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could make it possible for us to wear all kinds of smart gear. But such things always need a source of power, and that's usually batteries. If the battery doesn't stretch then there's a problem. A team at Northwestern University are on track to solve that problem with a battery that can stretch to 3 times its size without a loss in performance, and also be charged by induction.
The battery, which resembles a sticking plaster, uses islands of energy-storing materials dotted on a stretchy polymer. The wires that connect the pockets of power are looped into S shapes, so they straighten out as the material stretches. Unfortunately the prototype only runs through 20 charge and discharge cycles, so there's a bit of development yet to do. Get ready to wear your smartphone.
HIGH-FLYING PLASTIC: Flying a single engine Cessna from Sydney to London is quite a feat, but Jeremy Rowsell will be doing it on his own, and using an unconventional and untested fuel. Rather than standard aviation fuel, he'll be using a fuel that's made only from recycled plastic waste. His purpose is to raise awareness about this type of fuel, along with breaking a record or two. If all that waste plastic can be turned into something useful then why aren't we doing it already?
MORE LIGHT AND HEAT: Supermarkets use nearly 10 times as much energy as a normal household. They need to keep food frozen or just cool, shoppers pleasantly warm and the store well-lit. Fraunhofer Institute has developed ways to cut the power bills by 25%, mainly through clever systems for dealing with heating, cooling and light. A combined central refrigeration system takes waste heat from freezers and uses it to warm the store. Surplus heat is turned into cool air through a geothermal heat pump and used to reduce the power required for chillers. Meanwhile, to reduce the energy needed for lighting they had the novel idea of installing windows in the roof. They did fit the skylights out though with microscreens that allow only indirect light to pass through. I bet shoppers spend more under natural light too.
A NEW LIGHT: Retinitis pigmentosa and other diseases cause the eye's photoreceptors to degenerate and eventually die, which means the person goes blind. Retina Implant, a German company, has developed an artificial retina that may restore some vision. The artificial retina is a 3 millimeter square chip that contains 1,500 photodiodes. Light strikes the diodes which then give off a weak electrical signal. That signal's boosted to allow the wearer to see. A battery behind the ear provides the power. In a study most patients had some limited vision restored, being able to see cutlery, letters, their own hands or the faces of family members. Presumably more diodes means better vision.
A SOUND SUIT: The SpiderSense suit from the University of Illinois uses ultrasonic reflections to alert the wearer to nearby objects or people. The suit has microphones embedded, so when the ultrasound detects someone approaching small robotic arms in the suit exert a growing pressure on the body. The wearer can then feel the pressure and avoid the approaching object. In tests wearers were able to detect someone approaching 95% of the time. With more sensors the suit could have a higher resolution. The creators believe a device like this could be useful for cyclists or for blind people. Is that other 5% you have to worry about.
Miraz Jordan, knowit.co.nz


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Renaissance Souls need to understand Renaissance Souls to get unstuck. Renaissance Soul Margaret Lobenstine, author of THE RENAISSANCE SOUL, coaches Renaissance Souls in Renaissance Soul life design. From her Renaissance Souls learn the three characteristics of Renaissance Souls, how Renaissance Souls earn money, special Renaissance Soul time management techniques. Renaissance Souls can take the "Are you a Renaissance Soul?" quiz in the Renaissance Soul part of the website. This Renaissance Soul author explains the recent bias against Renaissance Souls and how Renaissance Souls are now more appreciated. If you are a Renaissance Soul or your partner is a Renaissance Soul or your child is a Renaissance Soul or you co-worker is a Renaissance Soul, let the Renaissance Soul expert Margaret Lobenstine explain all you need to know about Renaissance Souls.
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Jim Perry Receives Statewide Recognition for Service to Community Colleges
TRENTON, N.J. – On Monday, June 17, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) presented the Ronald D. Winthers Community College Trustee Leadership Award to Union County College Board of Trustees Vice Chairman James R. Perry for his dedicated service to New Jersey's 19 community colleges.
"This award is an honor bestowed on a single New Jersey community college trustee each year," said NJCCC Chairman Bakari G. Lee, Esq. "The award was established in honor of long-time Burlington County College Trustee Ronald D. Winthers, and it was created to recognize visionary leadership by a New Jersey community college trustee at the local, state and national levels."
Perry, of Plainfield, has served on the Union County College Board of Trustees since 1992 and has served as vice chairman since 1999. He served as the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority chief financial officer prior to retiring in 2012.
"For over 20 years, James Perry has been a dynamic leader in advancing the mission of community colleges," Lee added. "Jim has been and continues to be the shining example of excellent community college trusteeship. He has served as a mentor to many community college trustees throughout the country, myself included."
Perry served as the Northeast Region Chair of the Association of Community College Trustees and as a member of its national board. In 2000, ACCT recognized his national contributions with the ACCT Northeast Region Trustee Leadership Award.
In New Jersey, Perry served as Chairman of the NJCCC from 1999 to 2002, and a member of the NJCCC Executive Committee from 1995 to 2002. During this time, he led negotiations with state officials to increase the Chapter 12 community college building and renovation fund, which provided an additional $170 million to renovate and construct new buildings. In recognition of his accomplishments, the NJCCC named its renovated conference room in his honor in 2002. He continues to serve as a member of the NJCCC and as a member of the statewide Community College Trustee Ambassadors Program.
In 2012, Perry was appointed to the ACCT Trust Fund Board, which was established by the ACCT Board of Directors for the purpose of financing projects pertaining to the education and training of community college and technical institution governing board members.
Perry holds an MBA in finance and BA in accounting/finance, both from Western Michigan University, and an associate degree from Henry Ford Community College. He also completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University in 2003.
In addition to his work with Union County College, he served as president and a board member of the King's Daughters Day School, founding member and director of the Plainfield Business Development Corporation, director and legislative vice president of the Central Jersey Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the Plainfield Citizens School Budget Advisory Committee.
The New Jersey Council of County Colleges is the state association representing New Jersey's 19 community colleges. As an independent, trustee-headed organization that joins the leadership of trustees and presidents, the Council is the voice of the community college sector before the state legislature and other branches of government. The Council is also the state coordinating organization for all community colleges in New Jersey


