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IBM X-Force® Report Reveals Unprecedented State of Web Insecurity
August 2009 by IBM
IBM released results from its X-Force 2009 Mid-Year Trend and Risk Report. The report's findings show an unprecedented state of Web insecurity as Web client, server, and content threats converge to create an untenable risk landscape.
According to the report, there has been a 508 percent increase in the number of new malicious Web links discovered in the first half of 2009. This problem is no longer limited to malicious domains or untrusted Web sites. The X-Force report notes an increase in the presence of malicious content on trusted sites, including popular search engines, blogs, bulletin boards, personal Web sites, online magazines and mainstream news sites. The ability to gain access and manipulate data remains the primary consequence of vulnerability exploitations.
The X-Force report also reveals that the level of veiled Web exploits, especially PDF files, are at an all time high, pointing to increased sophistication of attackers. PDF vulnerabilities disclosed in the first half of 2009 surpassed disclosures from all of 2008. From Q1 to Q2 alone, the amount of suspicious, obfuscated or concealed content monitored by the IBM ISS Managed Security Services team nearly doubled.
"The trends highlighted by the report seem to indicate that the Internet has finally taken on the characteristics of the Wild West where no one is to be trusted," said X-Force Director Kris Lamb. "There is no such thing as safe browsing today and it is no longer the case that only the red light district sites are responsible for malware. We've reached a tipping point where every Web site should be viewed as suspicious and every user is at risk. The threat convergence of the Web ecosystem is creating a perfect storm of criminal activity."
Web security is no longer just a browser or client-side issue; criminals are leveraging insecure Web applications to target the users of legitimate Web sites. The X-Force report found a significant rise in Web application attacks with the intent to steal and manipulate data and take command and control of infected computers. For example, SQL injection attacks – attacks where criminals inject malicious code into legitimate Web sites, usually for the purpose of infecting visitors – rose 50 percent from Q4 2008 to Q1 2009 and then nearly doubled from Q1 to Q2.
"Two of the major themes for the first half of 2009 are the increase in sites hosting malware and the doubling of obfuscated Web attacks," Lamb said. "The trends seem to reveal a fundamental security weakness in the Web ecosystem where interoperability between browsers, plugins, content and server applications dramatically increase the complexity and risk. Criminals are taking advantage of the fact that there is no such thing as a safe browsing environment and are leveraging insecure Web applications to target legitimate Web site users."
The 2009 Midyear X-Force report also finds that:
· Vulnerabilities have reached a plateau. There were 3,240 new vulnerabilities discovered in the first half of 2009, an eight percent decrease over the first half of 2008. The rate of vulnerability disclosures in the past few years appears to have reached a high plateau. In 2007, the vulnerability count dropped for the first time, but then in 2008 there was a new record high. The annual disclosure rate appears to be fluctuating between six and seven thousand new disclosures each year.
· PDF vulnerabilities have increased. Portable Document Format (PDF) vulnerabilities disclosed in the first half of 2009 already surpassed disclosures from all of 2008. For the first time, PDF vulnerability disclosures exceeded those for Office documents.
· Trojans account for more than half of all new malware. Continuing the recent trend, in the first half of 2009, Trojans comprised 55 percent of all new malware, a nine percent increase over the first half of 2008. Information-stealing Trojans are the most prevalent malware category.
· Phishing has decreased dramatically. Analysts believe that banking Trojans are taking the place of phishing attacks geared toward financial targets. In the first half of 2009, 66 percent of phishing was targeted at the financial industry, down from 90 percent in 2008. Online payment targets make up 31 percent of the share. The country of origin for phishing has also changed dramatically in the past year. Spain and Italy were the two countries most responsible for phishing levels in 2008, but Spain is no longer even in the top ten and Italy ranks tenth. The top sender is now Russia, which is responsible for almost half of all phishing (47 percent) in 2009, but didn't make the top ten list in 2008.
· URL spam is still number one, but image-based spam is making a comeback. After nearing extinction in 2008, image-based spam made a comeback in the first half of 2009, yet it still makes up less than 10 percent of all spam.
· Nearly half of all vulnerabilities remain unpatched. Similar to the end of 2008, nearly half (49 percent) of all vulnerabilities disclosed in the first half of 2009 had no vendor-supplied patch at the end of the period.
The X-Force research team has been cataloguing, analyzing and researching vulnerability disclosures since 1997. With more than 43,000 security vulnerabilities catalogued, it has the largest vulnerability database in the world. This unique database helps X-Force researchers to understand the dynamics that make up vulnerability discovery and disclosure.


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I have been contemplating this post for several days. It is not that I have anything against this list; in fact, I greatly appreciate everyone that is here and the previous fellowship that I have felt here. No, it is the admitting the situation to myself. Somehow this post makes it official.
My wife (who is also on the forums) is pregnant again. For those who missed last season, we have 5 children and every pregnancy has involved PIH/Pre-e. Furthermore, my wife's care was handled very poorly last time and she went into an eclamptic seizure while in the hospital on bed rest.
So I am going to come right out and say it – I am both excited and scared as *. I love my wife and the children we have. I would love to have one more, but after the last pregnancy, I am seriously afraid that she is going to die or suffer permanent crippling damage during this pregnancy.
I have almost no faith left in our healthcare system.
So what am I to do? I'll tell you – I am to be the champion of her pregnancy. Last time, I thought that everything would be fine once I got her in the hospital for surely they would take good care of her in the hospital. I was wrong. I can not trust anyone with my wife's care, and it is not my job to trust them. It is my job to love her and protect her to the best of my ability – and that is what I am going to do.
It is still very early in the pregnancy, but I am already gearing up for interviewing the OBs. We don't want the "wait and see†doctor – we want the "let's get that baby out†doctor. My plan that I have in my head is to sit down with my wife and the OBs, talk about a plan of care, and ask a lot of darn questions (loudly if required) anytime there is a deviation from that agreed to plan. Again, while there might be good individual doctors out there, my wife and unborn child will be in the same system that almost killed my wife and last child the last time around. I can not trust the system regardless of the doctor or even the hospital being different.
I feel that my wife's condition was never taken seriously in any of the 5 previous births until it got so bad that lives were on the line. I want them to be taken seriously from day one this time around – even if I have to be a jerk.
It is sad that it has come to this. It is sad that I am going into this pregnancy happy, but also so afraid that an uncaring system that is overworked and under-supervised is going to kill that most important person in my life. I am trying to let go of those emotions because that just makes me angry and does not lead anywhere productive. Those are feelings I am sure I will be venting here on the list.
So, now that I have ranted and rambled, where should I start? What research do I need to read up on since last January? Should we pursue daily Hepren shots or not? How aggressive should I be upfront with the OB? Any other advice?
Thanks again!
How To Champion Your Wife's High Risk Pregnancy?
Are you worried about your partners pregnancy? Has your partner already had preeclampsia? Do you have advice for other dads who could be going through similar experiences as yourself? Post here!
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Locations|Contact Us|Careers
The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items.
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Payments Insider
Horizon Bancorp, Inc. is an independent, commercial bank holding company serving Indiana and Michigan through its commercial banking subsidiary, Horizon Bank. Horizon Bancorp, Inc. may be reached online at www.horizonbank.com. Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol HBNC.
Michigan City, IN and Lafayette, IN(August 16, 2017) – Horizon Bancorp (NASDAQ GS: HBNC, "Horizon") and Lafayette Community Bancorp (OTC Pink LFYC, "Lafayette"), jointly announced that the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have approved the proposed merger of Lafayette Community Bancorp and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lafayette Community Bank, with and into Horizon's wholly-owned bank subsidiary, Horizon Bank. The Federal Reserve Board also granted Horizon's requested waiver from its application filing requirements. As a result, the parties may close the merger any time after the U.S. Department of Justice waiting period expires on August 29, 2017.
"We are pleased that our regulators have responded with the required approvals necessary to complete the merger," said Craig Dwight, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Horizon. "We are enthusiastic about this strategic partnership and are excited to provide an expanded branch network and robust product offerings to the Lafayette community."
Bradley Marley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lafayette Community Bank stated, "The progress being made by both Lafayette and Horizon's integration teams has been going very well, and we are pleased that all regulatory approvals have been obtained in such a timely fashion. Obtaining regulatory approvals is another step closer to our partnership, and we look forward to becoming part of Horizon's family."
As previously disclosed, the merger is expected to be completed in the third quarter, subject to approval by the shareholders of Lafayette Community Bancorp, as well as the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Lafayette Community Bank will be merged into Horizon Bank, and the combined operations will be continued under the Horizon Bank name. Lafayette will hold its meeting of shareholders to approve the merger on August 28, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. (local time) at the main office of Lafayette Community Bank, located at 301 South Street, Lafayette, Indiana 47901.
About Horizon Bancorp
Horizon Bancorp is an independent, commercial bank holding company serving northern and central Indiana, southwest and central Michigan, and central Ohio through its commercial banking subsidiary Horizon Bank. Horizon also offers mortgage-banking services throughout the Midwest. Horizon Bancorp may be reached online at www.horizonbank.com. Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol HBNC.
About Lafayette Community Bancorp
Lafayette Community Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Lafayette Community Bank that provides commercial banking services in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Lafayette Community Bank was founded in 2000 and operates offices throughout Lafayette and West Lafayette, Indiana. Lafayette Community Bank may be reached online at www.lafayettecommunitybank.com.
Additional Information
Communications in this document do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval.
In connection with the proposed merger with Lafayette, Horizon has filed with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 that includes a proxy statement of Lafayette and a prospectus of Horizon, as well as other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction. Horizon and Lafayette have mailed the definitive proxy statement/prospectus to shareholders of Lafayette (which mailings were first made on or about July 27, 2017). Shareholders are urged to read the Registration Statement and the proxy statement/prospectus regarding the merger and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents, because they contain important information. A free copy of the proxy statement/prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about Horizon, may be obtained at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. You may also obtain these documents, free of charge, from Horizon at www.horizonbank.com under the tab "About Us – Investor Relations – Documents – SEC Filings."
The information available through Horizon's website is not and shall not be deemed part of this document or incorporated by reference into other filings Horizon makes with the SEC.
Horizon and Lafayette and certain of their directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of Lafayette in connection with the proposed merger. Information about the directors and executive officers of Horizon is set forth in Horizon's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2017, and in the proxy statement for Horizon's 2017 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the SEC on March 17, 2017. Additional information regarding the interests of those participants and other persons who may be deemed participants in the transaction may be obtained by reading the proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed merger. Free copies of this document may be obtained as described in the preceding paragraph.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial performance, business prospects, growth and operating strategies of Horizon. For these statements, Horizon claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Statements in this press release should be considered in conjunction with the other information available about Horizon, including the information in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. The forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements by using words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will" and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance.
Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include risk factors relating to the banking industry and the other factors detailed from time to time in Horizon's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those described in its Form 10-K. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Horizon does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the result of any revisions that may be made to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the events or circumstances after the date on which the forward-looking statement is made, or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except to the extent required by law.
Horizon Contact Information:
Craig M. Dwight
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Phone: (219) 873-2725
Fax: (219) 874-9280
Mark E. Secor
Chief Financial Officer
Phone: (219) 873-2611
Fax: (219) 874-9280
Lafayette Contact Information:
Bradley Marley
Chief Executive Officer
Phone: (765) 742-1523
# # #


