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Dry skin can lead to uncomfortable itching and cause a skin related medical problem. Regardless of sex, whether you are a male or a female, proper skin care is important. As a person age, her skin become thinner and the oil glands become less active meaning she is susceptible to wrinkles and dry skin. Since the skin become fragile, it is prone to sun damage and skin disorders. Always maintaining a hydrated skin is important. This does not only delay aging and prevent the development of wrinkles but also keep the skin healthy and functional. Here are some tips on how to keep your skin hydrated.
Tip #1: Sun Protection
According to Mayo Clinic, the most important thing a person can do to keep a good looking skin is to protect it from the sun. Too much sun exposure causes damage to the skin and increases the risk of developing cancer. People should refrain from going under the sun at 10AM-4PM since this is its peak hours. If ever they can't avoid going out, they should wear sunscreen with SPF15 or more. It should be applied 20-30 minutes before staying outside.
Tip #2: Smoking
If you want to have a nice looking skin, avoid smoking since it can make the blood vessels narrow, deplete the skin of nutrients as well as oxygen and decreases blood flow to the skin. This condition damages collagen and elastin which are responsible for the skin elasticity and strength. Smoking can also create lines and wrinkles around the mouth.
Tip #3: Washing
Many people must learn how to properly wash their skin. Some think that by taking long showers and bath is good for them but it's not. People should not take a bath for longer than 15 minutes. This is because long baths and showers can remove oil from the skin. Warm water is preferred than using hot water plus avoid soaps that are too strong and those that contains additives like perfumes and dyes. Dove and Cetaphil are mild soaps that are often recommended. After shower, pat dry not rub dry.
Tip #4: Moisturize
People possess different skin types, yet most benefit from a moisturizer. The Mayo Clinic suggests that a person should wait 20 minutes after shower before applying moisturizer. If the skin seems tight and feels dry up to this time, then apply a skin moisturizer. A good moisturizer should have sunscreen, low in perfumes, dyes and additives.
Tip #5: Drink Enough Water
Consuming enough water can help hydrate your skin. The recommended amount of water to be consumed daily is at least 8 glasses of water. Avoid drinking fluids with diuretic properties like coffee and alcohol.
Tip #6: Eat Foods that Keep your Skin Hydrated
Eat healthy fat that are found in nuts, avocado and fish. Bear in mind that trans-fat and animal fat will not help your skin in anyway. Eating nuts, avocado and fish can keep your skin hydrated making your skin smooth, soft and beautiful. You can also consider taking supplements like fish oil capsules or cod liver oil.
Eat foods that are rich with anti-oxidants. This includes pomegranates, blueberries, goji berries, and dried small red beans, tomatoes, beans, nuts and green leafy vegetables.
Keeping your skin hydrated is easy. Just follow these tips and you're sure to have a smooth skin like a baby.
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text:
Understanding and Organizing Around ... Anywhere Commerce
Brand marketers are figuring out how to deal with the always-on shopper as well as retailers as publishers.
Crayola Dissects the Easter Basket
Study reveals when, where and how mom shops -- and for what.
Research Finds Consumers 'Primed' for Amazon Private Label
Amazon.com's planned rollout of private-label packaged goods as an exclusive Prime benefit could be a major disruptive force in the CPG industry.
Love's, DAS Serve Up Technology
Partners focus on electronics with "Mobile to Go Zone."
Kellogg, Marvel Provide Virtual Reality
Immersive mobile game lets consumers fight as Iron Man or Captain America.

subset: commoncrawl


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Measure K Tax Passes in Wonder Valley
Saved under Feature, San Bernardino Co
Tags: Wonder Valley
The Tax Man Cometh to Wonder Valley
Wonder Valley, Ca.,- Parcel owners will have a special trick-or-treat surprise on their 2014 tax. Their tax bills, which will be mailed out this October, will reflect an increase of $55.00 assessment for fiscal 2014/15 which will drop down to $30 for fiscal 2015/16. A 2.5% cost of living increase will be applied the following years with no sunset date.
According to Rebecca Unger's interview with Starlene Javier, Wonder Valley's representative to the San Bernardino County for road services, 345 ballots were mailed out to the voters and 139 were mailed back. The vote tally was 96-43 for passing Measure K with a 70% approval rate surpassing the required two-thirds required.
For more details on Unger's story in the Desert Trail you will have to locate the hard copy. There is no link to this story on their website as of this post.
An overview of this Special District election see this>LINK
Related Posts
- LAFCO gives Twentynine Palms its wakeup call!
- Fire Captain Bret Henry Announces Bid for 1st District Supervisor
- Two ways of life collide in Wonder Valley
- Caveat: Warm weather drawing rattlesnakes out early
- Karl Hoyer found hanging at the Joshua Tree Jail
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5 Responses to Measure K Tax Passes in Wonder Valley
Robert Nelson July 25, 2014 at 10:19 AM
That's good news. It's a small price to pay for the comfort of knowing an ambulance or fire truck can reach you if needed.Likes(0)Dislikes(0)
Dan OBrien July 25, 2014 at 3:44 PM
Well sir, Since my land is situated on the State Hwy, that tax is a total rip off for me and the hundreds of property owners that must now subsidize others....
One might think of where and how one wants to live before they buy a piece of ground. I for one think and have said many times those are private roads and should be graded by private parties.
I want you to take particular notice that these roads are to be inspected at $5000 per year...... Inspected to what standard? This is and has always been a bull shit rip off. I plan with others to file for exemption as to be excluded from the tax as I have no reason to pay or use the services.
Less than 100 souls rat f***ed a thousand property owners. This is why Democracy sucks....Likes(0)Dislikes(0)
Robert Nelson July 25, 2014 at 5:44 PM
"I'll bet you a nickel it they left my road alone for a year I'd be happier than a pig in poop!" -- said somebody at one of the road meetings.
Hmmm ... I was told the road inspection salary was $10,000 but that may be wrong. Something about keeping it at that amount so the other county benefits still kicked in. (So much information that just isn't verified because those in charge like it that way.)
I have not and still do not trust the word of any of the officials involved in Wonder Valley financial dealings or the management of Wonder Valley's road maintenance. They've proven themselves to be unworthy of that trust. But, they've got the upper hand and there's nothing anybody can do about it if they want half-decent roads in Wonder Valley. The roads have to be good enough to emergency vehicles to reach residents. That's all there is to it.
That doesn't mean I'm happy about the situation.
I got the short distance from one of the main roads to my property plowed once by accident when a new driver was working. I ran out to thank him and he seemed amazed and perplexed when I told them I had begged to have it done just once or twice a year and it couldn't be done according to those who made decisions about what would and could be graded. He asked if I wanted it done now and then and I told him that would be great. And then he never showed up again. Somebody put a stop to his wanting to be helpful.
When I first got out to WV the people were mad as hell about not getting their roads graded. One resident told me he found the driver sleeping. Another said he had had it with waiting for his area to be graded and called to ask where the driver was at that day and why he couldn't get to his neighborhood. He was told the driver was on a certain road and wouldn't - again - be in his area. So that guy went to the road he was told the driver was working on. No driver. He went to the Community building and there was the grader and the driver hanging out with those others who hung out there ... including the person who took his call earlier and told him the driver was out on a certain road working.
I asked Star why she didn't just put an end to all the people wondering where the road grader is all the time and why their road wasn't getting done ... I suggested that she post a simple piece of paper in the window (facing out) each day the grader worked. The grader could list what roads he worked on that day and people would no longer have to get ticked off about not knowing who was getting their roads done. All the bitching about this area or that area always getting done but this and another area never being done ... all that would stop if the roads that were worked on were listed as they were worked on. Star didn't go for that.
And then people were talking about the driver being paid by the hour ... $90 and hour at that time because the regular driver was out. And then there were the times our grader was borrowed out to the county.
I remember, too ... people asking where the hell all the TV and Park tax funds were being spent and some were apparently told that some of the park funds were being used to hire part-timers to help with things like putting the blade on the grader and such. How much goes into the fund for the TV and Park? Is it about $25,000 from WV residents for the TV and close to $48,000 for the park?
There's no reason for Wonder Valley to be paying such a huge amount of money for a driver but the county has control over that and now it looks like the $70,000 collected for the roads will go up to $311,000 next year and then go down and remain at $217,000 after that but with a 2.5% increase each year after that.
That's a lot of money that the people of Wonder Valley will be paying out but will have no control over. And if you dare to ask about how the money is being spent, Ms. P. Vandervoort either threatens to walk out or she breaks down crying and runs out in tears.
I voted YES on the deal when I was given a vote the last time. I don't live out there now so I didn't get to vote this time. And, no, I'm not happy about that. I would have voted YES but I do believe all property owners should have a say in how they are taxed and how that tax is spent.
People still have a voice in the matter ... in how the money collected for the roads, TV and park is spent. We just haven't gotten loud enough yet, I guess.
Oh ... and it's despicable how Ms. P. Vandervoort and her buddies have always used threats and fear instead of showing genuine concern for the people of Wonder Valley. I was told, the first week I lived out there, that those in charge of the roads and the money believed everybody else out there were nothing more than stupid desert rats. And from the report of the last meeting I can see Ms. P. Vandervoort has not changed her ugly attitude.Likes(0)Dislikes(0)
cleghorn12 July 25, 2014 at 11:07 PM
A lot of you are upset about Measure K. The very few numbers of property owner/voters it took to pass the matter is problematical. How about this. There is a taxing mechanism for fire protection within the county that is currently charging all property owners within the district $150. per year. The district is 180 square miles. Only a three square mile area benefits from the proceeds of the tax. Approximately 90+ per cent of the property owners live outside of the district and therefore did not get to vote. Less than 10% were eligible to vote, if registered, and it is those people who benefit. The 90+ per cent receive no services but they are required to pay or lose their property. 177 square miles are TAXED but receive no services. No taxation without representation. I know this example will not help Measure K opponents feel any better but it does demonstrate the wide-spread nature of these taxes. In this case, the tax was passed in 2006 and each year the district is eligible for a 3% cost of living increase!Likes(0)Dislikes(0)
Dan OBrien July 26, 2014 at 7:29 AM
Well written and I am in total agreement.
We live in a republic in name only. The property owner was not represented in this debate nor the vote.
I believe we have recourse with the "inspection" part of the program. I am willing to file with the State AJ for fraud as the roads will not be brought up to any recognizable standard that can be gauged. That is called fraud.
Unless the county is prepared to bring these private roads up to State standards and then eminent domain the right of way, this is a taking without just compensation.
Everyone forgets these are private roads, not public roads. not subject to the vehicle code. If as the language of this measure suggests that the county is taking private property, then we are due just compensation.Likes(0)Dislikes(0)
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News 12 at 11 o'clock, April 16, 2008
AUGUSTA, Ga.---A graveyard is supposed to be a place to honor loved ones, but one family says their family's cemetery is being destroyed and taken over.
"It's all family, every bit of it's all family. It's just a regular family cemetery," Mary Cain says of the Anderson Cemetery on Pleasant Home Road.
It's where her parents, her siblings, and her ancestors are, and it's where she and her daughters plan to be buried. But she worries that may never happen.
"Just a bunch of thieves come in. For the love of money's the root of all evil and...somebody's gonna answer it to God," she said.
She and her daughters say a construction company is moving in on their cemetery. That's why they've been sitting and watching, making sure they don't.
"I found a bone the last time they came through here," said one daughter, Deronda Templeton. She says an area in the back of the cemetery has unmarked graves. She says it's their land, but the company doesn't seem to know it.
"They've totally been destroyed, bulldozed over and put in a pile and hauled off," she said.
They say the cemetery should span over two acres, but its been cut down to about three-quarters of an acre.
"No respect for the dead whatsoever," she said.
The family says an e-mail shows there should be a fifty-foot buffer zone between the cemetery and construction, but they say the company has come within two feet.
"I can't believe that people do that. That they have no feelings for other people," Templeton said.
Cain says she'll do what she can, but in the end it's out of her hands.
"God is still in control. I don't care what the devil may do, the devil may try to steal this that and the other but he knows his days are numbered," Cain said.
The family says they won't fully rest in peace until their loved ones can.
Columbia County Building, Commercial, and Engineering Services has ordered the construction company involved to stop construction by the cemetery until the matter is resolved.