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Story highlights
- Crystal waters, awesome local food and great views set these city beaches apart from others
- The turquoise waters of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu are good for snorkeling
- Ipanema Beach offers great restaurants and a party vibe
(CNN)Stressed colleagues, traffic jams, pollution.
We're all familiar with the undesirable qualities of city life.
So thank the gods of urban planning for the occasional sandy edge.
There are some cities where worker drones can strip off the suit and tie, jump into shorts or a bikini and enjoy a day with their toes in the sand without having to leave the urban perimeter.
By talking with our well-traveled friends and colleagues, collating data from tourism authorities and using our own experiences, we've put together a list of what we think make up nine of the best city beaches in the world:
1. Ipanema Beach (Rio De Janeiro)
Ipanema was famed long before Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim composed their 1962 ode to one of the "tall and tanned and young and lovely" females that still throng the beach.
"The Girl From Ipanema," however, perfectly encapsulates the eternal allure of the 1,600-meter-long, 90-meter deep stretch of white sand.
Majestic granite peaks create a spectacular backdrop while the Cagarras Islands in the distance offer a counterpoint to the brilliant blue of the Atlantic.
This is the place where the dental-floss bikini and the crocheted G-string for men made their debuts, however, and it's the sight of the scantily clad people of the Cidade Maravilhosa that makes for arguably the most compelling spectacle.
Lowdown (5-point system)
Cleanliness: 4 -- Ipanema is regarded by Cariocas (Rio natives) as the city's cleanest beach.
Visual stimulus: 5 -- See G-strings and dental floss references above.
Food/drink: 5 -- Hawkers ply the sand selling everything from cold beer and caipirinhas to grilled sticks of halloumi cheese, while the streets that back the beach host some of the Rio's best restaurants.
Safe swimming: 2 -- The word Ipanema translates from native Indian as "bad, dangerous waters" and the undertow and crashing waves shouldn't be underestimated.
Party factor: 5 -- Rio's inland districts have the edge when it comes to partying but Ipanema's clubs are no slouches.
2. Bondi Beach (Sydney)
Most of Australia's main cities are close to great beaches, but Sydneysiders are justifiably bullish about the ones on their doorstep.
Coogee, Manly and gorgeous and often practically deserted northern beaches such as Palm Beach all have their advocates but for an iconic all-rounder you can't miss with Bondi.
One of the world's most famous strips of sand, Bondi is the closest ocean beach to the center of the city, ensuring its popularity with tourists and locals alike.
The wide curving crescent of white sand can get incredibly busy, but the turquoise water and prime people-watching opportunities offer recompense.
Lowdown (5-point system)
Cleanliness: 4 -- Bondi has been one of Sydney's cleanest beaches since an outlet pipe was installed in 1991 to discharge Sydney's waste five miles offshore rather than just off the cliff face that juts out of the beach.
Visual stimulus: 5 -- The beach itself is picture perfect and the surfing contingent ensures a healthy stream of toned flesh.
Food/drink: 5 -- With more than 130 eateries in Bondi, beachgoers can chow on everything from Asian tapas to gourmet fish and chips.
Safe swimming: 3 -- An underwater net keeps the sharks away but dangerous rip currents mean you should swim only in designated safe-swimming areas.
Party factor: 4 -- It's not the most sophisticated clubbing scene but there's plenty of scope to cut loose in Bondi's nightspots.
3. Waikiki Beach (Honolulu)
The hula girls and twangy guitars may mostly be confined to Honolulu's hotel lobbies these days, but Waikiki Beach retains a widescreen aura fostered in countless movies.
Originally a retreat for 19th-century Hawaiian royalty, the beach was also a favorite of author Robert Louis Stevenson.
Today the clutch of high-rise hotels is evidence of its status as one of the top holiday destinations in the United States, but the turquoise waters and views of the Diamond Head crater make up for the surfeit of concrete and garish short-sleeve shirts.
Lowdown (5-point system)
Cleanliness: 5 -- Work by groups such as the Healthy Hawaii Coalition ensures that the beach and water remain pristine.
Visual stimulus: 4 -- The tourist scene tends to be best described as "pasty," but the spectacular sight of Diamond Head crater makes up for a lot.
Food/drink: 3 -- Waikiki Beach is both touristy and commercial so it can be hard to find anything cheap or left field.
Safe swimming: 5 -- The water is shallow and warm.
Party factor: 4 -- Plentiful bars and nightclubs advertising foam parties and a "relaxed" dress code make for a raucous after-hours scene.
4. Brighton Beach (UK)
Brighton's proximity to the British capital has earned it a reputation as a kind of "London on Sea."
Yet while some apply the soubriquet derisively, the town's fusion of hip urban energy and fresh sea air acts as a tonic to any traveler and commuter ills.
The beach, which is mostly shingle down to the low tide mark, is a far cry from the paradise cliches -- this is England after all -- but it resonates charm and pulses with energy, especially on rare sunny days.
Arcane British seaside traditions such as stripy deckchairs, sticks of rock candy and fairground rides abound, but Brighton Lanes -- a maze of quaint streets and alleyways crammed with independent shops -- are a stone's throw away.
Lowdown (5-point system)
Cleanliness: 3 -- Although considered clean by British standards, Brighton doesn't have a Blue Flag -- official recognition by the international Foundation for Environmental Education of "super clean" status.
Visual stimulus: 4 -- Brits aren't slow to strip off at the first glimpse of sun, so there's plenty of flesh on parade during summer. Brighton's (stony) naturist strand was the first official clothes-optional beach in Britain.
Food/drink: 5 -- "London on Sea" is blessed with a superb eating and drinking scene.
Safe swimming: 3 -- The beach slopes sharply into the sea at high tide.
Party factor: 5 -- Great nightclubs and music venues and frequent appearances on the beach by big names make Brighton popular with music fans.
5. Barceloneta Beach (Barcelona, Spain)
Barcelona's beaches aren't the most beautiful in the world, but when it comes to atmosphere they're hard to beat.
The most popular due to its proximity to the center of town is Barceloneta Beach.
Lined with palm trees and backed with buzzing bars and cafes, the beach is dominated by Peix, a 60-meter-long abstract golden fish sculpture by Frank Gehry.
Another attribute is the area of Barceloneta itself, where superb seafood tapas do justice to the area's history as the traditional fishermen's quarter.
Lowdown (5-point system)
Cleanliness: 5 -- More than 200 workers clean Barcelona's beaches daily.
Visual stimulus: 3 -- Beach patrons include a significant quota of tourists, leisure groups and schoolchildren. Not the sexiest of demographics.
Food/drink: 4 -- Beach bars known as chiringuitos line sand and the district of Barceloneta has many choice eating options.
Safe swimming: 5 -- There are no dangerous currents close to the shore and the beach is patrolled by Red Cross lifeguards.
Party factor: 3 -- Local DJs tend to favor chill-out tunes over raucous anthems.
6. Jumeirah Beach (Dubai, UAE)
Soaring skyscrapers, mega-malls and manicured golf courses all catch the eye but the center of attention in the Middle East's most fantastical city-state remains its beautiful coastline.
When the Emirate's ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, decided to bank Dubai's future on its tourism potential, he rightly saw the spotless beaches and crystalline waters of the Persian Gulf as one of his main assets.
And so they remain.
The beaches at Al Mamzar on the opposite side of Dubai Creek have their fans, but the prime sun-worshipping spot is Jumeirah Beach.
Lowdown (5-point system)
Cleanliness: 3 -- Illegal dumping of sewage by tankers has been an issue in the past but lab tests recently gave the waters around Dubai the all clear.
Visual stimulus: 3 -- Dubai is liberal for the Middle East but it's not Rio.
Food/drink: 4 -- Jumeirah Beach Road is lined with restaurants. If you want alcohol, however, you'll need to head for a hotel.
Safe swimming: 5 -- The Gulf's shallowness and bathtub temperature make it ideal for swimming.
Party factor: 4 -- Better than you might think. Barasti or 360° have beach beats and beverages.
7. Miami Beach (Miami)
It's not difficult to see why Miami is synonymous with its beach.
More than 8.5 miles (14 kilometers) of the east coast of the barrier island that holds the Florida city is taken up by palm-backed white sand.
The beach plays an important role in civic life.
It has a reputation for hedonism and it's true that its nightclubs -- especially in the South Beach area -- are magnets for the rich, famous and beautiful.
However, there's more to the area than lithe bodies, vacuous chat and expensive cocktails.
The historic art deco neighborhood of South Beach rewards exploration while major arts events such as the annual Art Basel Miami Beach up the culture quotient.
Lowdown (5-point system)
Cleanliness: 3 -- Pollution and littering have been problems, but groups such as the Environmental Coalition of Miami and the Beaches have been working hard to spread the cleanliness message.
Visual stimulus: 4 -- South Beach is the place to head if you want to "critique" a model shoot.
Food/drink: 3 -- The beach itself isn't great for food and alcohol is (officially) banned, but there are plenty of options on thoroughfares such as Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road.
Safe swimming: 3 -- The water temperature is perfect for most of the year but jellyfish can be a problem.
Party factor: 5 -- Miami Beach's swanky nightlife is famous for a reason.
8. Kitsilano Beach (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Vancouver is consistently ranked among the most liveable conurbations in the world and you'd have to think that the 18 kilometers of beaches within its city limits don't hurt its rep.
Kitsilano or "Kits" is one of the most popular, both with beach bums and sporty types who balk at the idea of wasting too much time on a towel.
Activities include 10 tennis courts and two basketball courts. At 137 meters, Kitsilano's saltwater pool is the largest in Canada.
Lowdown (5-point system)
Cleanliness: 3 -- Gray sand and often murky water don't give the best impression, but regular beach cleanups and a smoking ban ensure minimal trash.
Visual stimulus: 4 -- Snow-capped mountains, Vancouver's striking skyline and athletic bodies all catch the eye.
Food/drink: 4 -- The upmarket neighborhood of Kitsilano is home to great restaurants. The Boathouse in particular is renowned for its waterfront drinking and dining.
Safe swimming: 4 -- The water is clean and the swimming is safe. It can get mighty cold, however.
Party factor: 3 -- The cluster of bars and restaurants over the road from the beach make Kits a lively place to unwind.
9. Clifton Beaches (Cape Town, South Africa)
Cape Town's Clifton Beaches come with one major drawback -- the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean are what might politely be termed as bracing, practically year round.
Despite this they remain a magnet for visitors due to their spectacular natural beauty and unbeatable African sunsets.
Divided into four small but interlinked coves by massive boulders the size of small cars, the separate beaches cater to different demographics.
First Beach is for the local moneyed set; 2nd Beach attracts a sizeable gay contingent; 3rd Beach is more family orientated.
The liveliest spot, however, is 4th Beach, where Cape Town's hip set come to top up their tans.
Lowdown (5-point system)
Cleanliness: 5 -- The beaches have been awarded the Blue Flag for excellent environmental standards by the international Foundation for Environmental Education.
Visual stimulus: 5 -- The beaches' fashionable patrons make great efforts to look trim. The spectacular scenery and sunsets scrub up nicely, too.
Food/drink: 2 -- There's not much in the way of restaurants and alcohol isn't permitted on the beach.
Safe swimming: 2 -- Shark attacks aren't unknown and the water is cold all year round. .
Party factor: 2 -- There are occasional parties on 2nd and 4th beaches but otherwise Clifton is pretty subdued.
Originally published May 2012, updated August 2014.


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Best new bar: Bellocq at the Hotel Modern in New Orleans. Pick any spirit you like from their modest but well-curated selection and they'll craft a cobbler with it. The cobbler is an underrated drink and it's very cool to see Bellocq revive it. (Opened December 2011.)
Best new spirit: Gamle Ode dill aquavit. I tasted many aquavits with many people in the second half of this year, and Gamle Ode was a consistent standout. Its dill aroma is spot on and it sips very nicely from the freezer or mixed into a simple Collins. Distribution is currently very limited but will hopefully expand.
Best bartending experience: Brewing Up Cocktails Spirited Dinner in New Orleans. 240+ cocktails in four courses, half of them using eggs, cranked out with the help of my collaborator Ezra, Andrew and Amanda from Seattle, and one very big immersion blender.
Best drinking experience: Sipping Scotch on the dock at my family's place in the Michigan Upper Peninsula for the final time. I've visited every summer since birth, but we sold the place this year.
Most memorable dining experience: Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in Nashville.
Most memorable dish: A tom kha mousse kind of thing frozen with liquid nitrogen from Uchi/Uchiko at Feast Portland's Night Market. It cast off pieces of itself like some kind of explosive geologic event while deliciously capturing the flavor of a classic Thai soup.
Best overall dinner: Restaurant St. Jack in Portland.
Favorite travel destination: Los Angeles.
Best magic performing experience: Successfully pulling off the Cups and Balls on the street. It's a classic of magic with difficult angles in an uncontrolled environment. The situation was not often right to attempt it, and on a couple occasions it failed. Getting it right, however, is immensely satisfying.
Best reading experience: Arguably, the final anthology of essays from Christopher Hitchens. I know of no other writer who's as consistently challenging or capable of making such a broad array of topics interesting. (Published in 2011, but I just recently picked it up.)
Best economics and policy book: A Capitalism for the People, Luigi Zingales. Briefly reviewed here.
Cocktail and spirit prediction for 2013: It's hard to top last year's Bone Luge prediction, but I'll give it a shot: Aquavit. I'm obviously doing my own part to promote it, but there are other reasons to expect the spirit to become increasingly popular. Small distilleries need to generate revenue by making products that they can release with little or no ageing. Gin and vodka are the usual choices, but both of these markets are very competitive. The aquavit market is uncrowded and offers great opportunities for creativity with new botanical profiles. This is complemented by growing interest in the "New Nordic" cuisine.
A couple years ago, the only two domestic aquavits in constant production that I am aware of were Krogstad and North Shore. Now there is also the aged Krogstad, Sound Spirits, Gamle Ode, and a limited release from Bull Run. In 2013 I predict more new aquavits and more bartenders discovering the spirits' versatility in cocktails.