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ODU Women Finish 30th At Head Of The Charles
By ODU Athletics
Oct. 18, 2008
Boston, Mass. - Competing in their first race as a varsity program, the Lady Monarchs of Old Dominion University turned in a solid showing in the Club Fours at the prestigious Head of the Charles in Boston.
ODU's boat consisting of Kady Stapp (Coxswain), Alicia Smith (Stroke), Ashley Olmstead (2), Marie Gately (3) and Meredith McPherson (Bow), finished in 30th place in the 39-team field with a time of 21:11.920. Riverside Boat Club claimed the top spot, as Clemson and the Ottawa Rowing Club rounded out the top three.
"Today's race was an acceptable performance by a very young crew in a deep field," said head coach Heather Weisel. "The experience was what we wanted for our very first competition. The athletes had the opportunity to race in one of the most historic American regattas, meet Olympic gold medal athletes face to face and start to get a sense of what is to come. I'm proud of their effort and look forward to building from here."


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Commemorate by Donating a Tree, Shrub, or Bench.
Do it now, have a tree, shrub, bench or picnic table placed at your favorite park. Make your donation as a memorial or in honor of your group or organization. It's easy to make a lasting tribute.
Call 856-251-6710 today to receive your donation form.
Benches and picnic tables have plaques installed on them. All other items are recognized on an engraved plaque located in the Park's office


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On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 19:59:13 -0000, "Kunle Odutola"
<email@example.com> wrote:
>Is it really (Office - not the individual constituent parts)?. How times
Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like an apple. Sorry, that used
to be 'a banana', but there's parasites on ours apparently, so no
flies in with the bananas, okay? And in any case, it still works with
an apple.


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Circuit Labs is a boutique manufacturer of printed circuit boards based in Auckland. We specilise in fast locally produced printed circuit boards.
Our main objective is to provide an efficient and economic solution for small OEMs and R&D departments nationwide.
Circuit Labs is here to help you develop your products on time, and on budget.
We have assembled an experienced team with fresh ideas, and new concepts to bring you an efficient service and quality PCB.
PCB Zone is a better supplier for making hobbyist circuit boards or very small quantity PCBs


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10 Questions with Sarah C Lolley, Fashion & Travel Journalist (& Mom)
I stumbled across an article written by Sarah C Lolley, Fashion and Travel Journalist, contributor to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The article was about New York Fashion Week 2010, but what I loved was the story woven into the article – her experience as a pregnant journalist at New York Fashion Week 2010. I love love loved it. Though her life is far more glamorous than mine, I could totally relate to her thoughts and feelings. I sent her an email to give her a digital high-five and she wrote back! I am a total fan of hers now. Down to earth, worldly and overall amazing, Sarah C. Lolley.
1. Wow, you were at fashion week this year in NYC. As a pregnant woman, what was that like?
It was like high school and I was the dowdy nun waddling around the playground.
Truthfully, it was an adventure. Every day I was unsure what I was going to encounter. I was having contractions every time someone brushed up against my belly. Sometimes people got so rude I wanted to pass gas to part the throngs of people waving tickets at the security. This was the same security that held me aside to debate whether or not I was really pregnant or just trying to get a seat. However, most often there were always seats that no one claimed that were offered to me.
Since this is a website dedicated to mommies I will be honest with you… I was in a lot of pain. I had a fissure in my butt, which is far more painful than a hemorrhoid. The week before I had gone to Miami, which was like being a chaperone during Spring Break, and it was about the same time the little boy in my belly really started to play kick ball with my innards. You might say he already broke something.
I was very thankful we booked a hotel a block from Bryant Park. I needed a break between shows to cry.
2. Are you under pressure to constantly dress fashion forward?
Most of the time I dress fashion backwards. I use to cover music and nightlife before I became pregnant in 2007 with my little girl Lyra. The hipster community migrates toward vintage and edgier get-ups. Therefore, my closet looks like a costume department. I still have my junior prom dress, which Marc Jacobs would have loved last year when the 80s came back to haunt us.
The answer is yes and no. I end up buying a lot of the pieces I write about, but I never wear them because my daughter will ruin them when she snuggles into me – or I realize that the look is uncomfortable. I will say that the leggings and over-sized top trend is perfect for this mom. Now if they only offered more variety in pregnancy leggings.
3. What are your favorite maternity pieces?
I never, ever, ever wore sweatpants unless I was sick in bed. Never even to the grocery store. However, when I first became pregnant I discovered black yoga pants. Majamas are my favorite and I have bought them for every friend that has gotten pregnant over the years (I receive no endorsements). To pair with them I go for cotton empire waist dresses that are short enough to look good with leggings or my Majamas.
However, that look was very last pregnancy circa 2008. In the upcoming seasons shirt dresses are the casual go-to look. And since the empire waist is really out (Note: you can find them on the clearance rack at stores purging their inventory), I have gravitated toward silk blend peasant shirt styles that are more comfortable than the stiffer cotton versions. I invested in a few soft wrap-around Obi belts from Taxi CDC (www.taxicdc.com) that I tie just below where my bra hits. It's the only place left that resembles my waist anyway.
4. As you know, Project Runway winner Christian Siriano designs a line for Moody Mamas maternity brand. Others are following suit. What trends did you see at fashion week do you think will translate into maternity?
I love Christian. He made sure I had a chair with my name on it at his show. I held onto it for dear life while the pretty people talked amongst themselves.
Designers are going back to thinking about the practical need for new clothes, and it makes sense that children and pregnant women NEED new clothes. I have never spent so much money at one time as I did when I first busted out of my skirts at four months pregnant. Another trend affecting the racks is that many working women have a need for clothes that don't look like pajamas.
The nice thing about the spring and fall season is that the trends are in the sleeves and silhouettes. I am not down with the one-sleeved frocks out there, mainly because I got two fat arms, not one. However, the butterfly ruffles and flounces are feminine details that appear in tunics that can easily translate to mama's new form. Tye-dye is also in again and Green Dragon has made a maternity line for Pea in a Pod that I discovered during research for a story.
The waistlines have either gone back to the 1940s or have dropped back to the hips with a draping torso like the 1920s. Most of the garments I tried on left me looking like a cave woman because tribal and distressed abstract patterns are also in for spring.
Khaki is also hot this spring and fall, so if you are like me and need a color that goes well with a food stain here and there this is the season for you. Also get yourself a pair of lace-up oxford style shoes. I need some height to my shoes, but I will endanger people around me if I get into a pair like the ones that were at every show I saw in NYC. Anthropologie has a few sculpted pairs that fit the need for balance.
5. How do you balance your jetsetting worklife with home?
This question would assume that I am actually balancing it.
My husband Patrick is from another planet so I have him fooled. Well, up until the point he hired a nanny from his native country Romania to help me.
The answer is "with help." My father, who is a retired heart surgeon, was my 'manny' until recently, but when I would ask him to take Lyra out so I can get some work done he would end up at Popeye's stuffing trans-fat fried chicken in her. The rest of my family is in Kentucky – eating KFC no doubt.
The other answer is "have a sense of humor, a really big sense of humor." I travel with Lyra more than most sane people would ever force upon themselves. Patrick and I are haphazard travelers; however, we are learning to be less spontaneous and more prepared. My purse is HUGE and Patrick looks like he was forced into slavery with backpacks strapped to the front and back of his body while pulling two huge suitcases. I am so glad he loves me and hasn't broken his back yet.
6. Has having children changed the way that you execute your job?
I work from home instead of going into an office. These are my baby years so my phone is my office.
As far as actual work, I can no longer wait until the last minute to do anything. I have intervals of time that I plan to work and if I putz around shopping sample sales online I will lose that window when Lyra wakes up or the nanny goes home. Pre-nanny I use to take Lyra into the office all the time. She is 22-months of curiosity now and is still fascinated with electrical sockets so that doesn't work any more.
Since I live in a pretty friendly city I take Lyra boutique browsing to check out what the stores will be carrying and I often invite sources I use for story leads over to chat since I live in the city. This means I had to learn to cook – which may also be why my husband got a nanny.
7. You also write for a website. Tell me about it.
In my recent youth I had a blog called the "Toilet Diaries," which I began before the word blog was in the dictionary. That morphed into a travel site dedicated to the men I met while traveling called the "Misadventures of Sarah do Lolley." Obviously, I am a grown-up now, but I still needed an outlet for my less formulaic writing pieces.
This past summer the newspaper asked me to film a few broadcast pieces to accompany my travel stories. Most of the material ended up to be a comedy of errors since I have the worst pronunciation of foreign languages. After a summer of trips in Europe and Canada, where I try to speak Canadian, what we ended up with was a series of stories called "American Mom." I am launching the site before the little boy in my belly arrives in May.
8. What are three travel tips that you can offer to moms?
1) Bring a strong able bodied person with you or learn to pack lighter than me.
2) Always exercise your right to board the plane first. You will need the extra time to sanitize the surrounding seats and window with disinfectant wipes, fold up your stroller, and claim your overhead space.
3) Book a hotel room with lots of space and at least a fridge. While in Miami we decided to stay at a hotel that offered more space and a kitchen for the same price as the "kid friendly" Loews resort. The fridge helps with early rising kids that need breakfast before mama can shower and demand afternoon snacks after nap.
9. When you were a child, is this the life that you thought you would have?
I wanted to be an actress since I was a child. In college I grew away from the acting profession because I had a hard time faking it. The whole idea of faking emotions turned my head to a profession that was dedicated to finding truth in reality.
I never thought I would have kids because I was afraid of corrupting them. I always blamed my parents for my dysfunctional bits. As an adult I forgave my parents, but every man I dated never saw me as the marrying type. Of course, I am so glad none of them worked out. I wouldn't have met my husband if they had.
I have colleagues and friends that have the career I thought that I would, but I have a home which is much more than I ever imagined it would be.
10. What is next for you?
Birth. For some reason being responsible for a boy makes me nervous. I mean I could barely date them and now I have to raise one! What if he is crazy! It's my mama's curse!
To ease my mind I am working on a Diaper Derby Party (a cross between a baby shower and a Derby party) since I am missing it again this year. I love hats and Derby is the season to wear them so it will be hat themed. Then in the late summer I will head out again – maybe to Europe or Canada or plain ole Kentucky.
You can find my ramblings at http://SarahCLolley.blogspot.com or my paper published stories at http://www.post-gazette.com.
Isn't she lovely! Make sure that you check out Sarah's blog and column. Hopefully she will one day write a book!


