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J.K. Rowling's big interactive Harry Potter site, Pottermore, won't launch officially until October, but the first few thousand beta wizards were invited to join the site in the past couple days. And the first screens are appearing online now.
The early reviews are pretty positive, stressing the immersive nature of the site. But the screenshots don't look all that great, to be honest. Basically Pottermore selects you into a House at Hogwarts, and then you follow the other members of your House, including your friends, via the main screen. And you follow Harry's whole journey through the books — so far, it's just The Philosopher's Stone — via interactive tableaux. You can click on items and learn their history, or get special bios of various characters. And there are scavenger hunts and thingies.
Entertainment Weekly writes:
The real fun comes with the community elements. Once you're sorted into a house-we got Ravenclaw because we're smart and boring-you'll be able to interact with your fellow housemates via a number of activities. Individuals can earn house points in the site-wide House Cup, and you can even engage in a wizard's duel using your customized wand and the spells you have learned. If potions are more your thing, you can buy all the bezoars and flobberworm mucus you need at Diagon Alley and whip up a batch or two in your cauldron, but don't overspend or else you'll find your Gringotts vault empty. All these elements represent the kind of useless but still desperately desired reward system that can turn horribly, wonderfully addictive. It's hard to tell at this point exactly how addictive when it's nobody else but us chickens in here, but Pottermore seems especially designed to destroy work productivity the world over.
Over at Huffington Post, Bryan Young writes:
To say that Pottermore is an immersive experience might be an understatement. The illustrations (at least for the first book) are better than what you saw in the movies. As soon as you get to Diagon Alley you're able to go shopping for your supplies (that you'll actually use) and then you must go buy your wand.
As I went through to choose my wand, I was asked a series of questions, written by Rowling herself, before a wand chose me.
I was assigned a Hawthorne wand with a unicorn core, 10 and 3/4's inches, and of a slightly springy flexibility. It was very cool and seemed very personalized, but you don't realize how personalized until the next screen where you're able to explore what all the different sorts of wand cores and woods mean. There's hundreds of possible combinations, thousands maybe, and somehow when I read about typical personality traits of wizards with my wand it seemed oddly accurate. Magic? Maybe.
Soon, you're brought to Hogwarts itself, learning bits of fascinating information all the way. (For instance, all the fractioned platforms of King's Cross station are in use for magical folk. Platform 7 1/2 is sort of like the Orient Express.)
And that's when the fun really starts. You're sorted into a house at Hogwarts through a series of questions. The questions don't seem to have obvious paths to any specific house but, again, the results seem oddly prescient. As I read the books, I was quite confident I'd be sorted into Ravenclaw and this only confirmed my suspicions.
From there, you're granted access to the common room of your house and the majority of social networking begins. You can link up to Facebook and find friends of your own inside Pottermore, assign them nicknames, comment on their activities, and give them gifts of the loot you've found throughout the book.
Honestly the whole thing sounds like hours of fun. For one day. And then something that you'll never look at again. But maybe that's just me being a grump.


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The following is a guest post by Gilad Parann-Nissany, Founder and CEO of Porticor.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the legal framework for keeping private health information – private. HIPAA protects personal health information from being exposed, and in particular – in the IT world – HIPAA defines how Electronic Personal Health Information (EPHI) should be protected. It imposes rules and also penalties.
A central goal for cloud-based health systems should be to achieve "Safe Harbor." This means that your data is so well protected, even if bad things happen, you can reasonably show that EPHI was not exposed. This is HIPAA nirvana.
Some could say that HIPAA compliance is complex. Spoiler: they would be right. However, as Lao Tzu, founder of Chinese Taoism once said: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Or, in our case, five steps.
1. Investigate
Scope out your system, people and procedures
Start by studying your system architecture and your procedures and deciding where sensitive data resides and which procedures are relevant.
Nowadays, it is very popular to use cloud infrastructure for building out systems – rightly so, given the operational advantages. Cloud systems can be made HIPAA compliant. Start by making sure that all cloud accounts, cloud servers, cloud network segments and cloud storage – that will contain or process sensitive EPHI – are on your list.
Make sure you've also considered procedures and even people – they need to be part of your scope. Also consider which people should not see cloud-based EPHI – for example cloud provider employees and other cloud service providers you use.
2. Analyze Risks
Discover where your Electronic Personal Health Information could get compromised
Go over everything on your list, whether a person, organization or a technical entity, and analyze where they get in contact with EPHI and the degree of risk involved. Document these risks carefully – they are the basis of your HIPAA compliance.
At this point, also consider possible mitigations to risks. Encryption and solid management of cloud encryption keys is one of the most important tools in your toolbox – if you encrypt data properly and keep the keys safe, you may enjoy "safe harbor," and mitigate many of the penalties and risks of HIPAA.
3. Define Policies
Establish procedures for security and privacy
HIPAA compliance is not just about doing things well, but also all about properly documenting that you have done them well. Going over your scoping list from step 1, you should identify the policies and procedures for each item, person or organization – that would ensure EPHI never leaks. Another set of documents should define your privacy policies.
Again, this is an important place to consider mitigations. As you go over the list and construct your procedures, pay attention to things that could go wrong. In the real world, something always goes wrong. Build in mitigations so that even if bad things happen – you will still enjoy "safe harbor."
Ask your cloud service providers for a Business Associate Agreement, which ensures that they too have gone through a similar process – and are responsible for the service they provide you and its implications for HIPAA compliance.
4. Train your people
Educate your employees and make sure your service providers are trained!
This is an obvious point, yet one of the most important ones. Trained staff make all the difference.
And yes, as always in HIPAA, it is not enough to train the staff, but also document the training. Require these proofs also from your service providers.
5. Prepare for a breach
Be ready in case disaster strikes
Bad stuff happens. How will you deal with it? You need to plan this ahead of time, and – as always – also document your planning.
Our entire approach is based on achieving "safe harbor" – when you go through your "bad stuff" checklist, think carefully how each point can be mitigated. Often solid encryption will help, and one of the first things you want to check in the event of a breach – was the data encrypted and the keys kept safe? Make this part of your procedures.
HIPAA compliance in the cloud is within reach
By taking the right approach, thinking carefully through safe harbor possibilities, and covering the entire scope of your project – you can achieve proper HIPAA compliance and protect patient privacy. This is also a major competitive advantage for your business.
About the Author
Gilad Parann-Nissany, Founder and CEO of Porticor, is a cloud computing pioneer. Porticor infuses trust into the cloud with secure, easy to use, and scalable solutions for data encryption and key management. Porticor enables companies of all sizes to safeguard their data, comply with regulatory standards like PCI DSS, and streamline operations.

