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The Richmond Oktoberfest needs volunteers !!
Want to know how to get this special edition Stein celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall for free? Easy, by volunteering! Find out how!
Dear Oktoberfest Friends:
You may be aware of the fact that the Richmond Oktoberfest is the largest and most authentic Fest of its kind in Virginia. The two Richmond German Clubs who annually host this event, the Deutscher Sportclub, and the Gesangverein Virginia are relatively small. Because of this we depend to a large extent on our many friends who appreciate the Richmond Oktoberfest to help us set up and decorate the hall in the days leading up to the Fest, as well a volunteering to work the many stands at the fest itself.
The club members and their friends who help at the Richmond Oktoberfest are not paid employees. We put on the whole event using only volunteers.
However, we appreciate our helpers and we try our best to take care of them. We give all Volunteers who work the different stands a few perks as an expression of our gratitude for helping to make the Oktoberfest possible.
Free Admission: Each Volunteer receives free admission on each day that he or she works. Pick up your admission ticket at the Workers' Entrance to the Oktoberfest. If you work all of the shifts on either Friday or Saturday, you get free admission on the other day also.
Free Beer Stein: Each Volunteer receives a free Richmond Oktoberfest Beer Stein, imported from Germany. Attached to your admission ticket will be a paper stub, which you pull off and take to the Beer stand, where you turn it in and receive your Beer Stein. If you do not want your beer stein you may take your coupon to the Food Ticket Sales Stand and exchange it for $5.00 in Food Tickets. If you work both days, your admission ticket for the second day will NOT have another beer stein stub.
Free Food Tickets: We give Volunteers some food and beverages of their choice by giving them 10 food tickets (each worth $1 of food/beverages) for each shift that a Volunteer works.
If you like to help us please fill out the form below, attach it to an email and send it to:
Hans Stienen at: email@example.com, or call 804-451-4344.
• Yes, I would like to help in decorating the hall:
Oktoberfest Set-up and Hall decoration:
Wednesday before the Fest _____,
Thursday before the Fest_____,
Note: Non Club Members who help us set op on Wednesday or Thursday for eight hours, will receive two complimentary entrance tickets for Friday evening!
• Yes, I would like to work at one of the stands. I would like to work on
Friday: preferably from: _____________________
I prefer:_________________________
On Friday we have two shifts
6:00 pm to 8:30 pm (2 ½ hours),
8:30 pm to 11:00 pm (2 ½ hours)
Saturday: preferably from:___________________
I prefer:_________________________
On Saturday we have three shifts
3:00 pm to 6:00 pm (3 hours),
6:00 pm to 8:30 pm (2 ½ hours),
8:30 pm to 11:00 pm (2 ½ hours)


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Sometimes it can be quite dangerous for a girl to be out alone…
One night I was home and decided to head out to get some dinner on my own. So I slipped on a comfy loose shirt, shorts, slippers and my glasses.
Simply too lazy to put on my contacts.
Now when I told the entire story to my friends, they said, "Yup. It was dangerous that you were alone. I pity those men."
So lets start from the top.
I changed, went out to get myself some din din. Went to my favourite stall which required me to wait quite a bit for my order.
So I just sat on the table nearest to the stall, waiting patiently.
When suddenly this buff dude came really close to my ear… I actually jumped.
Buff Dude: Excuse me. Are you queuing?
I don't know which part of sitting down made it seem like I was queuing, but I was nice enough anyway.
Me: No, I'm just waiting for my food.
Buff Dude: Oh, nice. What did you order?
Me: Something that they're not serving fast enough.
Buff Dude: Haha! I need my protein. Just got out of the gym. *flexes his arms a little*
I was getting a little irritated, then the stall lady shouted that my order was ready. So… I replied.
Me: Well, nice to see a dumbbell working out with dumbbells. Bye!
So I just left. Simply couldn't be bothered.
He probably won't even remember me in a couple of hours anyway.
So while I was walking home, a construction worker stared at me while walking past me- then he turned around and followed me.
I was a little frightened, honestly. He was probably an Indian national and he was being downright creepy.
I decided not to think so much… Maybe he forgot something and had to turn around to get it.
Then I went to the convenience store to pick up some things and realised he was still lingering around!
And when I left, he continued following me again.
Like, what the hell.
After a couple more steps, I turned around and stared at him angrily.
He took a few steps backwards, then had the audacity to go…
"Can I be your friend? Can give me phone number?"
I quite literally went…
Then he looked at me in shock…
And ran away like his life depended on it. *rolls eyes*
Like as if he was the one getting harassed; not me.
If you had the balls to follow me around like some creepy maniac, you should have the balls to take whatever that comes later.
I'm sorry, do I look like the kind of girl that will just be all scared and go…

subset: commoncrawl


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Yesterday Fox announced a move that was long considered a formality – they locked up John Strong to be their lead voice for the network's MLS coverage. Strong is the former voice of the Portland Timbers and had been the lead play by play announcer for NBCSN's coverage of the league. In that timespan, he also had done freelance work for Fox on various tournaments like the Europa League. However, now Strong is exclusively a Fox soccer announcer.
Here's the Fox announcement:
FOX Sports has acquired Strong's exclusive services to call play-by play for its coverage of Major League Soccer (MLS), FIFA Women's World Cup, international soccer events and more it was announced today by Executive Vice President, Production, John Entz. Strong coming aboard comes after FOX Sports recently announced that Alexi Lalas and Brad Friedel had been added to provide soccer analysis.
"John has quickly won the heart of the nation's soccer fans and is accepted as one of the top American voices calling the game today," said Entz. "Locking John up exclusively is another demonstration of FOX Sports' commitment to present soccer in a way that's embraced by the game's passionate fan base as we take on new properties like MLS and FIFA Women's World Cup this year."
No stranger to FOX Sports, Strong has regularly contributed to its coverage the UEFA Europa League, CONCACAF Champions League and CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying. He called the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final and hosted studio coverage for FOX Sports' coverage of the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup and the whip-around UEFA Champions League show, MultiMatch 90. Most recently, Strong served as lead play-by-play announcer for MLS and called Barclays Premier League matches for NBC Sports.
"I've watched FOX Sports build momentum for its soccer coverage both through new properties like the men's and women's World Cup, MLS and Bundesliga, as well as with the addition of talented, well-respected professionals like Alexi and Brad," offered Strong. "I'm honored to join that effort and call FOX Sports my exclusive professional home."
Strong is well-regarded around American soccer circles and at just 29 is widely considered as one of the top American soccer voices working today. The support on Twitter for the signing was nearly unanimous amongst the US soccer media.
Congrats to my old partner @StrongMLS on his new gig. Great hire by @FOXSoccer. Best of luck my man!!
— Kyle Martino (@kylemartino) January 23, 2015
So happy for @StrongMLS, and congrats to @FOXSports for getting such an outstanding pro and quality person!
— Russ Thaler (@RussThaler) January 23, 2015
I'm not sure today could bring better news than the announcement that @StrongMLS is heading to Fox as the voice of MLS.
— Jason Davis (@davisjsn) January 22, 2015
Big high-five to @StrongMLS. Great guy. Great pro. And a big win for the greater U.S. soccer community
— Steve Davis (@SteveDavis90) January 22, 2015
Congrats to @StrongMLS on his full-time announcing gig with Fox Sports. Will be terrific on our MLS & US broadcasts, among others.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) January 22, 2015
At this point the major question that has to be asked is whether or not Strong will be the person to fill Gus Johnson's shoes as not just the lead MLS announcer (which Johnson probably wasn't going to be) but the face of Fox's soccer coverage. Will Strong be sent over to Europe to call Champions League games? Will he be the lead announcer at the Women's World Cup this summer? What about the 2018 World Cup as well?
It's an interesting dynamic at Fox Soccer given the network initially passed over Strong, and other respected and talented American soccer announcers, in the hopes of transforming Gus Johnson into their #1 voice for the beautiful game. That experiment failed and Johnson has left the sport. Strong isn't the famous personality that Johnson is and you're not going to hear his voice in a video game anytime soon. But he's respected among his peers and widely regarded among US soccer fans. Is that enough for a network that wants to smack you in the face with its attitude and big personalities? Never forget this is the same network that brought in Piers Morgan to be a soccer analyst.
Strong's hire, and his potential role as Fox's #1 soccer announcer, doesn't fit what has been the network's modus operandi. And maybe that's the truest sign that Fox is now changing course with their soccer coverage in the After Gus Era.
Fox's top commitment in taking the World Cup torch from ESPN is focusing on American voices covering the sport. While we may see Fox bring in a couple British voices for major events like the World Cup, it'd be a major surprise if they go to the lengths ESPN has in past years with the dominant UK flavor to their telecasts. Strong is a strong favorite to lead the coverage at this year's Women's World Cup. If that is well received, perhaps the network won't feel pressed to bring in the likes of Martin Tyler or Ian Darke for Russia 2018.
Fox has expressed a desire to have American soccer announcers lead their coverage as the next step in the sport's evolution in this country. Now they might finally have the American soccer announcer to do it.


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I realise that not everyone has warmed to my requests for accessible toilets. (Mainly people who can use a toilet pretty much everywhere they go.)
I am thinking there might even be some people out there hoping that I don't contact them so that they don't have to do anything. (Again, people who can use a toilet anywhere they go, and who don't even think to call ahead to ask if there is one!)
But they should be reminded of one thing.
The annoying woman might have written the words but they came from the heart of a small boy.
Adam put our letters into envelopes and made sure they all contained a leaflet, detailing what is needed.
Then he posted them.
All by himself.
He is waiting for replies, because this matters to him.
He thinks he should be able to go shopping in all of his local towns. He thinks he should be able to go out to lunch, visit the library, do a bit of shopping and play in the park all on the same day.
Is he really asking too much? Surely this is what every town council wants people to be doing? Surely they want people to stay as long as possible? To have lunch, drinks and maybe an icecream?
So, if one of these envelopes lands in your hands, remember who really sent them.
Think about Adam when you have your meetings.
As you drink your coffee.
As you inevitably pop to the bathroom without even a thought.
Is your town accessible? If it doesn't have a fully accessible toilet with a ceiling hoist and a changing bench, then it isn't.