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It appears that somebody at the United Kingdom's Daily Mail had a really bad night's sleep last night. And the first thing he saw when he woke up was the word "Google."
"Why is No.10 in thrall to this parasitic monster?" asks a Mail Online screed.
"No. 10," of course, refers to the Downing Street HQ of that country's Prime Minister, David Cameron. The "parasitic monster" in question comes from Mountain View, California, and is apparently in charge of the wholesale ransacking of British music, landmarks, and literature.
"Google has become a global predator ruthlessly gobbling up potential rivals such as YouTube and 'stealing' the creative work of writers, film makers and the music industry," the tirade warns.
"The monster," The Mail adds, "undermines investment in the very creative industries that have become such an important part of our national prosperity, and employ hundreds of thousands of people."
Just switch on the computer
Just look at what this ruthless brute has done to Britain's latest song sensation, the 21-year-old Adele (who, apparently unaware of her digital manhandling, has her own official page on YouTube).
One only has to switch on the computer, call up the Google search engine and type in the name of a star like Adele to understand why the digital channel is such a threat to the UK's performers, and for that matter our whole creative industry.
Nine out of the first ten websites which pop up on Google's search engine are run by pirates who have downloaded Adele's output and offer it online far more cheaply than official copyrighted sites and High Street retailers.
We googled Adele's name and got (1) her official site, (2) her official site again, (3) her MySpace page, (4) a bunch of news stories about her, (5) YouTube videos, (6) her Wikipedia page, (7) her concert listings, (8) reviews for an "Adele's Hair Design," (9) Adele (the singer) photos, and (10) her Facebook page.
But never mind these irrelevant details. The question is why the government is appeasing this global roué, poised "to throw away decades if not centuries of intellectual copyright while at the same time lobbying governments all over the world in a bid to drive a coach and horses through the laws."
Why isn't Cameron moving full steam ahead with the Digital Economy Act, "which seeks to protect the nation's intellectual property from thieves"?
Apparently, the PM is "cocooned in his Downing Street bubble with his Google cheerleaders," most notably strategy director Steve Hilton, who is married to Google's head of Communications, Rachel Whetstone.
It's all coming together now.
"Will the Government only be satisfied when every last independent book publisher and specialist music store has been closed, our recording industry hollowed out and investment in brilliant new artists—capable of taking on the world—has been eliminated," The Mail ruefully wonders. No doubt that that's exactly the plan.


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Philadelphia has a wide range of diverse neighborhoods that offer various types of rental properties. Single individuals and couples looking to save money on rent might want to consider the advantages that a studio apartment can offer. By using an online apartment guide, you can find a studio apartment with the features that matter most to you.
Finding a studio apartment that meets your unique needs is often difficult when you rely on print apartment listings in newspapers and brochures. These listings often lack the specific information that you need to focus on the rental properties that are truly right for you. You could waste a lot of time and money visiting apartments for rent that you turn down immediately because they don't match the listing's description.
With an online guide, though, you have access to more information that can help you decide whether you want to visit certain studio apartments in person. By narrowing your search to rental properties that fall within your price range, for instance, you can avoid those that are too expensive or cheap for your lifestyle. Many online guides also offer floor plans, ratings, reviews, and pictures. By looking over this information, you get a better sense of whether you would feel at home living in the studio apartments.
Once you have narrowed your search to a handful of properties in an online rental guide, you can decide which ones you want to visit in person. This is the best way to decide which one you want to rent. Since the guide helps you narrow your search to the best properties, though, you get to save time and money by concentrating on the studio apartments that will really make you feel at home when you walk in the door.


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- This event has passed.
Creative Writing Workshop on ZOOM! w/ ABBY WASSERMAN
December 3 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 10:00 am on Thursday, repeating until December 31, 2020
Freewriting elicits strong, beautiful, honest writing
through practice and sharing.
The Thursday workshop is going forward on Zoom. Contact Abby to be included: firstname.lastname@example.com
Reap the rewards of freewriting in a supportive atmosphere.
We will write from prompts Abby provides.
The facilitator is journalist, published author, and professional editor. She has led creative writing groups at O'Hanlon Center for 12 years.
6-session fee: $150, $120 OHCA members
Single session drop-in: $26
Visit Abby Wasserman's Website »


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Eurocentres Worldwide
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The energy drink market is huge, your have literally thousands of options when choosing the right type for you.
Herbalife have developed 3 types of Energy Drink that are all convenient, fast acting and taste great. Already some of the worlds leading athletes and teams like Barcelona, LA Galaxy, Inter Milan and many more are using the drinks to fuel and refuel, why, becuase they understand and appreciate the science behind Herbalife products that ensures our products are the best.
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NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was hospitalized Sunday for a blood clot stemming from a recent concussion, the State Department said in a statement.
State Department senior adviser Philippe Reines said Clinton was being treated with anti-coagulants at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, NBC News reported. She is to be monitored at the hospital for 48 hours, he said.
"Her doctors will continue to assess her condition, including other issues associated with her concussion," he said. "They will determine if any further action is required."
CNN reported Reines said the clot was found by doctors during a follow-up exam related to the concussion she suffered early this month, her spokesman said.
Clinton, 65, who is leaving the Obama administration this year, was injured when she fainted due to dehydration related to a stomach virus.