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Results 1 to 10 of 48
Thread: Trail and error item identifying
Tuesday, 9th October, 2012, 03:10 PM #1
Trail and error item identifying
It's back: I put the ring on and jump up and down, flapping my arms,
What to do, to prevent discovery of a magic ring turn into a 10 minute random-activity slapstick comedy show as experienced players go through a guesswork routine aimed at all the well-known items?
Roll with it, because it's part of D&D?
Limit such player activity? E.g. one in-character guess per PC?
House-rule out this method of identification?
Homebrew in some in-character clues for what an item does (e.g. an "Air" rune on the ring of flying)
(I'd probably do the latter two, and let the PCs keep their dignity - no bird impressions, please!).
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Tuesday, 9th October, 2012, 03:31 PM #2
Thaumaturgist (Lvl 9)
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How about adding a rider to detect magic that says the caster can make an Intelligence or Magical Lore check to identify the item's properties? You might rule that a successful check only identifies the general properties and that "secrets" are only revealed by a certain degree of success or by a second check. Two checks might sound a bit clunky, but that's often how rogues approach a closed door - first check for traps, then check for locks.
That doesn't totally nerf identify. It's still the only foolproof way to learn all the properties of an item since you can fail a check.
"Hey, Zandar, are you sure you correctly deduced all of that magical belt's properties?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Uh, because Hrothgar just put it on and his beard is falling out... And I think he's growing boobs..."
Last edited by GameDoc; Tuesday, 9th October, 2012 at 03:37 PM.
Tuesday, 9th October, 2012, 03:37 PM #3
Tuesday, 9th October, 2012, 03:39 PM #4
I have also noticed that identifying scrolls requires "Read Magic (or similar ability)", but there is no such spell in the spell list at the moment . . .
Tuesday, 9th October, 2012, 03:49 PM #5
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Perhaps giving out gentle clues through inscriptions, insignia's or markings on the magical item or through effects.
Effect examples:
- Have the ring slowly levitate a person between their walking steps (if its a Ring of Flying)
- If its a Staff of Thunder and Lightning, anyone who touches the staff feels the static electricity, or the person that holds it hears the rhythmic sounds of Thunder or his eyes sparkle.
- A Ring of Warmth is naturally warm to the touch, perhaps the wearer feels too warm, uncomfortably so, resulting in the character removing his thick winter cloak.
Or the item has the creators name, initials or insignia inscribed and through a Lore check, giving clues about the creators interests, historical or mythical backstories...etc
You could even go the route that magical items provide flash memories of their previous users allowing the new owner to learn of its powers through Attunement.
And then there is always study or Identification by experts and sages, encouraging PC interaction with the world allowing for the possibilty for more story arcs.
But I agree with you, having PCs play around for 10 minutes trying to figure out an item through numerous foolish acts (based on player knowledge) is not what I wish to encourage.
Tuesday, 9th October, 2012, 04:33 PM #6
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Just don´t make clues too obvious, and add in some poison potions and cursed items, so fumbling with unknown magic involves risk.
But on the other hand, if noone has identify, there should still be possibilities to guess what the item does.
So a potion of flying may make you dizzy and feel light on your foot. Or you could get problems with your stomach, as whatever is inside tries to go back up...
A cure light wound potion may make you feel less pain, as does a poison potion.
So be creative and reward creativity, but if they do stupid things with a magic item, something terrible could happen...
Tuesday, 9th October, 2012, 04:41 PM #7
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Buy my first self-published weird sci-fi novel from Amazon here!
Tuesday, 9th October, 2012, 04:58 PM #8
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Simply make some item properties really obvious, specifically those that are always 'on'. You'll know when you have a +1 sword or a ring that stops you falling to your death, but you might not know about the flame burst power (activated on command word once a day) or that the ring actually lets you fly (when you assume the correct stance once a day).
Edit: since some people are disappointed with attunement, then combine mechanics so that the powers that aren't always on are gained as you attune with the item.
Everyone is weird, but those who are weird in the same way call themselves normal.
Tuesday, 9th October, 2012, 05:28 PM #9
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Ah, Identify. A long, difficult process of identifying magical items that all character classes have to go through except Wizards who get a low-spell-level plot coupon to get out of that nonsense.
That summarizes so very much that was wrong with the system.
Make Identify an hour long ritual that anyone can do.
Tuesday, 9th October, 2012, 05:41 PM #10
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I like it.
I always had the players just put the stuff on and use it normally. if an item had an effect that wasn't likely to appear through casual association then having some one examoine the thing was always an option.
one of the things that made magic items magical for me was the mystery. Sure common things like potions were labeled, usually with the clerical order who brewed the healings or the alchemist who made the invisibility potions, but everything else was mysterious and exotic.
Eventually the players will come to recognize the different items with little more than a description but until then it's part of the fun.
It may not make a whole lot of sense to people who play modern D&D but much of the fun of the game once came from more than a grinding combat encounter. Which is the main reason I'm looking at Next as an option for future gaming fun. What I got now is more work than fun.