subset: commoncrawl


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|July 24, 2012, 01:43 PM
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Flashlights, an interesting concept.
I was watching Fox News (don't get excited, this is not political) and Meagan Kelly had Brandon Webb (Formal Navy Seal and author of several books, The Red Circle, 21st Century Snipers, and others).
He was discussing methods of none lethal self defense in situations where you can't carry.
The subject had to do with the Theater Shooting but I'll not go into that.
He mentioned one of the best, non lethal items is a small personal tactical flash lights.
Depending on the quality, you can get one of those little LED flashlights not much bigger then a cigarette lighter that would blind any bandit at distances of your normal self defense situations. Even in daylight, but at night, much longer, giving you a chance to De De the area.
Something to think about.
I'd recommend going to the "tactical flashlight" store and trying some. See if you can temp. blind your self.
I got one of those little LED head bans that go on your hat and it works pretty good. Its blinding, but I bet those little flashlights would really do the job.
I know in the past, based my my hundreds of building searches while in LE I mentioned I don't like bright flashlights for that situation, but this is a completely different situation, they might come in handy.
It would only take blinding someone a few seconds to give you time to find cover and/or concealment. It would work (according to Webb) at night at an ATM or other situation where you might incounter bandits.
Careful, if you're like me, don't go "big". I find Big stays at home. They make super small ones that work as a key chain yet are super bright.
Kraig Stuart
CPT USAR Ret
USAMU Sniper School Oct '78
Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071
|July 24, 2012, 01:52 PM
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Concur, Kraig. They're making flashlights with more features now that when I was a rookie. A buddy had one with a "dazzle" feature, and I couldn't look at it for more than a second without turning away. Involuntary response, you looked at it, you head turned 90 degrees, like the Exorcist.
Next time I see him I"ll try to get the brand name, but in the meantime if anyone has a good link to a small, affordable flashlight with good options, post it here so we can see it.
Dennis Dezendorf
|July 24, 2012, 02:08 PM
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Yes, I have a flashlight about the size of large pen that can produce up to 200 lumens. I will admit that while I do carry one in my "man bag" I don't always have one on me otherwise.
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|July 24, 2012, 02:53 PM
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I have a small Novatac 120 that uses one lithium cell. The strobe feature...especially at night, WILL annoy the crap out of you. There is no question that it will disrupt you.
When I go out walking, I have a Leupold 3 cell that puts out a BUNCH of light and the strobe feature on that will definitely get your attention.
It is the most powerful flashlight I own. There are others that will produce even more light.
I would like to see someone test one in a theater and see just how temporarily blind it would render a person.
I think the Leupold I have is an MX420. It was pretty expensive.
I did buy an additional 2 cell main body to make it a little smaller. You would get the same brightness but the battery life would be reduced.
|July 24, 2012, 03:54 PM
Join Date: March 1, 2012
Location: United States/Arkansas
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I saw that interview. I thought that way lame. A great way to get yourself shot at. Light up the target...oh my, its me!
Your in a theatre. The lights are out...its dark. Some idiot start shooting. You follow Webb's advice. Good luck. You don't exactly know where the shooter is...and there you are popping up trying to get a light in his eyes. Right.
There goes your "concealment" you light up the theatre with your flashlight...beaming shot me, shot at the light. A theatre of targets.
I think your survival is a little bit better in the dark.
Gosh what does he have to do, in that scenario, to avoid the light? Move his head...close his eyes briefly, step, move, duck? I think you better reconsider this tactic....just my opinion.
|July 24, 2012, 04:16 PM
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Thanks kraigwy, personally I like the idea.
I know on many of the small boats in Viet Nam, . . . really powerful spotlights were on the boats just for that exact reason. They were no where near as much useful to find something as they were to blind someone you did not want shooting at you.
Pull up to a sampan you want to search, . . . pop the 1000w fore and aft lights on the people, . . . they look the other way, . . . and the side benefit is that you can see what the heck the hands were doing.
If I were in that theater, . . . my first piece of info I would have wanted was where the heck is HE, . . . and which way is HE looking. A flashlight might have been the thing to tell me that, . . . then I know which exit to take
Eyes are very sensitive, . . . especially in the dark, . . . a bright light will give the involuntary response of looking away.
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|July 24, 2012, 05:34 PM
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These days, I always have one of these on me. They are cheap, $15, but hold up just as well or better than my old Streamlight Scorpions, and are three to four times plus brighter. For what they cost, I have a bunch, and besides my pocket, I keep them around the house, in the car, anywhere I might need a spare too.
I thought it was well known now for years that these type lights were a weapon in their own right. Even the old, first to show up zenon type were pretty good, and years ahead of the old angle head or Maglight type lights they replaced, although they dont replace the Maglight for a good club. The new LED's are truly amazing. That little light above will shine a beam over a 100 yards and allow you to identify what it is youre shining it on at that distance and beyond.
Personally, I prefer the "one switch" (momentary, on/off) type that dont have all the fancy options. The "kiss" principle works best here for me, and I always know what the light will do when I hit the switch. The others Ive tried always seemed to have a mind of their own when turned on, and you never knew what was going to come up next, and were just to fiddly for a "weapon".
|July 24, 2012, 06:59 PM
Join Date: January 4, 2008
Location: Las Vegas, NV
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It works, as far as distraction (at least) or temporary compromise of vision. No one said you must remain in one place while a perp/active-shooter locates you. No one said the light must be kept on for more than an instant. And no one said it is a primary tool, or even a tool to use to the exclusion of others, or even a tool that cannot be used 'in conjunction with' other tools.
Incidentally, it helps you to ID things/people at night, and, under some circumstances, if used judiciously, it can deter the approach of opportunists looking for 'cues' (you see them, they see you, they see you see them, they see that you see that they see you ).
Beyond the fact that local/State law makes carrying an 'effective' knife less practicable, the size, power-levels, and cost of 'tactical' flashlights make it a possibility not to be ignored, and are no more burden than an extra mag or speedloader to have 'on-hand'.
I had a first-generation type strobe, years ago. IMO, not a fast enough flash-rate. Of course, I compared it to my Chauvet (entertainment lighting), which has a variable rate strobe that's significantly more powerful. I'm sure today's hand-held strobes are vastly improved. But even the basic flashlights (AA or AAA) can get lumens from 135 and above which is sufficient to annoy another's vision, cheap to feed, weather-resistant, and usually of a reasonable impact-resistant material like aluminum.
Local trainer in my neighborhood, Roger Phillips (Suarez Int'l), swears by the technique, has written some about the use of the flashlight, here:
(And, incidentally, this philosophy has some relevant comment for threads here re: pocket-drawn j-frames and the primary/secondary firearm issue, speed of draw, and capacity)
Though I'm no operator, I've always appreciated the advantages of a light, even if labeled a 'tactical' light. I still have a mini-mag light (now a back-up light in my wagon) that I bought almost 20 years ago for a trip to South America. If you can find a place to put it, not too much downside.
I usually carry one one a lanyard, at night (easy and fast out of the 'weak-side' pocket, reverse-grip with thumb on tailcap).
I'm currently using an LED Lenser P6 (2 x AA), maybe 35 or 40 dollars.
|July 24, 2012, 09:35 PM
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I was going to link the article thesecond linked, but he beat me to it!
That very article got me to upgrade from my penlight to something a bit brighter. Side benefit being its way better for finding things in the dark than my penlight.
|July 24, 2012, 09:56 PM
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A simple pen-type laser directed in the eyes is much more effective than any flashlight, if you can keep it on his eyes.
The focusing flashlights would be almost as good.
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|July 24, 2012, 10:30 PM
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I am not aware of any small handheld broad beam lasers. Might be interesting if a fairly powerful laser could be incorporated into the basic flashlight and bore sighted with the main tube. Might be that would allow one to quickly acquire the target with the flashlight in a darkened theater.
|July 24, 2012, 10:49 PM
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Having a flashlight--good idea. Trying to use it to blind a guy with a rifle--maybe not such a great idea.
I always carry a flashlight; I don't know how folks get along without them. Mine's over 100 lumens--bright enough to leave a large blind spot in your vision for awhile, especially if you're dark-adapted and the light is shined from up close. From across a theater, I doubt it would do anything but make the guy angry and provide a good aiming point.
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
|July 24, 2012, 10:52 PM
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Strobes are over rated. All they do is confuse everyone. A focusing flashlight produces a very tight, extremely bright beam. If that beam is kept in the eyes, the perpetrator can't see. All he can do is shield his eyes or turn in another direction.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
|July 25, 2012, 02:52 PM
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At reasonably close distances, a bright light will cause people to look away and leave a dead spot in their vision for a minute or two. Both those things could be useful! Strobes are interesting, because a lot of people tend to look at flashing lights instinctively. They can also disorient people a bit.
|July 25, 2012, 05:14 PM
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A powerful focused beam at night, at short range for a couple of seconds is very dis-orienting. The idea of a small laser incorporated is interesting. As flashlights get more powerful it is conceivable that they could be a viable less than lethal alternative for some folks. A bright light certainly can buy you a couple seconds to move away, break contact etc. A couple hundred lumens focused about the side of a soda can at 10 feet would make anyone look away shined in their eyes, you can always use it for a couple seconds then off and back on again, their pupils would get whiplash!
|July 25, 2012, 09:33 PM
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There are standards for lasers as they can produce significant eye damage. The ones we use on sights are tightly controlled. If you used a powerful one, beyond the standards, a reflection could easily blind a bystander.
Not a good idea and laser blinding weapons are banned. There are big flashing lasers to disorient folks but you couldn't carry them in real life.
As far as blinding the shooter - that's going to depend on distance. If you were farther back in the theatre - you will just be a target. I opine that the theatre distances were far enough that the standard handheld flashlight wouldn't be that terrible unless you were close.
My experience with flashlights in anything less than full dark adaptation and relatively close is that you are a target. Also, you have to aim it at the BG to get a direct beam, that might be hard in the uproar and again you are a target.
Close up and a surprise - worth a chance.
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|July 25, 2012, 10:41 PM
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The flashlight is another tool. Used correctly It can't hurt. I don't think I would count on it to anything but ID my target.
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|July 25, 2012, 11:41 PM
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I'm sure there'll be some measure of difficulty in presenting a justifiable self-defense where one is charged with mayhem or a maiming-type crime. It's unclear to me whether SD, generally, could be asserted against charges of this type, which may fall along the same cautionary lines of threads regarding 'shooting specific body parts merely to wound'. Obviously, if a State regulates possession/carry, then that's another point against any practicable and lawful viability as a tool.
FWIW, I've been 'lasered', twice. Once at a stoplight (just past dusk), by some idiot kids from the backseat of their parent's (driver's) car; Another, at a local restaurant. It was 'glancing' (I may have caught something in my periphery and instinctually moved my head), but I believed my vision to be severely impaired for what may have been 3-5 seconds in both. Scary. In the first, I regained clear vision before the light turned green. In the second,
I'm not sure if maybe the logistics of one's concealed carry, e.g., size of the firearm and primary location, would effect whether one would see more, or less, benefit from looking to access the light and having the ability for it to be contemporaneous with a draw from pocket-concealment. This is what I believe Phillips is referring to. I found it interesting to mull the concept over in light of 9ballbilly's draw-timer thread (in which kraigwy and pawpaw contributed some good observations).
Of course, I don't presume to know what I, or others, would or could do in the kind of situation alluded to, as far as presenting one's self as a target, among the range of available responses to an active-shooter who is, in those moments, pulling the trigger once a second in a crowded theater. Given the prevailing 'certainties' of moments like that .... we've been reminded of each of them the past few days.
Also, the light has the quick-pull-focus, maybe the size of a basketball at 10 yards, but doesn't stay set in the pocket. I'll wrap some electrical tape to hold it in place.
Last edited by thesecond; July 26, 2012 at 07:46 PM. Reason: add, incorrect attribution
|July 26, 2012, 01:33 PM
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Laser standards for usage.
NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens
|July 27, 2012, 01:04 PM