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• An 11-year-old girl in Hawaii found $1,000 hidden in a Richard Simmons tape while she was browsing through videos at a thrift store, which she immediately gave to the store manager. • A six-foot tall Lego man has washed ashore Brighton Beach in England. • South Korea's highest court upheld an adultery law on Thursday that can send people to jail for cheating on their spouses. • Disgusting duo: Convicted murderer Scott Peterson has been writing suspected murderer Casey Anthony while she's in jail. •• A woman in central Sweden was convicted of drunk driving on Thursday after she drove with one eyed close to counteract intoxicated double vision. • A woman born through artificial insemination is challenging a Canadian law that protects the identities of anonymous sperm and egg donors so she can determine the identity of her biological father. • The life expectancy gap between men and women in the UK has narrowed over the past 20 years. • Today, the Vatican suggested that candidates for the Catholic priesthood should undergo psychological tests to weed out possible gays and heterosexuals who would not be able to resist their sexual urges. • Some Egyptians were shocked when a middle-aged Egyptian couple were arrested for organizing a secret swingers club on the internet. • Doctors are now offering eyebrow transplants to the overplucked. • An 82-year-old man in Kentucky was arrested last week for trading OxyContin to two young women in exchange for sexual favors and trafficking a controlled substance. • Zero, the polar bear who has been trapped in a moat in the Milwaukee County Zoo since October 13, has finally been rescued. • A controversial anti-pornography bill has been passed by Indonesia's parliament. • A miffed pelican on an exotic bird farm in Germany tried to eat a dog that stole its meal. • An Etsy seller is selling two original paintings of Harold and Maude from the film Harold and Maude for $370. • A Texas Samaritan decided to buy a woman's house for her at a foreclosure auction on Saturday. •
More from Jezebel
You know, I could SWEAR Lacey and Connor's bodies were found washed ashore. Anyone back me up on that?


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The Arab version of the tragic fate of Arab refugees who fled from the Palestine Mandate before and during the 1948 war and from Israel immediately after the war, has so thoroughly dominated the thinking of even well-educated historians, commentators, journalists and politicians, that it is almost a given that the creation of the State of Israel caused the flight of almost a million hapless, helpless and hopeless Arab refugees. Israel caused the problem and thus Israel must solve the problem.
This assertion, although viscerally engaging and all but canonized by the anti-Israel propaganda which makes it the core of its narratives of the Middle East conflict, is unequivocally and totally false.
Origins of the Problem
The State of Israel was created in a peaceful and legal process by the United Nations. It was not created out of Palestinian lands. It was created out of the Ottoman Empire, ruled for four hundred years by the Turks who lost it when they were defeated in World War I. There were no "Palestinian" lands at the time because there were no people claiming to be Palestinians. There were Arabs who lived in the region of Palestine who considered themselves Syrians. It was only after World War I that the present states of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq were also created - and also created artificially out of the Turkish Empire by the British and French victors. Jordan was created on about 80 percent of the Palestine Mandate, which was originally designated by the League of Nations as part of the Jewish homeland. Since then, Jews have been prohibited from owning property there. Two-thirds of its citizens are Palestinian Arabs, but it is ruled by a Hashemite monarchy.
In 1947, the UN partition plan mandated the creation of two states on the remaining 20 percent of the Palestine Mandate: the State of Israel for the Jews, and another state for the Arabs. The Arabs rejected their state, and launched a war against Israel. This is the primal cause of the Arab refugee problem.
The Arab refugees were roughly 725,000 people who fled because of the war that the Arab states - not the Palestinian Arabs -- started.The Arab states - dictatorships all - did not want a non-Arab state in the Middle East. The rulers of eight Arab countries whose populations vastly outnumbered the Jewish settlers in the Turkish Empire, initiated the war with simultaneous invasions of the newly created state of Israel on three fronts. Nascent Israel begged for peace and offered friendship and cooperation to its neighbors. The Arab dictators rejected this offer and answered it with a war of annihilation against the Jews. The war failed. But the state of war has continued uninterruptedly because of the failure of the Arab states -Saudi Arabia and Iraq in particular - to sign a peace treaty with Israel. To this day, the Arab states and the Palestinians refer to the failure of their aggression and the survival of Israel as an-Nakba - the catastrophe.
Had there been no Arab aggression, no war, and no invasion by Arab armies whose intent was overtly genocidal, not only would there have been no Arab refugees, but there would have been a state of Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza since 1948.
In the war, Israel acquired additional land. In the absence of a peace treaty between belligerents, the law of nations allows the annexation of an aggressor's land after a conflict - although the land in question belonged to the Turks and then the World War I victors. Israel actually offered to return land it had acquired while defending itself against the Arab aggression in exchange for a formal peace. It made this offer during the Rhodes Armistice talks and Lausanne conference in 1949. The Arab rulers refused the land because they wanted to maintain a state of war in order to destroy the Jewish state. Had Israel's offer been accepted, there could have been prompt and just resolution to all the problems that have afflicted the region since. The only problem that wouldn't have been resolved to the satisfaction of the Arabs was their desire to obliterate the state of Israel.
After their victory, Israel passed a law that allowed Arab refugees to re-settle in Israel provided they would sign a form in which they renounced violence, swore allegiance to the state of Israel, and became peaceful productive citizens. During the decades of this law's tenure, more than 150,000 Arab refugees have taken advantage of it to resume productive lives in Israel. Jews do not have a similar option to become citizens of Arab states from which they are banned.
It was not Israel that caused the Arab refugee problem, nor Israel that obstructed its solution. On the contrary, the Arab refugee problem was the direct result of the aggression by the Arab states, and their refusal after failing to obliterate Israel to sign a formal peace, or to take care of the Arab refugees who remained outside Israel's borders.
The Jewish Refugees
There were other refugees from the Arab-Israeli conflict that everyone on the Arab side of the argument chooses conveniently to forget. Between 1949 and 1954, about 800,000 Jews were forced to flee from the Arab and Muslim lands where they had lived for hundreds and even thousands of years - from Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Iran, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and other Muslim countries. These Jews were peaceful citizens of their Arab countries and in no way a hostile population. Nonetheless, they were forced at gun-point to flee with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The only reason for their expulsion was revenge against the Jewish citizenry of Arab countries for the shame of the Arab defeat in their war of aggression.
Most of these Jewish refugees came to Israel, where they were integrated into normalcy by the tiny fledgling Jewish state. The Arab states (and later the PLO) refused to do this for the Arab refugees because they preferred to keep them an aggrieved constituency for their war against Israel.
Some observers have suggested that the dual refugee situation should be understood as a "population exchange" -- Arabs fled to Arab countries as Jews fled to the Jewish country, both as a result of the 1948 war, both under conditions which their side regards as forced evacuations. On the other hand, no one on the Arab side has suggested the obvious: if Jewish refugees were resettled on land vacated by fleeing Arabs, why not resettle Arab refugees on the lands of Jews who were forced to flee the Arab countries. One reason no one has suggested this is that no Arab state with the exception of Jordan will even allow Arab refugees to become citizens.
Taking into account the Jewish refugees' assets that were confiscated when they fled from Arab and Muslim lands, one can conclude that the Jews have already paid massive "reparations" to the Arabs whether warranted or not. The property and belongings of the Jewish refugees, confiscated by the Arab governments, has been conservatively estimated at about $2.5 billion in 1948 dollars. Invest that money at a modest 6.5% over 57 years and you have today a sum of $80 billion, which the Arab and Muslim governments of the lands from which the Jews were expelled could apply to the benefit of the Arab refugees. That sum is quite sufficient for reparations to Arab refugees. There is no way of accurately assessing the value of Arab property left in Israel's control; but there are no estimates as high as a 1948 value of $2,500,000,000. So, hypothetically, the Arab side has already gotten the better end of the deal.
During the many wars of the 20th century, tens of millions of refugees were created in Europe and Asia. In 1922, 1.8 million people were relocated to resolve the Turkey-Greece war. Following World War II, some 3,000,000 Germans were forced from countries of Eastern Europe and resettled in Germany. When the Indian sub-continent was divided, over 12 million people were transferred between India and Pakistan.
All such refugee issues have been resolved, except the roughly 725,000 Arabs who fled Israel during the 1948 war and whom the Arab states and the Palestinian Authority have kept in refugee camps.
The Arab Refugee Problem
Another irony must be considered in the context of the refugee issue. Israel handled its Jewish refugee problem by devoting massive resources to the education and integration of the Jewish refugee population into its society. These refugees never became a burden on the world, never needed the assistance of the United Nations, and never had their civil and human rights denied by their new host country. Instead, despite great hardship, early discrimination, difficult adjustments and initial privations, they and their offspring have become productive citizens of the Middle East's only democracy, and substantive contributors to one of the most technologically and socially advanced countries in the world.
The fate of the Arab refugees has been the diametric opposite of this obvious positive solution to their problem. Arab leadership has purposely kept their Palestinian brethren in refugee slums, at times approaching the status of concentration camps, with their misery perpetuated by Machiavellian rulers to be used as a propaganda weapon against Israel and against the West.
The Palestinian refugees in Gaza were forced there in 1948 not by Israel but by the Egyptians, kept there under guard, shot if they tried to leave, and never given Egyptian citizenship or Egyptian passports. (These facts are recorded by Yasir Arafat himself in his authorized biography by Alan Hart, Arafat: Terrorist or Peace Maker? 1982). Refugees in Lebanon were kept under similar but less draconian repression. They were barred by law from almost 70 professions, not granted citizenship, and not allowed to travel. Only in Jordan were the refugees granted citizenship.
Senior Fatah Central Committee member Sakher Habash succinctly explained the reason for the calculated refusal of the Arab rulers including the Palestinian rulers to help the Palestinian refugees to return to normal lives. During a 1998 lecture at Shechem's An-Najah University, Habash said: "To us, the refugee issue is the winning card which means the end of the Israeli state."
In other words, war, terrorism, diplomatic isolation of Israel, world-wide PR campaigns to demonize Israel all may fail (and most have, so far); but as long as this last trump card is still alive, hope for the destruction of Israel still pulses in the hearts of Arab revanchists.
Palestinians who fled Israel in 1948 and are still alive have no legal right to return to Israel, because the Arab leadership representing them (Arab nations until 1993, and since then the Palestinian Authority) are still, de jure and de facto, at war with Israel; and these refugees, therefore, are still potential hostiles. International law does not require a country at war to commit suicide by allowing the entry of hundreds of thousands of a potentially hostile population. In the context of a peace treaty, in 1949, the Arab refugees could have taken advantage of Israel's offer; but their leadership refused.
Of course the present Palestinian claim of a "Right of Return" is accompanied by the claim that there are not 725,000 refugees (minus those who have died in the interim) but 5 million. This number serves many political agendas but from the point of view of international law generations born into a refugee population that has been resettled and living in exile do not have the legal status of refugees. That means that legal refugee status today applies only to those few surviving Arabs who fled in 1948, among whom most are advanced in age.
A Summary of The Salient Facts
The protracted Arab refugee crisis is an artificial crisis maintained for 57 years by Arab rulers in order to exploit their own people's suffering -- to create a "poster child" for Palestinian victim-hood; a staging ground for anti-Israel propaganda; a training center for Arab terrorists; and a trump card for the anti-Israel jihad (per Sakher Habash) when all else (war, terrorism, international diplomacy) fails.
"Haq el-Auda," the "law of return," for Palestinian Arabs to their own homes and farms and orchards that have been part of Israel for the past 57 years is a sham.
Sixty years ago there were nearly a million Jews in the Arab states of the Middle East: honest hard-working citizenry contributing to the culture and economy of their countries of domicile. Today, there are almost no Jews in the Arab countries of the Middle East, and racist apartheid laws prohibit even Jewish tourists from entering some Arab countries.
In Israel, on the other hand, the Arabs who did not flee numbered about 170,000 in 1949; and now number more than 1,400,000. They have 12 representatives in the Israeli Parliament, judges sitting on the Israeli courts and on the Israeli Supreme Court benches, and Ph.D's and tenured professors teaching in Israeli colleges and universities. They are a population that enjoys more freedom, education, and economic opportunity than do any comparable Arab populations anywhere in the Arab world.
The Arab rulers caused the Arab refugee problem in 1948 by their war of aggression against the infant state of Israel, a legal creation of the United Nations; the Arab rulers have since maintained the Arab refugee population and denied it any possibility of normal life in Arab countries in order to use the suffering they themselves have caused, as a weapon in their unending war against Israel.
During all these decades the refugee camps and their Arab exploiters have been funded by billions of dollars from the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and others.
Excerpted from "Big Lies: Demolishing the Myths of the Propaganda War Against Israel". For complete version, go to www.frontpagemag.com/media/pdf/BigLies.pdf