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We're more than a place to rest your laptop. We work had to create community and make sure your workday is as efficient and pleasant as possible. We care about the success of your workdy and your meeting. And when you book meetings with us, you get more than a room, you have your own on-site adminisrative assistant whose sole purpose is to make you look great and ease your workload and your worries.
Our job is to make your workday as productive and professional as possible
We 're here to help you work smarter and more comfortably. Coworking memberships include bottomless cups of Kokanee Company coffee, printer use, mailing station, secure blazing fast internet, office supplies, endless bowls of Gimbals fine jelly beans and more.
We have an on-site administrative assistant for every meeting. White boards, 40" HD TV for presentations, wireless "clear as a bell" conferencing system and 10 free black and white copies or print outs are only a few of the inclusions in your meeting room booking.
Click here to see what other add-on options are available to make your meeting super-charged. (and if you don't see what you need, ask us!)
Cllick here for information on our wireless conferencing system.
We make realtors, hotels, retail and diret sales professionals look good!
We can make any professional's life easier. Here are just a few examples:(click on the name for inormation)


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Goodreads: Praetorian (Eagle #11)
Author: Simon Scarrow
Published: 5th July 2012 (Headline)
Source: Charity Shop
Rating: 4/5 (Really liked it)
Official Summary: "Macro and Cato now find themselves members of the elite Praetorian Guard, charged with defending the emperor himself against harm. Yet, they rapidly find that the Guard is riddled with conspiracies aimed at bringing the ageing emperor Claudius down, and raising either of his two sons, one by birth, Britannicus, the other by adoption, Nero, to the purple. Needless to say, the two centurions manage to find themselves in the thick of the action. In the background is the Machiavellian figure of Narcissus, well known to both legionnaires, and also his rival for control of the emperor, Pallas. " – Goodreads
Review: It been ages since I read one of the Author's book. No idea why I waited so long to carry on with this series. I forgot how good they are. Got to love the Roman/Soldier humor, had me laughing out loud a few times. I liked how twisty this one was compared to the others. Showed a different side of the main characters. Also showed an interesting side of the Roman culture.
Another thing I have always liked about this series is that the main characters aren't invincible. They have their limits, they can and do get injured or nearly lose fights. They aren't some superhero team. They are simply just two soldiers trying to do their duty by protecting Rome and each other. It nice to see their interactions with each other. Both so comfortable with each other and their own way of doing things. It was also nice to see Cato grow more into his new role.


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I recall a warm summer evening, about forty years ago, when I reclined on the rocky shore of Lake Champlain to watch a distant aurora borealis dance across the stars of the far northern sky. Ever since then I've held a quiet fascination with this phenomenon, determined to see the northern lights "for real" some day. I've longed to visit the Arctic, in part so I might see the northern lights. This weekend – capping a week of academic travel in Finland and Sweden – was my first opportunity to travel above the Arctic Circle. I flew to a tiny village in the far northern tip of Sweden – so close it was practically in Norway – and spent two nights standing in the snow, watching the sky above Abisko National Park. Did I see the aurora? yes! Was I satisfied? no; if anything, I want to return to see more! From the other people I met there, it is clear that Abisko has that affect on many people. Read on, and check out the photo gallery.
I landed just before midnight in Kiruna, Sweden, on a plane packed with a hundred other tourists. At this late hour, I was glad to catch a ride into town and bunk in at a cheap motel on the outskirts of town. I was glad to see snow – both Oulu Finland and Uppsala Sweden were basically snowless, highly unusual for mid-winter. Here was a working-class town where snowmobiles and overalls were as common as the snowdrifts.
I spent the next morning exploring the strip mall across the street, waiting for the bus to Abisko National Park. Kiruna is a mining town – with massive strip mines and underground mines pulling iron ore from the earth and shipping it by rail to ports on the Norwegian coast. (Indeed, the mining company is paying to slowly move the entire village of Kiruna two miles east, because the mines have destabilized the area and put some parts of the village at risk.) A two-lane highway, the E-10, follows this rail line and serves as the access road to Abisko National Park, close to the Norwegian border.
Abisko National Park was founded in 1909 on the shore of Torneträsk, one of Sweden's largest lakes. There is a small (tourist-focused) village just outside the park, and a "STF Turiststation" run by the Swedish tourist association. I stayed two nights at the cozy STF hotel, with its extensive facilities and direct access to trails and all the winter activities one can imagine. Abisko has clearly been "discovered", and was packed with tourists from UK, US, Australia, and Asia. One reason: Abisko supposedly sits in a "blue hole" – a weather window created by the local mountains that keeps the sky clear here when the region is covered in clouds. Most people, like me, are here to see the northern lights.
Here at 68°21″ N, about 195 km (121 mi) north of the Arctic Circle, the sun does rise in late January – but not for long, and it never makes an appearance behind the mountains to the south. (I'm told there is a big celebration on February 1st when the sun finally peeks above the hilltops!) This Friday, the sun rose above the (unseen) horizon at 9:46am and set at 2:10pm; for a photographer, it is 'golden hour' all day! My bus thus arrived after dark, two hours out from Kiruna. I was soon settled into the cozy hotel restaurant for a hearty meal of reindeer filet and stout beer. Because I was dining solo and the restaurant has only tables for six, I was asked to share a table, and ended up in a lovely conversation with a another solo traveler – a young woman from Berlin who was a computer-science major and recent graduate; now a web developer, she enjoys her job but loves to travel.
After dinner I dressed for the cold and met Allison, my photography guide from Lights over Lapland (LoL?), one of the two major photo-tour outfits in the area. This night there were nine other guests for her nightly aurora-photography tour. After a short walk beyond the edge of the TuristStation compound, we found ourselves on a hillside overlooking Lake Torneträsk. This is one of LoL's regular locations, complete with a warming hut for those who want a break from the cold: a large teepee with interior woodstove and benches draped with reindeer pelts, a pot of lingonberry juice warming on the stovetop. As we arrived on site it was immediately clear that the aurora was out tonight! She quickly instructed everyone in the use of the cameras and tripods, and we were soon filling memory cards with the green glow of the northern lights. It was a bit cloudy, unfortunately, and the clouds grew thicker throughout the evening, so we never really had a good view of the aurora. I was glad I'd booked another tour for the next night; perhaps the lights (and the location) would be better then.
Saturday morning it was partly clear when I met Nigel, my guide for the Landscape Photography tour. I was the only customer that day, giving me a fantastic opportunity for a one-on-one lesson and control over the pace and itinerary of our exploration for the next four hours (four of the five hours with sunlight). As we stepped outside, however, the clouds rolled in and it began to snow lightly. I had envisioned sweeping landscapes of snow-covered mountains, windswept ice across vast lakes, and rocky shorelines. With persistent snowfall, there was little such "landscape" photography to be done! Nigel nonetheless guided me to some interesting scenes – the upper canyon of the Abiskojåkka river, the shoreline of Lake Torneträsk – where we could try to capture "micro-landscapes" of water, snow, ice, rock, and bare trees. Nigel – a longtime manager from the UK National Health Service, with a PhD in microbiology – decided a few years ago it was far more fun to spend his winters in Abisko pursuing his photography interest than to stay in his management job. Interesting fellow!
We followed some of the local trails – well marked and well traveled – but in one place we found no broken trail and set out to reach the lakeshore anyway. Although the destination was in sight, perhaps only 200m away, we floundered in deep snow up to our thighs (or sometimes, above our waists), and decided to turn back. Maybe today would have been a better day for snowshoeing than photography!
On the way back to the hotel we encountered a loose reindeer trotting down the middle of the road. (All reindeer are domesticated and herded by the Sami tribes. Reindeer meat is common on menus; I think I ate reindeer for at least seven meals this week.)
A heavy snowstorm rolled in, and I spent an hour in the hotel to wait it out; by the time it ended (about 2:30pm) the sun had set and the lengthy afternoon twilight set in. I set out on my own to explore the lower canyon, where the Abiskojåkka river rolls into Lake Torneträsk, and had the trails to myself. With no tripod, photography was difficult in the fading light, but I managed some interesting scenes with shutter speeds at 1/30th or even 1/8th second, handheld on a fence railing. I spent a long time watching two ice climbers scaling a small waterfall, in the glow of a bright light, not far from the hotel. It felt terribly late in the day, but it was only 3:20pm.
Soon I was back for another fine dinner (of reindeer) in the Turiststation restaurant. This time I was joined by a retired woman from Perth, who had recently settled in Izmir, Turkey. From this conversation, also delightful, it was clear she loved to travel and saw Turkey as a base from which to explore Europe for a few years, before moving on to Central America as her next home. So interesting! She also told me a lot of sad news about the fires in Australia.
I layered up and met Allison in the lobby for my second nightly aurora-photo tour. This time there was only one other guest – also a veteran of an earlier tour. We three set out on foot to the same snowy ledge where I'd spent last evening. Allison had hoped to take us to one of the other LoL locations, but apparently the teepee at that site had been temporarily occupied by two moose who were not keen on sharing it with us tonight. There was a faint green glow on the cloudy horizon, and we duly took a few photographs. I stepped off the beaten path to explore different angles – the scrubby birch trees here don't provide very interesting foreground material – and sank up to my waist in deep powder. (I love this stuff!) Here's a view of our site, looking back toward Abisko STF, and the bright line of a chairlift slowly bringing tourists to the hilltop restaurant.
The aurora not being very active tonight, we three spent time chatting and sharing lingonberry tea around the stove in the teepee. Allison was from Brisbane, a former nurse midwife who decided to pursue her passion for photography. After a couple of holiday visits to Abisko she felt "seduced" by the place, and signed on as a photo guide and returns every winter, like Nigel, to work for Lights over Lapland.
The other customer was a young woman from Latvia, who managed the customer-support hotline for a print-on-demand company. She worked from home – evenings, to match the US market timing – and took the job primarily to improve her English and to make enough money to feed her passion for travel. She spoke fluent English, Russian, Latvian, and Estonian – and was learning Norwegian. Wow. She had been in Abisko for a week, and had spent Wednesday night with LoL's photo tour. That night, there was nothing to see at first, but suddenly the sky erupted in a full-dome spectacle of multi-colored dancing aurora. It was so beautiful, she said, that people wept; the guide fell down with astonishment. Gosh. I was two days too late!
So, after my two nights on Aurora Watch, my best aurora photograph turned out to be the one I took three minutes after arriving at the ledge for the first time. [Nikon D500: 6s at f/2.8, ISO 1600, 16mm lens. My later experiments led me to realize I should shoot for 15s and lower the ISO, but by then the clouds had obscured more of the aurora.]
Sunday morning I was set to leave on the morning bus back to Kiruna airport. Of course, that's the morning the sky broke brilliant blue and completely clear of clouds. I had to be ready to hop the bus shortly after sunrise, so I had barely one hour of morning twilight in which I could dash outdoors – in sub-zeroF temperatures – to do some last-minute photography. It was a gorgeous morning and, again without a tripod, I managed some nice shots. I really need to return with more time so I can reach some better locations.
I'd love to visit again. With more time I'd like to snowshoe and ski some of the local trails; to visit the Sámi village and learn more about traditional Sámi culture; visit the famous IceHotel; and perhaps hike parts of the Kungsleden ("King's trail", a long-distance hiking trail starting at Abisko STF and heading south for 440km).
Be sure to check out the photo gallery for more! And, if you want to track our adventures, by email or RSS, click "Follow" at above right.
Aurora notes:
There are many websites (and apps) that offer real-time forecast about aurora conditions, worldwide. The following list is from Dave Morrow:
- Space Weather Live OVATION Auroral Forecast
- NOAA POES Auroral Activity Website
- Iceland's Vedur Aurora Forecast
- Space Weather Aurora Forecast
Photo notes:
I booked three photo tours with Lights over Lapland, one of the two or three major photo-tour outfits in the area. It was easy to book in advance, and very convenient because they depart directly from the lobby of the Abisko STF. You can book same-day on-site, but they sometimes fill up and so I chose to book in advance. They provide the camera, tripod, and a warm snowsuit; pretty much all you need to do is press the shutter button. I used my own camera – and their tripod – because I was interested in experimenting and learning the techniques. On Saturday morning I booked a "landscape photography tour" – and was the only customer! I had a 1:1 experience with Nigel, a guide from UK.
As preparation, I studied numerous websites to learn more about photographing the Northern Lights, including:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIAtlHdqM0Y
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEQxzmzeRvQ
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7C7tBoB1d0
- https://www.davemorrowphotography.com/2014/10/how-to-photograph-northern-lights.html
- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/8-questions-about-photographing-the-aurora-with-gabe-biderman
They are somewhat redundant but each offers at least one tidbit not mentioned by the others. Dave Morrow's site seemed most comprehensive, and I used his video to learn how to post-process in Lightroom and Photoshop.
Travel notes:
- Abisko STF TuristStation – excellent lodging, restaurant, nature center, equipment rentals, and access to trails and activities. An easy walk to the canyon, lake shore.
- Easy connections to Kiruna airport by the VisitAbisko bus service; or access by rail from Kiruna or even Stockholm.
- Many activities are easily booked in advance on VisitAbisko.
- I monitored the weather forecast on this site.
- You can watch the Lights over Lapland webcam, for armchair travel! The image includes the Abisko STF in the foreground.


