting on new regulations such as Basel II and Sarbanes-Oxley, which require more transparency of financial institutions and entail stringent regulations dictating archival policies.
"The region's central banks are expected to impose these requirements in light of World Trade Organisation agreements, and in order to drive greater competition and thus ensure higher quality services in the industry. At this juncture, having a well designed solution is integral to a financial institution's business in order to achieve compliance while increasing efficiency, customer service and long term return-on-investment," he continues.||**|||~|Julfar-GM-eCom-BODY.jpg|~|The security and safety of credit card transactions is a critical factor in providing a versatile and convenient bill payment solution for consumers, says eCompany's Julfar.|~|As Helal implies, there are numerous strategic business advantages that a comprehensive and effective security infrastructure can bestow. For security administrators, the pre-emptive approach gives them the ability to provide a higher level of security and a correspondingly lower level of risk, while maintaining financial and staff resources at a fixed level.
When e-security is successfully addressed, there will be fewer helpdesk calls associated with breaches and less time will be spent rebuilding systems. Instead, the team can concentrate on system refinement for business critical systems and the deployment of new business services.
"In short, they can better protect the company: The security team is free to concentrate on the next level of threat or vulnerability rather than being involved in the progression, diagnosis and elimination of an attack," enthuses ISS' Etman, continuing, "Companies shielded against catastrophic attacks not only avoid downtime and lost business, but are also relieved of many of the overhead burdens associated with security uncertainty – emergency patching is virtually eliminated and security management is more streamlined and economical."
However, can enterprises ever be truly protected? In 2004, Symantec documented more than 1,403 new vulnerabilities, which translates into more than 54 new vulnerabilities per week or almost eight new vulnerabilities per day. Of these, 97% were considered moderately or highly severe, which means that successful exploitation of the vulnerability could result in a partial or complete compromise of the targeted system.
Furthermore, 70% were considered easy to exploit, meaning that either no custom code is required to exploit the vulnerability or that such code is publicly available. Compounding this problem is that nearly 80% of all documented vulnerabilities in this reporting period are remotely exploitable, which increases the number of possible attackers.
In addition, it is web application vulnerabilities and phishing attacks that continue to pose serious and growing threats, according to Symantec's Isaac. "Web applications are popular targets because they enjoy widespread deployment and can allow attackers to circumvent traditional security measures such as firewalls. Nearly 48% of all vulnerabilities documented between July and December 2004 were web application vulnerabilities," he notes.
This does not engender confidence from CIOs. The fact that in one year, from May 2003 to May 2004, the losses incurred by US banks and credit card issuers resulting from phishing frauds were estimated by the IDC/Symantec threat report to be US$1.2 billion, also does little to boost confidence.
IDC's prediction for the future is just as grim: "The use of bots and bot networks for financial gain will likely increase, especially as the diverse means of acquiring new bots and developing bot networks become more prevalent," Booysen warns, adding that malicious codes targeting mobile devices are also expected to increase in number and severity. "With many groups researching vulnerabilities in bluetooth-enabled devices, the possibility of a worm or some other type of malicious code propagating by exploiting these vulnerabilities increases," he says.
Symantec also expects further security problems lurk just around the corner, with client-side attacks using worms and viruses as propagation methods set to become more common and risks associated with adware and spyware likely to increase.
Isaac does not believe impending legislation to curb these risks will be an effective or sufficient deterrent on its own. He also suggests that attacks hidden in the embedded content of audio and video images will increase. "This is worrisome because image files are ubiquitous, almost universally trusted and an integral part of modern day computing," he says.
The very nature of the internet means that hackers and virus writers are, and will remain, capable of creating disruption via ever more creative and disruptive schemes. The anonymity and autonomy lent by the worldwide web means that these terrorists all too often get away with their crimes at the expense of legitimate businesses and their innocent customers. All online enterprises can do is try to stay one step ahead by ensuring their systems always meet with best practice recommendations and are kept completely up-to-date.