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Delcarmen eyeing return to Majors with Nats
VIERA, Fla. -- The Nationals were willing to sign Manny Delcarmen to a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training because of how he performed for the Licey Tigers of the Dominican Winter League.
Delcarmen had a feeling that if he went to the Domican Republic, teams would take notice of his talent on the mound. In 14 1/3 innings, Delcarmen struck out 18 batters and had an ERA under 2.00. He also proved that he is healthy, and his fastball was clocked in the mid-90s. In recent years, Delcarmen had dealt with elbow problems.
"I threw well. A lot of teams approached me and called my agent," Delcarmen said. "[The Nationals] were one of the teams that called me and kept persisting on wanting me to sign with them."
Delcarmen, 32, will try to make the team as a reliever. Last season, he was in the Orioles' organization, going 3-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 48 games for Triple-A Norfolk. The last time he pitched in a big league game was in 2010 for the Rockies.
Delcarmen is best remembered for his years with the Red Sox from 2005-10. His best season for Boston came in 2007, when he had a 2.05 ERA and helped the team win the World Series title. Delcarmen is hoping for a repeat performance with the Nationals.
"It's every kid's dream is to make it to the Majors, hopefully get that ring. I did it in Boston," Delcarmen said. "The Nationals are so close, it would be awesome to be part of that this year. You can see the hard work the guys are putting in right now. This is my first year here, and you can see the atmosphere is great. Hopefully, everybody gives it their best. The one thing is to shoot for a World Series. Hopefully, I will be part of that."