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A wreck in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 near 75th Street slowed the morning commute Thursday.
The wreck was reported about 6:30 a.m.
KMBC's Johnny Rowlands reported that it was moved to the right shoulder, but caused a traffic backup.
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Domestic violence is still considered a taboo in certain demographics of Irish society at home in Ireland and within Irish American communities.
Last year the NYPD responded to 250K Domestic Violence complaints. Research shows that 70% of this type of violent crime go unreported in our nation. This means that in NYC alone there are more than 800,000 domestic violent crimes perpetrated annually on innocent, defenseless victims.
Deputy Chief Kathleen O' Reilly, head of the New York City Police Department's Domestic Violence Prevention unit, spoke recently about her department's efforts to break taboos surrounding partner violence and encourage people to speak up.
O'Reilly is a first generation Irish American, her parents hail from Co Cavan and Co Mayo, and she spent many a summer in Ireland as a child.
Now as one of the most respected members of the NYPD, she says one of the most frustrating parts of her job is a statistic they have little power over:
"Seventy percent of the victims killed in domestic violence incidents never contacted the police...
We all know Domestic Violence is an underreported crime, there's a pool out there that are still afraid to come in and report or that we're not able to reach."
Speaking to IrishCentral, the Deputy Chief added " the next goal is to reach out to people and let them know that we have these wonderful services and that there is hope and that we're here to help."
New York is not alone in underreporting, of course. In Northern Ireland police respond to a case of domestic abuse every 20 minutes. But on average, a woman is attacked 35 times before she goes to the police.
Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to generally establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence.
The preferred term now days is 'partner violence' as it represents violence against men and women in relationships. It can affect anyone regardless of income, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Studies have shown that one in four women will experience partner violence in their lifetime. Although domestic violence was traditionally seen as happening to women, domestic violence also occurs in same sex relationships in which men can be victims as well.
O'Reilly urged those undocumented people experiencing violence in a relationship to seek help. She reiterated a little known fact that you will be protected under law if you are the victim of crime.
"Emigrants who are undocumented are protected under law if they are the victim of a crime. As long as the victim is willing to cooperate with officers in the department, there are safeguards in place."
The chief acknowledged that there are many reasons why a victim may be reluctant to seek the assistance of the authorities. In the Irish community in New York religious reasons would be a big one, especially within the older generation as the church encouraged couples to work through difficult times.
She hopes her department can continue to breakdown the stigmas attached to shame and guilt and work at safeguarding victims from more violent and emotional attacks.
On any given day the NYPD responds to 680 calls in the Domestic Violence Unit. Friday evenings and Saturdays experience the highest volume of calls. One of the strongest messages coming from the NYPD is not to 'judge the victims,' but to be encouraging to a victim if they are wary of seeking help.
In efforts to help the NYPD, O'Reilly urged victims and people aware of a domestic violence situation try to gather evidence that can be used as testimony and photographs, but also help without putting the victim in any direct danger.
The NYPD responds to over 250,000 Domestic Violence incidents a year. The unit's prevention officers can't visit every home, but it seems the unit's 75,000 yearly home visits are doing good. In the past year, there was a 28% reduction in Domestic Violence homicides.
The Aisling Center is one of the largest Irish immigrant resource centers in the tri-state area and the main provider of services such as counselling and care advice for those suffering Domestic Violence in the Irish ex-pat community. "There is always a reluctance when people are documented here to come forward and to speak out on domestic violence," says Elizabeth Donnelly a social worker at the New York based Aisling Center.
Donnelly, who has worked at the center for over six years, acknowledges the fact that Irish illegal aliens often suffer in silence for fear of deportation."
"There is a terrible sense of shame surrounding domestic abuse, particularly with the older generation of immigrants," added Donnelly.
"The shame often times from the sense of Catholic guilt of why is this happening to me? People don't want to let the public know what is happening behind closed doors."
The Catholic Church traditionally encouraged people to work through marital issues and this has led to an ongoing culture of sweeping problems under the rug. These stigmas are uphill battles the NYPD and the Aisling Center face in getting victims to speak out.


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I have four tickets for Saturday's game against the Cubs, on 6/10. They're in section 137, which is field level, and all I'm asking is face value.
I know a lot of Cub fans are always there when the Cubs are in town. I just want to make sure some good Reds fans are in the seats to help cheer on the good guys.
If you are interested, shoot me an email at email@example.com. I can FedEx the tickets to you, or we can meet before the game to make the transfer. Whatever you prefer.


text:
Recall of Non-expired Sterile Drugs »
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting hospitals, health care professionals, and patients of a voluntary recall of all non-expired drug products produced and distributed for sterile use by Abrams Royal Compounding Pharmacy in Dallas, T"...
(Generic versions may still be available.)
Allergic reactions due to individual hypersensitivity including contact dermatitis may occur but are rare.
Reactions occurring most often from the presence of the oxytetracycline are allergic sensitizations.
Increased Lacrimation, a transient stinging or burning sensation, and a foreign body sensation have been reported occasionally with opthalmic tetracycline products.
The reactions due to the steroid component in decreasing order of frequency are: elevation of intraocular pressure with possible development of glaucoma and infrequent optic nerve damage, posterior subcapsular cataract formation, and delayed wound healing.
Should signs of local irritation occur, discontinue treatment immediately.
Elevation of intraocular pressure - see †?Warnings†.
Secondary infection: The development of secondary bacterial or fungal infection has occurred after use of combinations containing steroids and antimicrobials.
Fungal infections of the cornea are particularly prone to develop coincidentally with long-term applications of steroid. With long-term applications of steroids, the cornea is particularly prone to develop fungal infections. The possibility of fungal invasion must be considered in any persistent corneal ulceration where steroid treatment has been used.
Secondary bacterial ocular infection following suppression of host responses also occurs.
The use of Terra-Cortril (oxytetracycline and hydrocortisone) Eye/Ear Suspension with Polymixin B and Terra-Cortril (oxytetracycline and hydrocortisone) Eye/Ear ointment with Polymixin B should be discontinued if such reactions occur.
Read the Terra-Cortril (oxytetracycline and hydrocortisone) Side Effects Center for a complete guide to possible side effects
No information available.
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.
Last reviewed on RxList: 2/15/2005
Terra-Cortril FDA Prescribing Information
Additional Terra-Cortril Information
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Women's Health
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text:
Chinese Year Of The Dragon
The Dynamic Dragon
The Dragon is Ying (male)
Dragon year's are: 1904 ~ 1916 ~ 1928 ~ 1940 ~ 1952 ~ 1964 ~ 1976 ~ 1988 ~ 2000 ~ 2012 ~ 2024.
This is a list of symbols that you, as a Dragon, should surround yourself with as they will help you to become your true self and give you a feeling of happiness and comfort.
Tree - ~ Sequoia ~ Food - Steak ~ Flower - Rose ~ Fragrance- Eau Verte ~ Birthstone- Ruby ~ Number- 2 ~ Animal- Monkey ~ Spice- Cardamom ~ Herb- Dill ~ Drink- Bloody Mary ~ Metal- Hammered Silver ~ Colour- Gold.
"Wow" That is what most people think when a Dragon has entered the room. Dragons are almost always highly attractive and cannot go unnoticed, by anyone. Whether for better or worse these people demand your attention, they are boss, top dog. And you better not go forgetting it. Dragon people almost seem to have some kind of magic power that makes people just do what they want them to. People become magnetized by them, even if they don't like the person!
Dragons don't need to fight for power, for theirs was a birthright. They were born with an amazing amount of ability and when it comes to work they don't mind who they have to take down to get what they want. Or flirt with! Co workers normally just move right out of their way, it's easier.
These people certainly take up a lot of room; they are loud and demand to be noticed by everyone, all the time. They also never seem to tire. Dragons can get up in the morning, see to the kids, go for a jog, get to work, blaze a trail all day, come home, cook dinner, go to a party, you get the picture? Dragons also don't and won't take your advice, so don't even both trying to give it to them. They will not listen, for they know everything already.
Yes, these people are at times hard nosed and brutal flame throwing arresting dynamic creatures. No sensitivity at all you may think. Then you would be greatly mistaken for although they do not wear their heart on their scales, inside their armour lies a soft hearted tear weeping little darling. It's getting to it that's the problem. You could be the long term partner of a Dragon and never seen them cry or show emotion, other than the pure hotness they ooze between the sheets. There is only one way to get to it, and that is by crying. Weep your heart out and the Dragon will melt and before you there will be a beautiful lump of goo willing to love and protect you forever more.
The health of a Dragon is very healthy indeed. Slaying Dragons has never been easy… not even for the best Knights of the Round Table. They are lucky and will still be commanding the family at age 100 so if you are a child of one of these beasts, as I am, you best watch out. You will be nagged forever!! Of-course, we best not forget the over indulgence that comes from the love of parties and eating out. Smoking, drinking and eating are the Dragons faults. He does all of them as often as he can, which due to their fast paced life style is pretty often. Also, all who know a Dragon will be rather familiar with the temper that they are famous for. It's scary. But apart from that can lead to angina in later life and adding that to the other bad habits isn't a good thing. Dragons need to communicate to ease their burden and frustration with things. If they do not and are left to feel helpless, that's when they can become violent and detached.
A Dragons favourite exercise is sex. So if you are in a relationship with one then you are very lucky. Enjoy it! But please keep them away from the post coital cigarette or your active sex life will greatly diminish!
Dragons are most compatible with: You love dragging Rats and Monkeys into you cave, but for a lasting relationship you should choose a Rooster or a Tiger, but be sure to stay away from Oxen and Dogs. For they don't suit you at all.
Last 5 posts in Astrology, Chinese Astrology, Dragon, Yang, Zodiac
- Aquarius Dog - October 10th, 2013
- On the cusp! - May 9th, 2013
- I'm back! - April 4th, 2013
- Birth Charts for Christmas 2011 - September 23rd, 2011
- Pisces Rat - September 23rd, 2011


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Forecasting weather along the California coast can be a challenge, but for the right meteorologist, it could be very rewarding. KCOY, KKFX and KEYT have joined forces to create one big newsgathering organization serving the viewers of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.
This position is on-air meteorologist in the mornings on KCOY and KKFX, then serving as a general assignment MMJ for all platforms during the day. So we're looking for someone passionate: someone who is excited about telling the weather story every morning, and equally as passionate about writing, shooting and editing field stories in the community as an MMJ.
The job isn't for beginners: you must have at least 2 years experience as an on-air meteorologist AND demonstrate your field MMJ skills. You'll get to work in a fully HD shop with a brand new WSI forecasting system. You'll have the challenge of the California coast microclimates. And you'll have a great group of people around you as team members.
So if this sounds like you, we'd like to see your reel. BE SURE it shows both forecasting and MMJ work in order to get serious consideration. Send your resume, reel and salary expectations to: Jessica Davis at email@example.com or mail to: 730 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. NPG of California is an E.O.E. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!