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text: Hi Michal, Thank you for the answer. I found a solution for this using local port forwarding. What I do now is that I monitor my individual tunnels to check if they are alive. When one is dead I just have to change the port forward to the next stunnel entry. I use netcat to check the connection availability as follow: nc -z -x 127.0.0.1:$STUNNEL_PORT1 -X connect $DISTANT_SERVER $PORT Under OS X, since 10.10 port forwarding is managed with the pfctl utility (on other linux distro we can use iptables): echo "rdr pass inet proto tcp from 127.0.0.1 to 127.0.0.1 port $FAILOVER_PORT -> 127.0.0.1 port $STUNNEL_PORT1" | pfctl -ef - >/dev/null 2>&1 In case $STUNNEL_PORT1 is down or doesn't provide Internet access, I just switch to $STUNNEL_PORT2 and push the port forwarding rule with that port entry. I wrote a daemon that monitors all my stunnel ports and check if they have Internet access, my PAC RETURN rules remain the same (they use my $FAILOVER_PORT), I just shifted stunnel ports to another location and use port forwarding to reach the stunnel entries that are alive. It's working great so far. Cheers, Thireus (thireus at gmail.com <mailto:thireus at gmail.com>), IT Security Engineer Consultant. http://blog.thireus.com <http://blog.thireus.com/> > Le 15 nov. 2015 à 19:58, Michal Trojnara <Michal.Trojnara at mirt.net> a écrit : > > Signé partie PGP > On 15.11.2015 11:58, Thireus wrote: > > 1. I would like to know if there is a way to use failover with two > > servers with two different set of TLS cert/key. > > No. Both client and server certificates are currently set way before > stunnel connects the target. > > I guess what you really need is client certificate selection based on > the list of acceptable issuers sent by the stunnel server, because > each of your stunnel servers expects client certificates issued by a > separate CA. Am I right? > > Client certificate autoselection currently works on Windows with the > CAPI engine. I have also added a new TODO item to implement client > certificate autoselection for certificates/keys stored in PEM files: > https://www.stunnel.org/sdf_todo.html > > Alternatively, you may reconfigure your stunnel servers to accept > client certificates issued by the same CA. > > > 2. On the same topic, I would like to know if there is an option > > that could open the local port (accept) only when the connection > > (connect) is established? > > No. > > > The problem I'm facing is that I use a PAC profile with failover on > > several stunnel entries: "return PROXY 127.0.0.1:4441; PROXY > > 127.0.0.1:4442; PROXY 127.0.0.1:4443;". > > Did you mean: > return "PROXY 127.0.0.1:4441; PROXY 127.0.0.1:4442; PROXY 127.0.0.1:4443 > "; > ? > > You are trying establish end-to-end failover across two (in fact > three, including connection between the stunnel server and the HTTP > proxy) separate TCP connections. It is not possible without a > heartbeat service. > > > 3. Is there another way to tweak stunnel behavior when a remote > > server is down? > > You could write a heartbeat service to periodically initiate short > connections to the remote services, and then reconfigure stunnel > accordingly. Still, this is a crude workaround and not the proper > solution. > > Best regards, > Mike > > _______________________________________________ > stunnel-users mailing list > stunnel-users at stunnel.org > https://www.stunnel.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/stunnel-users -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://www.stunnel.org/pipermail/stunnel-users/attachments/20151129/d25a3931/attachment.html>