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Votre titre Audible gratuit
The Master Switch
- The Rise and Fall of Information Empires
- Lu par : Marc Vietor
- Durée : 14 h et 11 min
- Catégories : Sciences sociales et politiques, Sciences sociales
A secret history of the industrial wars behind the rise and fall of the 20th century's great information empires - Hollywood, the broadcast networks, and AT&T - asking one big question: Could history repeat itself, with one giant entity taking control of American information?
Most consider the Internet Age to be a moment of unprecedented freedom in communications and culture. But as Tim Wu shows, each major new medium, from telephone to cable, arrived on a similar wave of idealistic optimism only to become, eventually, the object of industrial consolidation profoundly affecting how Americans communicate. Every once-free and open technology was in time centralized and closed, a huge corporate power taking control of the master switch. Today, as a similar struggle looms over the Internet, increasingly the pipeline of all other media, the stakes have never been higher. To be decided: who gets heard, and what kind of country we live in. Part industrial exposé, part meditation on the nature of freedom of expression, part battle cry to save the Internet's best features, The Master Switch brings to light a crucial drama rife with indelible characters and stories, heretofore played out over decades in the shadows of our national life.
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Ce que les auditeurs disent de The Master Switch
- Roy
- 12/11/2010
Great Read
Tim Wu, a scholar of technology, innovation and cyberspace has produced a very informative book which is timely in many ways. He relates in detail how communication technology has been guided by the profit motive and political actions during the last century and the current era. I have heard some of these stories before, but not in this context. If you are interested in or concerned about the direction that electronic media is taking in the US, this is the book for you. It is not light reading, but well worth the time spent. I found the first few chapters a little tedious largely because they were not covering what I was I thought were my interests. After a while, however, I realized what Wu was saying and by the last third of the book he had "my earlobes in his hands." I would, however, recommend that you listen to the Audible recording of Wu's earlier book, "Who Controls the Internet?", first for background. This book will fill in the details and more. Well written and accessible. Marc Vietor's narration is excellent.
31 personnes ont trouvé cela utile
- Neil
- 24/10/2011
Very interesting history, biased conclusions
I've never heard of Tim Wu before reading this, but he really knows his stuff as far as media/technology history goes. The best parts of this book were examining this history of prior "cutting edge" media (Telephony, Radio, Television) through the eyes of what we'd now call the "Open Source" vs. "Closed System" dynamic. Fascinating and informative. I found I couldn't put it down.
HOWEVER -- the last hour turns into a very biased analysis of what's going on today.
I take his larger point -- that the Internet's open-ended structure which we tend to think of as permanent is not, in fact, unassailable. I think it's a well-supported point and he makes some interesting conjectures as to how that structure could change.
But I feel he makes a serious error in his analysis.
Specifically, he reduces "fate of the communications future" to a simple dynamic: Apple vs Google, with his preference clearly falling on Team Google. I think this a fairly short-sighted, narrow interpretation. Unlike the Bell of RCA companies of yesteryear, *neither* company owns anything that could not be replaced through a process of consumer demand. (Neither owns the "wires") Apple is not the "too big to fail" monopoly that Bell was -- it just plays nicely with the companies that are. So while these two companies clearly have different ideologies vis-a-vis the internet, BOTH could be undone by a vertically integrated powerhouse!
Further, as another reviewer points out, it assumes an American dominance of the communications future. And, like it or not, the Internet has wrested that ability from any one nation. Let's assume that "Comcast-NBC-Verizon-Apple-Intel-Universal" (Hypothetical Conglomerate) were to make the internet "controlled" in the USA. This would be such an economic disadvantage the the US, that new pioneer firms would pop up in more free information markets. This will always serve as a disincentive towards central control.
My griping aside -- I can heartily recommend this book. Take some of the analyses with a grain of salt and make up your own mind -- but don't skip this book simply because it draws some dodgy conclusions. You'll learn a lot and it will make you think.
29 personnes ont trouvé cela utile
- RickyF
- 06/02/2011
One of the best books of 2010
Wu does a masterful job of documenting the tyrants of communications and how they manipulate the political and legal system to stifle competition and twist the marketplace to their benefit at the expense of the rest of us. The stories are fascinating and the lessons instructive. Highly recommended.
7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile
- Steve
- 03/10/2011
Must listen for anyone in technology or media
Where does The Master Switch rank among all the audiobooks you've listened to so far?
Master Switch is a modern history book about the rise and fall of information and the technology (and people) that facilitated it. As a technologist I find it to be a required listen for anyone interested in technology and media with the hope that there are many lessons to learn.
What did you like best about this story?
How Tim Wu takes the listener on a tour of the history of information technology and the communication empires that it spawned such as telephone, radio, television and now those that evolved from the internet and mobile spaces.
Which character – as performed by Marc Vietor – was your favorite?
The depiction of Edison and David Sarnoff were quite interesting. However, it wasn't specifically due to Marc's narration.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
The book is too dense to listen in one sitting. I found that I would listen to passages and then reflect on them later. There were a few chapters that I listened to more than once.
5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile
- Abhishek
- 11/12/2010
amazing story of technology
I have been a technology lover for last twenty years but could never see the cycle of development{business cycle }
In another great book from Tim Wu after Who controls Internet , takes on a ride of technology as if we had gone back in time with main actors of story.
It has been a interesting read as I have completed part 1 in one go.
Great work Tim Wu, we need more like you
5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile
- Tim
- 28/01/2011
Geek Read
I needed a good tech read and this title what my interest called for. Tim Wu went beyond at doing his homework for this book. The Master Switch needs to be an requirement for any communication class. The book force us to look on an open network. Great read!!! I was hook.
13 personnes ont trouvé cela utile
- Walter
- 11/04/2011
The Impending Closure of the Internet
This book makes an historical argument that the natural evolution for information industries is a succession of generations, where each generation starts with an open disruptive innovation that at some point transitions to a closed monopoly (or duopoly). The book then expands on this model, by showing a few common, but less natural (i.e., forced) variations on this pattern. The first variation is where the established monopoly destroys the new industry in it infancy (usually involving some criminal thuggery and a good deal of predatory pricing and/or price fixing), thus co-opting the disruption. A less common variation is where the government steps in to breakup or limit the anti-social behaivor of a monopoly.
The book then argues that the Internet is historically unique among information industries, because it has created horizontal monopolies (like Google) instead of the traditional vertical monopolies (like ATT or NBC at their peeks). The result is a much more openness for the same level of industry maturity, which is mostly good for society. The author seems deeply ambivalent about rather this is a stable situation. It presents a rather strong set of arguments for the idea that sometime in the next 10 year (approximately) the Internet will probably transformed from the ???Wild West??? into a closed monopoly much more like TV in the ???70s. But in the end the author is unsure that the Internet is not somehow fundamentally different, so he argues that, while this possibility should be taken far more seriously than most do, the actually outcome is approximately unknowable.
Nevertheless, he embraces the idea that society should want the internet to remain open and should be willing to make changes to ensure that this happens.
Thinking about the internet in the context of the long history of abusive monopolistic practices in U.S. information industries is a surprisingly useful. This is one of the better books I???ve read this year.
8 personnes ont trouvé cela utile
- Praetor
- 09/01/2012
Comprehensive history of the communications market
This book presents a comprehensive history and analysis of the modern US communications market, from the invention of the telephone, to the internet today. Over and over a monopoly is born, new technology rises and attempts to overthrow it, but often fails, but the monopoly eventually collapses, letting the new kids take over. The role of government in sustaining these monopolies and quashing competition is particularly illuminating, especially considering the free-market ethos so central to US thinking. It's all very interesting, and I feel I learned a lot from it.
Two caveats, though: the narration is merely adequate, and sometimes feels wooden and forced. It didn't seriously bother me, but a better performance would have helped. Second, and this is important to remember, Wu discuss the US market, almost to the exclusion of the rest of the world. When foreign lands do appear, it's usually only because they relate directly to the US market at that point (like a source of imported films in the early 20th century). That's not too bad, as the US was definitely the source of developments in the communications market, but just be aware of this limitation.
All in all, I enjoyed it, and can recommend it if you want to learn more about this field.
3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile
- Paul
- 28/01/2011
Really dug this. Really makes you scared about cult companies like Apple. Read this if you're at all interested in technology, entertainment, communications, or just the future.
3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile
- Zooomer
- 20/11/2010
Interesting and informative
Wu's book ties together the stories of the evolution of various information technologies into mass media conglomerates and empires in America over the past 150 years. Just as interesting as the parallel paths of consolidation into monopolies is the impact of the various larger-than-life moguls who built these empires. From Theodore Vail and Adolf Zucker to Steve Jobs these men recognized the opportunities of their lifetimes and seized them by the throat. It is instructive to consider this recurring history when anticipating the likely future of the internet. Will the Googles dominate or will it be a new era of Net neutrality? It may be too early to say, but this book makes you aware of the likely scenario that history implies. A good read.
7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile
- 29/05/2015
Makes you think - really worth the time
A really enlightening analysis of monopolistic behavior in the media. Well written. Several nice anecdotes. Good technical economic/media history book. No easy subject matter. Will have to re-listen to absorb all the content.


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The Best Drinks We Drank in August
Best of Drinks
The best stuff we've sipped lately.
What did the SE Drinks team drink this August? All kinds of delicious stuff—tequila cocktails, mezcal cocktails, bourbon cocktails, and some wacky moonshine from Costa Rica. There was a killer roadtrip milkshake and a lifesaving cucumber-aloe-slush made with coconut water. Check out our favorite sips of the month in the slideshow and tell us: what was the best thing you drank this past month?
So many drinks, so little time. Keep up with us on Twitter and Facebook, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.


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Cardi Bs teeth were always on her mind prior to she obtained them repaired. On episode 2 of Love and Hip Hop New york citys seventh period the skilled rap artist displays her all new smile. Cardi Bs manufacturer, Swift Celebrity, is loving her brand-new smile. Swift has a sweetheart in London but hes incapable to control his attraction to Cardi.
Cardi Bs decision to repair Cardi B teeth now is repaying quick. The rap artist recently landed a duty on the BET struck series Being Mary Jane. The series stars Gabrielle Union, who lately sued BET for violation of agreement. The actress claims that she signed a contract with the network for 13 shows. Her complaint explains that WAGER is trying to cram two 10 episode period of the series right into a single season.
Dental Practitioner Dr. Catrise Austin Cardi B teeth now?
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What do you think about Cardi B teeth now? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.


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After NCIS creator Donald Bellisario revealed he has a serious brain condition, CBS now reportedly hopes to use his medical records against him during an upcoming trial, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In August 2011, Bellisario filed a lawsuit against CBS, seeking unspecified damages for not profiting from the creation of NCIS: LA. Bellisario claims he was not given the first opportunity to develop and participate in the NCIS spin-off, and thus has not profited from it.
NCIS creator suing CBS over NCIS: LA
The case is scheduled to go to trial on Jan. 14, but CBS has reportedly asked for a trial continuance in order to subpoena Bellisario's medical records and depose his physicians. The network allegedly seeks to prove Bellisario would not have been medically capable to be the showrunner of the NCIS: LA.
Bellisario, 77, suffers from hydrocephalus, otherwise known as "water on the brain," which causes memory loss, disorientation and lack of coordination.
In legal documents, CBS asks: "How long has Bellisario been suffering from this severe brain condition or other severe medical conditions? Are those conditions debilitating? When would they have become debilitating? Would this severe brain condition have prevented Bellisario from adequately performing his duties and responsibilities as showrunner, executive producer and writer of NCIS: Los Angeles? And when would that have occurred?"
Losties? Trekkies? Which TV show has the best fans? Vote now!
CBS, however, denies these allegations. "Mr. Bellisario's medical condition was raised for the first time in his own lawyers' public filings, not by CBS," a spokesman for the network tells TVGuide.com. " We have never attempted to advance our position based on Mr. Bellisario's health, and any suggestion to the contrary is both regrettable and baseless."
Bellisario was let go from NCIS in 2007. Shane Brennan took up the reins on the series and created the NCIS: LA series. NCIS is a spin-off of JAG, which was also created by Bellisario.