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Seems like we always go to battle trained and equipt fot the last war.
TSA has us take off our shoes because of the shoe bomber,checks our underwear because iof the underwear bomber...
So now folks are filtering this good idea(the flaslight) through the context of being in a theatre mass shooting.That scenario does not apply to 99.9% of SD situations.Darkness and teargas preclude precise shooting,body armor preclude center of mass,and an AR with a 100 rd mag means there is not a lot of time to plan a strategy.Maybe,only maybe,an Audie Murphy ,or several,would have made some difference,but as the seconds ticked,folks were dying.This bad guy stopped himself.
I work nights alone and live by myself,that means if I want to get some face time with human beings I get a beer at a bar after work.
It happens occasionally that someone with junior high maturity gets drunk and wants to assert himself.
I'm not taking a gun in the bar,and besides,as another high profile case suggests,shooting an unarmed person who is on top of you beating you does not always work out well.
I'm 60 yrs old ,have some physical problems,and do not choose to go to ground with some 23 year old who picks trouble.
I carry a 200 lumen streamlight.If you do not believe it will help,go to a store the sells 200 lumen lights,point it in your own eyes at arms length,and take a shot.You will be quite visually impaired.
In a close encounter with an unarmed problem,the surprise/ light/blindness may give you an opportunity to disengage and leave,or wreck a knee.
Its a very good idea
|July 27, 2012, 01:42 PM
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Kraig Stuart
CPT USAR Ret
USAMU Sniper School Oct '78
Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071
|July 27, 2012, 04:19 PM
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Here is a link to several different styles of 200 lumen Streamlights.
|July 27, 2012, 10:26 PM
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In a less than lethal situation, a powerful LED light in somebody's eyes does a good job of disrupting their OODA loop.
|July 27, 2012, 10:40 PM
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Maglite XL200
170 lumens, 35 bucks.
I just got one. I wouldn't call it bright enough for "tactical"/dazzle use, but its damn bright and has a strobe mode.
IMHO-Bright enough to disorient, not bright enough to "dazzle". If I had the money Id get something in the 500 lumens range. Something that semi-permanently knocks out vision. But for $35 Vs $200...
On the other hand...
$155 bucks, 500 lumens. This will blind an attacker.
|July 28, 2012, 12:52 AM
Join Date: February 12, 2001
Location: DFW Area
Posts: 23,314
Car headlights run somewhere in the 700-1200 lumen range.
Admittedly they can be really irritating, but if lights with 500 lumens output or more were really capable of semi-permanently knocking out vision or blinding people, the roads at night would be a massacre.
People routinely deal with having very bright lights shined in their eyes. It happens to us all the time and to the extent that it's a problem we instinctively know how to deal with it without being blinded.
Flashlights are very useful. Bright flashlights are even more useful and they're also cool. I've got an 850 lumen monster that I keep by the front door and it's really handy when I need a bright light. But it's just a bright light, it's not an effective weapon unless I swing it at someone.
Even if I caught someone off guard and gave them a good dose in the eyes, they would still be able to function even if they were somewhat impaired by a blind spot. Just like I keep from running off the road when I accidentally catch an eyefull of the sun around the visor when I'm driving and end up with a temporary blind spot in my vision.
It's certainly true that a defender can use a bright light to his advantage in a self-defense situation, but I think it's very easy and very common to overemphasize the effect that it is likely to have.
Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?
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This story appears in the February 2003 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
For years, Bob Duncan of Leawood Export Finance Inc. in Overland Park, Kansas, was a vociferous advocate of globalization. As president of the B2B export finance firm, which helps U.S. companies expand their export sales, Duncan saw his company grow steadily throughout the post-Cold War 1990s, venturing into one foreign market after another. During that time, Duncan himself talked up the advantages of globalization--a combination of advances in trade, communications and capital flows--to hundreds of small U.S. businesses considering expanding overseas.
But over the past two years, as globalization has undergone its most severe test to date, Duncan's mood has become darker. His company has laid off employees and slashed costs, and he has become less certain of the future of global integration. "The global economic situation has become unclear, and there are clearly major risks," Duncan worries.
His fear is hardly unique. Until early 2001, U.S. entrepreneurs rapidly expanded their global reach, targeting export markets worldwide and strongly advocating freer trade. But in 2001 and 2002, global integration whipsawed, delivering bad news across continents as nations' economic downturns fed on one another and the war on terror heightened security risks and fears. This reverse globalization has dried up some export markets, severely squeezing small businesses. Some entrepreneurs have responded proactively, using careful management to minimize the impact of the global slowdown and strengthen their long-term export markets. Others, however, have been hit so hard by reverse globalization that they are scrambling just to stay alive.
Going Abroad
The 1990s were an era of rapidly accelerating global social and economic integration. During the decade, world trade in goods nearly doubled in value, to $6.4 trillion in 2000, and thousands of companies bet their future on exports. Political leaders like Al Gore celebrated globalization with messianic speeches touting the nearly endless benefits of integration. Businesses ran advertisements featuring executives teleconferencing with partners across the globe and Buddhist monks surfing the Internet from remote abbeys.
"The Web has drastically leveled the international playing field between smaller companies and big business."
Though many U.S. consumers associate globalization with leading multinationals like Coca-Cola or GE that have huge operations in many countries, small businesses have actually been one of the main drivers of global integration. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, between 1987 and 1999, the number of small and midsized U.S. exporters more than tripled, to 224,000. By 1999, 97 percent of American exporters were small businesses, though smaller exporters still only accounted for one-third of total U.S. export sales.
The increasing diversity of American society only enhanced small businesses' willingness to look abroad. As rising numbers of immigrants came to the United States in the 1990s from Latin America and South Asia and started businesses, large numbers of those foreign-born entrepreneurs naturally looked to their homelands for export markets. In 2000, studies found that nearly one-third of all start-ups in Silicon Valley were led by a person of South Asian descent, many of whom outsourced a percentage of their companies' work to India or Pakistan.
Some American entrepreneurs even started or moved their entire operations abroad, relying on the United States only as a consumer market. "The opportunities here are so much greater than if I had tried to start a small business in the U.S. because I'm closer to the manufacturing in China. I can be at ground level, making sure my suppliers are honest," says Robert Kushner, 36, president of Pacific China Industries Ltd., a toy manufacturer based in Hong Kong.
Several factors combined to create entrepreneurs' love affair with globalization. Most important, the development of the Internet allowed small companies to easily contact clients overseas and ship goods without opening huge representative offices abroad. "The Web has drastically leveled the international playing field between smaller companies and big business," says Daryl McKigney, president of the Small Business Survival Committee, a Washington, DC, advocacy group. "PayPal and eBay allow small companies to handle billing for small orders without complex credit arrangements." In some cases, Web-based B2B marketplaces such as VerticalNet have made it even easier for entrepreneurs to contact potential customers; Forrester Research, a technology research firm, predicts such B2B marketplaces will push global online exports to $1.4 trillion by 2004.
When entrepreneurs did have to leave their desks to meet clients, the expansion of airline route networks in the 1990s allowed them to meet customers face-to-face and be home in 48 hours or less. What's more, the reduction of trade barriers in most major economies during the past decade made it easier for small companies to deal with export regulations, while the Export-Import Bank and private institutions became more willing to provide financing to small exporters.
New World Disorder
Now, however, some of that optimism has dissipated. Synchronized economic slowdowns in Asia, Europe and the United States, the three engines of global commerce, have decimated international trade. The World Bank estimates that last year global trade underwent "one of the most severe decelerations in modern times." Violent antiglobalization protests have become regular events all over the globe. And Al Qaeda's nefarious activities have demonstrated to the world that the open borders, integration and free flow of capital that characterize globalization can be used to brutal ends.
Many small companies that had switched their focus to export markets over the past decade have been hit hard. In August, the most recent month for which statistics were available, America's trade deficit swelled to $38.5 billion, as exports decreased and imports rose. This past summer, small companies' exports fell to their lowest level since January 2000.
Anecdotal evidence supports those figures. Duncan has seen his exports to Mexico drop by more than 30 percent. Patricia Torres, 28, co-owner of Computed Tool and Engineering Inc., a small Anaheim, California, company that designs and manufactures stamping dies, has had nearly half her customers cancel their orders.
In part, small companies' problems stem from their customers' economic weakness. "A lot of foreign customers cannot afford anymore to guarantee payment for exports received," says Duncan. "Bigger businesses can take the chance with such customers because they have legal departments and translators that can deal with foreign claims, but small American companies can't afford to take chances on customers who can't guarantee payment." Consequently, many goods destined for export have been piling up in U.S. and foreign warehouses.
Antiforeign sentiment in countries hurt by the global economic slowdown also works against U.S. exporters. In Argentina, for example, the collapse of its currency, which was tied to the U.S. dollar, has provoked attacks on foreign bank branches and calls for protectionist measures. (However, Argentina's own free-spending politicians are as much to blame: They passed laws that expanded state health care to pay for even liposuction.)
|Learn More About...
New Strategies
Some entrepreneurs who expanded too quickly into export markets now are struggling to survive, and some have soured on globalization completely. Export expert Laurel Delaney estimates it takes at least three years for a company to penetrate a foreign market. Many businesses that have used up critical resources just to break into a new country simply can't afford to wait out the current global economic slump.
"[Advocates of globalization] may rethink whether the U.S. should continue slashing trade barriers," says Robert E. Scott, international economist at the Economic Policy Institute, a research organization. However, it is unclear whether small companies would benefit from higher barriers. When the Bush administration slapped tariffs on imported steel in March 2002, hundreds of small companies that consume steel paraded to Congress to protest the regulations.
But some entrepreneurs have responded to reverse globalization with new bursts of innovation. For example, some smaller companies are rediscovering customers close to home. Other small businesses are continuing to push abroad but are focusing their attention on a few key markets and diversifying their investments in those regions. "In the past year, we have opened new sales offices in India and China, places where we know there will be strong growth," says Charles Tharp, president of Environmental Dynamics, a Columbia, Missouri, manufacturer of waste water treatment equipment that brought in $14 million in 2002. "There has been a consolidation in our business, and the companies left will be the ones that export smart, control their costs and develop connections overseas." These connections pay off: Tharp's key salesperson in China is the brother-in-law of one of his employees in the United States.
Other firms are making their operations more flexible to better accommodate foreign tastes. After all, Delaney notes, even behemoth Wal-Mart has realized selling products abroad requires flexibility. Wal-Mart, which often builds cookie-cutter stores in America, sells locally popular products in China, including turtle blood and live frogs. These entrepreneurs hope such malleability will allow them to prepare themselves for the next wave of global integration. "Perhaps compared to two years ago, the situation for small-business exporters looks bleak," says McKigney. "But when you compare it to 1989, when there was so little trade, you have to conclude that exports have been one of small businesses' biggest success stories in recent years."
|Where to Look for Advice
companies thinking of expanding into export markets often feel lost
when they venture overseas and are forced to deal with foreign
legal environments, unfamiliar languages and new business
practices. But several organizations try to provide information,
advice and even financing for entrepreneurs focusing their vision
1. The Small Business Exporters Association is the nation's oldest and largest trade association devoted to small and midsized exporters. The SBEA lobbies Congress to help small exporters, provides networking opportunities for small companies eager to meet foreign customers, and assists entrepreneurs with some of the legal and procedural challenges of exporting.
2. The International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce offers solutions to common global trade problems and country guides to nearly every possible export market.
3. Global TradeSource Ltd. features a newsletter full of comments from small-business people all over the globe who provide vital information about the on-the-ground business climate in various markets.
4. The SBA's Export Assistance Centers, located nationwide, help entrepreneurs get loans for export financing, research foreign markets, and make contacts with customers overseas. Export Assistance Centers are targeted toward entrepreneurs who have not set up export businesses before, so veterans of foreign markets may prefer using Global TradeSource Ltd. or the SBEA, both of which target long-timers.
Joshua Kurlantzick is foreign editor of The New Republic.