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By Wayne Greene and Laurent Gharda
Product Managers are a unique class, a veritable professional unicorn. Responsible for creating business value out of the ether, they must create value as it relates to a "whole product". They can bridge the business and the technical, forge links between architects, and be the ones who go to market. Seeing the big picture while deciding on micro-features is a piece of cake. Un-ruffling the feathers of irate customers followed by sorting the backlog that results from back-to-back meetings is but one context shift this magical character must handle. The Product Manager must create and nurture excellent relationships with engineering, marketing and CTO counterparts. We will be so bold as to say that Engineering should be the primary BFF to PM. Why is that?, you may ask. Some PMs may have a bit of engineering background. However, if they can work closely with the engineering lead (product owner) and can agree on a specific product feature/positioning/how to build something to last, this duality of support is hard to outdo, even by the senior management.
Let's explore this theory from two angles: Development Lifecycle View (Requirements, Architect, Development, Test/QA, Release, Support) and the Product Lifecycle View (Business Idea, Prototype, Growth, Saturation, Decline, End of Life).
Development Lifecycle View (Requirements, Architect, Development, Test/QA, Release, Support) – Laurent's View
More often than not, engineering leadership is comprised of skill sets that go far beyond the role of leading teams in building and maintaining products. World-class Vice Presidents of Engineering (VPE) have – time and again – climbed up the ranks, not only because they were at one time good product designers or implementers, but also because they have a 360 degree swivel head. They have the capacity to keenly and continuously observe the internal divisions working alongside them, as well as the market, competition, industry standards and more.
As a CEO, on many occasions, I have taken a VPE to meet with prospective investors and key sales prospects, and have included them in the interview process when hiring for senior or executive product management roles. As a rule, VPEs are business savvy, sharp as a tack, and, in many cases, crave a role that is more comprehensive than that of running the technology and development side of the shop. If, as a Product Manager, you have worked with such a VPE, count your lucky stars. If you haven't, hope that, one day, you get to do so.
Naturally, there are VPEs without a company-first mindset or breadth of experience. You may meet those who are territorial ("don't talk to my engineers without letting me know"), defensive ("I built the product exactly to spec: the spec was horrible and I knew that from the get go"), or, possibly worst of all, siloed ("don't care about sales objections, marketing plans or stock buybacks").
Product Management's relationship with a "good" VPE can and should be a wonderful thing – at all different phases of a product lifecycle. A tight PM-VPE partnership can make a huge difference in product quality, user experience and company revenue. So let's get started…
Requirements: Whether planning for enhancements to an existing product, or defining a ground-breaking new product or service, PM's constituents include industry analysts, existing customers, and sales management. Further, they need an ear to the ground about what's happening in your space (news, competitors' products or announced plans, etc.). The VPE must be one of your constituents as well, and for several reasons. He/she, along with 2-3 of the senior-most members of engineering, has considerable experience and value to add in defining and prioritizing features, even before detailed architecture is laid out. Engineering can educate PM on possible new technologies or standards that make advanced functionality a breeze to implement in an initial phase, or sometimes the converse ("whoa, that's the long pole in the tent and you'd be better doing that later in the lifecycle"). Engineering's participation in the requirements phase will make your product better and you will get much needed buy-in from the team responsible for implementing PM's vision. This is a win-win!
Architecture: The architecture phase, in siloed environments, is where PM often gets shut out by Engineering. More enlightened engineering leadership that has a good relationship with PM will involve PM in initial discussions [selecting the standards and components to be used in implementation] and in the final architectural design review presentations. PM skill sets vary, so the key here is to be included in the architectural phase in order to be in the know and able to articulate the "why and how". The purpose is not for the PM to propose architecture guidelines (unless the engineering team is living 15 years behind the times).
Development: This phase is completely owned by Engineering, but having a friendly relationship with the VPE will enable the PM to understand development sub-phases and expected early deliverables. This may well help with large customer opportunities. It is critical that the PM be discreet – nearly invisible here (except in private conversations with the VPE). This is a time when legitimate feature creep (again, based on validated revenue potential) could be introduced and potentially reshuffle internal milestones. Without a close relationship with the PM, the developers will build the product themselves, with little feedback or external point of view. The PM can give Engineering a more comprehensive perspective with which to operate. Consider the areas that can initially be managed by the PM: marketing, sales, and CTO types (this can be done for a while as the PM can speak product architecture). You might disagree with this assessment, but, at the end of the day, without a strong PM/VPE relationship, this would be impossible.
Test/Quality Assurance: QA is one phase PMs too often ignore since it's "simply making sure that my spec gets tested—not my job!" This, in my humble opinion, is a huge mistake. The QA phase is a PM's golden opportunity to witness the user experience, flow of the product, application's messaging to the user and many other aspects that impact a prospective user's initial impression of the product during a POC. I'll go one step further and recommend that PM do some QA as well, particularly once the bugs have been found, but before the product messaging (error messages, warnings, tips, etc.) get baked in and passed onto tech pubs. This is the chance for PM to really roll up their sleeves and help engineering by playing customer. There are few other efforts that take only a few hours, yet have the potential to yield immense benefit! All text presented by the service or application to the prospective user should be reviewed by the PM to make sure messaging and steps are crystal clear for the end user.
Release: If the PM has been on the ball up to this point, the Release will be easier in that the Product Manager can communicate with the Product Marketing (outbound) team, the PR team, Executives (about talking points), and Sales. He/she can effectively discuss the competitive summary, SWAT, POV and other communications methodologies.
This is also a phase where it will serve the PM well to give the VPE a bit of the limelight in outbound materials. A simple quote in one of the brochures will not only make the VPE feel valued, it will further build the PM-VPE mutual respect.
Support: Software has bugs. Customers will find bugs and engineering will fix bugs. So what does PM have to do with engineering during the support phase of a product lifecycle? You may be surprised to hear me say, "Quite a bit!" The PM is vital in prioritizing what to fix when, as well as addressing "soft bugs", unexpected customer behavior in response to ambiguous or poor product messaging, that leads customers to report a bug that can be addressed by clearer wording or messaging. We've all seen user messaging with double negatives. One user will understand what the developer meant, while the other will take the message literally. PM should swoop in, address these real issues (perhaps with an informal focus group to play guinea pigs) and aid in the process…always with the support of the VPE.
Summary: Product Management and Engineering are tied at the hip, or should be. For real, meaningful collaboration to happen, traditional hierarchies and reporting structures should be checked at the door. PM traditionally reports into a Vice President of Marketing, so VPM and VPE are peers, but skilled PMs and forward-thinking engineering leaders ignore that hierarchy. The result – making the company's products the best they can be. Product Managers and Engineering leaders should be Best Friends Forever!
Product Lifecycle View (Business Idea, Prototype, Growth, Saturation, Decline, End of Life) – Wayne's View
Having Engineering as PM's best friend takes a variety of hard and soft skills as well as situational leadership. We all know that products have life-cycles and that the PM's role during each of these phases can vary. It is rare, however, for a PM to manage a product from beginning to end of their lifecycle. How many PM's stay on a product from cradle to grave (a process that, for enterprise software, may be as short 6 years or go on for as many as 10 years)? How many PMs stay with a single firm that long? This, by the way, is not an indictment on the tech industry. This trend has infiltrated nearly all industries – both domestically and internationally. Consider approaching this section from the perspective of what areas PM and Engineering need to focus on during each phase of the lifecycle to develop the best possible relationship and achieve product and personal goals.
Business Idea: You may be a PM at a large or small company, or, perhaps you are working with a set of co-founders whose desire is to brainstorm a new business idea based upon a product or service. Where the idea comes from is not relevant. What matters is what happens with that idea. They key to this first phase is to focus on brainstorming and valuing the perceptions, opinions, data, and corroborative stories brought to the table by your counterpart from Engineering. The idea may be a concept and not yet thought out as a product. Although you may see your role as having the business lens and knowledge of what your customers or market segments may want/value, you need to be a keen listener to your counterpart. Ask clarifying questions to expand the discussion. This will help you avoid asking 'zinger' questions all PMs know can shoot down an idea. If your engineering counterpart views you as a threat to their idea/concept, or, worse yet, as not being an ally (in their quest for product brilliance), you may find yourself cut out of the process. Do not, I repeat, do not get shut out of this phase. You want to be viewed as the catalyst who will help take the idea to the next step – with your strong support. Conversely, you need to have an alliance with the engineering leader who will back you up when you bring up your great idea. Your counterpart will provide business and technical validation, along with enthusiasm and support (yes, I want my engineering team to work on this great idea).
Prototype: That great idea has migrated into the prototype phase with the assistance of both departments. Engineering will need PM's help get resources and provide the necessary air cover so that the team working on the project can continue to do just that. You will need to work with the team to provide necessary input. Engineering will naturally want to focus on key technical aspects and difficulties. Your role will be to help support them and ensure that the prototype isn't a "hack". No one wants the prototype totally rewritten or even significantly refactored as it releases for paying customers. Help guide Engineering on user experience and core-use case workflows, as well as the backend that is invisible to the customer but will, ultimately, consume a great deal of the future backlog.
Growth: The product is launched and you and Engineering are basking in the glow of a successful product (you may smile here as you get the visual image). You have user and customer counts skyrocketing. You are both doing customer interviews (and attending some escalation calls). You both must support growth in this phase, as well as ensure the technical and use case debt does not get too backlogged. It is vital to ensure you and your engineering counterpart are aligned on the direction and maturation of the product. For example, there will be demands to morph the product to take on a wide variety of requirements and use cases. Pressure will come from Sales, which is trying to make ever-expanding sales quotas. The two of you will need to weigh those needs against the purity of your vision and the product direction nirvana. Do you want to take on use cases from an adjacent product or product category getting forced on your team in still increasing amounts? It is obvious that, after a few years of being on this product, you have attained a pretty high market share and are still growing, albeit slowly. More of your time with your Engineering counterpart is spent on satisfying the established customer base. Ease of enterprise usability and migration to the latest release take the most effort. You will have to work closely with your counterpart to ensure ongoing connectedness to the product rather than trying to morph to other products or interesting use cases for the product. Will the Engineering counterpart see this as a resource pulling away from the product product in your space? Or is your goal to drive towards the best customer experience in your existing set of use cases? Be sure to maintain your point of view as the PM and understand that of your counterpart as well. Come to an agreement (with some negotiation and compromise of course) and use this as your basis to move forward..
Saturation: This is one of the trickiest phases in a product's lifecycle. By now, your product's growth rate has begun to slow. You have broad penetration into your target customer market and have achieved growth in other areas. That sales velocity and penetration typically begins to fall off even before the onset of this phase. However, you and your engineering counterpart will arrive at a moment in time when you realize the world has changed for the product. Customers are trying to maximize the value of the software within their organizations and, internally, your Business Unit is looking closely at maximizing revenue streams across not just your product, but multiple releases of ALL the products. It is vital for the brand to ensure all customers are happy with all touch points with the product. This will drive, even force, you and engineering to focus on a different set of issues that in many ways is neither sexy nor compelling from a excitement or career perspective. During this phase, junior PMs or engineering product owners are handed the baton. This is an opportunity for you and your BFF to coach and mentor junior staff and to keep an eye on customer satisfaction and business unit controller perspectives of the business. You still need high levels of staffing on the product at this juncture.
Decline: This phase could begin 2 years after launch or, for some, could be 5 years or longer. The product is no longer the key part of a software deal. Customers are starting to move use cases to new models (i.e. on-premise to SaaS) or have relegated the use of the product (even though it is a workforce of the company) to the group in the IT department that deals with the dreaded Legacy systems. During this phase you will be preparing the product and business for end of life. Work with Engineering on those dot or dot-dot releases to confirm customers can get their data out of your product and that you are keeping the product support matrix up-to-date with the latest platforms that it will run on. Ultimately, you and your engineering counterpart know the next phase is around the corner. And End of Life is declared with one more year of bug fixes, followed by phone support only and, finally, shut down of the product. Even in this phase, some interesting questions come up for you as the PM and your engineering counterpart. See below:
End of Life: Undoubtedly, there will be discussions of customers who do not want to end usage of the product, or are even willing to pay extra for post-warranty and bug fixes. Your organization may have a corporate function for this need, perhaps part of technical support. Alternately, you may both be asked about the feasibility of outsourcing the product's last years to another entity outside the company. It will serve as a way to help those customers who need more time to get off the product. Due diligence on the proposal and the product is necessary in order to figure out the right thing for customers. Remember, sometimes the right thing to do is let the end of life play out and not prolong the patient's life.
Advanced Topics
A full featured PM needs to have a variety of soft tools in his or her toolkit to ensure the product gets the best treatment from PM and Engineering. Other advanced topics can help even a seasoned PM get a great deal of value. The first topic covers pros and cons of organizational placement of the PM organization, particularly when the company does not have a PM function that reports to the VP, GM, or CEO. It is definitely worthy of a detailed read for PM leaders. The second topic we'd like to suggest is how to run a high performing product leadership team. All too often, great products get mired in committee or horrendous product leadership. Don't let this happen to your product.