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Speculation and background
Let $\mathcal{C}:=CRing^{op}_{Zariski}$, the affine Zariski site. Consider the category of sheaves, $Sh(\mathcal{C})$.
According to nLab, schemes are those sheaves that "have a cover by Zariski-open immersions of affine schemes in the category of presheaves over Aff."
In SGA 4.1.ii.5 Grothendieck defines a further topology on $Sh(\mathcal{C})$ using a "familles couvrantes", which are families of morphisms $\{U_i \to X\}$ such that the induced map $\coprod U_i \to X$ is an epimorphism. Further, he gives another definition. A family of morphisms $\{U_i \to X\}$ is called "bicouvrante" if it is a "famille couvrante" and the map $\coprod U_i \to \coprod U_i \times_X \coprod U_i$ is an epimorphism. [Note: This is given for a general category of sheaves on a site, not sheaves on our affine Zariski site.]
Speculation: I assume that the nLab definition means that we have a (bi)covering family of open immersions of representables, but as it stands, we do not have a sufficiently good definition of an open immersion, or equivalently, open subfunctor.
It seems like the notion of a bicovering family is very important, because this is precisely the condition we require on algebraic spaces (if we replace our covering morphisms with etale surjective morphisms in a smart way and require that our cover be comprised of representables).
What does "open immersion" mean precisely in categorical langauge? How do we define a scheme precisely in our language of sheaves and grothendieck topologies? Preferably, this answer should not depend on our base site. The notion of an open immersion should be a notion that we have in any category of sheaves on any site.
Eisenbud and Harris fail to answer this question for the following reason: they rely on classical scheme theory for their definition of an open subfunctor (same thing as an open immersion). If we wish to construct our theory of schemes with no logical prerequisites, this is circular.
Once we have this definition, do we require our covering family of open immersions to be a "covering family" or a "bicovering family"?
Further, how can we exhibit, in precise functor of points language, the definition of an algebraic space?
This last question should be a natural consequence of the previous questions provided they are answered in sufficient generality.


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You are here: Home ‹ Board index ‹ Movie Discussion ‹ All Other/Older Movies ‹ (2004) Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Jim wants to scare little children
Discuss this movie. Available on DVD and Blu-ray.
RE: Jim under the bed.
Two words.....Pillow fight!
yours sincerly, Countess Olafina equalor
RE: Under the bed.
i would also like to see Simon Cowell in my closet.
yours sincerly, Countess Olafina equalor
you've gotta be joking...........he's an exploitative twat...........sure he's good at his job but he takes young kids...........sells them the dream...........makes as much cash out of them as possible, then 19 management and Cowel drop them just as fast...........leaving shatterred dreams behind..................................
It's a hard enough world in the entertainment industry.......he screws them for all they're worth.............i'm not sure he's as nice as you think.................
How do you know Fluffy, you sound like you know from..
Should twat have been Twit?
RE: I'm not joking.
i ain't joking bub. in fact i'm making my own fantasy film in which i play him- Simon king of the trolls, who is a Jareth-esque character. my friends Ossian and David are going to be in it too-they're going to be playing two brothers- a naughty one and a sensible one.
yours sincerly, Countess Olafina equalor
RE: Simon.
Simon Cowell is HOT! not as hot as Johnny Depp that is. But i still love Jim. Jim is pretty good looking too, i don't know why he and Renee Zwelleger broke up.
yours sincerly, Countess Olafina equalor
RE: Simon.
there are quite a few you know. I know which Lemony Snicket character Simon would love to be.....Sir.
yours sincerly, Countess Olafina equalor
Sorry to interupt the... arguments or whatever you shall call it... but,
That's crazy, I too have a gray cat that is tailess
Anyway, carry on!
What makes you weak is what makes me stronger.
how cool.....................like twins separated at birth..........lol.......
i have a grey cat too............a British Blue...........very fat, very cuddly, she likes to 'talk' and she's very, very lovable...........
but she had such a horrible start to life B4 i got her...........so i'm making up for it with lots of love.......( not THAT kind of love though...lol)
Re: RE: Simon.
Are you calling me a sir? I am a girl.
Cool! Is it a long haired manx or a short haired one? Mine is long haired.
RE: Sir.
not you, Simon Cowell...if he were in Lemony Snicket he would be either Sir or Albert Poe/Edgar Poe. What would you say if you found Donald Trump in your closet then?
yours sincerly, Countess Olafina equalor
Well Donald Trump is like the richest man on earth so if I saw him under my bed I wouldn't scream. I would tell him he could stay under there all he wants but he would have to pay rent which would be 1m a night.
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Palestinian citizens of Israel work to refurbish the destroyed Christian village of Iqrit in the northern Galilee. 8 April 2014. Photo Credit - Dylan Collins.
Approximately 450,000 Palestinian students in Israel skipped their daily journey to school yesterday, after Arab schools across the country called for a solidarity strike in support of struggling church affiliated schools.
Israel's 47 Catholic schools have been on strike since the beginning of the school year last weekend in protest of government budget cuts that allot them a third of the sum allocated to Jewish ones.
Thousands, including leaders of the Catholic Church in Israel, demonstrated on Sunday outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Jerusalem office to demand additional state funding for church schools, where some 30,000 students learn, 40 percent of whom are Muslim. Christian and Muslim parents and students, as well as Knesset members and Arab mayors from across the country, were in attendance as well.
Church affiliated schools throughout Israel fall into the category of "recognized but unofficial," meaning that although they are not part of the state school system, they are government accredited and, up until two years ago, received 75 percent of funding given to regular state schools, with families asked to pay the remained in tuition fees. Two years ago, however, the state cut the sum given to church affiliated schools by another 34 percent.
Despite the ongoing protests by the church schools, there has reportedly been no progress in negotiations with the Education Ministry, head of the forum for Christian schools in Israel Father Abdel Messih told Ha'aretz on Monday.
Messih argued that the ministry's proposal that the schools join the state system is unacceptable because it means, "expropriating the schools and their cultural and educational history and heritage, some of which goes back hundreds of years."
MK Ayman Odeh, the chairman of the Joint Arab List, made clear to point out that "almost a third of Arab university gradutes and an absolute majority of Arab high-tech workers are graduates of the very schools that the government is now trying to paralyze. It's impossible to talk about development and equal opportunity on one hand, but on the other hand harm the very schools that are succeeding in breaking the glass ceiling."
MK Masud Ganaim, the representative of the Islamic Movement within the Joint Arab List, argued that the catholic schools are "among the best in Arab society, and therefore their struggle is our struggle."
Nazareth Mayor Ali Salem went even further in his statement. "This isn't the schools' private problem, but an issue for all of Arab society," he said. Other Palestinian mayors and school parents' committees throughout Israel echoed Salem's message, stressing that both Christians and Muslims study at the church affiliated schools.
The message of demonstration organizers and Palestinian MK's alike are clear: funding the church affiliated schools is a gain for Israel, not a loss.
According to the Catholic schools, the Israeli Education Ministry has been cutting funding to them for past six years, with a significant drop in the last two, while simultaneously placing caps on the tuitions they're permitted to charge students.
Moreover, the Catholic schools argue they are being discriminated against when compared to the two main ultra-Orthodox school systems. The Hinuch Atzmai school system, affiliated with the United Torah Judaism party, and the Ma'ayan Hahinuch Hatorani school system, affiliated with the Shas party, are similarly not part of the state system—they often refuse to teach basic curriculum subjects like English and math—however, they receive 100 percent of the funding provided to regular state schools.
The church run schools are demanding state funding of 200 milion shekels (nearly $45 Million) so that they can do away with the tuition charge all together. Up until now, however, the Education Ministry has only offered 20 million shekels.
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*** Throwing the kitchen sink: In boxing, you know one fighter is trailing in points when, in the final rounds, he throws everything he can to land a knockout blow against his opponent. The same is largely true in presidential politics. And so yesterday while campaigning in Ohio, we saw Mitt Romney and his team try to throw the kitchen sink at President Obama. Yes, he did touch on the economy. ("I was surprised in the president's speech at the Democrat convention he didn't mention unemployment. He didn't mention 47 million people on food stamps.") But what was striking was his focus on issues other than the economy -- such as trying to make hay out of last week's Democratic platform snafu, although he dropped his coins/currency line. ("If I become president of the United States, I will not take God out of my heart, I will not take God out of the public square, and I will not take it out of the platform of my party.") What's more, his campaign seized on the teacher strike in Chicago. ("President Obama has chosen his side in this fight, sending his vice president last year to assure the nation's largest teachers union that 'you should have no doubt about my affection for you and the president's commitment to you,'" he said in a statement.) And the campaign used the Woodward book to argue that Obama can't lead.
*** Romney camp: "Every day and everywhere we go, we talk the economy": The Romney campaign contends that its main argument is still the economy, pointing to its new round of economic-focused TV ads. "Every day and everywhere we go, we talk the economy," a Romney official tells First Read. In addition, the campaign explains that Team Obama talks a lot about other issues, too (like abortion, Planned Parenthood, national security). But when you're behind after the conventions -- as both Gallup and CNN polls find -- the emphasis on other issues (God, the Chicago strike, Woodward) seems to come from a position of weakness rather than strength.
*** New WaPo/ABC poll shows the race essentially tied: That's why the new Washington Post/ABC poll couldn't have come at a better time for the Romney campaign, because it counters the emerging C.W. that Obama is beginning to pull away after the conventions. "The survey shows that the race remains close among likely voters, with Obama at 49 percent and Romney at 48 percent, virtually unchanged from a poll taken just before the conventions," the Washington Post writes. "But among a wider sample of all registered voters, Obama holds an apparent edge, topping Romney at 50 percent to 44 percent, and has clear advantages on important issues in the campaign when compared with his rival."
*** Is it enough to stop the conservative handwringing? The Washington Post/ABC poll also couldn't have come soon enough because it might help stop -- for now -- some of the handwringing we're seeing from prominent conservatives. John Podhoretz writes that the Romney camp is "too intent on winning over the small batch of uncommitted and independent voters by saying absolutely nothing that might possibly offend them. The problem with that strategy is a) it means he doesn't say much, and b) it does nothing to stimulate the enthusiasm of those already in his corner." Byron York adds, "Republican nervousness is spreading and threatens to turn into a stampede. For months, GOP strategists have told themselves that no president since World War II has been re-elected with an unemployment rate above 7.2 percent. But some are beginning to wonder: What if Obama can do it?" And here was Laura Ingraham yesterday: "If you can't beat Barack Obama with this record, then shut down the party. Shut it down. Start new, with new people."
*** Cook piles on: But it's not just conservatives. Check out today's column from political analyst Charlie Cook. "It is becoming clear that if President Obama is reelected, it will be despite the economy and because of his campaign; if Mitt Romney wins, it will be because of the economy and despite his campaign." More Cook: "The Romney campaign made the extraordinary decision to not try seriously to connect their candidate with voters on a personal level until their convention. As dubious as that decision was, they were rewarded by having a convention shortened by a day due to a hurricane, then compounded the error of waiting until the convention by putting much of what was most needed to be seen in the 8 and 9 p.m. hours, when the only viewers would be C-SPAN fans. Wow! The biographical film and the testimonials of people whose lives had been touched by Romney were powerful, necessary, and largely unseen."
*** Remembering 9/11: President Obama (with the first lady) holds a moment of silence at the White House at 8:46 am ET, and then (with Defense Secretary Panetta) delivers remarks at the Pentagon at 9:30 am ET. Later in the day, the president heads to Walter Reed Hospital to visit with wounded soldiers… Vice President Biden is in Shanksville, PA… And Mitt Romney, in Reno, NV, addresses the National Guard Association at 2:15 pm ET. Romney already released this statement: "Today we again extend our most profound gratitude to our brave troops who have gone into battle, some never to return, so that we may live in peace. On this most somber day, those who would attack us should know that we are united, one nation under God, in our determination to stop them and to stand tall for peace and freedom at home and across the world."
*** And remembering 9/15, too: While we're focused on today's remembrance, don't lose sight of another anniversary this week -- the Sept. 15, 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers. It's worth noting that the retrospectives we might see of that anniversary could further the narrative that the Obama campaign and Democrats want to tell: that the country is better off from four years ago beginning on Sept. 15, 2008. It's also an opportunity for third-party validators to talk about the deep hole the country was in from 2008 to early 2009. Now conservatives and critics might use the anniversary to examine TARP's effectiveness and to make the case that Wall Street is better off than Main Street. But overall, 9/15 advances the narrative of the U.S. economy's dire shape four years ago.
*** Clinton stumps in Florida: While the presidential candidates are taking a day off from the actual campaign trail, Bill Clinton is hitting the stump for President Obama. Fresh off his well-received convention speech -- a Pew poll finds that a plurality thought it was the highlight of entire Dem convention -- Clinton visits Miami at 4:30 pm ET. And tomorrow, he campaigns in Orlando. Given these appearances in the Sunshine State, don't be surprised if the former president reprises his Medicare arguments from last week. And take it from a pretty source that Clinton's campaign activity will occur in these four states (all with older whites or working-class whites): Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Ohio.
*** Comparing the '12 convention ratings with '08 and '04: And speaking of the conventions, here's a look at the Nielsen ratings. The 36 million and 30 million who tuned in, respectively, for Obama's and Romney's acceptance speeches is down from four years ago (Obama got 38 million in 2008 and McCain got 39 million). But they are both up from 2004, which might be the more comparable election (Bush got 28 million and Kerry 24 million).
Kerry in '04: 24 million
Obama in '08: 38 million
Obama in '12: 36 million
Bush in '04: 28 million
McCain in '08: 39 million
Romney in '12: 30 million
Countdown to 1st presidential debate: 22 days
Countdown to VP debate: 30 days
Countdown to 2nd presidential debate: 35 days
Countdown to 3rd presidential debate: 41 days
Countdown to Election Day: 56 days