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ANALYSIS OF CARBON NANOTUBES USING NANOELECTROMECHANICAL OSCILLATORS by Mehmet Aykol A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING) August 2012 Copyright 2012 Mehmet Aykol
Object Description
|Analysis of carbon nanotubes using nanoelectromechanical oscillators
|Aykol, Mehmet
|Author email
|Doctor of Philosophy
|Document type
|Degree program
|Electrical Engineering
|Viterbi School of Engineering
|Date defended/completed
|Date submitted
|Date approved
|Restricted until
|Date published
|Advisor (committee chair)
|Cronin, Stephen B.
|Advisor (committee member)
Wu, Wei
Feinberg, Jack
|In this thesis the thermo-mechanical properties of single–walled carbon nanotubes are investigated utilizing carbon nanotube based nanoelectromechanical oscillators. These resonator devices are highly sensitive to changes in tension on the carbon nanotube. In Chapters 4 the coefficient of thermal expansion of an individual single–walled carbon nanotube is measured in the range 4K - 475K. Experimental observation of this parameter has not been reported before this work and the calculations give different results depending on the models used. The observed negative thermal expansion is attributed to the free configurational space around the carbon atoms of the nanotube. When the nanotube is cooled, the entropy of the system is lowered by expanding the volume of the nanotube through various changes in the structure like pinching twisting or bending. The minimum of the coefficient of thermal expansion is measured as -4.5 ppm•K-1 at 100K. The coefficient of thermal expansion remains negative throughout the entire range. ❧ The mechanical response of carbon nanotube electromechanical oscillators at elevated temperatures is studied in Chapter 5. The weak interaction forces between the carbon nanotube and underlying platinum electrodes limit the performance of carbon nanotube electromechanical oscillators, where the devices are built as described in Chapter 3. Van der Waals bond between the carbon nanotube and the platinum electrode weaken as the temperature increases. At a critical temperature the nanotube delaminates from the surface completely and a sudden drop is observed in the mechanical resonance frequency of the oscillator. Using the results obtained, the clamping force between the carbon nanotube and the underlying platinum electrode is measured to be around 3 pN. The small value obtained for the clamping force shows that quality factor of carbon nanotube electromechanical resonators is affected by the clamping efficiency of the nanotube ends. ❧ Carbon nanotubes have unique electron ransport properties at high bias voltages. Due to their one dimensional nature, scattering of electrons by phonon are highly nonlinear. At low bias voltages (across the nanotube) phonon scattering is suppressed and the electrons exhibit ballistic transport. At higher bias voltages optical phonon scattering dominates, and subsequently nanotubes heat suddenly. In Chapter 6, the heating of nanotubes is probed using the mechanical vibrations of a carbon nanotube based nanoelectromechanical oscillator. Since the substrate temperature is constant the change in mechanical resonance frequency is attributed to the contraction of the nanotube due to its negative thermal expansion. The bias voltage, at which the mechanical resonance shows a sudden drop, corresponds to experimentally observed optical phonon emission onset voltage for single–walled carbon nanotubes.
|nanotube; thermal expansion; resonator; heating; negative thermal expansion; electron phonon interaction; negative differential conductance; slack resonator; van der Waals; delamination; graphene; platinum
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|Aykol, Mehmet
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|ANALYSIS OF CARBON NANOTUBES USING NANOELECTROMECHANICAL OSCILLATORS by Mehmet Aykol A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING) August 2012 Copyright 2012 Mehmet Aykol


