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This is a collection of information related to the security of Transport Layer Security (TLS and SSL). The aim of this page is to keep track of the current limitations and security problems in SSL/TLS and HTTPS. The biggest unsolved problem is the trust model of the Certification Authorities.
All of these problems have been known for some time. These problems are mainly discussed and talked about at special security conferences to an audience that only contains security experts. These issues are rarely discussed with the general public or developers who use SSL/TLS in their projects. We aim to raise awareness of these problems outside of the security community.
Follow us on twitter @hackerschoice
- Introduction
- ROOT-CA Security Breaches
- Letter to EU Commission on French CA abuse
- Browser Manufacture failed us
- Attacks
- Other Problems
- Solutions
- Summary of best known immediate solution
- Further Reading
- Thanks
1. Introduction
1.1. What is SSL/TLS and CA
There are 600+ Certification Authories (CA's) in 52+ different countries. Many of them with different commercial and geopolitical interests.
The total number of CA's is not known and hard to estimate.
The optimist counts the different organizations in the browser's CA store. This number does not include many intermediate CA's. (An intermediate CA has the power to generate a google.com certificate which is trusted by the browser without the intermediate CA having to be included in the Browser's CA store (Yes)).
The number further increases if you include all the organizations which do not control their own CA key but who have the capability to sign (or submit for signing) _any_ certificate for _any_ domain including certificates with BasicConstraints CA:True flag set. This flag creates an intermediate-intermediate CA (which again can create any certificate for any domain including and intermediate-intermediate-intermediate CA ..and so on and so on...). We are easily in the thousands if not higher.
The number increases further if all the organizations who purchases Monitoring-Proxies are included. The monitoring proxies contain a mini-CA which can create certificates for _any_ domain on the fly (for SSL monitoring purposes at larger corporations.).
The number 600 is from the EFF's 'best educated guess' from the SSL Observatory Project and is significantly lower than the estimate by other academic whitepapers.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2277806 Puts the number at 907
https://jhalderm.com/papers/ Puts the number at 683
1.2. The biggest problem with SSL/TLS
- Accidentally bad CA's: Any of the 600+ CA's in the 52+ different countries can sign SSL certificates for any domain name. In other words, anyone can request a SSL certificate for www.google.com with any CA, even though this CA is not an organization Google itself has contracted to sign its SSL certificate.
Deliberately bad CA's: Rogue CA's can also generate their own key and sign this key to create a valid certificate for www.google.com without the knowledge of Google Inc.[2-Weis]
Once a certificate is issued by a CA that certificate is accepted by any browser without warning to the user that the connection is not secure. Insecure connections can be intercepted and have been in the past (on a massive scale).
2. ROOT-CA Security Breaches
2.1. Dutch CA DigiNotar
In mid July 2011 a hacker supposedly sympathizing with the government of Iran compromised DigiNotar's ROOT-CA key. This compromised key was used by criminals to create 531+ false certificates.
The attacker was able to intercept secure communication between the user and sensitive domains such as google.com, facebook.com, update.windows.com and cia.gov.
ENISA, the European Network and Information Security Agency, speaks of breached communications of 'millions of citizens', particularly connected to the *.google.com certificate, and notes that some experts believe that the lives of Iranian activists have been put at risk (ENISA, 2011).
2.2. Etisalat
Etisalat is a telecommunications company and Certification Authority headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. In July 2009, Etisalat allegedly abused a code-signing certificate trusted by Research In Motion (the manufacturer of BlackBerry).
Etisalat allegedly issued a malicious firmware update to approximately 143,000 of its BlackBerry subscribers which contained surveillance software.
It was never proven beyond doubt that Etisalat was behind the attack. These are the fact:
- At the time Etisalat was pressing RIM to give Etisalat a way to spy on its users. Etisalat threatened to disable all Blackberry services in UAE if RIM did comply.
- The Etisalat spy software contained IP addresses (10.116.x.x) which Etisalat was using at that time in its internal network.
- The spy softare was pushed to the users by SMS/MMS via the Etisalat network.
The spy software contained Etisalat email addresses (email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com).
- Etisalat did not comment on or investigate the incident to the best of our knowledge.
2.3. NSA's PRISM project
There is mounting evidence that the NSA had a copy of several ROOT-CA keys to perform SSL/TLS interception on a massive scale.
2.4. Other Incidents
Other Root Certification Authorities had security breaches or allowed the abuse (willingly or unwillingly) of the ROOT CA Key for spying purposes:
Comodo (InfoSecurity, 2011). Not once, but multiple times.
VeriSign (2010), Compromised, only disclosed in 2012.
CA GlobalSign (Incident Report).
- Trustwave (issued rogue certificates to third parties for interception purposes)
- KPN/Getronics
- StartSSL (2008)(2011 attempt)
DigiCert Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysian)
ANSSI (2013) (http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/further-improving-digital-certificate.html)
Another source on the History of Risks & Threat Events to CAs and PKI: http://wiki.cacert.org/Risk/History
Some of the above breaches allowed the attacker to get a valid Intermediate CA Certificate (BasicConstrain CA:True). This gave the attacker a certificate which is as powerful as the ROOT CA key (e.g. can sign an unlimited amount of certificates for any domain even after the attacker lost access to the compromised CA servers or Hardware Security Module (HSM)).
This list is incomplete. It is important to note that any one of the above breaches enables an attacker to create a rogue certificate (key & signature) for '''any''' domain name (e.g. google.com) without the knowledge of the domain owner (e.g. Google Inc.). Even if another Certificate Authority as already issued such a certificate. An attacker can use such a certificate to silently and unnoticeable intercept HTTPS traffic between a user and a secure site (e.g. google.com).
More details:
- Comodo 2008
Comodo 2011: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comodo_Group#2011_breach_incident
StartSSL 2008: http://schmoil.blogspot.de/2009/01/nobody-is-perfect.html
StartSSL 2011: http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Attack-on-Israeli-Certificate-Authority-1264008.html
3. Letter to EU Commission on French CA abuse
Dear EU Commission, The French Ministry of Finance used technology to spy on its employees. The Ministry installed a special product to decrypt Internet traffic for spying purposes. Google found out about it: http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/further-improving-digital-certificate.html And it is hitting the news: http://gigaom.com/2013/12/09/google-catches-french-finance-ministry-pretending-to-be-google/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/10/french_gov_dodgy_ssl_cert_reprimand/ ANSSI, the Certification Authority released a questionable press statement: http://www.ssi.gouv.fr/en/the-anssi/events/revocation-of-an-igc-a-branch-808.html Technical details are available here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/advisory/2916652 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=946351 Please be so kind and comment below with respect to the possibility to investigate the incident by the EU Commission and if existing laws or policies have been violated. 1. Was the Ministry of Finance/France allowed to spy on its employees, including spying on and decrypting traffic to google.com? 2. Did ANSSI or its intermediate CA's violate or neglected security policies or laws by creating a CA key to be used in a spy-product that is powerful enough to decrypt all secure web traffic (HTTPS, TLS, SSL)? thanks & regards, Ralf Skyper Kaiser The Hackers Choice http://www.thc.org Tw: @hackerschoice
Permalink: http://wiki.thc.org/ssl#EUCommission
4. Browser Manufacture failed us
There is ongoing effort by the browser manufacture to solve the TLS/CA problem.
- Regulate Certification Authorities and to force them to comply with security policies.
- HSTS, pinning, ....
Especially Chrome and Mozilla are doing a fine job on a technical level.
4.1. Bad Player Etisalat is trusted
Certificate Revocation was designed to deal with compromised CA keys. It fails terribly when dealing with a CA that abuses some but not all of its CA keys. There is no policy or understanding how to deal with an abusive CA.
A 'Bad Player Revocation Policy' that revokes a Bad Player and not just a bad certificate does not exist.
There is no evidence that Etisalat abused the ROOT CA key that is used to sign HTTPS certificates.
Instead there is mounting evidence that Etisalat is a bad player who does not warrant the trust of the Internet.
Etisalat allegedly eavesdropped on 143,000 blackberry users. HTTPS certificates signed by Etisalat are trusted by Mozilla, Chrome, etc. Etisalat is a fully trusted ROOT Certification Authority. Etisalat has the power to spy on secure HTTPS connections to google, facebook, yahoo, etc.
Verizon never revoked the Etisalat key.
The browser manufacture never took any action either.
Mozilla's position is that Verizon should deal with Etisalat's behaviour:
[...] the behavior of Etisalat is subject to the contract between Verizon and Etisalat, and should be dealt with by Verizon. (https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.dev.security.policy/OBrPLsoMAR8)
Mozilla states that their current policy allows what Etisalat did:
We are not aware of a code signing certificate that was issued in a manner that does not meet the requirements of the Mozilla CA Certificate Policy. (https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/mozilla.dev.security.policy/OBrPLsoMAR8)
The contractual liability (damage, indemnification, ..) between Verizon vs. Mozilla and the world is zero.
4.2. No clue how many sub CAs exists
Unfortunately there no requirement for a CA to declare or reveal how many sub CA it has created. A sub CA has the same power (security wise) as the Root CA and can again create an unlimited amount of sub CAs.
There is no public information available how many sub CA's a CA has created or who they are.
It would be desirable to see a complete list of entities that posses the power to spy on secure HTTPS connections to google, facebook, etc.
4.3. CAs are not accountable
The Root Certification Authority is not requires to disclose or investigate an incident.
CAs have a commercial interest which is at odds with the security interest of the user.
5. Attacks
5.1. Self Signed Certificates
Problem 1: Self-signed certificates trigger a pop-up warning at the user's end.
Research has shown that human beings don't understand certificate warnings and often click through them. Usually, when we get error messages about them, the errors have innocent causes, and the rational response is to click through the warning to get to the site you're trying to visit. But what this means is that certificate warnings don't offer much protection when they are trying to tell people about a real, serious attack.
Problem 2: Self-signed certificates are not pinned to the site even when manually accepted and permanently stored by the user. So whenever you click on the 'Save this self-signed certificate permanently' pop-up it does not really add security. It merely gets rid of the warning pop-up and will allow the server certificate to change without warning the user (as long as it verifies against any of the 600+ Root CA Keys).
- Attack 2a: A valid certificate (issued by a real CA or created from a compromised CA key) is accepted by any browser without any warning even when the user previously accepted (and permanently stored) a self-signed certificate for the site.
- Attack 2b: A malicious self-signed certificate will trigger a pop-up warning at the user's end, again allowing the user to accept the certificate and continue even that a different self-signed certificate has previously been associated with this domain. An attacker can craft the bogus self-signed certificate to look identical (City, Issuer, Subject, Valid time and domain name) to the legitimate self-signed certificate, making it impossible for the user to distinguish between them.