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2010 Spring/Summer Birding Calendar
Wild about birds? You've come to the right state!
By Shelly Plante & Michelle Guerra
Texas is home to a bevy of beautiful native birds, as well as many other feathered friends who grant us a splash of color and magic as they pass through each year. For bird watchers of all ages and skill levels, there are events across the state that will help you learn more about what you see. In addition to the events listed below, Texas state parks host frequent birding activities, and a regularly updated calendar of all events at Texas Parks and Wildlife facilities can be found online at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/calendar/. Search this calendar by "Events and Activities" or by "Regions" of the state to find more outdoor adventures for you and your family year-round!
Recurring events
Every Tuesday and Thursday
Wetlands Education Center Tours — University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas.
Guided tours in which visitors learn about the ecological and economic importance of coastal wetlands and how plants and animals are adapted to life in the salt marsh and sand dune environments. 10 a.m. Free. 361-749-6805; www.utmsi.utexas.edu/outreach/wetlands-education-center.html
Every Wednesday
Birding on the Boardwalk — Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, Port Aransas.
Guided bird walks with a local birding expert. 9 a.m. Free. 361-749-5919; www.cityofportaransas.org/Leonabelle_Turnbull_Birding_Center.cfm
Second Saturday of each month
Beginner's Bird Walk — Judson Nature Trails, Alamo Heights.
An approximately two-hour introduction to the local birds for beginners and newcomers. Binoculars available for use. 8 a.m. Free. 210-308-6788; www.saaudubon.org/field.html
Nature Programs — Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, Sherman.
Programs on topics such as prairie restoration, bluebirds and raptors; informative talks; slide shows; and some short field trips. 10 a.m. Free. 903-786-2826;www.friendsofhagerman.com
Second Saturday for Youth — Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, Sherman.
Hands-on nature crafts and activities for ages 6–12. Reservations required. Free. 903-786-2826;www.friendsofhagerman.com
Third Saturday of each month
Bird Banding at the Sanctuary — Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Lake Jackson.
See and photograph your favorite birds. Join the outing for monthly bird banding sessions. 8 a.m. to noon. Free. 979-480-0999; www.gcbo.org
Birding Tours — Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site, El Paso.
Guests should call the park to sign up for the tour, since there are limited spaces available. 7 a.m. in summer months; 8 a.m. in winter. $5 entry fee for 13 and older; additional $1 activity fee for ages 5 and above. 915-857-1135; www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huecotanks
Every Weekend (except Easter Sunday)
Blucher Park Bird Walks — Corpus Christi.
Go birding at Blucher Park and the expansive lawns behind the two Blucher homes across the street. If needed, participants will be guided through the park and assisted in bird identification. Free. 361-443-0744; www.ccbirding.com
Weekly, Wednesday – Saturday
Guided Bird Walks — Goose Island State Park, Rockport.
Join the park's bird host on guided bird walks in the woods and on the island. Novice and experienced birders welcome. 8 a.m. Walks are free; park entry fee required. 361-729-2858; www.tpwd.state.tx.us/gooseisland
April 22-24
Nature Quest 2010 — Concan.
Get ready for one of the best birding and all-round nature festivals in Central Texas. You will enjoy learning from world-class experts about native plants, wildflowers, butterflies, insects, birds, bats and mammals through field trips, workshops, seminars and evening programs. 800-210-0380; www.thcrr.com
April 23-26
Balcones Songbird Festival — Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, Lago Vista.
Located 35 miles northwest of Austin, this refuge offers excellent habitat for two endangered birds, the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo. Festival includes opportunities to view both species as well as butterflies and wildflowers on birding walks, plus reptile exhibits and family events. 512-339-9432; www.friendsofbalcones.org
April 24
17th Annual Bluebird Festival — Wills Point.
Celebrate the birds of Wills Point with special entertaining and educational training programs. Driving tours afford festival attendees access to hundreds of bluebirds and nesting boxes lining the roads into town. Arts and crafts, games and food and educational booths are set up downtown. 903-873-3111; www.willspointbluebird.com
Spring Migration Birding Tour — Fennessey Ranch, Bayside.
Spend the full day in the field at Fennessey Ranch racking up scores of species! Reservations required. Tours depart from main gate at 7:30 a.m. $68. 361-529-6600; www.fennesseyranch.com
April 24-May 2
Great Texas Birding Classic — Texas coast.
Register your team and attempt to identify the most species to win prizes and to help fund important habitat protection efforts. Various prices for team entry; see website for details. 979-480-0999; www.birdingclassic.org
May 1
Galveston County Spring Bird Count — Galveston County.
Prepare for International Migratory Bird Day with our Spring Bird Count. Teams are organized to cover different areas, including High Island and Bolivar Peninsula. Beginning bird watchers will be teamed up with more experienced birders. Free. 409-763-0667; www.houstonaudubon.org
Meet the Purple Martins: Seminar/Nest Check — South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, Corpus Christi.
Meet the purple martins nesting and hatching chicks in the martin houses at the botanical gardens. Experts Louise Chambers and John Barrow will teach you about life cycles and communal habits and how to keep your martin apartments "leased." Gather the latest information on tracking purple martins in Texas. 10 a.m. to noon. $7, $3.50 for members. 361-852-2100; www.stxbot.org
May 1-8
Travis Audubon Bird-a-thon — Austin.
Participation is simple. You can create your own team, join an existing team or even fly solo as you search the Austin region of your choice in an effort to find the greatest number of bird species. Collect pledges to support Travis Audubon while winning prizes. Free. 512-300-2473; www.travisaudubon.org
May 8
Eco Adventures Canoe Trails — Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, McKinney.
Our paddle programs allow guests to participate in a guided trail on the water while learning about the wetland habitat and animals. Ages 7 and up, $40 nonmembers, $30 members, 972-562-5566; www.heardmuseum.org
Festival on the Bayou — Houston Audubon.
Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day! This year's theme is partnerships, so join us and other organizations for a fun family day on the bayou. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $5 per person, kids under 3 are free. 713-932-1639; www.houstonaudubon.org
Guided Bird Walk — Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area, Lewisville.
More than 270 species of birds have been documented on 2,000 acres of forest, prairie, river and wetland habitat. The guided tour takes birders to some of the best locations, many of them not regularly open to the public. Ages 10 and up. Reservations required, 7:30 a.m., $7 per person, 972-219-7980; www.ias.unt.edu/llela
Shorebirds, Breeding Plumage, Blacklock! — South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, Corpus Christi.
South Texas birder and author Gene Blacklock leads this Saturday short course for all levels of birders studying Coastal Bend shorebirds, including breeding plumage. Morning lecture, afternoon field study. Bring binoculars. 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. $15 including general admission, $11 members. 361-852-2100; www.stxbot.org
May 12
Birdathon and Award Ceremony — Houston Audubon, United Way Community Resource Center.
Help raise money for Houston Audubon. Form your team, gather pledges based on the number of bird species your team observes in any 24-hour period between March 27 and May 2, and join us for the award ceremony. 6:30 to 9 p.m. Free. 713-932-1639;
May 15
Birding Walk and Talk — Sheldon Lake State Park, Houston.
Upper Texas coast neotropic migration is in full swing! Join Friends of Sheldon Lake birders finding migrants and nesting species in the park's varied habitats. 8:30 a.m. Free. 281-952-0772.
Native Plants of South Texas — Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, San Antonio.
Take a hike along the center's Native Plant Trail with ethnobotanist Patty Leslie Pasztor to learn about plants. 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. $5 fee, free for Mitchell Lake Audubon Center members. 210-628-1639; www.mitchelllakeaudubon.org
May 22
Shorebird Field Class — Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Lake Jackson.
With expert leadership, study the various field marks used to tell shorebirds apart, such as overall body shape, bill shape and length, leg color and plumage characteristics. 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. $95 nonmembers, $75 members. 979-480-0999; www.gcbo.org
May 28-29
Annual Texas Colonial Water Bird Census — Sheldon Lake State Park, Houston.
Elegant water birds have made a comeback thanks to efforts like this census. Join Friends of Sheldon Lake on one or both days to help count Texas' largest inland water and wading bird rookery. 7:30 to 11 a.m. Free. 281-962-0772.
May 29
Third Annual Super Saturday at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge — Hagerman NWR, Sherman.
A full day of nature activities and fun for the whole family, including field trips, talks and hands-on crafts. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. 903-786-2826; www.friendsofhagerman.com
June 5
Adult Birding 101 — Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, San Antonio.
Tools, tips and techniques that will allow you to build your birding skills. From how to find birds to the tools and clues that will help you identify them, this workshop provides the information and field practice to help you get started birding. 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. $5 fee, free to Mitchell Lake Audubon Center members. 210-628-1639; www.mitchelllakeaudubon.org
June 12
Guided Bird Walk — Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area, Lewisville. See May 8 event details.
June 15, 22 and 29; July 6 and 13
Introduction to Ornithology — Houston Audubon, Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary.
A series of classes to study the remarkable physiology of birds. Although it's not a field identification class, participants will learn information that will prove valuable in field study and identification of birds. 7 to 9 p.m. $175 nonmembers, $150 members. 713-932-1639; www.houstonaudubon.org
Heard Summer Nature Camps — Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, McKinney.
The days of kids enjoying their summer outdoors are not lost to the past. Kids 5–14 will enjoy a stimulating summer on our 289-acre wildlife sanctuary. 972-562-5566; www.heardmuseum.org
July 24
Heard Night Hikes — Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, McKinney.
Sneak a peek into the nocturnal world and experience nature in a whole new way! A trail that is familiar by day becomes a whole new experience at night. 7:30 p.m. Advance registration required. $12 nonmembers, $10 members. 972-562-5566; www.heardmuseum.org