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Money Matters: Most Americans unprepared for disability
Advice offered by Marc Hebert, president of The Harbor Group Inc., a registered investment adviser.
For millions of Americans, purchasing adequate disability income insurance is a potentially effective way of protecting against the financial hardship that could arise if illness or injury were to result in a long-term absence from work. Yet a new study found that the majority of Americans lack basic knowledge about the likelihood of a disability and are unprepared to handle such a life-changing event.
The Social Security Administration estimates that one in four of today's 20-year-olds will become disabled at some point during their working years. The study found that women across all age groups report a higher incidence of disability than their male counterparts, with arthritis and back/spine problems being the leading causes.
The financial impact of disability can be severe. A person with an annual income of $50,000 who works for 40 years is projected to make more than $2 million in future earnings. The loss of these earnings can be devastating for an individual or a family -- and for women, the financial consequence can be more severe. The study found that women are twice as likely as men (22 percent vs. 12 percent) to think their cash reserves would last less than a month. Single women have even bleaker outcomes.
According to the study, 61 percent of women and 46 percent of men have never researched disability insurance and fewer than 10 percent have purchased disability insurance plans. Even among individuals who work with financial advisers, awareness and planning around the topic of disability is low. Fewer than half have consulted with advisers about what would happen if they or their spouse became disabled and fewer women (37 percent) than men (52 percent) have had this discussion with an adviser.
Types of Insurance
For most people, there are two main forms of disability income insurance to consider: employer-sponsored policies and private insurance policies. Employer sponsored (called "group" policies) are relatively inexpensive to purchase and generally remain in effect for as long as the individual continues to work for the company.
Private insurance polices are paid for by individuals and provide coverage when group policies don't apply or don't provide enough income. On the surface, a private policy is usually more expensive to purchase than a group policy. However, a private policy's potential to provide much greater benefits over time may make it a more prudent long-term choice.
For all practical purposes, if you need the income you earn at work, you probably also need disability income insurance. Among those who are most likely to need disability income insurance coverage are small-business owners, the self-employed, high-income professional, and the primary breadwinners in a household. Your insurance or financial planning professional can help you find out if you have enough coverage.


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Be a part of a unique online community that connects post production professionals and film academics worldwide.
You'll have access to personalize your news feed, access to Live Post Talks and much more. Contribute to the community by posting interesting post production content.
April 18, 2011, 10:29 am
The most interesting tid-bit to come out of the whole Final Cut Pro X preview at Tuesday night's SuperMeet came not during the hour long on-stage demo but rather it was during the time after as I walked around the SuperMeet expo and talked to a number of developers and fellow editors to get their reaction to FCP X.
October 1, 2020, 7:05 pm
Let's take the train with Overall VFX Supervisor Michael Ellis explaining the different parts of the visual effects work (done by Mr. X and Host VFX) for the big train sequence in ENOLA HOLMES...
September 30, 2020, 11:39 am
LOS ANGELES -- Ghost VFX has announced the opening of their newest studio location in Vancouver B.C., a known hub of visual effects and animation. The company already has studios in Los Angeles, Copenhagen, London, and Manchester. This is one step in the VFX house's expansion plan; they have also named Gillian Pearson as lead studio manager. In her new capacity, Pearson will oversee the day-to-day operations including recruiting a new team of top-tier talent, and overall studio management. The new Vancouver state-of-the-art facility will solidify the company's global footprint.
September 30, 2020, 11:39 am
When Tim Crosbie first signed on as VFX supervisor for Guan Hu's Chinese war epic The Eight Hundred, he had little inkling the project would end up consuming the next two and a half years of his life.
September 30, 2020, 11:38 am
Korey Pereira whose Dolby Atmos upgrade we featured had to replace his Pro Tools computer in a hurry when his cheese-grater failed unexpectedly. This is the story of what he chose to replace it with so that he could continue working in audio post-production and Dolby Atmos.
September 29, 2020, 4:13 pm
Image Engine have posted a VFX breakdown for Mulan.
September 29, 2020, 4:13 pm
DNEG have posted a VFX breakdown for Away.
September 29, 2020, 4:12 pm
You don't even need to open your eyes to know when you're watching an Edgar Wright film. The auteur uses sound in such an advantageous way that it propels the story without the audience even recognizing it's there. His movies are layered in rich sound design that is not cacophonous, but instead, moves to the rhythm of the visuals. As much as we pay attention to David Fincher's decisions behind every camera movement, Wright is an aficionado when it comes to understanding how sound can influence story.
September 29, 2020, 4:12 pm
In 2013, Adam Rowland explained the work of NVIZ on CAPTAIN PHILLIPS to us. He then worked on various films such as LEGEND, LIFE, THE COMMUTER and JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM.
September 29, 2020, 11:05 am
Looking for a couple of hours of practical effects and models and miniatures interviews? Then don't miss director, producer and model maker Berton Pierce's YouTube channel, which has a whole bunch of segments, excerpts and bonus pieces from his Sense of Scale documentary.
September 29, 2020, 11:05 am
William Kaplan who has over 106 credits to his name will be honored by the Cinema Audio Society with its highest accolade, a Career Achievement Award.
Gordon sits down with cinematographer James Kniest to discuss his work on The Haunting of Bly Manor. Including hiding people ...
Gordon sits down with documentary editor and producer Kathryn Robson to discuss storytelling and her work on the hit Netflix ...
Gordon sits down to talk to Emmy Nominated editors Kate Sanford & Tim Streeto to discuss their work on the Marvelous Mrs. ...
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When we watched Kasra Farahani's short film Noon, about a tidally locked future Earth and a coyote who smuggles immigrants into the arctic city of perpetual daytime, we immediately wanted a feature-length version. Now, the Hollywood Reporter is reporting that a big-screen version of Noon is in the works.
Chernin Entertainment, which produced Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Oblivion, has picked up the movie rights to Noon. Farahani is attached to direct the film, but Chernin will bring in a screenwriter to work on Farahani's script.
It's always great to see a studio picking up an original science fiction project, and this is getting added to our list of short films that we're excited to see on the big screen.
Chernin Entertainment Picking Up Hot Sci-Fi Short 'Noon' [THR via GeekTyrant]


text:
The federal budget is on an unstable path in the long run and the Trump administration has made things worse with its tax cuts and spending increases, warn C. Eugene Steuerle and Caleb Quakenbush of the Urban Institute.
Despite campaign promises to improve the nation's spending and revenue shortfalls while investing in health care and infrastructure, the White House and Congress have done nothing to alter the long-term trend in which "fiscal policy has increasingly disfavored workers, young adults, children, education, and research," Steuerle and Quakenbush write.
As a result of both the long-term trends and new policies implemented in the first year of the Trump administration, over the next decade, "nearly all growth in spending will go toward higher health, Social Security, and interest costs—with little left for almost everything else: infrastructure, research, education, defense, housing, and most basic government functions."
The largest source of higher spending over the next 10 years will be health care, with Medicare and Medicaid accounting for about 35 percent of the increase in federal outlays. Social Security will claim about 29 percent of the growth in spending, and interest payments – now the fastest growing part of the budget – will account for about 28 percent. Revenue increases will cover only about two-thirds of the increased spending, the authors say, pushing debt to "unprecedented peacetime levels."
If current projections hold and no substantial changes are made to fiscal policies, the U.S. will be unable to make much-needed investments in education, infrastructure and health care, leaving the country "with the prospect of fewer educators, soldiers, scientists and administrators, as well as fewer workers to maintain infrastructure, government equipment, and its investments in everything from IT to research."


text:
Fewer IED attacks on U.S. troops but still deadly
The good news on the IED front in Afghanistan is that it's no longer a huge story.
Attacks from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) dropped 19% for the three-month period that ended on July 31. And U.S. troops continue to find and defuse bombs better than ever. Soldiers and Marines on foot patrol now find 85% of makeshift bombs compared with 80% last year.
The bad news? Roadside bombs remain the top threat to U.S. troops, causing 61% of all casualties. It's worse for Afghan security forces, who have seen attacks on them increase 74%. That compares with the same period in 2012. Stats come courtesy of the Joint IED Defeat Organization.
Then there's some context. July 2012 was the worst month ever for IED attacks on U.S. troops. Insurgents planted more than 2,000 bombs that month. There are also fewer U.S. forces in Afghanistan this year, about 60,000, and they've take on more of an advisory role. That accounts in part for the increase in attacks on Afghan soldiers and cops who now lead most operations against insurgents.
Homemade explosives account for nearly three quarters of IEDs. For years, the main ingredient in those explosives has been ammonium nitrate fertilizer. In the last few years, U.S. officials have pressed Pakistan hard to limit the flow fertilizer into Afghanistan.
It worked. Ammonium nitrate is no longer the top source of homemade bombs. Unfortunately, insurgents have switched to a different source, potassium chlorate, the key ingredient in matches. Now more than half of all IEDs in Afghanistan are powered by potassium chlorate compared with 25% last year.
It seems a safe bet that even after U.S. combat troops depart Afghanistan by the end of 2014, IEDs will remain.
Follow @tvandenbrook on Twitter.