A tool to automatically create a self-signed certificate (on-the-fly) for any newly intercepted SSL/TLS connection has been in circulation since 2001 ( created by stealth of team-teso and doug song of w00w00). The bogus certificates created contain identical Subject information elements as the legitimate SSL certificate.
5.2. SSL Strip
An attacker mounts a Man-in-the-Middle attack between the user and the secure site. The browser's first connection to a site defaults to the unprotected http protocol. The attacker makes a connection to the site and retreives the requested web page. The attacker then parses this web page and replaces all references to https with http (plaintext) before sending the page to the user. The attacker therefore removes all secure https links.
A tool (sslut) has been circulating in the underground since 2004. This tool was used to intercept communications to yahoo, google, citibank and other sites.
Moxie Marlinspike developed sslstrip which was released to the general public in 2009. Moxie also published a detailed video about the risk of sslstrip.
6. Other Problems
6.1. Weak Certificate Keys
Admins and domain owners seem to struggle to generate secure certificates.
http://eprint.iacr.org/2012/064.pdf "Ron was wrong, Whit is right-paper". Bad RSA keys on the Internet
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/05/random_number_b.html The Debian bug with bad randomness caused thousands of insecure certificates to be signed and used.
The Certification Authorities should step up their checks and stop signing certificates with 'insecure' RSA public keys.
6.2. Disconnected Security Community
Over the last few weeks we have joined several developer mailing lists and have spoken to developers of jabber, jitsi, pidgin, firefox and others.
Some security professionals are in complete denial that any CA ROOT keys have ever been stolen or compromised. Others believe that replacing connect() with SSL_connect() is sufficient to make the connection secure.
Some developers do not understand that SSL_verify() has to be called and the CN matched against the domain. They were also unaware of the implications regarding self-signed certificates.
The people working in the hacking/security sector are excited about finding the problems but are not excited in solving them. Security problems are disclosed at private security conferences (such as ADMcon and THCcon) but are not reported to the application developers.
The security community and the application developer community are disconnected.
7. Solutions
7.1. Online Certificate Status Protocol
OCSP is insufficient and only works if the compromise is detected. It is assumed that most CA ROOT KEY compromises are never detected, made public or that a long attack window exists between detection and revocation (VeriSign 2+ years, DigiNotar 3+ month).
7.2. CA Regulation
The current regulatory regime and auditing obligations have proved quite ineffective. The qualified certificate practices of DigiNotar were strictly regulated and passed the periodic audits based upon regulation and internationally recognized industry standards.
They were hacked regardless.[7-Diginotar and Iran]
Certification Authorities can not be secured enough to warrant the trust of the Internet.
7.3. HTTP Strict Transport Security
HSTS is a web security policy mechanism whereby a web server declares that a complying web browser (firefox, IE, Chrome, etc) are to interact with it using only secure HTTPS connections.
HSTS can be enabled on most web servers (apache, IIS, ..) with a single line in the configuration and does not require a software update on the server and is supported by all major browser vendors.
The web browser learns about the HSTS capability of a web server on its first secure HTTPS connection. All future connections to the web server will use secure HTTPS even when the user enters or clicks on an unsecure HTTP link.
HSTS mitigates sslstrip and similar attacks and adds overall security, however this method is only effective after a user has visited the HTTPS site once.
THC encourages other sites to enable HSTS.
7.4. EFF HTTPS Everywhere
HTTPS-Everywhere is a firefox plugin. This plugin forces a secure HTTPS connection to any web-server that is known to support secure HTTPS.
THC believes that a list of the most common HTTPS enabled web-servers (google, facebook, ...) should be shipped with all browsers by default. Any connection to a server that is in the list should default to secure HTTPS. Chrome already does this for some popular sites.
7.5. Certificate Pinning
Pinning is the process of associating a site with their expected X509 certificate or public key. Once a certificate or public key is known or seen for a site, the certificate or public key is associated or 'pinned' to the site.
THC truly hopes that only the public key (subjectPublicKeyInfo) is pinned and not the entire certificate or just the RSAPublicKey/DSAPublicKey part of the certificate.
THC further hopes that the TLS Version is also pinned to prevent a downgrade attack. (Sad as it is, in order to work on public Internet all browsers implement TLS fallback: in the event of a handshake failure (or TCP-RST) they will retry the connection with a lesser SSL/TLS version)
(Ask us why on https://ircs-web.thc.org)
7.6. Double Signed Certificates
Pinning and HSTS do not help if the ROOT CA that signed the key becomes compromised or the ROOT CA solicits with a government to intercept the traffic (NSA PRISM scenario).
In this solution a web server key could be signed by not one but two or more CAs. The web-server admin could pick two CAs with different geopolitical interest and different security policies. This would dramatically raise the bar for an attacker as the attacker would require to compromise or solicit multiple CAs.
7.7. Reverse Fingerprint
Reverse fingerprint can help make popup warnings more secure.
Assumption: A secure HTTPS connection where the certificate's CommonName (CN) does not match the URL is not permitted by the browser. No warning pop-up occurs and the page does not load (good).
This reduces the number of scenarios for a warning pop-up about an untrusted SSL/TLS connection to these specific scenarios:
- The web server administrator made a mistake.
- The user is the victim of a man-in-the-middle attack.
- The pinned part of the certificate (Key + key-meta data) has changed
- The CN (*.google.com) has no certificate pinned to it. (Regardless if self-signed or CA-signed certificate).
In all current web browser implementations a pop-up warns the user of an unknown HTTPS connection attempt. A fingerprint is displayed to the user and the user is encouraged to verify the fingerprint (by magical means) before clicking 'continue'.
We know that users click 'continue' without verifying the fingerprint. The pop-up warning does not protect the user.
The process should be the other way around:
- No fingerprint should be displayed to the user.
- The user should be asked to insert the correct fingerprint.
- The connection should only continue once the user has inserted the correct fingerprint and fail in all other cases.
THC wishes this idea to become part of certificate-pinning.
7.8. SSL Sovereign Keys
THC does not favour this solution as it relies on the integrity of the append-only data (there is no append-only storage. Ask a hacker.).
7.9. RFC 6962 Certificate Transparency
(Similar idea as SSL Sovereign Keys.)
Step into the right direction. Makes (some) attacks harder. Puts a lot of trust into the entity which runs the log-server (google at this point). (trust in the sense of availability, security, integrity, resistance to geopolitical power and resistance against government to request for a record to be altered, ... ohh dear...). Can anyone clarify this please? contact me.
7.10. SSL Convergence
A distributed strategy to replace the current CA trust model. Convergence authenticates connections by contacting external notaries. Convergence notaries can use a number of different strategies beyond network perspective in order to reach a verdict.
The core idea behind convergence is to use 'network perspectives' to determine whether the certificate you're receiving is the same certificate that everyone else has.
THC believes that this approach adds security at the cost of complexity and slow adoption by the industry.
...only shifts the CA problem without solving it. (Ask us why on https://ircs-web.thc.org or email)
Phillip Hallam-Baker on perpass/IETF ML also points out a geopolitical problem:
What is unique in the case of the DNSSEC is that there is only one root and thus a government can perform a denial of service attack against TLDs.For example asserting that signing the Cuba or Palestine roots would breach existing sanctions legislation or passing new legislation.
...only shifts the CA problem without solving it. (Ask us why on https://ircs-web.thc.org or email)
Skyper's example why DANE won't be sufficient for jabber: http://firstname.lastname@example.com/msg23512.html
8. Summary of best known immediate solution
8.1. BCP or RFC
The IETF should release a RFC or BCP annually. This document should contain security recommendations for the top 10 Internet applications (e.g. Web browsers, email clients, Instant messanger clients, etc).
8.2. for HTTPS
Assume the following scenario:
- A freshly installed browser which has never connected to the Internet.
- Default setting for the browser is to use insecure HTTP.
- Site uses HSTS
- Site uses certificate pinning.
this can be secured if the browser follows this process:
- User enters site name without specifying http or https:
Site is in browsers list for HTTPS connect -> Browser establishes a secure HTTPS connection.
Site is not in browsers list -> Browser establishes an insecure HTTP connection for the first time.
- HTTPS connection has to be verified:
Pinned key is not available -> Use classic CA model to establish first trust (+Double Signed certificates for extra security) or accept self-signed certificate for site (+Reverse Fingerprint for extra security). Pin the key.
Pinned key is available and matches received key -> All Good (self-signed or CA-signed certificates!)
Pinned key is available but does not match -> Use Reverse Fingerprint.
- Store site in HSTS list.
This proposed solution requires:
- 50 lines of source code to be changed in the browser
- A 1 line configuration change at the server
This solution works with existing and already issued certificates and does not require any additional infrastructure. It dramatically raises the bar for an attacker with minimum to no impact to the user.
8.3. For Certificate Verification in General
Prevent Self-Signed Problem 2.
- Support seperate CA locations (CAfile or CApath) for different applications or purposes.
- Implement certificate pinning.
8.4. for applications in general
Implement a Lockdown setting similar to Private Browsing setting available in most browsers.
Lockdown: Security enabled by default. Does not allow the user to circumvent the security even when trying.
For Jitsi/Pidgin/Jabber this would mean:
- OTR plugin: encrypt messages by default (private messaging). Have non-obvious option to disable encrypted private messaging (including a pop-up warning asking if the user knows what he is doing when disabling encryption)
- Default setting to use TLS.
Accept (self-signed) certificates. Pin Subject Public Key Info (SPKI) to server domain name.
- Runtime feature to select CAfile storage location
- Runtime feature to force client to disable logging
- Inform server that user is using lockdown (so that server can reject all clients which do not).
- Runtime Lockdown option: Automatically sets a variety of security preferences to "known good" settings. Once lockdown option is set the user should not be able to change any of the 'locked' security preferences until lockdown is disabled again (e.g. gray out the option). Disconnect when lockdown option changes and reconnect to all servers.
9. Further Reading
https://www.eff.org/observatory HTTPS statistics and research.
http://www.ivir.nl/publications/arnbak/paper_WEIS_2013.pdf Fine paper Why CA's did not work out.
http://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2012/02/how-to-fix-internet.html Good read on the CA problem.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere/deploying-https Simple read of how to do HTTPS correctly
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/10/how-secure-https-today Simple read of the current state of HTTPS security.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/sovereign-keys-proposal-make-https-and-email-more-secure Simple read on the pitfalls of current HTTPS implementation.
https://productforums.google.com/d/topic/gmail/3J3r2JqFNTw/discussion The Iranian DigiNotar hack Part 1
https://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2011/08/update-on-attempted-man-in-middle.html The Iranian DigiNotar hack Part 2
https://www.imperialviolet.org/2013/10/07/chacha20.html How Google disables old SSLv3 in Chrome for Google sites and implements strict TLS 1.2 (thumbs up!).
Follow us on twitter @hackerschoice
10. Thanks
Special thanks goes to Gamma, Jornt and Brnocrist for helping.