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Bobby Burns Cocktail
Mixing instructions:
Stir all ingredients (except lemon peel) with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add the twist of lemon peel and serve.
How do I pour? What is 'cl', 'oz' and 'pt'? How should I handle glassware?.
Find the answers in The Bartender's Handbook.
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Italian design and competitive prices are CBL's strong point.
Business at CBL Design can be divided into two macro-areas: conception, production and distribution of licensed brands and development of private-label projects.
A brand which recalls the atmosphere of the famous road that crosses the most genuine America, reminding to freedom and the American dream.
A brand with a great reputation in the 80ies which became a real cultural and trend phenomenon, as well as a landmark for a whole generation.
Recycled is a project by CBL Design, with the aim to combine fashion with recycling.
Renato Balestra's world is a constant search for innovation, respecting the sartorial tradition.
CBL Design products are characterized by great usability and excellent quality / price ratio.
The collections are enriched each year with "consolidated" models and new proposals.
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Is the News of The World fallout shaking the scenery? Not only Paul Mason, but the charming Mishal Husain dragging her mike behind her across the studio, with falting but determined dignity, to interview some bod on the sorrowful, but earned passing of a Master, Lucien Freud. In between virtual giggles, and glances at the camera crew, the phrase 'revelatory intensity' was used for Freud's into the skin and often very harsh genius. We all know, but don't show us too much, you'll have to work at phoenix Ark, and it's us who need the bailout!
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a truly amazing girl. she is funny and smart, caring and sweet, outgoing and bubbly, energetic and charismatic. a real happy go lucky person. she is beautiful. inside and out. she loves her friends to death. she depends on them alot. she makes the most of life and always lives in the moment, thats why everyone wants to be around her. she can make the most boring situation into one of the best, happiest moments of your life, filled with inside jokes and hyperness. someone you would all want to get with or get to know. she is an amazing person that you would be lucky to know.
by a girl that knows her from oz February 4, 2010
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look at that theresia
by maiscorn_master:D March 6, 2020


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Chi Eta Phi themed Holiday Stocking Christmas Stocking
Here to add a festive flair to any fireplace or corner of a home, this custom Christmas stocking is the perfect way to store small gifts for loved ones.
Featuring a white fold on top and a hanging loop for convenient placement, all this stocking needs is your designs.
Material: 100% polyester
One size: 7'' x 13" (17.8cm x 33cm)
White folded edge on the top (not printed)
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Front side print
Blank product sourced from China
1-7 business days
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.


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The root of pain and pleasure is the same.
It is the same sensation with two names. It is like two people receiving a body massage from the same person. One concludes that it was a beautiful rejuvenating process while the other decides that it hurt! The same massage will appear like pain or pleasure depending on the person receiving it.
Life has both of these opposites, pleasure and pain. Both pleasure and pain are from the mind. The mind always moves from one extreme to the other. It rarely falls into the middle path. From pleasure you move to pain, from pain you move to pleasure. As we saw earlier, pleasure and pain are completely dependent on the person feeling the pleasure or pain. Something may seem like pleasure to you, while the same experience may be pain to someone else.
In the Bhagavad Gita, the great scripture that teaches the various paths to Self-realization, the enlightened master Krishna says beautifully, 'He who regards alike pleasure and pain, and looks on a lump of earth, a stone, and a piece of gold with an equal eye, who is wise and holds praise and blame to be the same, who is unchanged in honor and dishonor, and who treats friend and foe alike, is said to have gone beyond the modes of nature. Pleasure and pain are the same to him and he is ready for enlightenment.'
Buddha, an enlightened master, says, 'Free yourself from both pleasure and pain.' Craving for pleasure and nursing pain are both different aspects of the same experience. Both are chains. Pain may look like an ugly chain and pleasure a beautiful chain. Just as the day follows night and night follows day, pain and pleasure will always follow each other.
When you understand that pleasure and pain are both creations of the mind, you will realize that they are both temporary, they come and go like soap bubbles. Nobody is needed to take away your pleasure, because your mind by its very nature will move like a pendulum to the other extreme called pain!
The only way is to go beyond both pleasure and pain. This doesn't mean suppressing pleasure or forgetting about pain. It is an awareness that transforms pain to bliss which is the energy that exists no matter what the external situation may be. Bliss is your very nature and cannot be lost. Just because of your resistance to what is happening, you feel pain and your natural bliss is forgotten.
Like darkness, pain, whether it is physical, mental, or emotional, has only a negative existence . Darkness exists only in the absence of light. As such, it has no positive existence of its own. In the same way, pain exists only in the absence of awareness. Just as darkness disappears automatically when light is brought into a room, pain dissolves automatically when the energy of your awareness is focused on it.
Any mental or emotional pain that you carry is just the tip of the iceberg. You need to go into the root where it starts. You need to work on the root cause for it and heal it. Otherwise, there is a distinct danger that you will inflict that pain on someone else or hurt yourself more with it. I always tell people,
'If you have pain, just drop everything and work on it. See that its root is healed. Only then you can be in a safe zone. Otherwise neither you nor the people living around you are in a safe zone.'
When you face any pain with awareness you become aware that you are not just the body. You become aware that no pain can touch the real 'you'. Once you realize that you are beyond pain, you rise above pain to become a dukkhateeta. You experience the rare freedom that arises with non-attachment to the body. You will carry this freedom all your life. You leave the mundane life behind and enter into a spiritual plane. The whole material world disappears and another world arises, one of incomparable beauty, innocence, joy and compassion.
The pain will evaporate of its own accord when you see the nature and cause of pain with intense inner clarity because the clarity evaporates the reasons for the pain to exist in you. This realization brings with it a state of absolute bliss, which is the state of enlightenment.
source: Living Enlightenment


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negative people, Pam Sheppard, Pamela Sheppard, religious demons, religious demons and passivity, toxic people carnal christians
Negative church people posing as Christians, is an ever abiding reality. The wheat and the tare grow together so we know for a fact, negative people operate in and out of church. Negative people posing as Christians are not in the minority either. These type of people, spend their waking hours complaining about everything and everybody. If they can't bring at least one person down a day, they can't sleep. The word of God teaches us that the mouth of the wicked is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: and that vanity and mischief are under their tongues (Psalm 10:7).


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By Thilini Wijesekera – Level 05 Architecture (BA)
We went on a walk around Birmingham city center to discover lots of amazing places. It was interesting because I daily walk pass some of this places but never researched or was interested about these places. My favorite place was the Brindley Place. The modern atmosphere of the area reminds me of Singapore. Digbeth was not so attractive and most of buildings were industrial and we saw lots of abandoned buildings as well. Birmingham and Worcester Canal was beautiful. It reminded me of Venice. It was a wonderful experience because we saw so many hidden beautiful places in the city center.


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If you are in business, your companies' IT policy is perhaps to run Microsoft products like Windows OS only. Although you might have a bit of freedom in this manner (let's say because you are presenting on Open Source software fairs and need to run a Linux for this case) the switch might be not that easy thinking about Microsoft Exchange, Skype, VPN, Microsoft Office and so on. For me, it is really fun working on Linux and I would like to switch over completely as soon as possible. That's why I ran Kubuntu as a parallel operating system.
Somehow, I got rid of running KDE on my Ubuntu installation and so I decided to install the Karmic Koala (Ubuntu 9.10) on a Gnome basis and I was really surprised about it's simple handling. By the way: Gnome was suspect to me all the times I tried it before. Today I believe it was only about a simple and stupid marketing effect: I didn't like the combination of brown, purple and orange on the desktop…
So now, let's beginn with the Skype installation.
As you might know, Skype is proprietary software but obviously everybody in IT uses it. Nevertheless, the installation on Ubuntu is possible even including the update services. First of all you have to implement the Medibuntu sources to your sources.list file running this command on the terminal:
sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/$(lsb_release -cs).list \
--output-document=/etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list &&
sudo apt-get -q update &&
sudo apt-get --yes -q --allow-unauthenticated install medibuntu-keyring &&
sudo apt-get -q update
As a next step, install the Skype application:
sudo aptitude install skype
Despite Skype is only provided with version 2.1 on Linux, you are done mate! Somehow you will be connected to your colleagues, friends, etc. in this first step. More to follow.