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For the Union Dead
by Robert Lowell
For the Union Dead Theme of Perseverance
The 54th regiment was definitely the little engine that could. They kept on trucking even after losing so many men. They fought with strength and courage despite all of the criticism, non-believers, and haters. "For the Union Dead" salutes them for their valiant effort. The perseverance of African Americans continued from the emancipation to one of its strongest points, the Civil Rights movement. If we were to admit that this poem is pretty pessimistic in tone (and we should; it's a total Debbie Downer), then the perseverance of African Americans is its only high point. Lowell seems to be writing from a dual standpoint: one of disappointment in his countrymen for their lack of progress, and one of respectful awe of those that persevere despite slim chances and adversity.
Questions About Perseverance
- What is the poem's attitude toward the perseverance of the Union soldiers?
- Besides the soldiers, what other examples of perseverance are there in this poem?
- What is the result of the Union soldiers' perseverance? Did it help their cause in the long run?
- According to the poem, is perseverance always bad or always good? What examples from the poem support your opinion?
Chew on This
Silver lining alert: highlighting the perseverance of the Union soldiers is the only positive aspect of this poem.
Time for some time travel. The soldiers' perseverance foreshadows and parallels the perseverance of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.


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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A center with the goal of promoting diplomacy has opened in Lexington.
The Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship also plans to promote international conflict resolution, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.
The center, named for the 19th Century U-S senator from Lexington, opened yesterday. Clay was known as the great compromiser. He was also a farmer and thoroughbred owner.
The immediate mission of the center will be to host a one-week annual course to learn the statesmanship skills embodied by Henry Clay's life. The course will be for 50 college juniors, representing each of the 50 states.
Spokesman Carey Cavanaugh says the center's aim is to promote the importance of statesmanship.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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Commissioner Corner Message Board
Why Head-To-Head?
Why are the majority of fantasy football players perfectly happy using win/loss records to determine who makes the playoffs, when those records are often misleading when it comes to determining who the best teams in a league are? Breakdown/All-Play is a much better method. Just looking at Total Points has it's flaws, but even that is better and more accurate that just looking at win/loss records. Every year in every league I see teams get screwed because of thier win total, while weak teams wind-up in the the playoffs. I don't understand why people seem to be so devoted to such a flawed and inaccurate system. Am I the only one who feels this way?Sort: Newest | Oldest | Most Replied Expand all replies
Bako, I'm unfamiliar with "breakdown/all-play". Would you mind explaining?
- 1 Reply to John G
With All-Play (aka Breakdown) Every team plays every other team every week, which completely eliminates the luck of the schedule. In a 10 team league, if you had the highest score of the week, you'd get 9 wins 0 losses, since you beat all 9 of the other teams. If the next week you had the lowest score of the week, you'd get 0 wins 9 losses. Your record based on these 2 weeks would be 9-9. If another team finished both weeks with the 6th highest score, their record would be 5 wins 4 losses for both weeks, for a combined record of 10-8.
This method eliminates the flaws of both one-on-one leagues, and total points leagues.
Severe exaggeration here, but if an owner racked-up 2,000 points in week 1, and never scored another point for the rest of the season, he could still win a points league, all because of that first week. That could never happen in All-Play. Also, you'd never wind-up with an owner who typically scores 150 points a game losing a playoff spot to an owner who only typically scores 100, as is often the case in traditional one-on-one head-to-head leagues.
Shark wrote: "Head to head is popular because it involves more luck". I'm come to the conclusion that he's dead-right. For those owners who are inexperienced, just not very good at the game, and/or don't want to take the time to gain skill and keep up with what's going on throughout the season....H2H leagues bring in a tremendous amount of luck, giving those owners a much better chance of winning...sometimes, without even trying.
I occassionally play in a H2H league just to see what happens. I did so this year in two leagues. In one league, I won, the other I came in 7th in a ten team league...although I outscored every other owner. This proved to me once again how totally ridiculous it is to play H2H...if the intent is to see who is the most skilled owner.
Theoretically, an owner could lose every game 200-201, and another owner win every game with scores of 100-99...and win the championship, despite the fact that they scored 1600 less points than the last place owner. An exaggerated example of just how ludicrous the H2H system is.
The only other viable reason is that people like being pitted against one owner each week for the bragging rights. But...if you're playing the game with the purpose of seeing which owner can select and play the right players...and score the most points, thus establishing themselves as the most skillled owner...a "points league" is the only way to play.
Head to head is popular because it involves more luck. So less skilled managers have more of a chance against much more skilled ones. In fact you could just score points the whole year and then just make up the schedule at the end of the year to see who wins. Change the schedule change the winner. Change it again for a new winner.
You might as well just have everyone flip a coin for the winner each week to see who plays who.
In my league we do total points to week 15. Top 5 play for championship, bottom 5 for first pick in next years draft.
Then we take each teams weekly average + week 16 +week 17. The highest score wins.
- 1 Reply to Test
Excellent point, and very accurate. I don't understand why so many fantasy football players fail to realize (or admit) what a HUGE role the schedule plays in determining how wins loss records play out, and inaccurate and misleading those records can be.
Although I don't like the idea of playing in week 17, I like the way you handle the playoffs, and the way you keep the bottom 5 teams involved throughout the entire season. Gonna have to steal that idea and use it in my leagues next year!
Jimmy Clemins Jimmy Clemins Dec 27, 2012 8:18 PM Flag
In my YAHOO league you could play me twice during the regular season and beat me by , lets say 90 points , and we both finish with the same record ,say 9-7. The YAHOO tiebreaker is total points scored. In this situation , to determine the final playoff spot , if my team scored 1830 points and yours scored 1829 , I would be awarded the playoff spot or the higher seed in playoffs , maybe a bye. You , were clearly better than me each time you played me and I would reap your glory! This happened to me this year and it cost me a seed that would have put me in the Super Bowl in my league. How would you feel?
- 1 Reply to Jimmy Clemins
Regardless of how our head to head match-ups went, you had the better year. We both had the same record, but you scored more points. No issue with that at all.
Key difference between the NFL and fantasy, is that in fantasy you have no control over the amount of points your opponent scores. In the NFL, you do.
Imagine a competition, set-up like fantasy football, in which QBs have to hit a target. Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady, RG3 vs. Andrew Luck, and Mark Sanchez vs. Tim Tebow. Brady hits it 9 times, Manning 8. RG3 6 times, Luck 5. Sanchez 2 times, Tebow once. This would make Peyton the 4th best QB in the competition, behind Sanchez. Wouldn't that be a little ridiculous?
- 3 Replies to Danny
Jimmy Clemins Jimmy Clemins Dec 27, 2012 8:32 PM Flag
I agree! I could care less if your team scores 200 pts. a week. My goal is to put the best lineup together the week I play your team , so as to get the " W ". If we wind up with the same record , you should have to earn the chance to beat me in the playoffs . I and you have no control over what other teams score. I do control what my team scores by who I decide to play every given week. This decision making is what fantasy is about.
BakoSpanks, question on the flipside regarding your example: Why don't you create a league where your only roster spot is a QB? What makes a league competitive is the fact that you CAN win or lose. If I started a league in which wins and losses didn't matter no one would play. If I wasn't playing against someone else, I probably wouldn't play. Peyton Manning is gonna give you a good chance to win every week. That doesn't mean Adrian Peterson isn't gonna go off for 200 and beat you. If you draft well and understand matchups you are gonna have a winning team, but not win every time. If you aren't playing against anyone you CAN'T win.
Chris the Chemist Chris the Chemist Dec 26, 2012 7:05 AM Flag
Its just like the NFL... better teams get screwed because of records
- 1 Reply to Chris the Chemist
Because it's more fun?
Primary reason, because that is how the NFL works. This is suppose to mirror real football. Waivers are the same way (or should be) to allow the poorest team to get first chance at Free Agents.
Yahoo offers many non-traditional settings to allow people to think outside the norm. To each their own.
- 1 Reply to John D
jared montini jared montini Dec 25, 2012 7:14 PM Flag
yes because in the nfl the highest scoring team can lose in any real life sport
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Story Behind the Photo: Genesee River
About 35 miles southwest of Rochester, NY you'll find Letchworth State Park. Billed as the "Grand Canyon of the East" the Genesee River travels through the gorge over three large waterfalls offering spectacular views. The rock walls are as high as 550 feet in some areas with a width of only 400 feet near the middle falls, thus earning the name the "Grand Canyon of the East." The park is named after William Pryor Letchworth who gave a 1000 acre estate to the state of New York in 1906 that now comprises the heart of the park .The park now covers over 14,000 acres offering views like this on the 66 miles of hiking trails.


text: One of my fellow Patheos bloggers asked an interesting question the other day to our group, querying the rest of us about how we organize and keep track of our writing commitments. I was amazed by the variety of answers and the creativity of some of my fellow writers. My answer was boring: Google Calendar. [Read More…]


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Foundation Company
In the year 2000 His Eminence Jose Cardinal Falcao invited the Sisters of Mary to establish a house in his archdiocese in Brasilia, Brazil. In 2001 the Sisters of Mary accepted the land offered for them in the city of Sta. Maria, Distrito Federal, and the groundbreaking ceremony where the future Clinic will rise followed.
Fr. Al went to the Philippines in 1983 to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding given for his outstanding services for the abandoned youth, sick, agend, and the poor in Korea.