text: manu <eallaud at yahoo.fr> writes: >> Aston dual CAM (Viacess and others) can decrypt 2 channels at a time >> (provided the CI stack on Linux side can provide correct >> informations). > > And does the linux CI stack provide this? There's the rub. There's no such thing as "the linux CI stack". Each dvb application provides its own CI (EN50221) stack. Vdr has one, kaffeine also and probably other applications. To make the issue more complex, there's 2 ways to implement the CI stack, depending on the DVB card. For low level CI API, i.e. Hauppauge TT cards), the CI stack is ~90% implemented in software in the DVB application. For high level CI (i.e Twinhan and clones), the stack is half implemented in firmare (i.e. bugs can't be fixed) and half in software in the application. AFAIK, vdr can't handle high-level CI API. For more information, see: http://linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/CI http://linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Supported_CAM_modules HTH


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text:
Whether you call it a trucking management system, fleet management software, trucking enterprise software or a freight management system, in a nutshell, these systems manage vehicles (and the things on them), people and money.
Just as trucking companies come in all shapes and sizes, there are a number of TMS options, from full-featured enterprise management software to more limited dispatch and routing offerings. There are systems that are installed on site on the fleet's computers and ones that are Web-based, or "in the cloud."
No matter the size or delivery method, however, to be a viable contender in the marketplace today, TMS must integrate with other technologies a fleet may have, such as mobile communications, routing, navigation or on-board computers.
Whatever kind of TMS, they are "not little islands of automation," says Ken Weinberg, vice president and co-founder, Carrier Logistics Inc. Instead they are systems that can take information from a variety of automated sources and totally integrate that data within the system to get a single output: a dispatched truck that's safe and productive.
"Over the last few years there has been a convergence of data fleets use to manage their operations," says Adam Kahn, director of marketing product and indirect channels for Qualcomm Enterprise Solutions. "It's evolved from 'where's my truck and how can I talk to my driver' into a much more complex network of data communication."
Pulling all the pieces together
Companies are looking for a solution that manages all their major business processes, including financial and operations management, says Mark Cubine, vice president marketing, McLeod Software. "Robust integration of planning/dispatch with mobile communications has become very fundamental," he says.
In addition to providing services for locating and tracking vehicles, mobile communication providers have added capabilities such as workflow management, performance monitoring in terms of speed, fuel economy or hard braking, and other information, such as electronic driver logbook data that can be brought back into a fleet's enterprise system, Cubine says.
Brad Young, director of industry marketing for TMW Systems, says fleets traditionally deployed a TMS to better control fuel costs.
Today that's only part of the savings. A TMS helps fleets reduce paperwork by digitizing files, imaging and indexing, which yields efficiency gains.
Fleets can derive real value from tight integration between their dispatch, navigation and mobile communications systems by better managing things such as out-of-route miles, documenting/collecting detention charges, on-time performance and other factors.
In addition, by integrating with mobile communications, fleets can give drivers the same functionality as someone in the back office. They can update trips or capture reference numbers and other information at the point of delivery.
"You are extending that (back office functionality) out to your driver base," Young says. The end result is fewer driver managers in the back office. "Instead of having 10 people with 10 drivers each, I can have two people with 50 drivers each."
Shift to safety
In recent years, there have been changes in fleet management in terms of not only what we're measuring, but how we are measuring it and how we are delivering it, says Christian Schenk, senior vice president, XRS.
"Outside of being able to manage driver time and mileage and paying them, more and more fleets are getting on board with compliance," Schenk says.
"Safety and compliance are more important than ever," Cubine agrees. Five to 10 years ago, he says, "tracking not only the company's, but individual drivers' CSA compliance wasn't in the picture then, but is very important now."
Smooth integration between technologies makes that job much easier. For instance, Cubine notes that there has been a greater emphasis on being able to plan around a driver's actual available hours of service, thanks to the integration of electronic onboard recorder information from mobile communications with a TMS.
On-board safety systems also play a role in managing safety. While collision avoidance and lane departure warning systems activate when an event is actually taking place, managers can still use that data later on to coach better driver behavior in the future. ATMS can help crunch those numbers.
T.J. Thomas, director of marketing and customer solutions — Controls group at Bendix, says that when its Bendix Wingman collision prevention system activates, it can capture a video clip of that event so the fleet can get an accurate context of what just happened.
Hans Molin, Vision Systems and SafetyDirect product manager at Bendix, adds that the video and other data collected can be used to coach that driver.
"The thing is to summarize what different behaviors drivers show regardless of which vehicle they are in," Molin says. For instance, the summary may list a driver's average following distance, how often the collision avoidance system activates, how many lane departures have they had, hard braking events, etc.
That information can all be collected on a scorecard with driver rankings based on real data. "You can target the training based on that ranking and use the data you have to reinforce it."
Mobile applications
Trucking management systems are also riding the mobility wave, although some companies have embraced it more than others.
For instance, XRS recently implemented a completely mobile platform for compliance and fleet optimization applications that runs on more than 50 types of mobile devices.
While not all fleets are moving to a complete mobile solution, increasingly, they are expecting to have mobile access to their TMS.
Cubine says the functions deployed for drivers via mobile still fit in a narrow window of functions that were for the most part already available on proprietary hardware-based systems for mobile in-cab systems.
He notes that the mobile applications for the enterprise operations can bring information, notifications, alerts, and the ability to deal with situations that need immediate attention to the back office and management team when they are away from their desk or their computer.
"Our customers want the appropriate office personnel to have easy access to the common functions they would need to do off-hours," TMW's Young says. "It's not that I can do my same job, say dispatch 50 trucks, from my iPad that I do from my desk," he explains. Instead, fleets want managers to have the ability to respond to an after-hours call for a com check, for instance, without having to go back into the office.
The fleet view
John Erik Albrechtsen, manager of operations for Paul's Hauling in Winnipeg, Manitoba, says integration between systems is key to his company's operations. Paul's uses TMW enterprise software with PeopleNet mobile communications and ALK navigation and route compliance products.
Albrechtsen notes that the goal of any trucking company remains the same: moving your customer's products from point A to point B.
However, that job has gotten much more demanding, he says. An important element has been improved communications between their external customers and their internal customers (drivers, field staff).
"The truck cab is a driver's office, and we put those devices into the cab to help us and to help them," he says. "We couldn't do the amount of work we do today without technology."
The company used to spend a lot of time on navigation, getting directions to the drivers and monitoring route adherence.
The integrated software makes that job much easier. If a truck does go off route, or encounters some kind of delay, they can warn customers of a late delivery.
Any TMS costs money. Smaller operations may believe they can't afford such a system.
"People still track things on Excel spread sheets," says TMW's Young. "We don't recommend it, but it works for some. But if you have customers that are asking for sophisticated electronic data exchange, that's when you have to step up to the plate and get an application that gives you that connection to your customers so you can offer them tracing and tracking through a Web portal.
"Having that technology as part of your sales offering is becoming a necessity. It's a cost to do business."
Beyond that, he says, the efficiencies fleets can gain with a TMS makes expansion easier.
"There are probably some 20 truck operators who want to stay 20 trucks, but others are looking to get to 50 or 120."
But these fleets don't want to have to add internal staff as they add trucks. An automated system is the only way to do that.