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First created in the 1988 vintage, the Vieilles Vignes de Levant Extra Brut is a vintage cuvee produced from the oldest Grand Cru vines in the village of Cramant - ranging from fifty to eighty year-old vines. Like the Terre de Vertus, it is a single vintage cuvée fermented in oak, rather than stainless steel, though in this case, it is a combination of large foudres and smaller Burgundy barrels that are used. The wine receives a very low dosage of two grams per liter prior to release.Kept in the cool cellars between 36-48 months, hand disgorged and aged an additional 6 months prior to release.
The golden-yellow colored 2009 Vieilles Vignes du Levant Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut is sourced from old vines in the Bourron du Levant lieu-dit in Cramant. It offers a deep, intense, powerful and complex nose that reminds of great wines from Burgundy or Jura. Rich, intense and endlessly juicy but also highly finessed and thus seemingly weightless, this is a very complex, persistently mineral and structured Cramant with great tension, finesse and generosity.


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In August and December 2015, the Defense Federal Acquisition Register Supplement (DFARS) received updates that are crucial for the 10,000-plus defense contractors. If you have been following our blog, we first reported on the changes back in January. It is important to understand these changes and how they will affect your organization. If you haven't read last week's post, you can do that here.
This week's post will discuss what these changes mean for your organization. If you haven't read the first two posts, do so now, as this will try to un-muddy the waters and bring a little more clarity to the overall process. DFARS compliance is important for contractors, as the federal government requires your organization to safeguard covered defense information. If you missed it, covered defense information is a catch-all term that refers to Controlled Unclassified Information, Controlled technical information, operational support activity and a variety of other informational categories. Contractors must show the government how they are compliant with these safeguard requirements.
What Do These Changes Mean?
If your organization does business and holds contracts with the Department of Defense (DOD), you could be required to meet the DFARS clause 252.204-7012 information security requirements. As long as you process, store and transmit any information that falls under that Covered Defense Information umbrella, you will be required to protect that information. With the most recent changes to the DFARS clause as of August 2015, contractors use NIST 800-171 as a guide to implementing security controls around the following control families:
Contractors who are not currently compliant with these requirements are given time to implement the controls. However, it is a long process, and if an organization has minimal controls in place, it can seem like a daunting task to bring controls into compliance.
Information Categorization
With the expanded definitions and the umbrella Covered Defense Information, your organization will have to have a better understanding of where such information resides within the environment. Protecting a portion of your network that contains the information in question is a potential solution, where you can apply additional safeguards and controls that meet DFARS clause 252.204-7012 is a cost-effective way to meet compliance without redesigning your entire security program. Contractors should really look at how they categorize their information. Establishing a categorization scheme will help control access to the information because you can easily define roles that need access. As you can see in the table above, access control is a control family covered under NIST 800-171.
Flow down to Subcontractors
Another change that needs further explanation is the flow-down requirement. While the basic mechanics of the flow down requirement haven't changed, meaning the same DFARS requirements for Prime Contractors apply to Subcontractors when in performance of the subcontract, handling, processing, storing, and transmitting covered defense information. Additionally, all subcontracts must include DFARS clause 252.204-7012. The only major change that will affect subcontractors is reporting. When reporting a cyber incident as defined in clause 252.204-7012, they must report directly to the DIBnet. In order to report to the DIBnet, subcontractors are required to obtain a Medium Assurance Certificate to access the reporting module on the DIBnet. According to the DFARS clause 252.204-7012, all cyber incidents must be reported within 72 hours from discovery. This is a quick response time and under the new DFARS regulations, is termed "rapid response." Having a strong security program will help with this requirement, as tools designed to protect the environment.
Alternative Security Measures
Contractors may, and upon approval of the DOD CIO, propose to deviate from any of the NIST 800-171 security requirements. The explanation must be written and answer the following:
- Why a particular security requirement is not applicable; or
- How an alternative but equally effective, security measure is used to compensate for the inability to satisfy a particular requirement and to achieve equivalent protection.
Approval of the alternative security measure is granted after a DOD CIO authorized representative provides an assessment of the proposed deviation. While this seems like a lot, it is actually a little more flexible under the new DFARS regime. Flexibility for security is key to success. Organizations might not want to rip out existing security programs to satisfy requirements. Having the option to work with what is currently in place could potentially save a lot of money in the long run.
How Your Organization will be Impacted?
If you do business with the Department of Defense, your organization will be impacted in some way, whether you flow down the requirements to your subs, or you handle covered defense information, your organization and Subcontractor will have to protect the data. If you are like many organizations and don't understand where you fall with DFARS compliance, there are some things you can do now to prepare to meet the requirements.
First, conduct a compliance assessment. A third party can evaluate your security controls by talking to individuals, observing your security tools at work and analyzing your implementation of the control. Second, prioritize what is important. Meeting compliance should be the priority, but not all security requirements are created equal. Some tools and processes may be able to satisfy multiple controls, while others may take significant investment. A third party can help you prioritize based on industry standards and best practices. Lastly, ensure your management team is well aware of what is at stake. Not being compliant with DFARS means not being able to bid on and win contracts with the DOD. Management should understand this and a compliance assessment will be the roadmap you need to get the security funding necessary to meet compliance requirements.


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We're only in the fall season but the days are getting colder in Belgium. I was excited at the thought of spending a weekend to run the EDP Rock 'n' Roll Lisbon Marathon in sunny Portugal.
I battled pneumonia for almost four weeks so aside from a half marathon in Basel, Switzerland the previous weekend, I did not do any long runs at all. No matter; the six-hour time limit was forgiving and the course promised to be gentle.
We were up early to catch our TAP Portugal flight at 6:20 AM from Brussels Zaventem Airport on Saturday, October 1, 2016. We landed at Lisbon Portela Airport after almost three hours and indeed, the weather was sunny as promised.
Our hotel, TRYP Lisboa Oriente Hotel, was three stops away on the red line of the Lisbon Metro.
Hotels in Europe had variable check-in times; our hotel listed theirs at 3:00 PM. We were at the hotel before 9:00 AM. Too early, but the receptionist allowed us to check in anyway. Yeah!
We lounged a bit in the room before we made our way out again to pick up my bib. The marathon expo and the finish line was located in front of the hotel at the MEO Arena. The arena, in turn, was in front of the mall Centro Comercial de Vasco de Gama.
There were no freebies in the race bag. However, they were giving out Halls candies and we got a lot!
The mall is a shopper's paradise. They also had a great selection of restaurants. We walked by the waterfront to enjoy the view before getting on the metro to do more sightseeing.
We were able to visit two UNESCO world heritage sites in Lisbon, or Lisboa in Portuguese. The 16th century massive Jerónimos Monastery was built to commemorate explorer Vasco De Gama's 1498 voyage to India. He was commissioned by the king to find a naval route to the East and became the first European to reach India by sea. His tomb lies inside the church of the monastery.
We also visited the Torre de Belém located a few kilometers away from the monastery, near the mouth of the River Tagus. The tower with its elaborate Manueline architecture represented the golden Portuguese age of maritime discovery.
The race started in Cascais. Public transportation was free for all runners on the day of the race so I was on the red line of the metro at 6:30 AM, changed at Alameda to the green line to Cais do Sodre, and got on the regional train to Cascais. We were at the Cascais station by 8:10 AM and walked a few more meters to the start line.
The race route was beautiful! We ran by the water for the first few kilometers of the race. There were so many picture-worthy views that I just had to stop and take some. The water and the blue sky helped runners get into the zen mode.
It eventually became too warm during the race but there were enough aid stations to hydrate and energize us. They had plenty of bananas, oranges, water, and sports drinks. There were several pit stops along the race where firemen set up cool and refreshing showers.
This being a Rock 'n' Roll race, there were lots of bands to entertain us. One band was called Subic Bay, after the Philippine seaport. I wondered if there were Filipinos in the band but didn't stop long enough to find out.
The race finished at the Parque das Nações, right in front of the Centro Comercial de Vasco de Gama. After crossing the finish line, we went inside the mall to get something to eat. I changed back at the hotel and we were off to the airport to catch our flight back to Brussels at 19:55 PM.


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This Natural Gas Byproduct Could Make You Rich
Many industries are benefiting from growing natural gas production and persistently low prices. Among the winners is the methanol industry, including producers such as LyondellBasell , Methanex , and OCI Partners . In this video, Fool.com contributor Aimee Duffy talks to Tyler Crowe about what methanol is exactly, and what opportunities exist for investors looking for an under-the-radar play in the energy space.
3 More Energy Winners
Record oil and natural gas production is revolutionizing the United States' energy position. Finding the right plays while historic amounts of capital expenditures are flooding the industry will pad your investment nest egg. For this reason, the Motley Fool is offering a comprehensive look at three energy companies set to soar during this transformation in the energy industry. To find out which three companies are spreading their wings, check out the special free report, "3 Stocks for the American Energy Bonanza." Don't miss out on this timely opportunity; click here to access your report -- it's absolutely free.
The article This Natural Gas Byproduct Could Make You Rich originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Aimee Duffy has no position in any stocks mentioned. Fool contributor Tyler Crowe has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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LOS ANGELES: Tyson Fury said on Monday WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will try to avoid a rematch with him "at all costs" after their epic draw in Los Angeles.
Wilder retained his belt on Saturday after a thrilling 12-round battle ended in a split decision draw at the Staples Center.
The result means the American is still in a position to achieve his dream of unifying the heavyweight division against Fury's fellow Briton Anthony Joshua, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO versions of the title.
After the bout, Wilder said he would prefer to target Joshua's titles in a bid to unify the division but would be satisfied with either a rematch against Fury or a chance to take on Joshua.
But Fury said that Wilder could try to avoid him.
"I've got a funny feeling he's going to get his running shoes out and stay away from me at all costs," he told Britain's ITV network.
"I'm only getting better, and better and better. I can beat them all but they need to fight me. We need to give Britain the biggest fight in British boxing history and that's me and Joshua.
"Let's make it happen. The country wants it, I want it, everybody wants it. The only people who don't seem to want it is their team," he added.
Wilder's trainer Jay Deas told BBC radio he would want Wilder to take on Fury again before a potential fight with Joshua.
"If it's something that people would like to see again we would absolutely love to do it. Both guys put on a tremendous fight," Deas said.
"If it was up to me — and only me — I would like to do the Fury fight first because I think there is unfinished business.
"If the money makes sense in the UK I would love to do it there. Deontay has never had a problem with travelling. That's not the issue at all."