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Brand new drumstep remix in support of my upcoming EP, "Ride With Me", out April 3rd on MalLabel. When he first heard this Gorillaz track back in 2001ish, it totally blew him away because it was such a meshing of different styles. It really opened his eyes to many different kinds of music, including underground electronic styles. Also preview Psymbionic new track below 'Ride With Me' EP ft. Truth, Starkey, and Omega.
Gorillaz – Clint Eastwood (Psymbionic Remix) | Download

subset: commoncrawl


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Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Elisse Walter may hire as her top lawyer a former enforcement director from the main U.S. derivatives regulator.
Geoffrey Aronow, a partner at law firm Bingham McCutchen LLP, has been interviewed by Walter and is the leading candidate to become the agencys general counsel, according to three people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because the hiring process isnt public.
Aronow would replace Mark Cahn, who is stepping down in January. As the chief lawyer at the agency, the general counsel plays a central role evaluating rules, advising the chairman and representing the SEC in legal disputes.
SEC spokesman John Nester declined to comment. Aronow didnt respond to a phone call and e-mail seeking comment.
A graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School, Aronow was director of enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 1995 to 1999, according to his biography on Bingham McCutchens website. He also serves on panels for appeals of enforcement and disciplinary cases by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the brokerage industrys self- regulator, the biography said.
Some of Aronows recent clients include accounting firm KPMG LLP, whose Chinese affiliate is in a dispute with regulators over its refusal to turn over audit documents, and Christine Serwinski, who was chief financial officer at MF Global Holdings Ltd.s North American broker-dealer before it collapsed in 2011.
Aronow would adapt extremely well to the role of regulator, said Daniel Nathan, a partner at the Morrison & Foerster law firm who was his deputy at the CFTC. He would be a perfect choice.
Walter, who became chairman after Mary Schapiro left last week, is moving to fill a number of high-level vacancies at the securities regulator. Aronow would be her first outside hire; Walter named acting directors of the agencys corporation finance and trading and markets divisions on Dec. 17.
All On Wall Street articles are archived after 7 days. REGISTER NOW for unlimited access to all recently archived articles, as well as thousands of searchable stories. Registered Members also gain access to exclusive industry white paper downloads, web seminars, blog discussions, the iPad App, CE Exams, and conference discounts. Qualified members may also choose to receive our free monthly magazine and any of our daily or weekly e-newsletters covering the latest breaking news, opinions from industry leaders, developing trends and growth strategies.


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Soundcheck Series Body Language
by Rhapsody TV | September 28, 2011
Recently Rhapsody teamed up with our friends at Om Records to present Soundcheck, a series of cool after-work shows featuring up-and-coming bands at a swank San Francisco hotel. It seemed like a good idea to interview all those bands on the hotel roof as well. Here, then, is our dispatch with Brooklyn dance-pop upstarts Body Language, wherein we discuss the phenomenon of Canadians getting down, how to master the glockenspiel, and the coming Billy Ocean revival. Enjoy.


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Hello I'm Ashley. Most just call me Ash or ZRD since I am the mod of the zombiedashreplies blog. I love to draw and write, please know I don't mean offense to anyone in any of my art. Thank you.
Also I am the Artist/Author of Afterstuck on mspfanventures and on tumblr though all characters and homestuck belong to Andrew Hussie.


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What is a Mental Breakdown?
A mental breakdown often happens when a person has experienced a lot of stress over a long period of time. There is only so much stress that the mind and body can cope with. When you reach this limit, it can seem impossible to go about your normal routine. You may feel so overwhelmed that activities that once seemed easy now seem too hard to even consider.
Causes of Mental Breakdown
There is no precise medical definition of a mental breakdown. Many of the symptoms of a breakdown are also symptoms of anxiety and depression. In fact, a breakdown may indicate an underlying problem with anxiety or depression. This is not always the case, however.
Breakdowns do not usually just happen overnight; they often build up over time. In fact, the term breakdown generally describes a sudden onset of panic and loss of control in response to a prolonged stressor. Think of it as the straw that broke the camel's back.
The causes of a mental breakdown are often different from person to person. Each person's life and experiences are different, so their stressors are likely to be different as well. Overwhelming work or school obligations, divorce and financial problems are all common causes of emotional difficulties that can lead to breakdowns.
Are There Warning Signs?
If you know that you are vulnerable to having a mental breakdown, you may be able to prevent it from occurring, but how can you recognize warning signs? Preventing a breakdown from occurring is better than treating it, since a breakdown can cause havoc in your professional life and your personal relationships.
Many people who have a mental breakdown experience some symptoms of burnout beforehand, such as failing to meet obligations and calling out of work. Even getting through a normal day is too difficult to bear, and people who are heading toward a breakdown can sometimes start to avoid difficult situations to the point that they can be fired from their jobs.
Stress can make it hard for you to recognize the emotional warning signs like irritability and other changes in your mood. However, the physical symptoms of an impending mental breakdown are hard to ignore. Problems like insomnia and changes in appetite are common. Some people even have panic attacks, which are sudden episodes of anxiety that can cause a rapid heart rate and difficulty breathing.
It is important to seek counseling if you feel like you are experiencing high stress or feel like you are losing control. Most people who experience a mental breakdown are not a physical danger to themselves or others, but preventing and avoiding the situation in the first place is always advisable. A trained therapist or counselor will encourage you to talk through your feelings and help you develop strategies to cope with stress. Many people find that this kind of counseling is what they need to improve their lives and prevent a crisis.
If you or a loved one in your life is suffering from depression or exhibits stress and anxiety that prevent them from living a healthy, productive life, it may be time to seek treatment from a professional mental health center. We offer personalized treatment plans to help with a mental breakdown, depression, anger and anxiety. Please call us at 1-888-205-2775. The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center is a full service mental health facility dedicated to helping individuals who suffer from mental illness find a path to living better.