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Trailing 35-33 with 24 seconds on the clock, the Vikings dug in for a two-point attempt.
Dayton had been leading South Tahoe all night, but in the biting 38-degrees at the bitter end none of that mattered. The Dust Devils had let the Vikings back in.
South Tahoe's new quarterback Steven Steed dropped back and sent a bullet toward Kirby David in the end zone. David leaped toward the pass, but Dayton's Austin Fletcher came flying in to swat away South Tahoe's chance of a homecoming win. The Dust Devils went on to win 42-33 Friday night at South Tahoe's homecoming in a Division 1A game.
Dayton opened the door for South Tahoe in the fourth quarter, but the Dust Devils were in command up until that point.
Seven minutes into the game, Dayton quarterback Davis Winebarger found Julio Meza, who shook South Tahoe's defense for a 76-yard touchdown to give Dayton a 7-0 edge.
The Dust Devils expanded the lead in the second quarter when Fletcher took the ball for a 65-yard touchdown run. Fletcher was just getting warmed up, but so was Steed.
Steed was beginning to lace together threatening drives. He marched South Tahoe to Dayton's 12, but the Vikings fell short as Dayton's defense forced a three-and-out.
But the Vikings kept chipping away, and Steed finally connected with Jared Fajman in the final 22 seconds of the half. Fajman hauled in the 17-yard pass to cut the lead to 14-7.
The Dust Devils came out strong in the second half with back-to-back touchdowns. Fletcher recovered a fumble in Dayton's red zone and took it for a long touchdown run.
Fletcher than ran for 46 yards on Dayton's next drive to set up the Dust Devils on the Vikings' 9. Skyler Berntson punched it in the touchdown, and Dayton took a commanding 28-7 lead with five minutes left in the third.
Steed started driving the Vikings back downfield. He hit Fajman for 39 yards to put South Tahoe in striking distance. Tyler Nickerson then scored on a 14-yard run.
Vikings running back Dylan Gardner followed up early in the fourth, scoring from 4 yards out to cut Dayton's lead to 28-21.
Fletcher retaliated.
The 6-foot, 195-pound running back took in his third touchdown of the night from 61 yards out.
But after Fletcher's run, the Dust Devils started to slip.
The Vikings needed one play to answer back. Steed sent a 44-yard pass to Brandon Erickson on the opening play of the Vikings' next drive. The touchdown brought the game back to one possession with four minutes remaining.
On the next drive, South Tahoe's Quinton Ritter pulled down an interception on the 50. The Vikings went to work.
Steed started by hitting Erickson to move the Vikings to Dayton's 9.
Dayton forced three incompletes, but on fourth-and-goal a pack of players went up for the ball and South Tahoe's wide receiver Kyle Miller came down with it with 24 seconds remaining. The Vikings were a two-point conversion away.
Dayton's defense held, forcing another incomplete, but South Tahoe wasn't done yet.
The Vikings recovered their onside kick with less than 20 seconds to go. Steed sent up a final hail Mary, but Dayton's Jaret Reed was there to greet it and take it in for a final statement.
UP NEXT: South Tahoe (0-5) will host Sparks (0-5) at 7 p.m. Friday in the final home game of the season.


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Lively Logic
Lively Logic helps you analyze data and present it in beautiful graphs and charts. You can explore your datasets, perform calculations, and create graphs and fine-tune their content and appearance. Add series, choose data values, change graph types, and customize axes, fonts, and colors — all in seconds.
* Create line graphs, scatter plots, bar graphs, bubble graphs, candlestick charts, pie charts, and tables, with drag-and-drop ease.
* Combine different graph types or show data from multiple datasets in a single graph.
* Graph series automatically scale to fit your data — or you can move or resize them just by dragging.
* Inspector bar gives you control over the content and appearance of your graphs, without clutter or unnecessary complexity.
* Several built-in color schemes can help make your charts look great — whether you're presenting them, printing them, or publishing them online.
* Enter formulas to model variables or analyze quantities in a dataset. Whenever the values in the dataset change, the calculations are automatically updated to show the new results.
* Over 80 arithmetic, statistical, logical, calendar, and text functions are available to help you work with your data.
* Import or export CSV files. Save graphs and charts as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, or PDF files, or copy them right to the clipboard to paste into other apps.
Required OS: not specified
Tags: productivity


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Went to the WP Super Cache settings screen to "clear cache" today to check a unrelated error, the screen was blank, last time I went (a few weeks ago) it was fine. We never have been able to run Super Cache (only legacy) since we use the original permalinks structure.
The only item on the screen is the usual Permlink Structure Error at the top.
Checking the source being served it looks like the cache is being presented.
<!-- Dynamic page generated in 1.276 seconds. -->
<!-- Live page served on 2010-12-06 17:15:51 -->
<!-- Compression = gzip -->
Is at the end of the page.
"Ismyblogworking" shows that WP super Cache is active.
Thoughts from anyone before I break something? (I was going to turn off the plugin and turn it back on, but at least now it appears to be working even if I can not control it.)
By the way I have not changed to a custom url or permalink structure So we can use "super cache" because we have over 4000 posts over 4 years, I have always feared the change would mess up what we have. Links and search engines. We have been running WPSC for well over a year.


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TRAIL — A grass fire in Trail burned quickly up a hill and was heading toward nearby homes when it was stopped in its tracks Wednesday afternoon, Oregon Department of Forestry officials said.
The fire sparked in the early afternoon under a power line along Ragsdale Road in Trail, ODF spokesman Brian Ballou said.
It is not known if a faulty power line sparked the fire. The cause remains under investigation, Ballou said.
The blaze burned through grass and brush and headed up a hill where several homes are located, Ballou said.
Fire crews with ODF and Shady Cove fire hit the flames with hoses and dug a line around the fire with bulldozers.
Meanwhile, a bomber dropped three loads of flame retardant and two helicopters made water bucket drops, Ballou said.
"We wanted to get on it quickly," Ballou said. "It never really threatened the homes, but it was heading their direction."
In all, the fire burned two acres and was under control by approximately 5:30 p.m.
Location, ST | website.com


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Games Archive
Take a look at some individual members of the Red Lantern Corps for the new HeroClix War of Light event here!
We round up some movie, tv and game news all in one as Hollywood releases three bits of news at once.
It's time to feel a little rage with the RED LANTERN CORPS!
Marvel Comics characters are coming to Disney Infinity this year, alongside a host of improvements to the video game and toy collection platform.
Take a look at the character cards for seven members of the Blue Lantern Corps - ALL WILL BE WELL!
All will be well, the Blue Lantern Corps is here!
Get ready for a busy October 2014, as Dragon Age: Inquistion now has a release date.
Mr. Freeze has come back to Gotham City for new Batman: Akrham Origins DLC, and we have the launch trailer here.
Will the Frank Miller/Jim Lee Batman story ever be finished? What digital comics are tops? These topics and more were discussed at Wondercon.
Take a look at some of the individual wielders of the yellow light of fear that you can play during the War of Light event.
Dynamite's latest license is with Ubisoft as they bring Splinter Cell to comics!
We're back with another War of Light reveal, this time it's the yellow light of the Sinestro Corps!
We showed you the Power Battery and the Ring, now meet the members of the Green Lantern Corps in the new HeroClix OP
In an exclusive ongoing series of announcements, we'll be bringing you the entire
Take a first look at the gameplay in the Batman: Arkham Origins story-based DLC, 'Cold, Cold Heart' coming soon!
The Marvel editor-in-chief answers questions about Marvel's newest murder mystery event, and TRIES to keep you guessing.
We spoke with Beenox Creative Director Thomas Wilson to find out their goals and changes for The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Episode 3 of the game based on Vertigo's FABLES is coming soon from Telltale games and we have a fresh trailer.
Catch the latest news about Marvel Heroes, Infinite Crisis, and more right here.
We talked with Dax Ginn about Batman: Arkham Knight for more insight, plus a tease of some of Batman's new moves.
Take a look at new screens from Batman: Arkham Knight featuring the new villain!
Batman turns 75 this year, and DC Entertainment is celebrating in several ways.
Arguably the first must-own PlayStation 4 exclusive is here, and inFAMOUS is a rip-roaring, though fairly conservative, good time.
What does the voice of Clementine have to say about her new status in season 2 of the game? Find out inside.