As Laban says, "A bank would never leave its safe unlocked. It is always protected with locks, bolts, access codes, alarms…and it is always watched over by security guards. This is just common sense. No one should be able to gain entry unless they are authorised. Neglecting e-security is same as leaving the bank vault unlocked, with the door standing open, and a 'welcome' mat outside. It would never happen in real life, and it should never happen online."||**||


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Thursday's Riverdale, "The Last Picture Show," was about telling truths in different ways for its two leading men, Archie (KJ Apa) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse), but both of the reveals changed the course of the show going into the halfway mark of the season.
Riverdale decided to deal with the inevitable early by having Archie get busted for his affair with Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel) in the fourth episode. The truth is, the idea that Archie was hooking up with his teacher is not that shocking in 2017 and it was good to get the scandal opened up sooner rather than later. It's Betty (Lili Reinhart) that discovers his best friend is involved in an illicit affair, and the scrupulous notes she makes about it in her diary leads her mother Alice (Madchen Amick) on a rampage to take down Archie once and for all.
Like we said though, the real scandal here isn't that a ridiculous attractive football star is dating his dubiously young and also ridiculously attractive teacher. It's that Ms. Grundy is not who she says she is. She made up her identity only as she got to Riverdale and she offered no physical proof that her story about being an abusive relationship that sent her on the run is true. It's only her word, and Archie is the only one who heard the story leaving no one else to ask serious questions about why "Ms. Grundy" would need to change her name if she was successfully able to divorce her husband? There's more to the story there, but we're not sure when we're going to find the rest of it out.
Alice's inquisition of Archie leads not only to Fred (Luke Perry) finding out about his son's NSFW extra curricular activities, but to Ms. Grundy hastily volunteering to quit her job and leave town. (Seriously, if all she was hiding was an abusive ex, why is she so eager to quit and move without explaining that to anyone but Archie?) So Grundy is gone, for now — which is actually a good thing, despite the loose ends.
Riverdale: How far will the love triangle develop this season?
Riverdale also gets points for not drawing out the tension between Betty and Archie in the aftermath of all of this as they could have. It would have been very easy for Archie to blame Betty for what happened to Ms. Grundy, thus forcing us to spend episodes stuck in a cold war between the best friends. It's drama that no one needs with so much other craziness happening around these two characters. It not only shows Archie's emotional maturity (side stepping typical high school drama cliches) but also shows the that Riverdale recognizes where its true drama is. Now it has its main character back to explore that.
As Betty points out in the episode, Grundy's relationship with Archie cut him off from everyone else that he knows. He was in his own world and lying to the people closest to him. How does a show work if your lead character is in a bubble away from the rest of the action? Removing the Grundy relationship at this point frees Archie up to be more immersed in the world and characters that Riverdale has set up for us to play with. We may see the show through Jughead's eyes, but Archie is the guy we are following so he needs to take us somewhere besides Ms. Grundy's rehearsal space.
Speaking of Jughead, a key piece to his backstory was also revealed at the end of the episode and it's probably something our narrator would have preferred to leave out, even though it is an important part of the story. Jughead is the son of the head of the Southside Serpents, played by Skeet Ulrich. All we know about the Serpents so far is that they're a gang working with the Lodge's to bring down the value of Riverdale's drive-in movie theater so that Hiram Lodge could afford to purchase it for an unknown reason.
Riverdale: Yes, the Blossom twins were more than brother and sister
While Jughead and his dad had a cordial exchange at the end of the episode, there has to be some bad blood between the two because Jughead has been living at the drive-in movie theater where he works instead of at home with his old man. There's also no sign of Jughead's little sister Jellybean or his mom, despite the fact Jughead keeps a picture of Jellybean in his belongings. There's no doubt Jughead's father's involvement with the Serpents is going to affect Jughead — especially if he's teaming up with the Lodges for illegal activities. The question is, how do these things intersect with the murder of Jason Blossom?
Loose ends are unraveling like crazy on Riverdale, but the two major reveals of episode 4 are taking the show into another gear. Taking Ms. Grundy out of the picture at least temporarily frees everyone up to see the rest of the board and where everyone is positioned. We'll need Archie to help us find out what's really going on with Jughead at home if we can't trust Jughead to include it in his narration of events and that is the only way the story moves forward. Secrets are brewing, but it seems like Riverdale knows exactly what it is doing and is only getting better at executing it.
Riverdale airs Thursdays at 9/8c on the CW.
(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS, one of the CW's parent companies)