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Human Resources- Central Health Improvement Program. Evaluates and treats injuries. Performs various administrative duties within the Central Health Improvement Program facility. Develops rehabilitation and injury prevention programs.
Wage: commensurate with qualifications. Screening begins immediately and continues until filled. Applicants must apply on-line at www.jobs.cmich.edu [1]. CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly & actively strives to increase diversity within its community (see www.cmich.edu/aaeo/ [2]).
Required Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree, preferably in athletic training/sports medicine, health/fitness, exercise science, or related field. One year experience in a clinical setting. State of Michigan Athletic Training Licensure. NATA certification. Demonstrated positive interpersonal skills. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and project a positive image. Desired qualifications include current CPR/AED certification; supervisory experience.


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Ship(s): Sea Adventurer
Trip Highlights:
Reach the Antarctic Peninsula by classic expedition ship to explore the continent with hiking, kayaking and camping options; return to South America by plane.
Read this itinerary as a guide only; the exact route and program varies according to ice and weather conditions - and the wildlife you encounter. Flexibility is the key to the success of this expedition.
Mandatory Travel Insurance:
All guests are required to have comprehensive travel insurance coverage. Due to the remoteness of the areas in this itinerary, travelers must have a minimum $50,000 of emergency medical coverage. Proof of coverage is required prior to embarkation. The shipping company will not be held responsible for delays due to force majeure. Any additional costs accrued will be the responsibility of the traveler. ExpeditionTrips strongly recommends that the travel insurance policy covers trip cancellation insurance, trip delay (interruption or after departure coverage), baggage and repatriation. ExpeditionTrips can assist you with this.
Luggage Weight Restrictions: Luggage can weigh no more than 15kg (33 lbs.) for the flights from and to Punta Arenas, Chile.
Camping Option: $225 per person; minimum age 16 years. No camping experience is necessary to participate in this program. Sleeping bags and all safety equipment are provided. Space is limited; request at time of booking.
Sea Kayaking Option: $950 per person; minimum age 16 years. Please note that some kayaking experience is recommended in order to participate in this program. Space is limited; request at time of booking.
Snowshoeing Option: Included in cruise rate; anyone can take part, no previous experience necessary. Snowshoes available free of charge for excursions when conditions permit.
Charter Flights:
Every effort will be made to ensure the program takes place, but due to weather conditions, flying in this region can be difficult and on rare occasions not possible. For this reason, we strongly recommend that all expedition travellers purchase a travel insurance policy including trip delay, cancellation and interruption insurance in case of weather. The shipping company will make every effort to assist passengers with rebooking hotels or flights, but this will be at the cost of the passengers. Passengers on board the ship during a delay will remain on board with no additional cost until the time in which the charter flight is able to arrange transport. Passengers are advised to book changeable airlines tickets and have flexible travel arrangements upon disembarkation of the voyage in case delays arise. ExpeditionTrips will not be held responsible for any change/cancellations fees due to weather related delays or any other delays arising from force majeure.
One night pre-expedition hotel in Ushuaia; group transfers between the airport and hotel in Ushuaia; group transfers from a designated location in Ushuaia to the ship on embarkation day; flight from Antarctica to Punta Arenas; a group transfer in Punta Arenas from the airport to local hotel; one night post-expedition hotel accommodation with breakfast; shipboard accommodation with daily housekeeping; all breakfasts, lunches and dinners on board throughout your voyage (Please inform of any dietary requirements as far in advance as possible. Unfortunately, the ships' galleys cannot prepare kosher meals.); all shore landings per the daily program; leadership throughout the voyage by experienced Expedition Leader, including shore landings and other activities; all Zodiac transfers and cruising per the daily program; formal and informal presentations by Expedition Team and guest speakers as scheduled; photographic journal on DVD, documenting the voyage; a pair of waterproof expedition boots on loan for shore landings; an official parka to keep; coffee, tea and cocoa available around the clock; hair dryer and bathrobes in every cabin; comprehensive pre-departure materials, including a map and an informative Antarctic Reader; all miscellaneous service taxes and port charges throughout the program; all luggage handling aboard ship; photography program; Emergency Evacuation Insurance for all passengers to a maximum benefit of USD $100,000 per person*.
Not Included:
Any airfare except flight from Antarctica to Punta Arenas; passport and visa expenses; government arrival and departure taxes; any meals ashore with the exception of breakfast at the host hotel before embarkation; alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages; cancellation and medical travel insurance; excess baggage charges; laundry and other personal charges; telecommunications charges; voluntary gratuity at the end of the voyage for shipboard staff and crew; supplements for adventure options; fuel surcharge may apply.
*Emergency Evacuation Insurance:
Emergency evacuation coverage to a maximum benefit per paying passenger of $100,000 is included in the cost of this expedition. Included coverage is applicable only to travel between the first and last day of the expedition purchased. Additional days of travel prior to the expedition and/or after the expedition are not covered by the included emergency evacuation insurance. We strongly advise all passengers to purchase medical, cancellation and baggage insurance, and additional emergency evacuation coverage.
Why does AntarcticConnection partner with ExpeditionTrips?
True experts with first-hand polar experience, the ExpeditionTrips staff has sailed on the ships they represent; with a combined amount of 100 Antarctic trips between them;and can help you thoroughly compare and contrast the expeditions.
Their approach to travel is highly personal and professional, offering unbiased travel assistance to ensure you choose the very best Antarctica trip to meet your needs!
ExpeditionTrips works only with the highest quality small ships-all under 200 passengers-ranging from a 48-passenger Russian research vessel to a 200-passenger luxury expedition ship.


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Cabo Verde
Constitution of the Republic of Cabo Verde
|Year of Version:
|Date of Entry into Force:
|September 25, 1992
|Date of Text (Adopted):
|May 3, 2010
|Type of Text:
|Constitution / Basic Law
|Subject Matter:
Independent in 1975, the Republic of Cabo Verde has adopted its first Constitution on September 5, 1980, which was amended several times. The most important being the 1990 amendment, which marked the transition of the State from a single party system to a pluralist democratic system. In 1992, Cabo Verde adopted a new Constitution. It was amended in 1995, 1999 and lastly, in 2010.
Article 54 of the Constitution recognizes the copyright. Article 54 ("Freedom of intellectual, artistic and cultural creation") provides that: "The law guarantees the protection of copyright". Furthermore, Article 69 protects private property and guarantees the payment of compensation in case of seizure or expropriation.
|Available Texts:
|WIPO Lex No.:


text: Prev | Next This image released by AMC shows Bryan Cranston as Walter White, left, and Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in a scene from "Breaking Bad." The show was nominated for a Golden Globe for best drama series on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. The 71st annual Golden Globes will air on Sunday, Jan. 12. (AP Photo/AMC, Frank Ockenfels ) Gallery: Golden Globe nominations Dec. 12, 2013 @ 10:34 AM Check out the stars, movies and television shows nominated for Golden Globe Awards. (u'nobuy',)


text: Huntington High School is a four year high school located in Huntington, West Virginia. It was established in 1996 through the consolidation of the old Huntington and Huntington East High Schools. With a student body of just over 1600, our school is the seventh largest in the state. Huntington High School is dedicated to a quality education for all students and committed to developing lifelong learners who value themselves and others, contribute to their community, and achieve individual success in an ever-changing world.


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Hemmings House Plus
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Hemmings House is an award-winning film and television production company based out of Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hemmings House combines the creative passions of a group of film-makers with the energetic entrepreneurial spirit of a quickly growing, innovative company that sells imagination.
Be it commercial / corporate, television, new media (web/mobile etc), documentary, or music; Hemmings House Pictures will deliver a product in the spirit of an artist finishing a painting. Pride and inspiration is what we as a company strive for in our productions. We feel that a production is not complete until the client shares the same satisfaction and inspiration. Founding film maker Greg Hemmings has developed a culture of creativity, integrity, respect and adventure within the company that has been adopted by the whole team and is very present with the relationship-based client experience.