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In a piece on the Apple case, Amy Davidson tried to imagine the unintended consequences of broadening the application of the All Writs Act in this case.
If a case involving a non-digital phone network could be applied to smartphones, what technologies might an Apple precedent be applied to, three or four decades from now? (The N.S.A. used, or rather promiscuously misused, another pen-register case from the same era to justify its bulk data collection.) It no longer becomes fanciful to wonder about what the F.B.I. might, for example, ask coders adept in whatever genetic-editing language emerges from the recent developments in CRISPR technology to do. But some of the alarming potential applications are low-tech, too. What if the government was trying to get information not out of a phone but out of a community? Could it require someone with distinct cultural or linguistic knowledge not only to give it information but to use that expertise to devise ways for it to infiltrate that community? Could an imam, for example, be asked not only to tell what he knows but to manufacture an informant?
This is the situation that Apple is in, and that all sorts of other companies and individuals could be in eventually. There are problems enough with the insistence on a back door for devices that will be sold not only in America but in countries with governments that feel less constrained by privacy concerns than ours does. And there are reasons to be cynical about technology companies that abuse private information in their own way, or that jump in to protect not a principle but their brands. But the legal precedent that may be set here matters. By using All Writs, the government is attempting to circumvent the constitutionally serious character of the many questions about encryption and privacy. It is demanding, in effect, that the courts build a back door to the back-door debate.
She raises fair points.
Except when I read them, I thought instead of the demands FBI has already made.
FBI demanded that Lavabit turn over a key protecting all of its users to try to get to Edward Snowden, which led Ladar Levison to shut down the business, well before it got to the point where Ted Olson (who's now helping Apple make its case, and presumably will all the way to the Supreme Court) would help him argue a legal case.
More directly on point to Davidson's scenarios, there are numerous reports of FBI creating some artificial means of coercion — often having to do with immigration — that effectively force speech of a certain kind. That's not far off Davidson's example of an Imam being forced to inform (which, especially given the use of Section 215 to collect data to identify informants, might involve coercion of a different kind).
Obviously, Apple is huge and rich and powerful so it has the ability to fight such coercion (or just leave the country).
But the comparison is especially apt, I think, because it speaks to why the FBI might be willing to make such breath-taking demands from Apple. It's used to demanding coercion, whether from smaller ISPs or Imams or Muslim immigrants. And because those people have no power to fight back, FBI has grown used to such ability to coerce cooperation.
In my piece on the loopholes in the new Stingray policy, I noted that public safety applications for Stingray use might fall under what the policy calls the "exceptional circumstances" that aren't exigent but nevertheless don't require a warrant.
I'm not sure whether the exigent/emergency use incorporates the public safety applications mentioned in the non-disclosure agreements localities sign with the FBI, or if that's included in this oblique passage.
There may also be other circumstances in which, although exigent circumstances do not exist, the law does not require a search warrant and circumstances make obtaining a search warrant impracticable. In such cases, which we expect to be very limited, agents must first obtain approval from executive-level personnel at the agency's headquarters and the relevant U.S. Attorney, and then from a Criminal Division DAAG. The Criminal Division shall keep track of the number of times the use of a cell-site simulator is approved under this subsection, as well as the circumstances underlying each such use.
In short, many, if not most, known uses are included in exceptions to the new policy.
We know there are public safety applications, because they are permitted even to localities by FBI's Non-Disclosure Agreements.
I suspect these uses are for public events to both track the presence of known targets and to collect who was present in case of any terrorist event or other serious disruption. Indeed, for a lot of reasons — notably the odd testimony of FBI's telecom forensics witness, the way FBI's witnesses were bracketed off from investigators, and some oddness about when and how they found the brothers' phones (and therefore the brothers) — I suspect someone was running Stingrays at the Boston Marathon. A Stingray (or many) deployed at public events to help protect them (assuming, of course, the terrorists that attack such an event aren't narcs for the DEA, as people have speculated Tamerlan Tsarnaev was).
Newsweek asked DOJ whether that exceptional circumstances paragraph covered the use of Stingrays in public places included in a policy released by the FBI in December and they confirmed it is (here's my post on the December release, which anticipates all the loopholes in the policy I IDed the other day).
In December 2014, the FBI, which falls under Justice Department's new policy, explained to members of Congress the situations in which it does not need a warrant to deploy the technology. They include: "(1) cases that pose an imminent danger to public safety, (2) cases that involve a fugitive, or (3) cases in which the technology is used in public places or other locations at which the FBI deems there is no reasonable expectation of privacy."
Newsweek reached out to the Justice Department to determine whether its new policy allows the FBI to continue using stingrays without warrants in public places. In short, it does, fitting within the policy's "exceptional circumstances" category.
"If somebody is in a public park, that is a public space," Patrick Rodenbush, a Justice Department spokesman, says as an example, adding the condition that "circumstances on the ground make obtaining a warrant impracticable," though he did not elaborate on what "impracticable" entails. But the dragnet nature of stingray collection means cellphone data of a person sitting in a nearby house may be picked up as well. "That's why we have the deletion policy that we do," Rodenbush responds. "In some cases it's everyday that [bystander information] is deleted, it depends what they are using it for.… In some cases it is a maximum of 30 days."
He adds: "The circumstances under which this exception will be granted will be very limited. Agents operating under this exception are still required to obtain a court order pursuant to the Pen Register Statute, and comply with the policy's requirements to obtain senior-level department approval."
Equally important as admitting that DOJ will use this in public places (like big sporting events) is Rodenbush's confirmation that DOJ will obtain only Pen Registers for these uses.
That means they'll virtually never get noticed to defendants, because the government will claim the evidence did not get introduced in court (just as no evidence collected from a Stingray was introduced, if they were used, in Dzhokhar's case; in Dzhokhar's case there was always another GPS device that showed his location).
The more I review this new policy and the December one the more I'm convinced they change almost nothing except the notice to the judge and the minimization (both still important improvements), except insofar as they recreate ignorance of Stingray use precisely in cases like public safety operations.
I noted some weeks ago about how John Brennan — who had failed spectacularly on cybersecurity while at the White House but then learned the joys of hacking targets when he spied on the Senate Intelligence Committee — was rolling out a cyber directorate.
On Wednesday and yesterday, Brennan rolled out that change amid a larger restructuring.
In a troubling sign, the plan twice refers to the "digital revolution" as if it were in progress right now, not something that has already happened and is now our status quo. "Second, we must be positioned to embrace and leverage the digital revolution to the benefit of all mission areas." But don't worry, because Brennan says this reorganization will prevent the CIA from suffering the fate of Kodak, which didn't anticipate digital cameras. CIA is embracing the "digital revolution" so it doesn't miss the next one, I guess, as it did with the Arab Spring.
With all the focus on the digital directorate, however, I think there are aspects of this reorganization plan that are far more worthy of note.
First, the whole thing reads like a mid-1990s business reorganization plan, organized into "themes" and speaking of "investing in our people" and a new Talent Development Center of Excellence and embracing and modernizing and blah blah blah. That's troubling, because those jargon-driven reorganizations usually failed after some Mitt Romney type had stripped the entity in question for cash. At least in the unclassified description of the reorganization, the plan seems better served to attract credulous investors than to effect change.
Just as telling, the unclassified plan says nothing about how CIA will retain what linguistic and cultural skills it has after it shifts to a more topical and less geographic structure. Digital analysis is nice, but there will come a time when someone is going to have read the content that metadata has identified, and we can't simply rely on foreign partners to do this or we'll be susceptible to their disinformation.
Finally, there's this section:
Theme Three: Modernize the way we do business. The pace of world events and technological change demands that Agency leaders be able to make decisions with agility, at the appropriate level, with the right information, and in the interests of the broader enterprise. We must have the capacity to make the sound strategic decisions needed to build a better Agency and run it efficiently, even as we respond to urgent external requirements. We must empower our officers to address the operational, analytical, technological, support, and other issues that are at the heart of what we do every day. Accordingly, we will:
- Enhance and empower the Executive Director's role and responsibilities to manage day-to-day organizational functions, including overseeing a revamped corporate governance model.
- Create a restructured Executive Secretary office to streamline core executive support functions, thereby increasing effectiveness and efficiency.
- Even as we improve our ability to govern and make decisions and streamline our processes at the enterprise level, there will be a corresponding effort to delegate decisionmaking and accountability for achieving mission to the lowest appropriate level and to streamline our processes and practices throughout the Agency.
Perhaps I should just trust Brennan here, because he has served as both Chief of Staff to the Director and Deputy Executive Director, so he knows how these critical management roles function. But it also sounds like a bid to have the Director's immediate staff more involved in the nitty gritty of operations, perhaps akin to the way the White House National Security Council (where Brennan has served more recently) has done the same with operations, in part to bypass oversight. If Brennan wants to make it easier to hold officers accountable for fuck-ups, great. But if Brennan wants to make it easier to conduct ill-considered operations without a grown-up objecting, it'll lead to more problems from the CIA.
Alfreda Bikowsky has been the model of the analyst-who-sticks-her-nose into the operations function that seems to be the goal here. The CIA thinks she's great, but she's also the poster child for hackishness, abuse, and in some cases obstinate stupidity. I wish Brennan the best of luck in making CIA a more effective agency. I just hope he doesn't end up making it still more problematic.
The US Marshal Service shows up prominently in two Pen Register stories from yesterday.
First, as part of a great story from WSJ's Jen Valentino-Devries mapping out how many federal criminal electronic records requests never get unsealed…