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The release of Apple's macOS Big Sur with the new Apple silicon M1 chip brings a lot of buzz to the software industry and a lot of promise for the community of Vectorworks developers, testers, and users.
Here we'll dig into five areas of focus — key aspects where we see a host of improvements for our Mac-based users.
We'll also shed some light on what to expect when running Big Sur on your existing Mac or a new Mac and share insights from our continued testing and vetting of Big Sur, the first macOS to be rolled out with the Apple silicon M1 chip.
In the months since our R&D team received Apple's first Developer Testing Kit (DTK) and began beta testing Vectorworks 2021 on Big Sur, Juan Almansa, Vectorworks director of customer success, said the team has had high expectations for the official launch of Big Sur. "It's great to say that performance seems stable and Vectorworks 2021 and Vectorworks 2020 Service Pack 5 (SP5) run without any issues," he stated. "We've seen the same with Intel machines, and with no significant issues with M1."
In a nutshell, it's looking good with how things are shaping up for running Vectorworks on Big Sur. So, if you're just looking for a quick 👍 you can skip to the closing takeaways. But if you want to get under the hood a bit more, keep reading.
M1 — Power Unleashed
One of the biggest pieces of news is the M1 processor chip that Apple is initially providing in its latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13", and Mac mini. Apple said it would produce "some massive speed improvements for top apps," and it seems they've delivered on that expectation.
With performance being a top priority in each new release of Vectorworks, this is something Vectorworks users can definitely get behind with complicated design work.
"Vectorworks is constantly reengineered to take advantage of advances in hardware technology," said Steve Johnson, VP of product development at Vectorworks. "The performance promises of Apple silicon are well aligned with our recent reengineering plans and priorities for the future.
For developers, Apple silicon, an extension of the chips used to deliver the power of the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, is big news now that it has come to the Mac. For Vectorworks users, M1 chips are anticipated to speed up performance of everyday design tasks, such as rendering, drawing regeneration, and section updates. As more testing and reviews roll out to vet Macs with M1 chips and the design community moves toward greater adoption of the new technology, Johnson said he expects that next fall's release of Vectorworks 2022, with Apple's Metal technology fully supported, will shine on M1 chips.
"The Apple silicon technology performance promises are also aligned with rendering solutions that will find their way to our customers in the near future," said Johnson.
Testing the Hardware/Software Combo
Apple has engineered its macOS Big Sur specifically for the power of the M1 chip. In doing so, Apple states that users will see not just a massive boost in performance but astonishing battery life.
"We're putting both those promises to the test," Johnson said in recently receiving new Mac systems to put through the paces with Vectorworks 2021. Early results after smooth installs of Vectorworks on the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro show they are performing quite well.
Vectorworks sample file open in Big Sur M1.
The Vectorworks development team appreciates that at the core of Big Sur is the ability to run a greater range of apps than any previous Apple OS. Out of the gate, users will notice the optimized performance of intensive tasks. Johnson said that's great news for users:
"Vectorworks design software is built for performance-intensive tasks. I'm looking forward to seeing how our Metal-powered Vectorworks Graphics Module (VGM) performs, as well as seeing how all our recent development in Multi-core processing performs when we complete our transition to these technologies."
On the customer side, Almansa's customer success team sees the roll out of the three new M1-fitted Mac systems — MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13" and Mac mini — as confirming that Apple continues to move in the right direction in supporting the professional design market with more powerful hardware.
"There's definitely value in the way Apple builds for small size and big power efficiency. Undoubtedly, these new systems will outperform their predecessors," Almansa said.
"But I think users will see the most significant value in Apple's higher-end models such as the MacBook Pro. As we continue to test Vectorworks with the latest service packs installed, we'll be posting our findings to the forum page so our user community and the software development community at large can stay informed."
Early findings and a couple caveats:
- Big Sur on Intel Machines:
- No issues to report at this point with the latest release 11.0.1 offered to developers.
- Big Sur M1 Rosetta 2 Emulation mode:
- Vectorworks 2020 and 2021: Testing gives us confidence in the performance of the software with the latest service packs installed running on the M1 chips.
- M1 processors and their real-world performance using Vectorworks in Rosetta 2 emulation: Testing has shown an issue in updating a sheet layer Viewport with OpenGl and Ambient Occlusion and previewing files via Finder. Our QA team just finished the acceptance test and found no other significant issues.
- Vision 2020 and 2021 versions: Testing finds that versions will not run in Rosetta 2 emulation. At the time of this writing, we recommend that users not update yet and check with us for status about the new M1 processors.
- 3DConnexion devices:
- Users can learn more by visiting the forum pages addressing macOS 11.00 (Big Sur).
- 3DConnexion devices:
Powerhouse CPU By the Numbers
The 8-core CPU in the M1 makes it the world's fastest. So fast that Apple says, "it allows developers to build apps up to 3x faster." Designed with low-power silicon it packs a whopping 16 billion transistors, the most Apple has put into a chip so far, which catapults the integrated graphics performance in a personal computer to the fastest in the world. Here's Apple's breakdown of chip performance:
- Up to 3.5x faster CPU performance.
- 6x faster GPU performance.
- Up to 15x faster machine learning.
- Up to 2x longer battery life than previous-gen Macs.
For Vectorworks developers, the takeaway here is the benefit of added speed as the development team is constantly evolving application development in Vectorworks to harness multiple cores for advanced graphics.
"There's nothing that serves design like great performance," Johnson said. "We're excited to see these technology advances serve our design customers."
The Intel to ARM Shift
With all the news surrounding macOS Big Sur and Apple's powerful M1 chip, there's another storyline that's maybe not so new: Apple's resurrection of ARM-based processors and RISC technology. The tech world's coverage of the topic spans 30 years, making it a topic that coalesces the then and now — a "what's old is new again" conversation, if you will.
So, with Apple's move back into ARM technology, shifting production of its CPU from Intel x86 to its own proprietary "Apple silicon," the new part of this conversation becomes What now and how fast?
Johnson frames it for Vectorworks this way. "For Vectorworks customers, the 2021 software is compiled for Intel-based Macs. Apple engineering has quite impressively delivered performance improvements that are immediately evident using Vectorworks 2020 and 2021, thanks to the Rosetta 2 emulation mode. We expect another performance boost with the upcoming release of a Universal Binary solution for Vectorworks. And future versions of Vectorworks will be compiled natively for M1 and will see even greater performance gains.
But with Apple's shift to its own processors already begun, the countdown to go-to-market readiness of new Macs with Apple silicon and continued efforts by software developers like Vectorworks to rebuild for ARM has also begun. And there's a finite window of time to prep or retool applications for the new processors, but something Johnson said he's confident in with the development of a Universal Binary and the company's long-focused experience in developing software for macOS.
"For Vectorworks customers, the 2021 software is compiled for Intel-based Macs. Apple engineering has quite impressively delivered performance improvements that are immediately evident in using Vectorworks 2020 and 2021, thanks to the Rosetta 2 emulation mode." —Steve Johnson
"We're already committed to advances that take advantage of modern hardware technologies," said Johnson. "We feel like we are ahead of the curve here and can't wait to combine our efforts with these advances. Our users will WIN big."
Timing of Transition and Final Takeaways
In unpacking the Big Sur and M1 stories, it's safe to say the three new machines being introduced with the chip (MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini) make it the most powerful Mac lineup yet. Apple's roadmap for the full transition to Apple silicon is projected to take about two years to complete. During that time Apple will continue to sell Intel machines for up to five years.
With regard to the Vectorworks app, Johnson made three distinctions to help guide users' decision-making around Apple's transition roadmap and their design needs:
- Users don't need to invest in an M1 machine right now — existing Intel machines work very well running Vectorworks in Big Sur.
- M1 is only in select new Apple machines.
- For those who choose to upgrade to new Apple machines with ARM processing, Vectorworks 2021 will run in Rosetta 2 emulation mode to translate Intel instructions to ARM instructions, and current testing indicates it runs well. Future versions of Vectorworks will be optimized to run with Mac hardware that uses M1 processors.
All in all, the Big Sur and M1 story looks promising for Vectorworks. Johnson sums it up by forecasting that continued development of a Universal Binary solution, which should be available long before Apple's five-year projection for continuing to sell Intel machines, will ensure even greater performance for users because it will support both Apple and Intel architectures.