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Digital Excellence – The 1st Conference – A Great Time!
" We must spread digital excellence across neighborhood and regional boundaries." That sentiment, expressed by keynote speaker Dr. Nicol Turner Lee, informed the energy of Chicago's first conference showcasing digital excellence in Chicago communities.
Chicago's neighborhood technology experts, activists, leaders, and pioneers joined a dozen technology specialists from six (6) cities in a lively, high-energy series of workshops and roundtable sessions. The 1st Chicago Neighborhood Digital Excellence Conference and Technology Fair at Chicago's DePaul University Egan Urban Center was part reunion, part think tank, part high-energy planning session, and part movement retrospective for the 80 or so participants. The early feedback from conference participants? Here's what Jennifer Hunt shared on the Digital Excellence Coalition Fan Page:
Thank you so very much for a wonderful conference! As someone brand new to the movement, I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to such a wonderful community of experts, dreamers, activists, collaborators and stewards. I can't wait to get to work!
For most of the attendees, in this reporter's view, Jennifer Hunt's energy and enthusiasm seemed to capture the info-sharing and learning experieces in the six (6) morning workshop sessions, luncheon and afternoon roundtables.
Here's a wrtiter's eye view of the conference from attendee Taran Rampersad:


text:
No Search Result Found
Sorry, but nothing matched your search criteria. But don't worry; simply pick an option from the list below,
- Try again with some different terms.
- Hit the "back" button on your browser. It's perfect for situations like this!
- Head on over to the home page.


text: Hi, I have ISPConfig3 on CentOS5.8 with nginx0.8.55. All has been running happily for a while now. The ISPConfig admin interface is secured using the StartSSL instructions, and has a dedicated IP set with a valid DNS entry. Yesterday I requested and added a new RapidSSL certificate for a new website secured using SSL, which has a separate dedicated IP with a valid DNS entry. I have a valid .key and .crt for the new site and the .crt includes the bundled certificates provided by RapidSSL. SSL was configured through ISPConfig3. If I visit the new website, it says it is secured by the base StartSSL certificate of the ISPconfig interface. I've tried many, many things, adding a .pem of the RapidSSL certs, but I cannot get nginx to honour the ssl_certificate setting for the new site. There are no errors in any of the logs and I am completely baffled. Grateful for any tips.... Regards, Matt.


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Paola VS. Ashley — Model Melee
Model Melee -- the best cure we've found for the Wednesday blues.
Paola defeated the gorgeous Patricia in Monday's epic battle of sexy Twitter pics and now she's up against Ashley. Let's check them out:
@Paolacorvea is a sex advisor for MAXIM Español who hails from Miami, FL. That explains the beach body.
Her challenger @AshleyHeinrich1 is a 21-year-old aspiring model from a small town in British Columbia, Canada. Ashley says she's "hardworking and optimistic and believes that if you want something bad enough, you wont stop until you get to where you want to be."
So which pic is hotter? You can vote as often as once an hour until Friday 6/14 at 12PM EST.
Official Rules
The winning girl moves on to challenge another girl next week. If one woman dominates and wins four weeks in a row, she makes the 'Model Melee Hall of Fame' and gets retired from the competition. At the end of the year, all Hall of Famers will return, to face off in the crowning of the Grand Model Melee Champion…or something – we will come up with a better title by then.
Want to be featured in 'Model Melee?' Tweet the photo to @Guy_Speed.


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Todom necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 155 diseños de 41 diseñadores freelance.
First Gear Products
First Gear is a new brand being launched for a product line to be sold in convenience stores across North America. Our company has years of experience in purchasing for the grocery, automotive, and the dollar store markets. Our brand name is First Gear Products though we will feature the name First Gear only in our logo
The line will include items with a low cost and will be targeted as impulse sale items near the cash register. Many of the items will have a connection to an automobile or will be accessories that may be stored in an automobile. Our audience will be common people that drive and care about their cars and car culture.
We have two ideas for the logo. One is to have the words First Gear aligned next to a classic shifter ball like the Hurst ball found at http://performanceparts.com/part.php?partID=2035.
The other design concept we are considering is one incorporating the number 1 with the name First Gear coming from it (flowing to the right).
The logo design must be oriented to run horizontally as this best suits many retail package designs.The design should express an exciting, racy kind of feel and font design, yet must be easily legible. We do not want a great deal of color as we will be printing the logo in color on the front of the carton, and in black and white on the back, so It could be produced in black plus one color.
We will not accept stock clip art in the logo unless you modify it sufficiently to make it unique to our piece. If you use and modify stock art please provide the original design so that I can verify the extent to which our logo is unique.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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In the mysterious abyss, you have to burst all colorfull bubbles. Super powers hidden in some bubbles will allow you to move quickly to the different levels.
This game is played with mouse & arrow keys to move.
Bubble shooter game is a game of shooting bubbles that were well received and it would be an interesting entertainment, a major bubble below was shot up to the same
If you are good, you will take all the available points from this game. The target is simple, the game is funny and challenging. You need to shoot the bubbles
This is a great Bubble Shooter game with a lot of levels, which are amazing. Every fourth level there comes another buble type and makes the game more difficult.
Bubble Shooter 4 is a great game in which u should shoot the bubbles in the same colour. Give your best to shoot as much bubbles as possible to make
Holo Holo Island is a Classic Bubble Shooter puzzle game with super bonuses and lots of treasure to collect! Go on a journey across Holo Holo Island by clearing the
Being unable to stop the bubbles invasion, Aquatic cried out for help. You can become his saviour! You can stop the flood by using all possible means to destroy aqua
Shoot the bubbles and try to make them disappear in time to control that part of the US vote.
Aim your cannon, match 3 of the same bubbles and move your train to catch the falling toys.
Match 3 or more flowers clear them. If the watering can runs out of water the flowers take over and you lose. Left and right arrow key to rotate. Up
The purpose of this new flash arcade seems easy - to clear the board from the colorful balls. But to fulfil the task, you should spend some time and a
This tiny witch is about to burst with bubble-blasting magic!
3D Bubble Shooter game, shoot bubbles from 6 directions to the middle. First click on the bubble you want to shoot and then on the spot you want to shoot