In eight years as a federal magistrate judge in Texas, Brian Owsley approved scores of government requests for electronic surveillance in connection with criminal investigations—then sealed them at the government's request. The secrecy nagged at him.
So before he left the bench last year, the judge decided to unseal more than 100 of his own orders, along with the government's legal justification for the surveillance. The investigations, he says, involved ordinary crimes such as bank robbery and drug trafficking, not "state secrets." Most had long since ended.
A senior judge halted the effort with a one-paragraph order that offered no explanation for the decision and that itself was sealed.
She released this summary of all the Federal Pen Register/Trap and Trace requests in 2012. As she pointed out on Twitter, the greatest number of requests don't come from FBI. They come from the USMS, which submitted almost half of all requests that year, with 9,132.
Then, the ACLU revealed that, just before an appointment to view Sarasota, Florida's requests under the Pen Register authority to use Stingray IMSI catchers to identify cell locations, the US Marshals declared control over the records, claiming they had deputized the local cop who had made the requests.
Over the past several months, the ACLU has filed dozens of public records requests with Florida law enforcement agencies seeking information about their use of controversial cell phone tracking devices known as "stingrays." (The devices are also known as "cell site simulators" or "IMSI catchers.") Stingrays track phones by mimicking service providers' cell towers and sending out powerful signals that trick nearby phones — including phones of countless bystanders — into sending their locations and identifying information.
The Florida agencies' responses to our requests have varied widely, with somestonewalling and others releasing records. The most recent request went to the Sarasota Police Department, and the fallout from that request has raised red flag after red flag.
RED FLAG #1: The Sarasota Police initially told us that they had responsive records, including applications filed by and orders issued to a local detective under the state"trap and trace" statute that he had relied on for authorization to conduct stingray surveillance. That raised the first red flag, since trap and trace orders are typically used to gather limited information about the phone numbers of incoming calls, not to track cell phones inside private spaces or conduct dragnet surveillance. And, such orders require a very low legal standard. As one federal magistrate judge has held, police should be permitted to use stingrays only after obtaining a probable cause warrant, if at all.
RED FLAG #2: The Sarasota Police set up an appointment for us to inspect the applications and orders, as required by Florida law. But a few hours before that appointment, an assistant city attorney sent an email cancelling the meeting on the basis that the U.S. Marshals Service was claiming the records as their own and instructing the local cops not to release them. Their explanation: the Marshals Service had deputized the local officer, and therefore the records were actually the property of the federal government.
RED FLAG #3: Realizing we weren't going to get hold of the Sarasota Police Department's copies of the applications and orders anytime soon, we asked the county court if we could obtain copies from its files. Incredibly, the court said it had no copies. The court doesn't even have docket entries indicating that applications were filed or orders issued. Apparently, the local detective came to court with a single paper copy of the application and proposed order, and then walked out with the same papers once signed by a judge.
Court rules — and the First Amendment — require judges to retain copies of judicial records and to make them available to the public, but the court (and the detective) completely flouted those requirements here.
Valentino-Devries notes that a lot of the records being kept secret also involve cell location.
In 2011, magistrate judges in California complained that investigators were applying for pen registers without explicitly saying they wanted to use sophisticated cellphone-location trackers, called "stingrays," which can be used to locate suspects. Stingrays gather phone-number information, along with other data transmitted by cellphones, by acting as fake cellphone towers. The 1986 surveillance law doesn't contemplate such technology.
Mr. Owsley, the former Texas magistrate judge, says he had similar concerns about applications for "cell-tower dumps," in which agents can obtain records of all phones within range of specified cell towers over time—including people who aren't suspected of a crime.
While we don't yet know how many of the 9,000 requests the Marshals made in 2012 were for location data, the coincidence is mighty interesting.
The Marshals do have cause to search for suspects' location. They claim they arrest over 300 wanted fugitives a day. That's where stingrays would be particularly useful, as they would help to identify the location of a known suspect.
So how often are the Marshals using stingrays to do their work? And to what degree do they do so hiding behind even more obscure local pen register laws to do so?
Jim Comey has officially been in charge of the FBI for less than two weeks.
Today, in honor of Constitution Day, the ACLU just released a report showing how the FBI's expanded mandate since 9/11 has led to Constitutional abuses.
Most of the details of the report have been reported here in depth. But the Big Data section includes some details I haven't covered. It explains:
FBI collects Suspicious Activities Reports that duplicate — but lower the standard for — an existing database
Another major problem is that eGuardian effectively competes with another federal government SAR. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 established the Information Sharing Environment (ISE) to serve as the conduit for terrorism-related information sharing between state and local law enforcement and the federal government.114 A March 2013 Government Accountability Office report found that though the two programs share information between them, eGuardian uses a lower evidentiary threshold for inclusion of SARs, which creates risks and privacy problems.
The Government Accountability Office found that "many fusion centers have decided not to automatically share all of their ISE-SARs with eGuardian" because eGuardian doesn't meet ISE standards.115 One fusion center said it would never provide SARs to eGuardian because of the fusion center's privacy policy.116 The Government Accountability Office also found that the two systems "have overlapping goals and offer duplicative services."117
FBI will soon have the equivalent of 20 pieces of intelligence on every American — and they share this broadly
An FBI budget request for fiscal year 2008 said the FBI had amassed databases containing 1.5 billion records, and two members of Congress described documents predicting the FBI would have 6 billion records by 2012, which they said would represent "20 separate 'records' for each man, woman and child in the United States."119
According to a 2012 Systems of Records Notice covering all FBI data warehouses, the information in these systems can be shared broadly, even with foreign entities and private companies, and for a multitude of law enforcement and non-law enforcement purposes.133
There's far more in the report, chronicling the slow creep of abusive FBI techniques since 9/11.
Sadly, given that this has all been treated as legal, I doubt that Comey will do anything about it, even with ACLU's demonstration that the dragnet has led FBI to miss real crimes.
I've got two ginormous issues with the report that the Immigration Bill includes a measure that would require the creation of a "photo tool" database to verify status before employment.
The immigration reform measure the Senate began debating yesterday would create a national biometric database of virtually every adult in the U.S., in what privacy groups fear could be the first step to a ubiquitous national identification system.
Buried in the more than 800 pages of the bipartisan legislation (.pdf) is language mandating the creation of the innocuously-named "photo tool," a massive federal database administered by the Department of Homeland Security and containing names, ages, Social Security numbers and photographs of everyone in the country with a driver's license or other state-issued photo ID.
Employers would be obliged to look up every new hire in the database to verify that they match their photo.
First, this would accomplish precisely what Real ID would accomplish, but less.
I've long believed we were going to go to Real ID in any case. I've also long believed that we ought to change the politics of such a discussion by proposing that along with Real ID, we also get universal registration. The authoritarians would thus have a choice: give up their efforts to disenfranchise the poor via voter ID and track employment, or lose both.
I'm guessing it'd present quite a dilemma for the authoritarians.
But to learn a bipartisan bill is basically ceding on real ID without using it to foster democracy?
My other problem has to do with the certainty that this would be turned into a counterterrorism tool. Recall that last year, John Brennan decided protecting US person data was just too tough, so National Counterterrorism Center would have to have access to any federal database that NCTC deemed to have terrorism information.
I think it highly likely that NCTC would deem a database of all Americans to contain terrorist information.
Therefore, we should assume that whatever else this database is supposed to do, it would also mean that the faces of innocent Americans would start getting included in the data analysis of potential terrorists.
Mind you, the authorities claim (though I'm not convinced) that they weren't able to ID the Tsarnaev brothers with all the images they had of them at the Boston Marathon. Maybe the technology sucks (again, not convinced).
But that doesn't stop the inclusion of all Americans in the dataset of possible terrorist mugshots from being an invitation for witch hunts.
We have been discussing the FBI's apparent inability to use the multiple images of the Tsarnaev brothers from the Boston Marathon to ID them using facial recognition software.
So I wanted to circle back to two things. First, point to the passage of BoGlo's comprehensive account of the hunt for the brothers that pertains to this question.
Of note, it says photo analysts had isolated the video of Dzhokhar dropping his backpack by Wednesday morning.
When Alben, of the State Police, saw the results of the analysts' work on Wednesday morning, he couldn't believe it: they had captured an image of the young man in a white hat dropping a backpack outside the Forum restaurant and then walking away.
"There was a eureka moment . . . It was right there for you to see," said the colonel. "It was quite clear to me we had a breakthrough in the case."
They had faces. Now they needed names.
The account remains unclear about why the FBI was unable to match the images, relying on speculation about the quality of the images.
Even after authorities isolated the images of the two suspected bombers, they weren't able to pinpoint the suspects' identities — an essential puzzle piece that was still missing Wednesday.
The FBI has poured millions of dollars into facial recognition technology over the years so it can quickly cross-check an image against millions of other pictures in government databases.
In this case, both brothers were already in existing government databases, including the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles and federal immigration records. They were legal immigrants from the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, in theory allowing the FBI to find their names.
But it's not clear which databases the FBI checked. And it may not have mattered. The pictures, taken from surveillance cameras above street level, were likely far too grainy when zoomed in on the brothers' faces. And the older brother was wearing sunglasses, making their task even harder.
In addition, unlike in a traditional mug shot, the camera wasn't looking at their faces head-on.
Investigators worked feverishly Wednesday trying to identify the men, searching other photos and video, trying to find high-definition images.