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The Day We Unite.
Around 36,000 runners run through the busy streets that are shut down to traffic, of Metropolitan Tokyo. At first to hold a Tokyo Marathon seemed like an unrealizable dream. But it became a reality in 2007 and as years pass, this city marathon became a race filled with many dreams. It is not just the 36,000 chosen runners but the 10,000 volunteers. Over 1,720,000 crowds cheering, numerous supporting sponsors and many others that come together as one to make it happen. Tokyo Marathon unites people and makes a great contribution to provide a dream to our society.


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Witty. Opulent. Classic. Luxurious. These are just a few of the adjectives used to describe the decorating style of British firm, NH Design — not to mention its flamboyent founder, designer Nicky Haslam. (Yes, he has designed for Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart and Charles Saatchi.) In this photo gallery, he shares some of their recent interior designs from around the globe. Bespoke furniture and mouldings, bold paint treatments, unique textiles and a sense of grandeur and whimsy inform them all. Get fresh ideas on creating expressive rooms!
Plus, pick up the January 2011 issue to see the London home of NH Designs' creative director, Colette van den Thillart, and then review our photo gallery on how to get her look. Also, see a video of her renovated cottage.
Comment Guidelines
We welcome your feedback on Houseandhome.com. H&H reserves the right to remove any unsuitable personal remarks made about the bloggers, hosts, homeowners and/or guests we feature. Please keep your comments focused on decorating, design, cooking and other lifestyle topics. Adopt a tone you would be willing to use in person and do not make slanderous remarks or use denigrating language. If you see a comment that you believe violates any of the guidelines outlined above, please click "Flag as inappropriate." Thank you.


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Barack Obama has been President for just over three weeks. But even this early into the Age of Obama, we can, I think, make a valuable assessment on where things stand.
On the plus side for Obama, by later this month he will have achieved, in almost record time, a huge legislative victory: passage of a trillion dollar (more or less) economic package. His approval rating remains high. And he showed at his press conference on Monday that he is an extremely skilled communicator, one of the best we have ever seen. He is unquestionably the best spokesman Democrats have, and he comes across as reasonable, intelligent, and likeable (if long-winded and sometimes lecturing). But none of that is new; those talents, after all, were on full display during the campaign.
What is surprising is how many mishaps have taken place and how many damaging developments have accrued. One of the key pillars of Obama's campaign and his popularity was his commitment to bipartisanship. But that promise, like Jeremiah Wright, Tom Daschle, and others, has been tossed under the Obama bus. President Obama essentially admitted as much at his press conference earlier this week, when he said that bipartisanship would have to take a back-seat to passage of the economic legislation he wanted.
It's not simply that Obama gained no Republican votes in the House for his plan, and got only three in the Senate. It is that Obama himself never made a serious play at bipartisan cooperation. What he did was allow Nancy Pelosi and liberal House Democrats to write the legislation. Republicans were shut out. And once the legislation emerged, Republicans were asked to come on board. They politely but emphatically declined. It turns out spending a few hours with the GOP caucus and hosting a Super Bowl party does not constitute authentic bipartisanship.
Click here to read the rest of this COMMENTARY Web Exclusive.


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Jan Sosniok
Jan Sosniok was born on March 14, 1968 in Gummersbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany. He is an actor, known for Berlin, Berlin (2002), Danni Lowinski (2010) and OP ruft Dr. Bruckner - Die besten Ärzte Deutschlands (1996). See full bio »
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Before I commenced my teacher training, I managed a private out of school club for one year. I managed the day to day running of the club; this included planning and directing activities for children aged 4-11 years, ensuring the club was age appropriate, fun, stimulating and safe. A variety of activities were on offer, including bug hunting, gardening, forest school activities, dance and drama, cooking, orienteering, arts and crafts, reading and comprehension clubs, ICT club, different sports and games, and beginner's French club. As well as this, I managed a small team of five key workers, tutoring the NVQ apprentices and liaising with outside agencies to provide sports and dance activities. I would also manage monthly budgets and finances with regard to invoicing parents for their childcare and managing staffing payments. In addition, I created club policies and risk assessments in line with OfSTED requirements.
Prior to this post as club co-ordinator I completed my undergraduate BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies degree at Liverpool John Moore's University, where I achieved a first classification. This course provided me with an excellent knowledge base that covers a wide range of areas that affect children's lives, including education, families, and policy and child development. I believe this gave me an excellent start to my teaching career.
I knew I always wanted to work with children; I have always had a great connection with them. I began looking into teacher training when I chose my options after A-levels. This was when I was told by a tutor that I would never be able to teach "I was not clever enough and would never amount to anything". At the time I was working at a Harvester Restaurant and was asked to train as a manager. The same tutor told me to: "Take what I could"! I then studied my undergraduate degree as I wanted to be sure I was choosing the right career for me, but I was determined to show all that had doubted me, and prove to myself that I could do anything I put my mind to. But most importantly I wanted to make a difference to future children to ensure they were never told they would fail before they have begun!
I chose Birmingham to study my PGCE because I believed I would gain the most from this diverse area. But I specifically chose The University of Birmingham because of its fantastic reputation and outstanding status as a teacher training provider.
The varied experience I have gained from my placements has been the most valuable experience for me, I feel ready to face what may come my way in my NQT year. I most definitely enjoy being in a small friendly group for the early years course, it personalises the experience for you more. This would not be possible without the tutors, lecturers and staff on the PGCE. They really do have your best interests at heart and want to see you achieve not just for the reputation of the university but for their love for teaching and making a difference.
I definitely find it hard to manage everything the work load, time and my life. There are definitely not enough hours in the day. Every PGCE student will tell you, you need to learn to except that some things will just not get done...they will eventually get done though! It is also very important to look after yourself and have time out, which is why I suggested building strong friendships from the start!
Teaching placements are key to the PGCE, I have had a fantastic experience, with such varied placement schools. It has developed my teaching completely from placement to placement. I have gained so much, in confidence, practice and getting ready for my own class. I would definitely say that the great relationship the University of Birmingham has with schools has supported me. My advice would be to grab the experience in schools with both hands from the start of the placement, gain every experience you can, while you can! Learn from others, ask and share worries, difficulties and successes.
I specifically enjoy the closeness of my course, there are only approximately 30 students enrolled on the early years course, we are all in the same position and understand each other more than anything. I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed the course as much as I have without the friends and relationships I have made along the way. So for any successful applications I urge you to make good friends as soon as you can and ensure you nurture them friendships because they will pull you through the low moments.
One hundred percent, yes! Not only does the course provide you with a varied experience within different schools in Birmingham but it prepares you for teaching "in the real life" because it is comprehensive in lectures and support. I would definitely tell others about the tutors and lecturers being the most valuable asset to studying a PGCE at The University of Birmingham as they really are on your side! They do everything they can to help and support you and give you the boost you need in such a demanding year.
I gained employment in March as a NQT in a school in Leicester, I will be teaching Nursery.
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Foreign Study Program Overview and Goals
Stanford Law School Requirements
Students who participate in the Foreign Study Program are not exempted from Stanford Law School's graduation requirements. They must complete, at Stanford, the ethics, writing, and professional skills requirements of the J.D. degree. It is each student's responsibility to determine how a quarter of foreign study will affect his or her ability to fulfill Stanford Law School's graduation requirements.
In addition, to be awarded credit by Stanford Law School for a course of study at a foreign school, students who participate in the Foreign Study program must, upon their return to Stanford, provide the Foreign Law Programs Committee with:
- A transcript or certificate documenting courses they have successfully completed.
- Copies of any written work they completed during the course of their study.
- A copy of the written Final Report that: (a) describes the student's academic and intellectual experience at the foreign school; (b) describes in summary form the student's experience regarding institutional, administrative, and logistical matters; (c) indicates whether the student would recommend study at the foreign school for other Stanford Law School
students; and (d) identifies any changes in the exchange program at the foreign school that the student would recommend. The Final Report should be in the 5‐ to 15‐page range. The Final Report must be submitted to the faculty advisor and the Foreign Law Programs Committee no later than the due date for papers written by non‐graduating students in courses during the quarter of foreign study.
- The Foreign Legal Study Program
- Study Abroad Opportunities
- Apply 1-2-3
- Deadlines
- Program Info
- Study Abroad Opportunities
- Eligibility
- Timing
- Credit for Courses Taken
- Procedure for Applying to Study for a Semester at a Foreign Law School
- Deadlines
- Withdrawal
- Coordination with the Faculty Advisor
- Stanford Law School Requirements
- Tuition and Financial Aid
- Health Insurance
- Registration with the local United States Embassy
- Additional Information
- Information for Visiting Exchange Students
- Curriculum
- Meet Our Faculty
- Research and Practical Applications
- Clinics
- Visitors and Conferences
- Study Abroad
- Externship and Internship Programs
- Joint Degrees
- Extracurricular Opportunities
Contact Information
- Stanford Law School Foreign Law Program Committee
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Love of gourds grows for artists in Moorpark
An art major at a community college in West Los Angeles, Pat Lelie put her passion on hold for 40 years to run a business with her husband until a sculpture captured her eye at a craft fair in Santa Monica.
"It was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen — it was so beautiful," said Lelie, of Camarillo.
She soon discovered the piece was made from a dried gourd.
"It was light as a feather," she said. "That's when I knew — I gotta find out more about these gourds."
She started by taking gourd art classes at the Moorpark Active Adult Center. Three years later, Lelie is the lead instructor. Her most recent eight-week session started Nov. 13, with group meetings from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays.
"There were 20 participants when I started. Now we have as many as 43 in a class," Lelie said. "I get a lot of people that think they can't create this kind of art. My job is to find what they can do. It doesn't matter if you have a shaky hand; it's just a matter of building confidence."
A gourd is similar to pumpkin, Lelie said.
"It's really, really dirty because it sits in a field where it dries, usually covered with mold," she said.
But once a gourd is cleaned, emptied of its seeds and dried out, magic unfolds, she said.
"The mold patterns from the residue are beautiful and you can use them with the final design," she said.
Their shapes and sizes vary from a couple of inches to 8 feet tall and bigger, Lelie said. One contest featured a gourd that was the size of a Volkswagen.
"A gourd can be 10 pounds when it's green and full of seeds, but when it's dry, it can weigh less than half a pound," she said.
Selecting a gourd is as important as the artistic process.
"You pick a gourd that appeals to you that maybe has a pattern you like, but you never know what you're going to end up with" Lelie said. "As you clear your mind during the creation process, your mind starts to wander about all the things you can do with your gourd."
Laura Fiechter, of Fillmore, has been a gourd artist for two years.
"Mostly I like to see what the gourd tells me to do with it," Fiechter said "Your subconscious mind takes over and you create something you didn't know you could do. Anyone can do this. You just have to stare at it long enough."
Artistic methods include burning and carving. Some people use ink, while others prefer leather dye or paint.
"Anything you can do with wood, you can do with gourds," Lelie said.
Charlene Smith, of Ojai, president of the Ventura County Gourd Artists, discovered gourd art in the 1990s when she went to a powwow in Ojai.
"I met a Native American lady — she had a gourd decorated with wood-burned animals. I fell in love," she said.
"Every gourd is different. You may have a plan in mind, but the gourd has its own idea."
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Catalog search
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Graduate Bulletin 2013-2015 » Academic Programs and Courses » Middle and High School Education » Courses in Middle and High School Education » ESC 763: Teaching Literacy through the Content Areas in the Secondary Bilingual Classroom.
ESC 763: Teaching Literacy through the Content Areas in the Secondary Bilingual Classroom.
45 hours, 3 credits. Methods, materials, and evaluation for teaching literacy through middle and high school level content areas, such as business education, mathematics, science, and social studies in the native language and in English. Curriculum development; use of relevant technology; current standards; lesson planning; instructional strategies; inclusion of special populations; and assessment. Includes field experience. PREREQ: ESC 759 (or an equivalent), a methods course in subject area, and permission of the adviser.
Last modified: 7/30/2015