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Event Resource Guide
Chancellor Request Form
If you would like for the Chancellor to attend and/or speak during the program at your event, please fill out the Chancellor Request Form at least 60 days prior to the event. If the event is contingent on the chancellor attending, it is recommended to submit this request six months to one year in advance and to provide alternate dates.
If your event is approved and the chancellor is able to attend, Carolyn Hartman, executive assistant to the chancellor, will send the event contact an Outlook meeting request to let him/her know the event is approved and added to the chancellor's calendar. An Outlook notification will also be sent to University Advancement's Events & Donor Relations office so an event liaison can be assigned to the event.
Event Protocols
If the Chancellor is scheduled to attend your event, an event liaison from University Advancement will be assigned to work with you during your event. The liaison will discuss expectations and guidelines for event protocols.
Before planning your first event, please review UNCW's Facilities Use Policy.
Event Checklist
The Event Checklist will help you determine the budget for your event.
It is a resource you should feel free to use when planning your event. It provides a lot of information to help the event planner stay organized while planning an event. The highlighted fields can be filled out or deleted, depending on the needs of the event. The event planner should feel free to use this as a guide and make any tweaks he/she feels appropriate for the event.
Event Summary
Use the Event Summary and Briefing Document to create a one-page summary of your event, showcasing the most important information to share as appropriate with your co-workers, Deans, Vice Chancellors, vendors, etc.
For events not held in a Campus Life Facility, fill out the ITS Special Event Request Form. View the pricing.
When reserving a space in a Campus Life Facility, you will be able to select your AV needs. View the pricing.
UNCW Catering is provided by ARAMark for all on-campus events. Whether your event requires casual refreshments or elegant dining, ARAMark provides quality meals, bar service, linens, decoration options, and much more.
To place an order online, please do so in CATERTRAX. If this is your first time using the system, you will be required to set up an account. Please contact UNCW Catering at 910-962-3600 to speak with someone about your questions or event needs.
For additional information about policies and procedures when using catering services and the use of alcoholic beverages for university-related events, please read the policy. You will need to fill out an alcohol beverage permit if you plan to serve alcohol at your event.
Conference Services
Conference Services can assist with your event registration and enrollment, as well as provide additional services. Please read the Services and Pricing Form. Contact Nancy Maready, director of Conference Services in Campus Life for your conference services needs.
Entertainment can add to the atmosphere of any event. There are countless options for finding the perfect entertainment within the UNCW Community. Below are some common resources.
- Spirit Group Request Form - Request Sammy C. Hawk, the UNCW Cheerleaders or the UNCW Dance Team at your upcoming event.
- Student Organization Directory - Search through the 200+ student organizations on campus to find one that may suit your event's needs. There are many groups in dance, chorus, a cappella, art, etc.
- Faculty and Student Accomplishments - Review the department's websites or contact a Department Chair to ask for ideas for your event. Perhaps a faculty member has published a new book he/she could read from at your event, or several students have created research posters that share the same theme as your event.
- Student Musical Performers - Request a student musical performance through the Music Department.
Whether you opt to pay to book a UNCW student or faculty member, or an outside vendor, please always check the Purchasing website to ensure you are following UNCW's policies.
Mail Services
Seahawk Mail is a full-service U.S. Postal Service contract station. When designing customized event invitations, it is always a good idea to check with Seahawk Mail to determine the weight of the invitation and the cost to mail each piece. Other services include bulk mail prices, postage stamps and mail pick-up.
University Relations can help develop a plan for the marketing needs for your event. The department can assist with the design of your invitations. To initiate a project with University Relations, fill out the Project Request Form and read about the Project Request Process.
Media Services
UNCW's Media Relations professionals work to keep the public informed about campus news, including events.
Parking & Transportation
The Parking & Transportation Office assists in ensuring the success of events by providing parking arrangements.
You must fill out a Special Event Parking Request a minimum of one week prior to the event you are planning. This request must be submitted for any type of campus event -- meetings, conferences, seminars, lunches, dinners, receptions, etc. When multiple events are scheduled on the same date, priority is given to the event that finalizes arrangements with Parking & Transportation Services first.
Parking rates can be found on the Parking & Transportation Office website.
The Office University Relations offers Photographic Services for the university. To request a photographer at your event, you must fill out the online Photo Services Request Form .
Please read the Photo Use Policy before requesting a photographer at your event.
Physical Plant
Physical Plant can help with many of your event needs. In most cases, you will need to fill out an Aim Customer Request or submit a dig permit which can be found with other Physical Plant Forms (labeled Dig and Excavating Permit).
Some areas Physical Plant can assist with:
- Dig Requests - A request must be submitted whenever anything is put into the ground.
- Irrigation System - A request must be submitted so this is cut off for an outside event.
- Banners - Physical Plant houses many feather banners from across campus. A request must be submitted to retrieve the banners and set them up for your event. The department can also assist with hanging new banners.
- Space Temperature - Please keep in mind the temperature in each building changes during evening and weekend hours. Contact Physical Plant if you are planning an evening or weekend event to ensure the temperature will be comfortable for your guests.
- Housekeeping - Submit a request to let Housekeeping know about any event taking place during the evening or weekend hours to help ensure the department can prepare accordingly. For example, if your event is held on a Friday evening after Housekeeping has cleaned for the week, they may need to clean again before classes begin on Monday.
- Conflicting Work - It is beneficial to let Physical Plant know about your event, especially if it is held outside. This can ensure there are no conflicts, such as the grass being mowed at the same time as your event.
- Safety - Often arrangements can be made to assist with the safety of your event. (For example, they can bring in additional rugs to be placed at doors to ensure guests do not slip.)
Reserving and Finding Space
Find a Space to fit Your Needs
Check the Campus Reservation System for Room Setups and Capacities.
Additional Photos and Descriptions of Campus Life Facilities provide additional information about each space.
Select a Date and Time for the Event
Use the Campus Calendars as a resource for reviewing other events scheduled. It is best to avoid scheduling your event on the same date as another event on campus that may involve the same potential audience.
Check Availability of Desired Space
There are two ways to check availability of space:
- Browse Events to see all events and Check Space Availability for only the spaces you can reserve through CRS.
- Call or e-mail the appropriate reserving office.
Reserving Space
Most spaces on campus can be requested online using the Campus Reservation System.
Some spaces, such as Kenan Auditorium, Housing and Residence Life Facilities, Campus Recreation Facilities and other spaces with unique requirements must be reserved by phone or e-mail. See the Contact List for all Reserving Offices.
Once the space is confirmed, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with the contract attached.
A room in a Campus Life facility is not confirmed as reserved until a signed confirmation and proof of insurance (if a non-university group) if received back from the requestor. Until the signed copy is returned to Campus Life, the space will be tentatively held.
Security / Opening Buildings
The Campus Police Department can assist with security at your event. If you are having an event outside in a tent, it is recommended to let the Campus Police know the event is taking place so they can check on the details as needed. It is always necessary to have someone from your office or a campus police officer present if AV equipment and/or a generator are outside.
Campus Police are also responsible for opening academic room event spaces.
The Special Event Security Policy provides additional details about event security.
Set-Up / Layout
Reserving Tables, Chairs, Podium, Stage, etc.
If you are not in a Campus Life facility, you may find the space your reserved for your event does not have the needed tables, chairs, podiums or stages the event required. Arrangements can be made with Moving Services to have these items delivered by contacting:
- Tables, Chairs, Podiums: Tina Strickland, Academic Affairs facility use manager, 910-962-3011, firstname.lastname@example.com
- Stages: Campus Life Reservations & Event Services, 910-962-7098, the extension is 4150 email@example.com. Reserve online.
Creating a Diagram
Creating a diagram with as much information as possible is strongly encouraged if the event set-up is not in a space with a permanent room set-up. Details are essential and providing the information up front can be helpful to everyone involved. We recommend sending the diagram to everyone involved in the event set-up, including (when applicable) Moving Services, Campus Catering, Campus Life, AV, etc.
It is preferred to include the following information at the top of the diagram:
- Event Name
- Date
- Start Time
- Time you would like set-up to be complete
- Event Contact Arrival Time
- Event Contact's Name, Cell Phone Number and E-mail Address
To create the diagram, you may opt to use a program such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Publisher. Campus building floor plans are available by logging into UBusiness.
Stage Protocol for UNCW Events
For all campus ceremonies and events, at least two flags are used on stage: the United States flag and the State of North Carolina flag. The University flag can also be used.
When displaying flags on stage, the U.S. flag takes precedence and has the position of honor. From that point, the flags are placed in descending order or importance. From the speaker's perspective looking into the audience, the U.S. flag is located to the right (stage right) the North Carolina flag followed by the University flag is to the left of the speaker.
The podium should always show the UNCW logo plaque on the front, or a specialty plaque pertaining to your event. The podium should never be bare.
Greenery, such as ferns adds an element of sophistication to the stage and should be used whenever possible. The plants can be artificial, as long as they have the appearance of real plants. To save funds, you can reuse artificial plants on the stage at each of your events.
Example of stage setup
The Office of Environmental Health & Safety can provide accurate weather information. Consult Stan Harts, director of EH&S, if you are concerned the inclement weather may affect your event.
General Guidelines:
- Both electronic invitations and print invitations are acceptable, depending on the audience
- Spell out all words - do not abbreviate
- Do not include periods to close sentences, unless in a paragraph format
- Limit font style to no more than two
- No more than three font sizes should be included in the same invitation
- Standard Information to Include:
- Name of host
- Event type/name/purpose
- Date
- Time
- Place
- Reply instructions
- Attire instructions
- Event directions/map when appropriate (it is often encouraged to send a reminder the day before the event with a link to provide directions)
Name tag
Name tags should be provided to all guests who respond they will attend the event. (Please note, do not prepare name tags for UNCW administrators who are invited to attend due to their role at the university. They will wear their own standard UNCW name tag.) Walk-up guests should be provided with a name tag when they arrive. Consider purchasing a Dymo Label Printer to help make this process easiest.
Name tags are correctly worn on the right side so the person shaking hands or greeting has easy eye contact with both the person and the name tag.
UNCW protocol says the following:
- Acceptable Types of Name Badges
- Magnetic
- Stick-on
- Clip-on
- What to Include on the Name Badge
- Name and Graduation Year if Attendee is an Alumni (as shown below)
- Jane Doe
- Jane Doe '01
- Jane Doe '01 '05M
- UNCW Board Affiliation When Appropriate
- For example, when the UNCW Foundation Board hosts an event for members of the E. L. Society, name tags should state if the guest is in the Foundation Board and/or E. L. White Society.
- "Board of Trustees" should always be included when any of these 13 members attend an event.
- Other board membership should not be included unless the board is hosting or being recognized at the event. (In the example above, a Board of Trustee would have the board listed on his/her name tag; however, a Board of Visitor would not have the board listed.)
- Name and Graduation Year if Attendee is an Alumni (as shown below)
- Right or Left? Where to Wear a Name Badge
- Right - Name tags are correctly worn on the right side so the person shaking hands or greeting has easy eye contact with both the person and the name tag.
Contact List - All University Facilities
|Reserving Office
|All classrooms for academic and non-academic use. Academic spaces are not specified in this table.
|Academic Affairs - Facility Use Manager
|Tina Strickland
|Alderman Hall Room 211
|Business Affairs - Vice Chancellor's Office
|Gina Bowen
|Alderman Hall Room 215
|Chancellor's Office
|Donna Pace
|Campus Life Facilities: Fisher University Union, Fisher Student Center, Burney Center, Warwick Center, University Commons
|Campus Life
|Reservations and Event Services
|Center for Marine Science
|Mellissa Dionesotes
|Cultural Arts Building - Performance Venues
|Academic Affairs - Facility Use Manager
|Tina Strickland
|DePaolo Hall Conference Room
|University College
|Mazelle Williams
|Facilities Building Conference Rooms 105, 177
|Facilities Administration
|Janet Alexander
|Hoggard Hall 116 Conference Room
|Research Services
|Michelle Starks
Hoggard Hall 252
Conference Room
|ITS Resource Management
|Hoggard 249
|ITS Resource Management
|Emergency Operations Center: Hoggard 125
|Environmental Health & Safety
|Jodie Ruskin
|Intercollegiate Athletic Facilities
|Jason Goodmurphy
|Intercollegiate Athletic Fields
|Greg Cooke
|Kenan Auditorium
|Kenan Auditorium
|Jeremy Summers
|Kenan House
|University Advancement / Chancellor's Office
|Claire Stanley
|Madeline Suite
|Conference Services
McNeill Hall (Multipurpose room, lecture hall and classrooms)
|School of Nursing
|CHHS Business Core Services Team
|Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)
|Melody Formalarie
|Parking Lots
|Parking & Transportation Services
|Randall Library
|Randall Library
|Christopher Rhodes
|Randall Library Auditorium
|Academic Affairs - Facility Use Manager
|Tina Strickland
|Residence Life Facilities
|Office of Housing and Residence Life
|Andrea Swanson
|Student Recreation Center Facilities: Gazebo area and Fields
|Campus Recreation Office
|Online Request Form
|Watson College of Education
|Dean's Office
|Kathy Funke
|Wise Alumni House
|Academic Affairs - Facility Use Manager
|Tina Strickland
Please note, there is a fee to use some of these spaces above. Please check each facility's website or call the contact person listed for additional information.