"We still needed more clarity," said Alben, of the State Police. "As good as the videos were, we needed more clarity."
And in the middle of this account, BoGlo suggests that briefing Deval Patrick about being able to ID the face of the suspect led directly to the mistaken press reports — based on solid sources, the outlets insisted at the time — that authorities were ready to arrest a suspect.
Colonel Alben, the State Police chief, briefed Patrick on Wednesday about the key piece of video showing Dzhokhar abandoning his backpack. Alben described the clip and showed the governor photographs culled from the footage, information that Patrick called "chilling."
"We have a break," Patrick remembers him saying. "We think we have a face."
If further proof was needed that the city was on edge, the anxiety soon spilled over into view. By 1 p.m., news reports began surfacing that a suspect had been not only identified but arrested, and was headed to the federal courthouse.
I'm still not satisfied with this explanation (and do hope Congress does some hearings on why facial recognition software failed to fulfill its promise, if in fact it did). But it does seem to suggest the FBI had solid images of the brothers for 18 hours before they released them to the public (a decision made by the FBI, the BoGlo reports) and set off the manhunt that shut down the city.
Also, remember our questions about Ray Kelly's boast of having pictures of the Dzhokhar in Times Square, as the law enforcement community tried to use a half-baked plan to escape to New York and set off pressure cooker bombs in Times Square?
Since Carl Levin announced he would retire, I've been hoping to see Justin Amash take on Mike Rogers in a Republican primary. This National Journal article captures the dynamics of that possibility well (though may overestimate how much money Amash could raise).
But before I get into why I'd be so fascinated about such a race, check out how former Republican Attorney General Mike Cox describes Mike Rogers.
If Rogers were to run, he would have to give up his chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee, for which there are no term limits. Former GOP Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox downplayed that motivation, saying Rogers' ambition for higher office trumps his desire to make a meaningful influence in foreign policy. "If [Rogers] lost, he could make a lot of money in D.C. as a lobbyist," Cox said last week. "He's so full of [expletive] to begin with. He tells all these stories about being an FBI agent, and he was in the FBI for two years. Like he was J. Edgar Hoover."
"He's so full of shit to begin with."
This is the great hope of MI's GOP to take over Levin's seat.
Now, Gary Peters, who'll run on the Democratic side, is one of MI's rising Democratic stars. And as the article notes, he hails from Oakland County, which is critical not just because of the fundraising base there, but because it's the second largest county and pretty evenly split; Peters has a proven ability to win that critical swing county's votes.
Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that if Amash ran (whether or not he won), I'd probably end up represented by a GOP neanderthal rather than Amash (because Democrats are unlikely to win the district in an off year, and because there are tons of up-and-coming neanderthal GOPers in the Grand Rapids area), I'd still really like to see a Rogers-Amash race.
That's because it'd serve as a nationally watched race between the GOP's rising libertarian wing and one of the GOP's most authoritarian leaders. Mike Rogers has championed CISPA and whatever other new surveillance efforts anyone wanted. Justin Amash led those few Republicans who opposed it. Amash even came out in favor of reading Dzhokhar Tsarnaev a Miranda warning this weekend.
In other words, in a battle between Rogers and Amash, civil liberties and the Constitution would be central.
Mike Cox was making fun of Rogers' self-promotion when he drew the analogy with J. Edgar (and there's an implicit respect for Hoover in his comment). But it's high time someone started making the analogy between the fear-mongering and surveillance Rogers and others embrace and Hoover's.
As the blame game starts on the Boston Marathon bombing, someone (maybe a blabby Senator?) made it public that the CIA asked to have Tamerlan Tsarnaev added to the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) database last year.
The CIA asked the main U.S. counterterrorism agency to add the name of one of the suspected Boston Marathon bombers to a watch list more than a year before the attack, according to U.S. officials.
The agency took the step after Russian authorities contacted officials there in the fall of 2011 and raised concerns that Tamerlan Tsarnaev — who was killed last week in a confrontation with police — was seen as an increasingly radical Islamist and could be planning to travel overseas. The CIA requested that his name be put on a database maintained by the National Counterterrorism Center.
That database, the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, or TIDE, is a data storehouse that feeds a series of government watch lists, including the FBI's main Terrorist Screening Database and the Transportation Security Administration's "no-fly" list.
Officials said Tsarnaev's name was added to the database but it's unclear which agency added it.
We got a look at the TIDE database last year when Tom Coburn reviewed whether fusion centers do useful work. Here's what that report said about TIDE:
While reporting information on an individual who is listed in the TIDE database sounds significant, the Subcommittee found that DHS officials tended to be skeptical about the value of such reporting, because of concerns about the quality of data contained in TIDE.156
156 Although NCTC describes its TIDE database as holding information on the identities of known and suspected terrorists, DHS officials – who interacted with TIDE data on a daily basis, as they reviewed reporting not only from state and local law enforcement encounters but from encounters by DHS components – said they found otherwise. "Not everything in TIDE is KST," DHS privacy official Ken Hunt told the Subcommittee, using a shorthand term for "known or suspected terrorist."
"Would you buy a Ford?" one DHS Senior Reports Officer asked the Subcommittee staff during an interview, when he was asked how serious it was for someone to be a match to a TIDE record. "Ford Motor Company has a TIDE record."
Ole Broughton headed Intelligence Oversight at I&A from September 2007 to January 2012. In an interview with the Subcommittee, Mr. Broughton expressed the concern DHS intelligence officials felt working with TIDE data. In one instance, Mr. Broughton recalled he "saw an individual's two-year-old son [identified] in an [Homeland Intelligence Report]. He had a TIDE record." Mr. Broughton believed part of the problem was that intelligence officials had routinely put information on "associates" of known or suspected terrorists into TIDE, without determining that that person would qualify as a known or suspected terrorist. "We had a lot of discussion regarding 'associates' in TIDE," Mr. Broughton said.
[my emphasis]
This is not to say that Tamerlan shouldn't be in TIDE.
Rather, it says there's so much other crap in TIDE, that it isn't perceived as very useful — at least not by the people at DHS the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations interviewed.
This is the problem with overcollection of data: it adds a bunch more hay to the haystack for the time you want to start looking for a needle.
On the Sunday shows yesterday, House Intelligence Chair Mike Rogers suggested that the government missed Tamerlan Tsarnaev's trip to Russia in 2012 because he used an alias. This morning, Lindsey Graham explained that the problem was slightly different. Tamerlan's travel documents misspelled his name.
"He went over to Russia, but apparently, when he got on the Aeroflot plane, they misspelled his name," Graham, a South Carolina Republican said on Fox television this morning. "So it never went into the system that he actually went to Russia."
Graham, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said in answer to a follow-up question that he did not know whether Tsarnaev, the 26-year-old terrorist suspect who died early Friday following a shootout with law enforcement, had misspelled his name on purpose.
The FBI "said Aeroflot gave us the information" that Tsarnaev had traveled there, Graham said, though he did not specify when that occurred.
Now, Lindsey doesn't appear to know whether misspelling was the government's or Aeroflot's fault or Tamerlan's deceit. Assuming Lindsey's right about the larger point, whatever the source, a misspelling suggests a very different issue than an outright alibi (which would raise questions about the documents Tamerlan used, rather than the tracking of those documents).
Update: At the very end of the Senate Judiciary Committee Immigration hearing, Chuck Schumer said the error arose from Aeroflot typing in Tamerlan's name incorrectly, so it appears it was not an attempt to deceive by Tamerlan.
Two years before Tsarnaev departed for Russia in January 2012, the government spent a good deal of time reviewing what prevented the government from responding to the several warnings about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the UndieBomber, to prevent him from traveling to the country. One of the problems (though by no means the most serious one), was that the cable conveying warnings from Abdulmutallab's father spelled his name wrong.
As was widely reported within hours of the failed bombing attempt, Abdulmutallab's father—a former Nigerian government minister and prominent banker—went to the US embassy in Abuja in November to warn that his son was involved with radical Islamists in Yemen and had broken off contact with his family. The family said they had given US officials extensive information about their son in the expectation that they would "find and return him home."
In his prepared statement to the House Committee on Homeland Security on January 27, State Department Under-Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy said: "In the case of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, on the day following his father's November 19 visit to the Embassy, we sent a cable to the Washington intelligence and law enforcement community through proper channels (the Visas Viper system) that 'Information at post suggests [Farouk] may be involved in Yemeni-based extremists.'"
Kennedy confirmed that all US intelligence agencies received warnings that Abdulmutallab was training with terrorists in Yemen. He noted that the initial diplomatic cable from Abuja misspelled Abdulmutallab's name.
As I said, that was not the most important problem leading to missed warnings. But it was one identified in the lessons learned period.
Yet it appears likely that one of the potential (if Tamarlan's trip ends up showing any contact with extremists, which it hasn't yet) lessons learned here will be one we purportedly learned 3 years ago: that our software needs to be better at using wildcards to identify close but not exact spellings.
We're already seeing hints that facial recognition may not have served as the miracle solution it often gets sold as. It now appears we might not even have the databases running our watchlist system working as well as it needs to.
Update: Swapped out the Politico version of this report for the BoGlo one, which was more informative and changed the language to reflect the additional information.


text:
Linden High School
Ceremony: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 24, 2012, Linden High School Lion Stadium, 18527 E. Front St.
Number of graduates: 140
Valedictorians: Ryan Billigmeier, Mia Knipper, Ian McGrattan, Andrew Merenda, Natalie Miller, Savanna Peters, Ryan Rigato, Travis Silva, Cassandra Vilmenay and Ashley Watanabe
Salutatorian: Christine Dasso
Commencement speakers: Senior class president Knipper, student body president Amy Lagorio and the valedictorians and salutatorian.
Notable: Linden High held its 50th homecoming celebration this past school year. For the Class of 2012, it was even more sweet because it placed first in the homecoming float competition, the first time the class had won the contest, according to Knipper.
Submit your graduation photos at recordnet.com/graduation.
Location, ST | website.com