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Next tie 2015
Cuba will compete in Americas Zone Group III for a third straight year in 2015.
Last tie 2-7 Jun 2014
Cuba missed out on promotion to Americas Zone Group II after losing 2-1 to Costa Rica in a promotion play-off.
Best Davis Cup Performance World Group - 1993
Cuba reached the World Group in 1993 when its scheduled opponent Yugoslavia was expelled from the 1992 World Group play-offs. It lost its next four ties to return to Group II and has not re-appeared above that level since.
Before the introduction of the World Group, Cuba was an American Zone finalist in 1926, 1929 and 1959.
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my baby was born March 13 and shes only 21 pounds :(
DS is 21# and he's happy and healthy and gaining at his own rate. His pedi is not concerned. He's 32in and to me he looks completely normal. No one calls him small anymore. He's never been a fat baby and it's never been a concern at all! Your DD is fine at 21#
My baby is March 11 and she's 21.12. It's stressful but you can't force them to eat. Our pedi recommended Pedisure daily or Carnation instant breakfast shakes so I at least know she's getting 240 calories with those. I'm trying to not show her how much it bothers me because then it gives her the power. Deep breathes. I know it's hard, though. Just keep offering good healthy choices.
My baby was born march 27th and just finally hit 20lbs. So I think youre worried about nothing. Things to look for is milestones reached, etc...


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By Peter Korugl
Senior Western Highlands businessman and leader Kagul Koroka CBE, CSM wants to be the next Governor-General of Papua New Guinea. A self made man, he believes he has the credentials to occupy the State House at Konedobu, the official residence of the Queen's representative in PNG.
The 71-year-old man is educated up to Grade 10 only but his involvement in business and politics has provided him with the opportunities to mix with the best in both worlds that today, he reckons he understands the world and PNG, for that matter, a lot better than many in this country.
Born at Tomba in Western Highlands, Koroka started school at Paglum in 1960 and completed grade 10 at Kabiufa in 1965. While he was in school, he was made the school captain. After school, he joined the PNG Electricity Commission in Port Moresby but a bout with Malaria forced him to flee Port Moresby for Mt Hagen. There he joined the Department of Works as a clerk.
A year later he joined the Bush Boake Allen Australia Limited pyrethrum research project at Mendi in Southern Highlands. Koroka returned home to start his own farming business after the project closed down in 1971. He grew potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and strawberries and sold them to hotels and motels in Mt Hagen. He then ventured into coffee, starting as a buyer on the roadside. Between 1973 and 1974, he bought two second-hand trucks and leased them to the Works Department.
In 1975, when PNG was preparing for Independence, he formed his own company, Kiluwa Trading and went into the trucking businesses. He headed Western Highlands Transport Investment Corporation. In 1976, he was in the forefront of PNG Highlands Freighters Pty Ltd, which then bought out PNG Freighters P/L which he headed as Chairman. Soon WHTIC bought out Pagini Brambles, another trucking firm, which eventually bought out ANGCO Coffee group, which controlled approximately 60 per cent of the coffee and cocoa exports.
In 1993 Kiluwa trading changed its name to Pangali Construction Ltd, which is now a renowned supplier of equipment, sand and gravel for road constructions in PNG. While he was running his business empire, he was slowly developing a keen interest in politics. In 1972, he contested the Tambul/Nebilyer Open seat, in 1977, he contested for the Western Highlands Regional seat, in 1982 and he contested the Tambul Nebilyer Open seat again. He lost the contests.
In 1984, he contested the Upper Nebilyer Constituency, and won. He went on to become Premier of Western Highlands but after 18 months, he lost the seat in a vote of no-confidence. He blamed his defeat on his strict control on expenditure of public funds.
In 1994 he defended his seat and won, but remained Opposition leader until the reform to the provincial government system came about. In 1977. Her Majesty the Queen awarded as a Commander of the British empire and then he was made a Companion of the Star of Melanesian. The awards were for his service to business, community and politics.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Kagul Koroka eyes G-G post
Posted by Mount Hagen, PNG at Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Labels: WHP Politics


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Top News Stories
Cancer Accreditation
Wayne HealthCare is proud to announce that we have received a 3 year accreditation from the Commission on Cancer with commendations in all 8 available areas. This is very exciting for us and speaks highly of the dedication of our physicians, nurses and other dedicated staff that spent hours working on this accreditation for Wayne HealthCare and the community.
Wayne HealthCare has just completed a two year process to have their cancer program accredited by the
Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1922, the multidisciplinary Commission on Cancer establishes standards to ensure quality, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive cancer care delivery in health care settings; conducts surveys in health care settings to assess compliance with those standards; collects standardized data from accredited health care settings to measure cancer care quality; uses data to monitor treatment patterns and outcomes and enhance cancer control and clinical surveillance activities, and develops effective educational interventions to improve cancer prevention, early detection, cancer care delivery, and outcomes in health care settings.
The Commission on Cancer is a consortium of 50 national professional organizations. Each organization has a representative(s) on the Commission. These representatives are responsible for setting standards for cancer care and monitoring the compliance with the standards. Accreditation by the Commission on Cancer is voluntary and requires strict compliance with the standards. Standards are developed in various aspects of cancer care including diagnosis, treatment, monitoring quality of care, prevention, early detection, research and education.
Over the last two years, Wayne HealthCare has assembled a team of cancer experts who have developed the Wayne HealthCare Cancer Program. The program includes multidisciplinary care and provides a complete range of diagnostic, treatment, and supportive services. In addition, even though Wayne HealthCare isn't mandated to provide national clinical trials, we have joined the Dayton Clinical Oncology Program and offer cancer patients national clinical trials through a grant from the National Cancer Institute.
Wayne HealthCare has the expertise to provide you and your loved ones with the very best in cancer care.