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Acid–base reaction
Acid–base reaction, a type of chemical process typified by the exchange of one or more hydrogen ions, H+, between species that may be neutral (molecules, such as water, H2O; or acetic acid, CH3CO2H) or electrically charged (ions, such as ammonium, NH4+; hydroxide, OH−; or carbonate, CO32−). It also includes analogous behaviour of molecules and ions that are acidic but do not donate hydrogen ions (aluminum chloride, AlCl3, and the silver ion AG+).
What are acids and bases?
How are acids and bases measured?
What happens during an acid–base reaction?
How do acids and bases neutralize one another (or cancel each other out)?
Acids are chemical compounds that show, in water solution, a sharp taste, a corrosive action on metals, and the ability to turn certain blue vegetable dyes red. Bases are chemical compounds that, in solution, are soapy to the touch and turn red vegetable dyes blue. When mixed, acids and bases neutralize one another and produce salts, substances with a salty taste and none of the characteristic properties of either acids or bases.
The idea that some substances are acids whereas others are bases is almost as old as chemistry, and the terms acid, base, and salt occur very early in the writings of the medieval alchemists. Acids were probably the first of these to be recognized, apparently because of their sour taste. The English word acid, the French acide, the German Säure, and the Russian kislota are all derived from words meaning sour (Latin acidus, German sauer, Old Norse sūur, and Russian kisly). Other properties associated at an early date with acids were their solvent, or corrosive, action; their effect on vegetable dyes; and the effervescence resulting when they were applied to chalk (production of bubbles of carbon dioxide gas). Bases (or alkalies) were characterized mainly by their ability to neutralize acids and form salts, the latter being typified rather loosely as crystalline substances soluble in water and having a saline taste.
In spite of their imprecise nature, these ideas served to correlate a considerable range of qualitative observations, and many of the commonest chemical materials that early chemists encountered could be classified as acids (hydrochloric, sulfuric, nitric, and carbonic acids), bases (soda, potash, lime, ammonia), or salts (common salt, sal ammoniac, saltpetre, alum, borax). The absence of any apparent physical basis for the phenomena concerned made it difficult to make quantitative progress in understanding acid–base behaviour, but the ability of a fixed quantity of acid to neutralize a fixed quantity of base was one of the earliest examples of chemical equivalence: the idea that a certain measure of one substance is in some chemical sense equal to a different amount of a second substance. In addition, it was found quite early that one acid could be displaced from a salt with another acid, and this made it possible to arrange acids in an approximate order of strength. It also soon became clear that many of these displacements could take place in either direction according to experimental conditions. This phenomenon suggested that acid–base reactions are reversible—that is, that the products of the reaction can interact to regenerate the starting material. It also introduced the concept of equilibrium to acid–base chemistry: this concept states that reversible chemical reactions reach a point of balance, or equilibrium, at which the starting materials and the products are each regenerated by one of the two reactions as rapidly as they are consumed by the other.
Apart from their theoretical interest, acids and bases play a large part in industrial chemistry and in everyday life. Sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide are among the products manufactured in largest amounts by the chemical industry, and a large percentage of chemical processes involve acids or bases as reactants or as catalysts. Almost every biological chemical process is closely bound up with acid–base equilibria in the cell, or in the organism as a whole, and the acidity or alkalinity of the soil and water are of great importance for the plants or animals living in them. Both the ideas and the terminology of acid–base chemistry have permeated daily life, and the term salt is especially common.
Theoretical definitions of acids and bases
Hydrogen and hydroxide ions
The first attempt at a theoretical interpretation of acid behaviour was made by Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier at the end of the 18th century. Lavoisier supposed that all acids must contain oxygen, and this idea was incorporated in the names used for this element in the various languages; the English oxygen, from the Greek oxys (sour) and genna (production); the German Sauerstoff, literally acid material; and the Russian kislorod, from kislota (acid). Following the discovery that hydrochloric acid contained no oxygen, Sir Humphry Davy about 1815 first recognized that the key element in acids was hydrogen. Not all substances that contain hydrogen, however, are acids, and the first really satisfactory definition of an acid was given by Justus von Liebig of Germany in 1838. According to Liebig, an acid is a compound containing hydrogen in a form in which it can be replaced by a metal. This definition held the field for about 50 years and is still considered essentially correct, though somewhat outmoded. At the time of Liebig's proposal, bases were still regarded solely as substances that neutralized acids with the production of salts, and nothing was known about the constitutional features of bases that enabled them to do this.
The whole subject of acid–base chemistry acquired a new look and a quantitative aspect with the advent of the electrolytic dissociation theory propounded by Wilhelm Ostwald and Svante August Arrhenius (both Nobel laureates) in the 1880s. The principal feature of this theory is that certain compounds, called electrolytes, dissociate in solution to give ions. With the development of this theory it was realized that acids are merely those hydrogen compounds that give rise to hydrogen ions (H+) in aqueous solution. It was also realized at that time that there is a correspondence between the degree of acidity of a solution (as shown by effects on vegetable dyes and other properties) and the concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution. Correspondingly, basic (or alkaline) properties could then be associated with the presence of hydroxide ions (OH−) in aqueous solution, and the neutralization of acids by bases could be explained in terms of the reaction of these two ions to give the neutral molecule water (H+ + OH− → H2O). This led naturally to the simple definition that acids and bases are substances that give rise, respectively, to hydrogen and hydroxide ions in aqueous solution. This definition was generally accepted for the next 30 or 40 years. In purely qualitative terms, it does not offer many advantages over Liebig's definition of acids, but it does provide a satisfactory definition for bases.
Nevertheless, there is a great advantage in the definition of acids and bases in terms of hydrogen and hydroxide ions, and this advantage lies in its quantitative aspects. Because the concentrations of hydrogen and hydroxide ions in solution can be measured, notably by determining the electrical conductivity of the solution (its ability to carry an electrical current), a quantitative measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the solution is provided. Moreover, the equations developed to express the relationships between the various components of reversible reactions can be applied to acid and base dissociations to give definite values, called dissociation constants. These constants can be used to characterize the relative strengths (degrees of dissociation) of acids and bases and, for this reason, supersede earlier semiquantitative estimates of acid or base strength. As a result of this approach, a satisfactory quantitative description was given at an early date of a large mass of experimental observations, a description that remains essentially unaffected by later developments in definitions of acid–base reactions.
The success of these quantitative developments, however, unfortunately helped to conceal some ambiguities and logical inconsistencies in the qualitative definitions of acids and bases in terms of the production of hydrogen and hydroxide ions, respectively. For example, it was not clear whether a substance like anhydrous hydrogen chloride, which would not conduct electricity, should be regarded as an acid or whether it should be considered an acid only after it had come in contact with water. A modified definition of bases also seemed to be required that would be applicable to nonaqueous solutions, in which the anion (negatively charged ion) produced is not the hydroxide ion, as is the case in water, but varies from solvent to solvent, the methoxide ion (CH3O−) acting as the basic anion in methanol (CH3OH), for example, and the amide ion (NH2−) playing the same role in liquid ammonia (NH3). Even with acids the solvent is involved, since there is much evidence to show that the so-called hydrogen ion in solution does not exist as H+ but always contains at least one molecule of solvent, as H3O+ in water, CH3OH2+ in methanol, and NH4+ in liquid ammonia. These considerations led to the development of definitions of acids and bases that depended on the solvent (see below Alternative definitions). In spite of this change, however, the difficulty still remained that typical acid–base properties, such as neutralization, indicator (vegetable dye) effects, and catalysis, often took place in solvents such as benzene or chloroform in which free ions could barely be detected at all (by conductivity measurements). Even for aqueous solutions a particular ambiguity arises in the definition of bases, some of which (for example, metallic hydroxides) contain a hydroxyl group, whereas others (such as amines) do not. The latter produce hydroxide ions in solution by reacting with water molecules.


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Democrat Anthony Weiner, who resigned from Congress in disgrace two years ago, is weighing a bid for New York mayor, but a poll released on Tuesday suggests his political comeback would be an uphill battle.
Only 40 percent of city voters say they would consider voting for him, while 52 percent said they would not, according to the NBC New York-Marist poll.
Among Democrats, his chances were slightly higher, with 46 percent saying they were open to a Weiner candidacy and 50 percent opposed to the idea.
Weiner's standing with the public has improved in the two years since he admitted to sending lewd messages to women and resigned from his seat in the House representing parts of Queens and Brooklyn.
He had been considered a front-runner to be the city's next mayor but when he resigned just a quarter of voters polled thought he should run for mayor.
The new poll found City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who would be the city's first female and lesbian mayor, leads the field with the support of a quarter of registered Democrats.
Weiner would place second with 15 percent, it found, followed by City Comptroller John Liu with 12 percent, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio with 11 percent and former city comptroller Bill Thompson, also with 11 percent.
"Right now, a Weiner candidacy attracts double-digit support in the Democratic primary," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. "He makes it even more difficult for any of the Democratic contenders to reach the needed 40 percent to avoid a runoff."
Weiner has kept a low profile since leaving office but burst back onto the political scene in recent days when The New York Times Magazine published a lengthy article about Weiner and his wife Huma Abedin, an aide to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Over the weekend, Weiner published a booklet of policy ideas, including the creation of a single-payer healthcare system for uninsured and under-insured New Yorkers, using GPS technology to track sex offenders and expanding ferry service.
He also has promised more media access in coming days.
The poll of 1,127 New York City adults was conducted by telephone from April 11 through April 15. The margin of error among registered voters was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points, and the margin of error among Democrats was plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.
This story "Anthony Weiner Faces Skeptical New York Voters" was written by Reuters.