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Halloween Costume Ideas That Use a Coat
Let me take you back to my childhood; the early 80s. Halloween was all about wearing the boxed costume that had a cheap plastic mask tied with a rubber band and a flimsy, plastic smock that represented your costume. Really, it didn't matter what you were wearing because your mom made you wear your winter coat when you went trick or treating anyways. It's kind of hard to impress your neighbors dressed like E.T. who happens to be wearing a bright blue and red coat that has a busted zipper. Now, as a dad, I want my kids to be warm so I try to think of costumes where the coat is part of the costume. Here's what I got.
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Mad Scientist
It may not involve a warm coat, but you still wear a lab coat. It's underneath the lab coat that you can pile up on layers. Thermal underwear works wonders. Some crazy glasses help, make your hair crazy, you can bring some beakers if you'd like - it's finding a lab coat small enough is the tough part. When in doubt, worse-case scenario, you can just have them wear one of their dad's long sleeved white dress shirts.
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Another that's easy to do. It helps if you already have a youth-sized leather coat (or pleather, gotta respect animal rights.) Load them up sunglasses, a mohawk or fohawk, a studded collar or something to that effect, maybe some biker gloves and you're good to go. Give'em a fake tattoo on their skull while you're at it to complete the ensemble.
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I wonder if Eskimo's dress like American's for Halloween. Regardless of my thought, it may be fun to dress like another ethnicity. I've dressed my daughter as a Spanish Flamenco dancer before, why not dress like an Eskimo, you know they keep warm. Big, fluffy coat with the fluffy-stuff in the hood, some matching pants - it's really all you need.
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Perfect example. Find a youth trench coat, one of those weird hats, a bubble pipe and carry a magnifying glass.
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Army, Navy, Marines, ect - Take your pic. This costume is easy to pull off and you may get some salutes from your fellow patriots along the way. They make youth camouflage coats and pants. Slap some paint or just as easily use some make-up to get the black lines under the eyes. Good to go and you'll stay warm along the way.


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Most pipelines have some sort of coating. If proper procedures are undertaken, the coatings can be removed on location or the removed pipeline can be transported to a cleaning yard. Our responsible recovery crews are environmentally certified and educated to handle coating waste in case the coating turns out to be hazardous.
After the coating is removed, the pipe is checked for bends, bows, dents, and dings. Roundness and straightness is also to be ascertained. Pipe should be separated at this stage to determine the better pipe that might be ready to ship to a customer or that might need additional attention. No matter how competent an operator might be, damages will occur, and externally the pipe can be dented or dinged with the track hoe forks or shoe during the removal process.
Sometimes the pipe could be bowed intentionally when laying and need to be straightened. Customers want round and straight pipe, and it is much more economical to load and transport straight pipe. Beveling of each end where the pipe was cut during removal is necessary if the pipe is to be re used as line pipe. Some pipeline recovery crews may be able to rehabilitate excavated pipelines at the removal site by using portable de-denters, pipe straighteners, beveling machines.
Alternatively, there are pipe service yards in various parts of the country that have the expertise and equipment to handle most jobs. If the pipe coating has not been severely damaged beyond repair, the pipe will go directly to a coating facility or threading facilities depending on the intended use for the excavated pipe.
Click Here to Inquire about our Pipe Rehabilitation Services
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MICHAEL GOODWIN: Is Obama Feeding the Myth That America Is Islamaphobic?
Coming nine years into the world created by 9/11, his words are haunting. And timely.
"The problem is not simply the extremism. And I think one of the mistakes is in thinking that if you deal with the extremists, you deal with the problem."
Ideally, such words of wisdom would come from President Obama. But they didn't, because Obama remains stuck in the feel-good myth that the problem is limited to a "tiny minority" of Muslims distorting Islam and that America must prove it is worthy of trust.
We therefore turn to Tony Blair for the clear-eyed view that the problem is larger and more complicated. The former British prime minister, in a TV interview, laid out his realizations about global jihad. His conclusions are a must-read for anyone serious about understanding Public Enemy No. 1.
The false narrative fueling the terror movement, Blair told interviewer Charlie Rose last week, "is basically that Islam is under oppression from the West, that the West is hostile, and that by the leadership of Muslim countries being in alliance with the West, they are somehow complicit in a betrayal of the fundamentals of their religion."
The myth attracts believers well beyond the actual terrorists, Blair said, adding, "That is a narrative that has a broader reach than we think."
The last point is as critical as it is controversial. It helps explain the "X factor" -- why most Muslims around the world, including millions in America, remain silent in the face of the grisly atrocities committed under the banner of their religion.
It also explains how scores of "homegrown" terror cells of young men educated in the West become radicalized and plot to blow up airliners, trains and buildings in Times Square and London.
Blair, summarizing his new memoir, said many Muslims who believe in the Al Qaeda narrative do abhor its violence. But suggesting their divided sympathies and sense of victimization create a fertile ground for terror, he also said: "You would get a worrying proportion of people who subscribe to the view that the West is, in fact, hostile to Islam."
The difference between Blair's view and Obama's is not academic. By his misguided actions and words, including apologizing to foreigners for America's pursuit of its national interests, Obama inadvertently feeds the myth that our nation is Islamophobic.
That myth, as Blair aptly describes it, is the central justification for indiscriminate slaughter against our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and our civilians at home.
"The world had to be remade as a result of September 11th," Blair said, citing a "completely different type of terrorist threat" willing to use nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
"It's not just the 3,000 people that died that day, but the fact that, if it could have been 30,000, they would have killed 30,000 or 300,000," he said.
For that reason, he defends the invasion of Iraq and believes Iran must not get a nuclear weapon, even supporting a military attack to stop it.
By contrast, Obama's misty-eyed mistake started from Day One, with his groveling in Egypt and elsewhere and abject expressions of respect for the thugocracy running Iran. These genuflections serve to confirm the belief among many Muslims that America has wronged Islam and that Obama will correct the error. It is no coincidence that among U.S. religious groups, Muslims are Obama's biggest supporters.
He continued down the wrong road at his news conference Friday, a revealing performance where he removed any doubt he still supports the Ground Zero mosque and a civilian trial for the mastermind of 9/11, citing the need to bolster "our image in the world."
As for the vast majority of New Yorkers and Americans who oppose both, Obama dismissively referred to "political rhetoric" and said people are "fearful."
"At a time when the country is anxious generally and going through a tough time, then fears can surface, suspicions, divisions can surface in a society," he said.
The comments recall his campaign claim that small-town Americans are "bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them." Two years later, he still holds the same elite condescension toward his countrymen. The people continue to disappoint their leader, but, as the polls confirm, the feeling is mutual.
Michael Goodwin is a New York Post columnist and Fox News contributor. To continue reading his New York Post column, click here.
Fox News Opinion is on Twitter. Follow us @fxnopinion.


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Coping with Change
The world and information move fast. Changes occur every day across our personal and professional lives. It's hard to hang on to something stable or unmoving even as much as we may crave it. The latter becomes even more important when the whirlwinds sway around us blinding us from focus and stability. Check out the new book, "Whiplash" (Ito; Howe, 2016 from MIT Labs) to get a good handle on 9 tools to help traverse our ever-changing future.
Ever more challenging is the fact that we are expected not only to perform and be accountable across a myriad of measures but to simultaneously be in a continuous cycle of professional growth.
No one is exempt. The above is true for all education stakeholders and their communities. It's important for all to perceive that 'change' means 'learning'. Once this is established, all of the work will be viewed as essential to personal and professional growth. Each person and collective group need to enact coping mechanisms, reflection and collaborative processes. It's up to top level and building level distributed leadership to ensure this happens. Here are some ways I've navigated as a teacher, principal, central office administrator, state-level director and non-profit CEO.
- Identify the driving forces and anchor these where appropriate, as soon as possible, in the life of the school/district/classroom. These come in the forms of mandates (state, federal, local), initiatives, projects, special programs and assessments.
- Ascertain the connections among these forces. Determine how and where these forces will be embedded in systems, processes and day to day efforts. How can they be integrated so they are meaningfully engaged by groups and individuals? What resources are needed?
- Honor the reality that emotions will be continually in play. Frustration, excitement, anxiety, enthusiasm, fear, etc., will be part of everyone's experiences along the way. Ensure a place to talk about them and, when needed, determine resolutions and celebrations.
- Create and communicate a working model of the 'changes' afoot. Enhance with timelines, benchmarks, roles and responsibilities. Frequently revisit and adjust as needed keeping the feedback loop intact.
- Be proactive. Anticipate and address where the transformations may have obstacles, stopgaps and may instill fear or resistance.
- Provide consistent, ongoing, embedded time for educators to collaborate, reflect and share while working among the many forces that exist. This includes expectations and tools for professional growth and advancement in content and areas of desired expertise.
- Keep learners as the focus. Each decision, question, actionable data and assessment should have at the core, 'how does this enhance learners' experiences and outcomes?'
- Ask for help. Be clear on why and what assistance is needed. Find the experts – locally and globally. Some challenges don't have immediately recognizable solutions. Colleagues, administrators, other community members can help.
- Effectively use technology tools. The rapidity of knowledge and change can be addressed by understanding how to best use available technologies. Every device at our disposable performs many operations that make life and work easier and more expeditious. It is often the case that we scratch just the surface of how we can use our apparatuses.
- Know the culture. Keep some of the traditions intact to ensure stability while new strategies and systems become the new normal of 'how we do things around here'.
This is easily stated with my 20/20 rearview mirror in place. 'Learning' through experience is the best teacher. The above strategies have been tried and true in many places I have worked, consulted and observed. It's not an exhaustive listing. I regularly seek more ideas and exercises that can enhance educators' digital conversion and all that means in a school setting-practically and from the standpoint of being human. I welcome your ideas!
Leslie Wilson, founder and CEO of One-to-One Institute, has served education for 38+ years in top level, key decision-making roles at state and local levels. Recognized as an international expert in education technology, Wilson is a frequent writer, presenter and interviewee. Among her many publications, she co-authored, "Project RED-The Technology Factor, Nine Keys to Student Achievement and Cost Effectiveness" which is the most broadly used research around successful implementation of 1:1 technologies in schools.
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