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Jeffrey T. Polzer
3 Results
- 05 Jul 2006
- Working Papers
Geographically-Colocated Subgroups in Globally Dispersed Teams: A Test of the Faultline Hypothesis
Team diversity can harness strengths or drive a team apart. Troublesome faultlines appear when team members identify with a subgroup more strongly than with the larger team. Previous research, conducted on teams who worked face-to-face, has shown that these faultlines can be based on demographic factors (such as differences in nationality). The authors of this paper conducted a study on faultlines that arise between subgroups in different geographic locations. They found that faultline dynamics did indeed occur in teams with subgroups in different locations, and that their geographic diversity caused disruptive group relations, diminished trust, and increased conflict between subgroups. Read More


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Riverside, Northern fall in championship, consolation finals
Charlotte's Northside Christian Academy took the crown in the inaugural Tobacco Road Holiday Basketball Invitational with a 67-54 win over Riverside on Saturday.
Riverside hosted the tournament, coming up short without the services of its talented, freshman point guard.
In the consolation game prior to that, Southeast Raleigh nipped Northern 78-77.
Outsized, Riverside's guards were bothered by Northside's pressure on defense, Northside's length giving the Pirates problems.
Yet Riverside managed to lead 14-13 at the end of the first period.
It was the second game of the tournament that Riverside had to go without Justice Kithcart, who normally starts at point guard and would have been the Pirates' primary ball handler against the Knights' ball hawking from guys like Jeremy Ritter (10 points).
Kithcart scored 20 points in the opening game of the tournament on Thursday before being sidelined with a leg injury that is not believed to be serious.
Riverside's Al Hughes poured in 30 points on Friday to get the Pirates to the title game, and he looked to keep it going against Northside with a deep 3-pointer from the baseline that nearly drew rain.
But Northside began to pull away with balanced scoring. The Knights led 33-23 at halftime and kept their feet on the gas in the final 16 minutes.
"The second quarter, we stood back and let them hit us in the mouth," Riverside's Jordan Jones said. "We backed off on them, and we let them take advantage when we were slacking, and they just capitalized."
Riverside big man Mike Tillotson ended the game with 11 points, lifting some of the scoring burden from Hughes, who finished with 24 points.
But Northside's Keyshawn Woods (25 points) played like a grown man and was named the tournament's most valuable player for the high school division.
In the consolation game, a Northern scoring flurry at the end of the first half allowed the hometown Knights to cut into Southeast Raleigh's 11-point lead, despite Bulldogs junior William Walker finding crafty ways to weave baskets.
Walker's 16 points in the first two periods helped Southeast Raleigh take a 35-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Ricky Council II also had 16 first-half points for Northern.
At the start of the fourth period, Council was fouled while draining a 3-pointer for a four-point play, getting the Knights within three of Southeast Raleigh.
But Walker kept showing up with buckets.
Northern's Emmett Tilley hit a 3, and then a layup from teammate Kentrell Barkley tied the game at 65 with 4:16 left.
Two Council free throws brought Northern within a point with 1:21 to go.
Southeast Raleigh's Myles Harris scored to give the Bulldogs a 76-73 lead.
Council was fouled and went to the line with 36.1 left. He made both, leaving the Knights down one.
Walker missed the front end of a one-and-one, setting up Northern's Jaquan Harris for an assist to Kourtney Farrow down low and the lead.
Farrow was fouled on the shot but missed the free throw.
Council was whistled for fouling Northside's Kwamaine Fairley, who made good on two free throws to give the Bulldogs a 78-77 margin.
Harris hustled the ball upcourt and called time with 3.3 seconds to go.
The Knights huddled while Northern coach Ronnie Russell drew up a play.
"Sideline, out-of-bounds play," Russell said after the game.
Council was supposed to get the ball, but Southeast Raleigh ended up with it, sticking a sword in the Knights' comeback.
Tobacco Road Holiday Invitational
Championship Final
Southeast Raleigh 78,Northern 77
NORTHERN – Ryan Arundale 5, Jaquan Harris 10, Kentrell Barkley 19, Ricky Council II 32, Kourtney Farrow 4, Emmett Tilley 7.
SOUTHEAST RALEIGH – Willie Gaskins 2, William Walker 26, Justin Morris 19, Kwamaine Fairley 6, Myles Harris 14, Demetri Lyons 5, Demetrius Sanders 6.
Northern 11 19 17 30—77
Southeast Raleigh 15 20 18 25—78
Records — Northern 7-6, Southeast Raleigh 7-5.
Tobacco Road Holiday Invitational
Consolation Final
Northside 67, Riverside 54
RIVERSIDE — Jordan McCain 4, Al Hughes 24, Mike Singletary 3, Treyvon Blandshaw 2, Jake Kusz 6, Jordan Jones 4, Mike Tillotson 11.
NORTHSIDE — Keyshawn Woods 25, Luke Morrison 19, Phillip Reed 4, Jeremy Ritter 10, Austin Dasent 1, Charles Minlend 2, Addison Holmes 6.
Riverside 14 9 16 15—54
Northside 13 20 17 17—67
Records — Riverside 7-6, Charlotte Northside Christian Academy 10-1.


text:
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Right now? Eeesh. I'm with you that Collins should commit, but he could bury rallies during this slump if he's batting too high.
I think he worked out well following Reyes in the 2-spot, but I could just as easily see him batting seventh in front of Thole after Bay returns. He shouldn't bat under Thole, but he's a wild card after that.
Indeed. We definitely don't need questions about the rotations from our number one. No one's mistaking Pelf for an ace, but the Mets can't afford to let him get hammered like that all season long. I'm hopeful, but that hope starts with a steady diet of heaters.
Or we'll get another reminder when the Mets shock the world over the next few days.
Just when I think I'm out of Omar Minaya stories, you drag me back in...
So, you're saying that Minaya should've given Castillo and Perez more money?
I wasn't really sure what to expect of Alderson's response. He hasn't publicly said much about Bay this spring, and anything he did say got lost in the furor over Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo or Beltran's knee. So I took the opportunity to mark time with his response.
I definitely do not want to start a panic about Bay, but I'll admit to being relieved hearing Alderson not be so concerned about Bay's struggles at the moment. He is a straight shooter as far as I can tell, meaning I wouldn't expect him to throw Bay under a bus but would expect him to hint at a red flag if he thought one was there (e.g. concussion symptoms still lingering). If things change on June 1, I can revisit what was said on March 24 and go from there.
Ain't no victory like a Pyrrhic victory...
I'm a Mets fan. I can't help but root for the underdog...
Levine clearly struggled a bit before responding with his non-comment. He handled it well, but I can't imagine what's going on in his head.
Oof... I shudder to think what Hank Steinbrenner would tell Cavuto in a similar situation.
Bill James, Marcel, and ZiPS all project Wright to end up with a K/9 rate around 24%. That reads to me like each system hedging its bets, though. You could easily use 24% as an over/under for Wright, where betting the over means more of same while the under could imply a return to the MVP form of 2007 and 2008.
A .394 BAPIP in a season with power? I'll buy that for a dollar.
Beltran's saying all the right things so far. I think he's a good soldier by nature (as evidenced by his Holiday Party comments), but the way he can polarize the fan base leaves him perpetually under scrutiny.
That said, I think your latter comment is the Mets' play with Beltran. He's simply worth more if he can play center field at anything better than replacement level. And if he can handle it, then the Mets have the good kind of problem to sort out (like with Beltran and Cameron in '05).
I was debating whether to turn this into a conversation about who would play more games as the Mets' center fielder in 2011. I chose to stick with the "on Opening Day" theme because I think Spring Training could drastically change the answer to that question.
I don't think Pagan minds starting out in RF. If they trade Beltran, then it doubles as a vote of confidence in Pagan. That would serve as effectively as naming him as the outright starting center fielder on Opening Day.
If Young gives us a Jeff D'Amico-esque performance, I'll be pleasantly surprised. Right now, I've set the bar for Young at Kelvim Escobar.
And you'll likely only need to replace one of them with Gee or Mejia if they make it that far. Santana should be back by then, and he's still the best of the lot even being past his ace years.
Couldn't find a clear version of that Flair quote, but it wasn't for lack of trying.
If Havens comes around, it wouldn't surprise me to see him as early as the All-Star break. But he'd need to tear the cover off the goddamn ball at Port St. Lucie to have any chance at breaking camp with the big club. We'll just wait, as we have for everyone else.
HEY! I'm a blogger, not an editor.
Exactly. The commissioner answers to the owners, not vice versa. He has the full authority of the coalition of the owners on matters they deem fit, but I hardly think making an example of one owner comes under Selig's purview in a league where Jeffrey Loria inexplicably continues to own a team.
But there so many Wilpon photos! It would be impossible to narrow down which one to run.
In fairness, walking on a 3-ball count was as much of a problem for Reyes as any other favorable count.
According to Baseball Reference, Reyes had 199 of his 603 plate appearances where he worked the count in his favor. That works out to 33% of his total PAs, which falls just above his 31.5% career percentage. Of those 199 plate appearances, 99 of them resulted in a 3-ball count. That's 49.7% of those favorable count PAs, which falls just below his career average of 50.7%. And as you noted, 31 of those 99 PAs resulted in a walk.
So Reyes converted only 31.3% of those 3-ball opportunities into walks, which is well below his 42.6% career average. It also means that he converted 15.6% of favorable counts into walks, which is also below his 21.6% career average. While your point has merit that he's not executing with 3-ball counts, he lost plate discipline in 2010 long before getting ball three. He'd do well to keep the bat on his shoulder for a few more pitches this season.