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How to Use
Questions for Map 1
1. Examine Map 1 and locate the White House and the Wilson House.
2. Note the proximity of the two locations. Why might Wilson have wanted to remain in Washington, D.C. following his retirement from the presidency?* The map on the screen has a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi), and therefore will print poorly. You can obtain a high quality version of this map, but be aware that the file will take as much as two minutes to a load with a 28.8K modem.


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Story highlights
- Florida's 13th Congressional District is a swing district in a swing state
- Republican David Jolly defeats Democrat Alex Sink in the special election
- Republicans say the victory shows that Democrats are on the defensive with Obamacare
- Campaign spending topped last year's special U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts
In the first major ballot box test of 2014, the GOP won.
Republican David Jolly edged out Democrat Alex Sink to win Tuesday's special election in Florida's 13th Congressional District. Jolly will fill out the term of his former boss, Republican Rep. Bill Young, who died in October. Young, first elected to Congress in 1970, was the longest-serving Republican in the House.
With national Republicans framing the race as a referendum on Obamacare and a massive infusion of outside ad money to try to influence the outcome, pundits have looked to the Florida race as a bellwether for November's midterm elections.
But Jolly didn't mention the health care law in his victory speech and instead said, "This race is not about defending a broken agenda in Washington or advancing a broken agenda in Washington. This race is about defending Pinellas County and serving the people right here in our own community."
Sink, the state's former chief financial officer who narrowly lost the 2010 gubernatorial election, said in a concession statement, "While tonight was not the result we were hoping for, I am proud of the race we have run and so grateful for the countless Pinellas residents, volunteers and supporters who put their faith in our campaign."
Swing district in swing state
Jolly won 48.5% of the vote, and Sink got just under 47%. Libertarian candidate Lucas Overby was a distant third, with just under 5% of the ballots cast.
With Jolly's win keeping the House seat in GOP hands, the Democrats still need win 17 seats in November to regain control of the chamber. Political handicappers say that's a tall order, considering the shrinking number of competitive congressional districts nationwide.
Florida-13, a swing district in a swing state, covers most of Pinellas County between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, including parts of St. Petersburg.
While Young captured 58% of the vote in his 2012 re-election, President Barack Obama narrowly carried the district in his 2008 and 2012 victories.
Attacking Obamacare the right prescription for GOP?
While the candidates said local issues mattered heavily, national Republicans were quick to proclaim Obamacare the biggest loser.
"Tonight, one of (House Democratic Leader) Nancy Pelosi's most prized candidates was ultimately brought down because of her unwavering support for Obamacare, and that should be a loud warning for other Democrats running coast to coast," proclaimed Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement.
"His (Jolly's) victory shows that voters are looking for representatives who will fight to end the disaster of Obamacare," added Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Co-chair Sharon Day in an e-mail blast to reporters.
The Democratic National Committee claimed the issue of health care actually kept the contest close.
"Republicans fell short of their normal margin in this district because the agenda they are offering voters has a singular focus -- that a majority of voters oppose -- repealing the Affordable Care Act that would return us to the same old broken health care system," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the DNC chair.
Tons of outside advertising money was poured into the race, and many of the ads attacking Sink focused on health care.
"Canceled health plans. Higher premiums. Medicare cuts. People losing their doctors. A disaster for families and seniors. For Alex Sink, the priority is Obamacare. Not us," said the narrator in a TV commercial by the Chamber of Commerce, which backed Jolly.
That was a potent message in a district that's one of the grayest in the nation. Nearly a quarter of all residents in Florida 13 are 65 or older.
Jolly said he was committed to getting rid of Obamacare entirely. Sink acknowledged that Obamacare was a major issue. While she highlighted how the Affordable Care Act has helped people, she also noted the law has flaws and said she was open to GOP proposals to amend some of the measure's requirements.
Democrats look to November
Sink was the candidate national Democrats wanted in this race, and she faced nominal opposition in January's primary. Jolly was far from the GOP's dream candidate and had to battle to win the party's nomination. Democrats jumped on his work as a lobbyist who worked for groups pushing to privatize Social Security after he had left Young's staff.
National Democrats, who began to try to lower expectations a few days before the election, said they'll make another run at the district in November.
"Democrats will fight for Florida-13 in the midterm, when the electorate is far less heavily tilted toward Republicans," said Rep. Steve Israel of New York, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Outside money
Since it's one of a dwindling number of competitive districts and the only game in town, outside money poured into the race, which was the most expensive contest so far this cycle, topping even last year's special U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts.
In addition to the approximate $2.5 million spent by the two campaigns, the party committees and outside groups dished out more than $9 million to run TV and radio ads, other paid media and direct mail, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which monitors outside spending.
The pro-Republican group American Crossroads, which said it spend $500,000 on the contest, said that Florida-13 was just an appetizer
"A lot of us rolled up our sleeves after 2012, studied the Obama playbook and invested in targeted voter turnout and more effective messaging. The Florida CD-13 special was an important test market, and there was unprecedented cooperation among outside groups. We intend to keep refining these lessons as we prepare for the fall elections," said Crossroads CEO Stephen Law.
While a contest this far out from Election Day rarely provides a preview of what will actually happen in November, Jolly's victory will give the GOP bragging rights.
"Regardless of whether or not the election will tell us anything about November, the two political parties will learn lessons from this contest and apply them to future races," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report. Jolly's win "means it's all about Obamacare for the GOP."


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Information Security Protection Engineer - Cisco Tetration
We are building a team of Information Security professionals who will work with other security, network and application experts to migrate on-premise applications into our new Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI). Members of this team will use Cisco's Tetration Analytics platform to provide technical guidance, consultation, POC testing, and product support to project based application migrations.
This position reports to a senior manager within the Information Security department at Company which is comprised of over 150 security professionals and lead by Company's InfoSec Sr. VP and Chief Information Security Officer.
Responsibilities: On this team, you will be one of several technology SMEs for Cisco's Tetration Analytics platform and will be responsible for the providing the following to project based application migrations.Consultation with Application SMEs on netflow information and essential communications Analysis of Tetration telemetry to create ACI Contracts Collaboration with Network Engineering ACI resources to implement ACI Contracts Collaboration with Service Now support staff and Network Engineering to create reusable/orchestrated solutions Collaboration with Business Information Security Officers (BISOs) on protocol risk Tetration agent deployment to server endpoints (Windows and Linux, virtual and physical) Troubleshooting and support of ACI Contracts Administration/ownership of Tetration components Development of documentation, departmental procedures and user support guides. Utilization of Real Time telemetry data from application components and use behavior-analysis algorithms to identify application groups and their communication patterns and service dependencies. Automation of whitelist policy creation to build dynamic segmentation models and automate policy enforcement across on-premises data centers. Must have a detailed understanding of network segmentation/micro segmentation. Must also have direct experience with Cisco Tetration from both a Server Side and agent/client-side perspective. Advanced feature use (anomaly analysis, latency (app vs. network), burstiness, etc.)
Job Qualifications
5+ years of Linux/Unix or Microsoft Windows Server administrator experience 3+ years of information security experience Experience using Cisco's Tetration Analytics platform Scripting language experience (Scala or Python) Knowledge and understanding of network infrastructure systems (routing, switching, load balancing, or Firewalls) and Internet technologies Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Information Management or equivalent work experience. Certifications such as CISSP, GSEC, GIAC, CCNA, CCNP, or CCIE are recommended. Ability to effectively communicate and work with technical and non-technical resources at all levels of the organization. Self-directed, work with minimal guidance, and recognize when guidance is needed.