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DICKINSON INDUS. SITE v. COWAN(1940)
Rehearing Denied April 8, 1940
See 309 U.S. 698 , 60 S.Ct. 806, 84 L.Ed. --.
Messrs. Benjamin Wham and Walter A. Wade, both of Chicago, Ill., for petitioner.
Mr. Julian H. Levi, of Chicago, Ill., for respondents.
Mr. Justice DOUGLAS delivered the opinion of the Court.
A plan of reorganization of petitioner under 77B of the Bankruptcy Act, 48 Stat. 912, 11 U.S.C.A. 207, was confirmed on Feb- [309 U.S. 382, 383] ruary 23, 1938. Respondents are members of a bondholders' committee who sought an allowance in those proceedings. On October 26, 1938, they were awarded $2,000 for services rendered, $20,000 having been asked. On November 25, 1938, they petitioned the Circuit Court of Appeals for leave to appeal from that order. The appeal was allowed. Petitioner moved to dismiss the appeal on the ground that the Court of Appeals had no jurisdiction to allow it, the argument being that respondent had an appeal as of right which could only be taken by filing a notice of appeal in the District Court. The Circuit Court of Appeals denied petitioner's motion to dismiss and modified the order by increasing the allowance to $10,000. In re Albert Dickinson Co., 7 Cir., 104 F.2d 771. We granted certiorari, 308 U.S. 543 , 60 S.Ct. 139, 84 L.Ed. --, because of a conflict of that ruling with London v. O'Dougherty, 2 Cir., 102 F.2d 524, which held that appeals from compensation orders involving $500 or more could be had as a matter of right under the Chandler Act, 52 Stat. 840, 11 U.S.C.A. 1 et seq.
First. The Circuit Court of Appeals held that the provisions of the Chandler Act, which became effective on September 22, 1938 ( 7, 11 U.S.C. A. 1 note), were applicable to this appeal. We think that follows from 6, sub. b of the Act, 11 U.S.C.A. 1 note, which states that 'Except as otherwise provided in this amendatory Act, the provisions of this amendatory Act shall govern proceedings so far as practicable in cases pending when it takes effect; ....' Where, as here, appeal is taken after the effective date of the act, it is clearly 'practicable' to apply the new appeal provisions. Contrary to respondents' contention, 276, sub. c(2), 11 U.S.C.A. 676, sub. c(2), is not applicable to appeals. It provides that the provisions of Ch. X (the successor to 77B) shall apply to pending proceedings 'to the extent that the judge shall deem their application practicable' where the petition in such proceedings was approved more than three months before the effective date of the amendatory act. But that relates solely to proceedings in the district court. The [309 U.S. 382, 384] 'judge' referred to in that section means a 'judge of a court of bankruptcy'. Section 1(20), 11 U.S.C.A. 1(20). Such court does not include the Circuit Court of Appeals. Section 1(10). Hence the application of the new appeal provisions to this type of case is not dependent on a determination of practicability by the district judge under 276, sub. c( 2).
Second. Petitioner's argument that the appeal in this case could be taken as a matter of right requires an analysis of 24 and 250 of the Chandler Act, 11 U.S.C.A. 47, 650. Sec. 24 provides in part:
Sec. 250 provides:
Our view, however, is that appeals from all orders making or refusing to make allowances of compensation or reimbursement under Ch. X of the Chandler Act may be had only at the discretion of the Circuit Court of Appeals.
Under 77B, sub. c(9) it was provided that 'appeals from orders fixing such allowances may be taken to the Circuit Court of Appeals independently of other appeals in the proceeding and shall be heard summarily.' And it was held by this Court in Shulman v. Wilson-Sheridan Hotel Co., 301 U.S. 172 , 57 S.Ct. 680, that those appeals could not be had as a matter of right but only in the discretion of the appellate court as provided in former 24, sub. b. That was the way the matter stood when 250 was drafted. The history of that section1 shows that it was derived from 77B, sub. c(9). But, significantly, the words 'and allowed by' were added-words not present in 77B, sub. c(9). The result plainly was (1) to carry over into the new act the rule of Shulman v. Wilson-Sheridan Hotel Co., supra, and (2) to set apart in a separate section the provisions for appeals from that type of order so as to make those appeals no longer dependent on 24, which had become a storm center for the revisionists. 2 If the House did not intend the latter result, then the addition of the words 'and allowed by' were wholly needless, as under the House revision of 24 appeals from compensa- [309 U.S. 382, 386] tion orders would have been discretionary with the appellate court. 3 [309 U.S. 382, 387] Hence under the House Bill as it reached the Senate, it seems clear that no such appeals could be had as a matter of right. In the Senate the present 24 was substituted for the House provision; but the present 250 was not altered in any respect material here. It is clear from the Senate hearings and Committee Report that the Senate was interested only in the elimination from 24 of the old distinctions between 'controversies arising in bankruptcy proceedings' and 'proceedings' in bankruptcy. 4 There was not the slightest intimation of any [309 U.S. 382, 388] dissatisfaction with the rule of Shulman v. Wilson-Sheridan Hotel Co., supra, or with 250 as it passed the House. To be sure, the Senate Committee Report is somewhat ambiguous. 5 But it is perhaps significant that that report in commenting on 24 stated not that it 'abolished' but that it 'practically abolished' the distinction between appeals as of right and appeals by leave of the appellate courts.
More important, however, is the matter of statutory construction. To hold that an appeal from a compensation order is governed by 24 the words 'taken to and allowed by' in 250 must be read 'taken to or allowed by'. Only then can appeals from compensation orders involving less than $ 500 be governed by 'allowed by' and appeals from all other such orders be governed by 'taken to'. In the face of the foregoing history we do not believe we are justified in substituting 'or' for 'and'. The inappropriateness of it is somewhat emphasized by the history of 'taken to' which in Shulman v. Wilson-Sheridan Hotel Co., supra, was held not to permit an appeal as of right. It is further emphasized by considerations of policy.
The history of fees in corporate reorganizations contains many sordid chapters. One of the purposes of 77B was to place those fees under more effective control. 6 Buttressing that control was 77B, sub. c(9) which, together with former 24, sub. b, made appeals from compensation orders discretionary with the appellate court. [309 U.S. 382, 389] We should not depart from that policy in absence of a clear expression from Congress of its desire for a change. Fee claimants are either officers of the court or fiduciaries,7 such as members of committees, whose claims for allowance from the estate are based only on service rendered to and benefits received by the estate. 8 Allowance or disallowance involves an exercise of sound discretion by the court based on that statutory standard. Unlike appeals from other orders, appeals from compensation orders therefore normally involve only one question of law- abuse of discretion. These factors not only emphasize the appropriateness of the separate treatment by Congress of appeals from compensation orders; they reinforce the interpretation of 250 which restricts these appeals. For certainly it seems sound policy to require fiduciaries to make out a prima facie case of inequitable treatment in order to be heard before the appellate court. To allow these appeals as a matter of right is to encourage an unseemly parade to the appellate courts and to add to the time and expense of administration. We will not resolve any ambiguities in favor of that alternative.
Whether or not the Circuit Court of Appeals erred in modifying the order so as to grant respondents an increased allowance was not raised in the petition for certiorari and hence has not been considered here. Helis v. Ward, 308 U.S. 365 , 60 S.Ct. 283.
[ Footnote 1 ] S.Rep.No.1916, 75th Cong., 3rd Sess., p. 38.
[ Footnote 2 ] H.R. Hearings on H.R. 6439 (H.R. 8046), 75th Cong., 1st Sess., pp. 79-80, 213-218, 222, 223, 240, 241, 405, 406; S. Hearings on H.R. 8046, 75th Cong., 2nd Sess., pp. 53, 54, 60, 103-108. And see H.R.Rep.No.1409, 75th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 22.
[ Footnote 3 ] This is made clear by comparison of 250 with 24 as they passed the House.
Sec. 250 then read: 'Appeals in matters of law or fact from orders making or refusing to make allowances of compensation or reimbursement may, in the manner and within the time provided for appeals by this Act, be taken to and allowed by the circuit court of appeals independently of other appeals in the proceeding, and shall be summarily heard upon the original papers.'
Sec. 24, subs. a and b, then read:
[ Footnote 4 ] S.Rep., supra note 1, p. 4, commented as follows on the present 24: 'The House bill makes certain amendments in the sections of the act ( 24, 25) relative to appeals, but preserves the existing distinction between appeals as of right and appeals by leave of the appellate courts. The amendment presented by the committee practically abolishes this distinction. Under it, appeals may be made as of right in all cases involving $500 or more. In controversies of less than this amount, appeals may be taken only upon allowance by the appellate court. The jurisdiction of the appellate court will extend both to matters of law and of fact, except that in an appeal from a judgment on a verdict rendered by a jury the jurisdiction will extend to matters of law only. The removal of the troublesome distinction will be a service to both bench and bar. It is often difficult to determine the proper procedure under the present law and frequently appeals are taken in both ways in order to be certain. The House bill seeks to remedy this condition by providing that in the event of mistake the appellate court may consider the appeal as properly taken and proceed to a determination of the case. Your committee believes it is much better to eliminate the distinction altogether.'
The testimony of Reuben G. Hunt before the Senate Committee is particularly illuminating on this point of controversy. S. Hearings, supra, note 2, pp. 53 et seq. See also, Hunt, Appeals from the District Courts to the Circuit Courts of Appeals in Bankruptcy Cases, 42 Comm.L.Journ. 131 ( 1937).
[ Footnote 5 ] That report states that the present 24 'practically abolishes' the distinction 'between appeals as of right and appeals by leave of the appellate courts.' Id., supra, note 4. And the Committee in commenting on 250 merely says: 'Section 250, derived from section 77B, sub. c(9), is intended to facilitate appeals from the grant or refusal of an allowance of compensation. These are to be disposed of without the necessity of a printed record.' Id., p. 38.
[ Footnote 6 ] H.R.Rep.No.194, 73rd Cong., 1st Sess., p. 1.
[ Footnote 7 ] The fiduciary status of such claimants is expressly recognized in the Chandler Act. Sec. 249, 11 U.S.C.A. 649, provides in part: 'No compensation or reimbursement shall be allowed to any committee or attorney, or other person acting in the proceedings in a representative or fiduciary capacity, who at any time after assuming to act in such capacity has purchased or sold such claims or stock, or by whom or for whose account such claims or stock have, without the prior consent or subsequent approval of the judge, been otherwise acquired or transferred.'
[ Footnote 8 ] Sec. 243, 11 U.S.C.A. 643.