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PIERCETON — Whitko Community School Corporation (WCSC) board of trustees started Monday's agenda with a special meeting to review the 2012 budget.
"Estimate for the incoming year 2012 budget is $11,600,000 and it's pretty much the same budget as 2011 but we added two and one-half teachers for full-day kindergarten," Director of Financial Operations Tom McFarland said. "We reinstated the secretary positions at the elementary level that were cut two years ago."
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|52 posts found
Novice Member
Joined: 6/11/06
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"
Originally posted by nariusseldon
Fair enough, that is your opinion. But, your intro there should be changed to "NOT worth my time."
After all, you and I might consider it a waste of time but other people would not...
A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true...
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I played this game for a little a few months ago.
It looked great, very nice scenery. I enjoyed the quest layout, no tedious back and forth. Interesting skill system, which binds wow with an eve style time progression system.
In fact the game is basically a better looking wow, quest spam type game.
However, there was some pretty serious...turn offs with the game.
First is the "oh you can just buy the best gear and skills in the cash shop"...really? Alright i guess this ties into my next issue with the game, which makes this issue make all the more sense.
No other players. Yeah you got that right. I played on both factions, at various times of the day, over the weekend ect. One faction had zero, not one single player, none in chat, nothing, just me. Other faction at least had a few afk people in the main city, and i saw one other guy running around, we both had a good laugh with "holy crap another player" being said by both. This faction had some responses in chat with a fair amount of prodding and doubting their existance. In all my years of gaming ive never see so few people online, especially for a game with no financial barriers to entry.
Then there was the sloppy combat. It wasnt lag, no one was on, everything ran smooth, it was something along the lines of the game not knowing where i was, where the mob was and what attacks i was attempting to execute. For instance, my melee guy would whack on the mob several times before anything registerd, and then several times after the mob had died, however the mob was still there killing me. My mage, well i knew how many fireball killed a mob, but sometimes it would take 3 times as many, as non were registering. Both characters had many deaths because the low level mobs i was testing this on would get a whole lot of attacks in while the game seemed to be figuring out what was going on. I cant imagine this game offering any type of satisfactory pvp or end game pve with this sort of sloppy combat. Mobs seemed to rubberband all over the place, as melee mobs landed hit after hit before i was in melee range, and as they ran right through me out of melee range again, then popped up behind me ect, landing hits the whole time (this is why i made a mage btw)
My conclusion, is that someone put their heart and soul into the world, its beautifull and laid out well, however its paired to one of the worst combay systems ive seen in a game, even games with alpha state combat placeholders. As for long time play, well at some point your gonna meet someone who basically bought their character in the cash shop, granted there are other people playing since there seemed to be zero to 5 new players in the weeks i casually played. Its a nice game to wander around for a bit and look at stuff, a nice game to check out the skills, but other than that, its a very loney, buggy, unenjoyable game, granted i hold a games combat as one of the most importat features.
Merge this game with a real combat system, get rid of focusing this game toward wow players (who wouldnt leave their game for a crappier version that just looked nicer), get rid of the cash shop that is more buy to win than any other ive ever seen, and mabey focus more on the skills and the time progression system *( make the game unique i guess) rename it and it might grow a niche crowd to it.
Right now, i dont see who is funding this game, because its certainly not player(s)...
Novice Member
Joined: 1/07/11
I agree poeple should not judge gaems on what other poeple say
Playing: Single player games |
Novice Member
Joined: 1/17/06
AC2..Greatest game ever to be closed. They did it dirty.
Originally posted by nariusseldon
I can see where someones time is limited when they have waisted 3000 plus replies on this forum. Download the ame and try it. Can do that while you work towards another useless 3000 posts. How do you even get that many. There arent enough interesting things to post about on here.
How many delicate flowers have you met in Counterstrike?
I'm not your friend.
I got a case of beer and a chainsaw waiting for me at home after work.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 3/30/11
Just say RF. :)
Originally posted by dsmart
Derek Smart, Derek Smart, Derek Smart. I have to say, Derek, I'm from Liverpool and you really let the side down.
Ultimately, this game is pretty much down the drain. Bad marketting, a lack of decent game design and I think I'll just stop there because the list goes on and on. There's been no real recovery, the game is pretty much still at the state it was at launch and it's got so much competition from better games in the same area (which is why we make NICHE games, guys, not try to compete with the bloody elephant in the room) that it is royally buggered.
Originally posted by Amjoco
Hard Core Member
Joined: 4/19/08
Why is it that fantasy trolls are vulnerable to fire, but internet trolls thrive on flame wars?
Originally posted by WSIMike
That pretty much sums up my experience on the forums, but I had a less enjoyable experience. There the community is only active and helpful to those who are fully accepting of the game and do not give criticism of any kind. Alganon, in my eyes, went from a game that was ruined by game crippling bugs and content that bordered on plagiarism, to a game that is ruined by a tiny community populated with unfriendly people.
Speaking of content, any word on the upcoming expansion? I have only heard about it when it was announced, and there has been no word about it since, not even a notice that the expansion was being delayed (it was promised to be released in winter 2011, but its 2012 now, and the fact that it was delayed and that there was no word that it would be delayed is a grim sign, probably that the game is on its last legs, but nobody wants to admit it).
Since when is Tuesday a direction?
Apprentice Member
Joined: 9/10/11
Eh I'll download it.
I was going to try it back at launch anyway. Seems like they had a pretty reasonable buy to play option then.
Other games came along and I lost general interest.
Thanks for pointing it out again.
I used to play MMOs like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
Apprentice Member
Joined: 9/10/11
Well I had this download over night and spent the morning playing for more hours than I intended. This isn't exactly the same thing as getting lost in a SimCity game or AOE2 skirmish..
The art is big, the models are big. It's big and it feels big.
The class system seems pretty standard with some room to customize. I have a reaver who looks like he can gain access to some spells as well as tanking skills.
Usual dumb AI, and what quests you get at the hubs are rather un-inspired. Sure I'm low level, but why not introduce me to the world? Instead I'm told to go out into a field absolutely filled with mindless mobs just tracking back and forth over top of one another. That I had to run through a mostly empty field to get to. Mind you, as slowly as friggin' possible.
-Other Thoughts
I dunno.
I used to play MMOs like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
Novice Member
Joined: 2/01/07
I did the same thing over a year ago. With all the hype, the f2p re-release, negative word-of-mouth, etc..., I figured the only way to really find out about the game was to play it ,so I did. What I found was a game I enjoyed, but also felt was flawed in a number of significant and obvious ways. I also had serious questions regaring the pay-to-win factor, but Mr. Smart and other staff members were good enough to listen to and respond to my questions. I honestly felt they took my issues seriously and I felt their response alleviated my concern.
Ultimately, irrespective of the various technical issues that bothered me about the game, what bothered me most was the lack of other players. There just never seemed to be enough other players online for me to play with, ever... I soloed to 30 and barely saw other players or heard them in chat. A huge part of playing a MMO is the social interaction; grouping and playing through content can be a great experience, much less simply being able to chat and socialize. During my play time, that factor was pretty much non-existent.
Would I play Alganon again? Sure. Is there anything really pulling me back into it, especially over any other game that may interest me right now? Not at all. I could take it or leave it.
Elite Member
Joined: 3/25/10
Originally posted by rhinok
Indeed - but the CATCH-22 situation is that some people jump in (usually at odd times depending), don't see many others - or don't actually know how to find/contact them - then leave. I've seen that flow for almost two years (next month) now since I took over the company and development.
Anyway, there are a number of things in the works so I remain optimistic that it will continue to grow - albeit slowly.
Game developers are just human beings who happen to make games for a living.
Elite Member
Joined: 4/29/10
Originally posted by dsmart
I'm just going to offer a sincere good luck. You obviously see something special in the product and are gainfully employing people in the industry.