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Dana's Low-Carb for Life (Podcast)
500 Paleo Recipes To Be Featured on The Dr. Oz Show!
Hey, Gang --
The headline says it all, really: Dr. Mehmet Oz is going to be talking about paleo diets this Monday, April 22nd, and my cookbook, 500 Paleo Recipes, will be one of the featured cookbooks. I will not be on the show, but I am very excited that my book has been chosen for this sort of exposure. I don't know whether Dr. Oz will come down on the pro- or anti-paleo side, but the fact that 500 Paleo Recipes has been chosen to be featured on the show marks it as an important book in its field.
I'm also very pleased that paleo diets have become popular and well-known enough that they're getting this kind of big-time exposure.
So check your local television listings, and tune in or set your DVR! And if you think even one of your friends would be interested (or should be!), please share this announcement on Facebook, Twitter, or your favorite social media.
- Dana's blog
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Mayonnaise in the Jar
Hi Dana - I just made Mayonnaise in the Jar, and with 2 egg yolks, it only took 1/2 cup of oil before it puddled. Is that a normal occurrence?
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Placing business at the heart of science and technology
Tenant companies can benefit from PSP's strong relationships with the City's Universities and nearby Research Institutes. Thanks to its proximity to their campus and the presence of senior academic staff in PSP's Board of Directors and Advisory Board, PSP can provide assistance in a broad range of activities and disciplines such as:
- Graduate recruitment
- Placement and assignment (technical, scientific and business projects)
- Staff professional development
- Access to leading-edge new technologies
- Access to scientific and technical services, labs, facilities at preferential rate
- Library membership
PSP cooperates with the University Innovation and Technology Transfer Office (ITTO) which is responsible for the transfer of technologies developed in the University, to the industrial and commercial sector. The scope is to establish these relationships and mechanisms that will convert research results into a useful commercial product or technology. In addition, ITTO promotes, protects and manages the intellectual property, negotiates technology licensing and assists researchers to create start-up companies.
The Institute of Chemical Engineering ICE-HT conducts fundamental and technological research focused on cutting-edge areas of science, specific needs of industry and the environment. The R&D activities of the Institute are concentrated along three major Areas of Research (RA):
RA1: Nanotechnology / New Materials
RA2: Energy / Environment
RA3: Biosciences / Biotechnology
The RAs are supported by research groups with advanced expertise in state-of-the-art scientific and technological fields. Furthermore, ICE-HT provides a wide spectrum of technical services (instrumental analysis of chemical composition and physicochemical properties, quality assessment, machine and electronics shops, etc.).
Through its intensive and multifaceted R&D activities FORTH/ICE-HT has developed close links of collaboration with hundreds of Greek and foreign industrial enterprises, creating for them substantial results, such as improved production processes and new competitive products. Beyond this, the Institute systematically contributes in the development of young researchers, who have acquired a solid basis in modern scientific and technological research fields, and who have gained personal and team experience in fruitful cooperation with industry.
The Computer Technology Institute and Press "Diophantus" is a research and technology organization focusing on research and development in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Particular emphasis is placed on education, by developing and deploying conventional and digital media in education and lifelong learning; publishing printed and electronic educational materials; administrating and managing the Greek School Network; and supporting the organization and operation of the electronic infrastructure of the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and all educational units. Since its establishment in 1985, and in the past decades of rapid technological development, CTI has actively contributed to many of the advances that today are taken for granted.
Industrial Systems Institute aims to increase the competitiveness of the Greek Industry, applying state of the art technologies in sectors related to the integrated industrial systems. ISI is involved in several research fields such as industrial information and communication systems, industrial process modeling, industrial electronics and control, embedded systems, security and safety.


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The Target breach is just the beginning, experts told Credit Union Times. Thieves will continue to find ways to access valuable financial and personal data.
Here are three reasons why:
1. Because they can.
By far, the main reason thieves have begun to steal card data from U.S. firms, some experts say, is because they can.
"The U.S. payments industry has become the one household in the neighborhood that has not upgraded its security system while everyone else has," explained Karisse Hendrick, program manager in payments and fraud for the Merchant Risk Council, an international trade group that is organized to help firms fight card fraud. "When you are perceived to have security that is the easiest to beat, she added, thieves will try to beat your security."
Breaches have their roots in the three large shifts in the global payments, technology and U.S. economic and political environments. Hendrick pointed out that the payments industry in the U.S. is perceived as among the richest, further heightening its desirability as a target.
"Those two things combine to make U.S. firms the biggest targets for data security breaches and subsequent fraud," Hendrick said.
Further, the U.S. has not become the leading data theft target overnight in the country, Hendrick noted. International criminal interest in the U.S. has been growing for years, as Verizon documented in its 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report.
As other countries have gradually tightened their security systems and implemented tools such as smart-chip cards with the EMV standard, the U.S. fraud prevention protocols have fallen farther behind, the Verizon report said. It's not that the Payment Card Industry Data Standards have not done a good job, the technology they were protecting is simply not as secure as other payment's technology, Hendrick explained.
Read more: Thieves have upgraded their programming skills …
2. Thieves have upgraded their programming skills.
The second reason data breaches are here to stay is because thieves have gotten better at writing programs to steal the card data, industry watchers have found.
For instance, even though the phenomenon of a malware package that infected POS terminals came to widespread attention with the Target breach, the FBI has reported there were at least 20 breaches that used a similar approach. Further, the agency said it appeared thieves had used at least one malware package to test out firm's defenses. When that package they were developing had not performed well enough, the thieves created another one that worked better from their point of view.
3. Card issuers and retailers lack unification.
The third reason that breaches are likely to continue is the lack of a coordinated or unified approach to the challenge they represent. Previously, the U.S. payments industry was cohesive because card issuers and retailers agreed they better when consumers used a card to pay for goods and services as opposed to cash.
Retailers benefited from not having the risk of theft that came with cash and from the quick and guaranteed payments that cards represented over checks. Card issuers also gained from the interchange that card transactions generated by not having to pay for check processing. But the unified front has largely broken down in the face of retailers' legal and legislative challenges to interchange and the resulting controversy has undermined the payments industry's ability to work together to confront the problem.
Executives with the National Retail Federation, one of the organizations that supported the Durbin Amendment's cap on debit interchange for issuers with more than $10 billion in assets and sued the Federal Reserve to lower them, complained that the current approach to card data security does not work and is costly to retailers.
Doug Kantor, a partner with the Washington-based law firm of Steptoe and Johnson, helped represent the NAR in its legal fight with the Federal Reserve and laid out some of the trade group's complaints about the current card data security regime in an interview with Credit Union Times.
Kantor said retailers already pay nearly all the costs of card data security on the acquirer side by making sure their systems comply with industry security standards. However, those retailers currently have no say in setting those standards.
"The data security standards come entirely from the card brands and card issuers without any input from retailers," Kantor said. "Also, the data security standards don't provide full proof protection from breaches and, if there is a breach, the retailers face enormous expenses in fines from the card brands and possible legal action."
He said retailers believe the new chip cards on the EMV standard provide a very promising means of combating the threat but retailers want to play an active part in the new technology.
To illustrate, the card brands are currently adopting a standard for EMV cards that will not always require a PIN. These cards will have a magnetic stripe that will allow them to be swiped and a chip to provide data in real time which authenticates the transaction and the card.
Retailers believe this leaves them open to greater fraud risk and want the U.S. to mandate the use of PINs, Kantor said. Visa and the other card brands argue that in an economic environment like the U.S., where almost all transaction are going to be online and thus verifiable in real time, the PINs are not needed.
Read more: What can credit unions do?
Assuming the two different parts of the payments industry remain divided and criminals continue to develop novel attacks on payment systems, how can such efforts be countered and fraud losses limited?
First, some experts agree it is never too late to re-emphasize basic computer security and procedures. At press time, retailer Target acknowledged that the malware that infected its POS terminals was introduced by someone who stole the credentials of one of its vendors in order to gain access.
"This recent announcement from Target confirms that the biggest breaches are due to insider threats, especially with privileged users and administrative access," said Eric Chiu, president & co-founder of HyTrust, a Mountain View, Calif.-based data security firm that focuses on the cloud. "The bad guys are now using advanced threats to steal credentials and pose as employees, and once on the network, they look the same as good guys."
Chiu said access controls, role-based monitoring and data security are critical to securing against these new insider threats, especially in cloud environments that concentrate systems and data.
Second, credit unions should start to live with the assumption that their members' cards will likely be breached at some point and plan for those breaches.
Carlton Howard, vice president of risk management at the $2.2 billion Coastal Federal Credit Union in Raleigh, N.C., said daily checks, security blogs and data tracking sites are used to get an advance warning of any breaches so that there is enough time to craft a strategy.
Coastal also has a pre-purchased number of plastics on hand at its fulfillment partner so that should a breach occur, the credit union can quickly reissue cards, Howard said.
The $1.9 billion Summit Credit Union in Madison, Wis., makes sure its fulfillment partner keeps its plastics on hand and has added card security breaches to its crisis management plans, said Becky Gerothanas, senior vice president for operations.
"The goal is make sure that we think out what to do and who is responsible for what if we have one of these things happen on a large scale," Gerothanas said, adding, "so we aren't trying to figure it out as it happens."
Both Carlton and Gerothanas also stressed the importance of communicating fully and often with members to alert them about the breach and to ask their assistance in helping the credit union protect their cards against fraud losses.


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Thursday, December 6, 2012
six festive looks for six holiday fetes
these ladies sure know what they're doin'. so honored to be able to work with such kind, talented, generous women. check out the holiday fashion feature on the everygirl today.
big thank you to Liz Schneider of Sequins and Stripes (christmas party), Alicia Lund of Cheetah is the New Black (work party), Krystal Knight of The Feisty House (bundle up!), Sally and Molly of A Piece of Toast (christmas morning), Julia Engel of Gal Meets Glam (christmas day), Kendi Skeen of Kendi Everyday (new year's eve) for making this incredible, budget-friendly, inspiring holiday fashion feature happen!
and if you haven't, check out these other everygirl #holidayweek features:
FOOD: 5 non-cookie holiday dessert recipes
SHOP: the ultimate, budget-friendly gift guide
DECORATE: 12 tips for bringing holiday cheer into your home (when you don't have a tree!)
9 comments:
They're all great looks. What a fun post!ReplyDelete
Hey Alaina! Hope you're doing well. I love the bloggers in this feature.. Some are new to me.. Love finding new blogs.. best-JewelReplyDelete
such a great feature- the girls look adorable!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the opportunity to be featured on The Everygirl AGAIN, Alaina!!! And with such fashionable ladies =) Holiday Week was awesome.ReplyDelete
Krystal K.
The Feisty House
Hi Alaina! Our friend just referred us to your blog, and it's easy to see why. Love the Christmas morning and Christmas day outfits! Beautiful blog! Can't wait to read more -ReplyDelete
Warmest, Liz and Lo {celesteandpearl.blogspot.com
What a cute post! Love all those pretty ladies!ReplyDelete
This is one of my favorite Everygirl features ever! Such a great group of ladies!ReplyDelete
The girls are so adorable and I especially love that work party silhouette.ReplyDelete
The girls are so adorable and I especially love that work party silhouette.ReplyDelete


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Overblood 2
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