text:
Aldo Silvera, founder and owner of Home Medical Specialties, made sure to help out.
"It's important to get people what they need," he said.
Originally from Colombia, Aldo, 55, moved to New York City in 1971 where he later began work as a respiratory therapist at New York University and New York Presbyterian Hospital at the Columbia Medical Center in Manhattan and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.
In 1997, he decided to venture into the homecare sector, providing medical equipment for such conditions as emphysema, lung disorders, and sleep apnea.
"That's when I decided to take the plunge," Silvera said, which he started out of a two-bedroom apartment in Queens. "And from there, it's been going ever since."
With the hurricane, Silvera stressed the importance of getting much-needed supplies out to clients throughout the five boroughs, especially those that did not have power but relied on specialized equipment for medical reasons.
With the help of work technicians, the company sent out staff to provide rechargeable batteries for products and oxygen tanks for clients, among other products.
"They went to these places with flashlights," Silvera said, referring to areas without power. "It's what we do."
Looking towards the future, Silvera said he is hoping to sell new products online and possibly add another line of business. "We're definitely hoping to expand."
For more information about Home Medical Specialties, 56-44 59th St., visit their website.


text:
Ali Zafar Hates Being Fair
11 Feb, 2013, 06:52 GMT
NEW DELHI, February 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
New Delhi: In the current issue of Men's Health, the Pakistani singer and actor discusses the modern man's biggest preoccupations: sunscreen lotions and six-pack abs
A million-dollar smile: Rs 1 lakh. A flawless complexion: Rs 45,000. Washboard abs: Rs 3 lakh. The feel-good factor: Priceless?
"Nonsense," says Pakistani singer and actor Ali Zafar. In a time and age when people are increasingly spending a fortune on artificially enhancing their appearance, the Mere Brother Ki Dulhan star who has been voted Asia's second sexiest man in a poll last year, has spoken out vehemently against the practice in Men's Health, the country's largest selling men's magazine.
"Don't blindly follow what television and the glossies dish out to you," Zafar writes in MH. "Models earn their bread and butter by looking perfect. Sporting a six-pack is part of their job, not yours."
Startled with the rising number of Indian men discussing the SPF of their sunscreen lotions in their locker rooms, Zafar feels that the concept of beauty has been misunderstood by most. "Like fashion, the standard of beauty keeps changing with time. Can you imagine a bare-chested Rajesh Khanna flexing his bulging biceps while serenading an anorexic Sharmila Tagore in Amar Prem?" he argues in the article.
The star feels that a lot of men fret a bit too much about their looks. Pinned down by peer pressure, some even go beyond their means to achieve that perfect set of six-pack abs or that cleverly-advertised fair complexion.
"If you are a banker with a nine-to-nine job or a journalist who has to ensure that the newspaper goes to bed on time, don't let the lack of a chiselled body pull you down," Zafar says. "Not everyone is genetically blessed to look physically perfect. Aspiring to be a certain way is good, but don't do it at the cost of being stressed."
You could also download a digital copy of the magazine which can be read on tablets and smartphones. Visit http://www.menshealthindia.com/digitalmagazine to know more about the digital editions.
Vishwalok Nath,
Head - Marketing & Syndications,
India Today Group Digital
Ph: +91-120-4807100
SOURCE India Today Group


text:
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts rendered a decision this week in the case of Commonwealth v. McKinnon, regarding the so called "castle law." Massachusetts General Laws c. 278, § 8A, provides:
"In the prosecution of a person who is an occupant of a dwelling charged with killing or injuring one who was unlawfully in said dwelling, it shall be a defense that the occupant was in his dwelling at the time of the offense and that he acted in the reasonable belief that the person unlawfully in said dwelling was about to inflict great bodily injury or death upon said occupant or upon another person lawfully in said dwelling, and that said occupant used reasonable means to defend himself or such other person lawfully in said dwelling. There shall be no duty on said occupant to retreat from such person unlawfully in said dwelling."
Here is a brief version of the facts of the case: Two brothers went to a party at a private home. They got in a fight and one brother needed stitches. The boys' father was angry about under age drinking, and drove back to the house with his sons at 1:00 AM. He yelled for the occupant of the house, a 20 year old man, to "come out or we're coming in." The occupant, Mr. McKinnon, went onto his porch with a baseball bat. The father went onto the porch and another fight quickly broke out. McKinnon was not involved in the previous fight. McKinnon, was charged with assault and battery and assault with a deadly weapon.
At his trial, McKinnon claimed self defense. He requested a jury instruction incorporating the castle law quoted above, that he did not have any duty to retreat. The trial judge refused to give the instruction on the grounds that the law does not extend to exterior stairs or porch, but only covers the inside of a dwelling.
McKinnon was convicted and appealed. The SJC took the case on its own motion to consider this question, and the SJC affirmed the conviction. The Court reasoned that:
"We do not agree with the defendant that the term "dwelling" should extend to the outside stairs of the house. As discussed, the plain language of G. L. c. 278, § 8A, limits the defense to an occupant who injures someone unlawfully in the dwelling. Open areas are not given the same legal exemptions as the residence or dwelling itself. See Commonwealth v. Peloquin, supra; Commonwealth v. Bennett, 41 Mass. App. Ct. 920, 921 (1996)."
RESULT: In Massachusetts, if you are in your yard, on your porch, or on your steps, and you are being threatened, you have a duty to retreat if you hope to successfully invoke self defense as a defense to an A & B.
What do you guys think of this opinion? Is it reasonable? What if you open the door to somebody who turns out to be a criminal and he pulls you outside? What if you step out on the porch to talk to a "salesman" who turns out to be a criminal?
I would like to read your thoughts on this.
Norm Abrahamson


text:
This article is from the archive of our partner .
In the wake of a number of embarrassing incidents involving Secret Service agents getting hammered, Director Julia Pierson has instituted a number of changes to the agency. According to Carol Leonnig at The Washington Post, those changes include demoting one of the agency's most prominent supervisors, reassigning almost two dozen staff members, and stricter drinking regulations.
Those drinking rules apply to employees in the Secret Service's special operations division, which is tasked with protecting the president. Agents are not allowed to drink less than 12 hours before reporting for duty, and 24 hours before the president's arrival at any trip location.
The changes comes in the wake of embarrassing incidents for the Secret Service in Amsterdam — when one agent got too slizzard and fell asleep in a hotel hallway — and in Florida, where an agent was pulled over (but not arrested) on suspicion of driving under the influence.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to email@example.com.


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Regardless of your spec of choice, leveling your rogue in Mists of Pandaria should be an enjoyable experience. I tend to enjoy combat's simple Sinister Strike-spamming playstyle for the leveling grind, but subtlety's amazing burst and assassination's potent poisons are more than powerful enough to get the job done. If you were lucky enough to acquire your Fangs of the Father, they'll carry you until level 88 or 89 with their awesome damage.
The first key to a swift leveling experience is to minimize your downtime. The less time you spend in combat, the longer it will take to hit 90. The second key is to increase your damage output. While our damage is already formidable, taking out targets faster is always a good thing. The third and final key is to eliminate the competition. If a member of the opposing faction is killing mobs in the same area that you are, you need to increase the supply of mobs by reducing the demand.