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When you go on holiday as an archaeologist, you end up finding and visiting the archaeology around your holiday destination or, as I did, you build your entire holiday around going to see archaeological sites. I have watched Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams, I have read Mordicai Gerstein's The First Drawing and I have trawled through the images on the Bradshaw Foundation. When the Caverne du Pont d'Arc was opened earlier this year, a replica of the famous 'Chauvet' Cave in the Ardèche region of France, I knew that I'd be dragging my family there this year and that's where I found myself on the Day of Archaeology 2015.
The original cavern was only found in 1994 by cavers, among them Jean-Marie Chauvet who the cave is often named after. Due to the damaging affects of tourists visiting caves found in earlier decades, such as Lascaux in the Dordogne region of France, the decision was made very early on to create a replica of the cave for visitors. It was a huge project that cost over 55 million euros and I was excited and nervous, hoping that it would be well spent and worried that it would be a damp squib.
I needn't have worried. The replica is incredibly impressive, from the outside as well as in. The architecture of the exterior of the replica is monumental and reflects the angular formations of the cavern walls. It has been built on a hilltop a couple of miles from the original down in the valley of the Ardèche, and commands a breathtaking view of the mountains of the Cévennes. As far as I could tell, the entire cave system is recreated, instead of just a section of it, as at other cave replicas.
The cave was worked on some 36,000 years ago and has the earliest known cave art in Europe. (In contrast, Lascaux was painted about 17,000 years ago. As much time passed between Chauvet and Lascaux as between Lascaux and today!) It has cave paintings in both red ochre and charcoal, as well as cave engravings. It has paintings of bears, lions, horses, giant deer, woolly mammoths and woolly rhinos. The artists have observed these animals closely and for many years. It has an engraving of an owl with its head turned all the way round. The images are, for the most part, executed with great skill. They appear to move as some animals are given more than one set of legs that would have flickered back and forth in the torchlight. The earlier part of the cave is generally done in red ochre, while the later paintings are all mostly black.
The cave was also occupied by bears around the same time, who have left their marks all over, in the hollowed out hibernation nests they made for the winter, the rubbing along the walls where they passed and the claw marks on the walls to mark their territory. They died in there, too, and the people who came to paint the walls also moved the bones. Some long bones seem to have been shoved into the earth on end to act as markers, and several skulls were arranged on a bed of ochre around a natural pillar of rock on which another skull was sat.
By the final gallery I was nearly in tears with the beauty and power of the place. All throughout I had been translating the guide to my five year old daughter and getting her to find certain animals and look at the expression of the sad lion. I had abandoned my English language audioguide, which didn't have the detail I wanted, which the live action tour guide did, which I managed to mostly follow in French. I was particularly pleased to point out the child's negative handprint (created by spitting paint on the back of the hand pressed on the cave wall) and footprint on the soft earth floor, and the cruder paintings that have been speculatively suggested to be the work of children. I even explained to her the image of the woman's legs and vulva in the final gallery, as some teenage boys giggled to themselves, but this is the deepest part of the cave, the most magical. Women, then, are apparent in the cave both here and at the start where women's handprints probably accompany men's.
In the museum accompanying the cave, however, women are almost completely absent. I felt completely let down by this, which is totally in contrast to the evidence in the cave. In an introductory video four male hunters, who don't seem to do very well as they compete against cave lions, stumble upon a cave and an elderly man envisions the animals upon the walls and starts to draw with charred wood from the fire. In the gallery of mannequins afterwards, it is the men again who are engaged in placing their palm prints on the walls, while one woman and one child are engaged doing something else with their heads down. It needs a bit more work to coax the whole story out, I think.
The replica Caverne du Pont d'Arc is spectacular. The real thing is off limits to everyone but those who are studying and conserving it so that it can survive another 36,000 years. The paintings at Lascaux are now damaged beyond repair by the damp and the tramping of hundreds of feet through the cave, disturbing molds which started growing on the cave walls and destroying the beautiful art. We don't want the same to happen at Chauvet, so the replica is as good as it gets for this archaeologist as for us all.