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My wife and I bought our house five years ago. I remember looking over the list of closing costs and seeing a line for title insurance. Title insurance, which costs in the neighborhood of a few thousand dollars, is something that boggles my mind even to this day. It's an example of something that is a 100% legal and 99% rip off. There are some things in life that are obvious rip offs, like pay day loans, and then there are others that aren't so obvious. Today, I wanted to point out a few of the biggest legal ripoffs in the financial world. Some of them are completely avoidable. Others, however, are not.
In this article, we take aim at bank fees, extended warranties, title insurance, college textbooks, and car rental insurance.
Bank Fees
Banks make billions a year off the fees they charge, from insufficient funds fees to account maintenance fee. Unfortunately, many of these banks are publicly traded. What this means is that once you collect a dollar in fees, you have to collect that dollar each quarter or your investors complain. Not only do you have to collect that dollar, you need to collect an extra one or your investors will complain. Years ago, I'm sure it took a few dollars to process an insufficient funds fee when the process was manual and the check had to be sent to one of the clearinghouses. Nowadays, with Check 21 [3] and computers, the cost to process a bad check is much lower. It's not $35, which is the average fee for a bad check. Two cents to the processing, $34.88 for the old income statement.
While government regulation seems to be the direction we're headed, I think customers should vote with their wallets. Credit unions and community banks typically have more customer-friendly fee schedules. Some banks, like ING Direct, don't even charge a fee on overdrafts, they charge interest on a small line of credit. Find a bank that doesn't rip you off and isn't addicted to income statement cocaine.
Extended Warranties
If you buy anything from an electronics store, they will almost always try to sell you add-ons like an extended warranty. There are two parts of this process that are enormous rip offs. First, the extended warranty itself. The manufacturer of the device will always have a warranty. If you buy it with a credit card, the card will usually double the manufacturer's warranty to at most an additional year (6 month manufacturer's warranty becomes an extra six months, 2 year warranty becomes an extra year). The extended warranty from the electronics store is almost always redundant, but they'll try to sell it to you anyway.
Second, since when did we start accepting device failure within a couple of years? We started accepting it when guys in fancy MBA suits began touting "obsolescence" into their product plans. Why make a durable product if we plan on cannibalizing the market in a couple years with a new gadget? I understand that the Nintendo is technologically inferior to an XBox, but the most I ever needed to do was blow into the cartridge to get it to work. We've come to accept device failure within a few years because manufacturers never intended for us to use them that long. That's a scam.
Title Insurance
When you buy a home, you will be required to buy title insurance. Title insurance costs a pretty penny. In fact, it'll cost tens of thousands of pennies. In return, you get the assurance that the title is legitimate and no one has claim on your home. If they do, the title insurance company insures you against those claims. Sounds good right? Except you'll need to buy it each time you refinance.
In theory, the title insurance premium goes towards research and insurance. They are supposed to research the history of the title and ensure it's legitimacy. If that's the case, why is it necessary when you refinance? There is no transfer of ownership because you still own the house. The title will not have changed pre- and post-refi, yet the title insurance company still wants to get paid. They will, essentially, do nothing for what you pay them. Unfortunately, there's no way around it if you need a mortgage, as the bank has to have protection (and you pay for it).
I was too quick to call title insurance a ripoff. In the original post, I pointed to title insurance on a refinance as the reason why I thought it was a ripoff but there are several good reasons why title insurance is important on a refi – such as a check to see if there are any outstanding liens on the title. So I retract my assertion that title insurance is a ripoff, though at times I think it can be overpriced (title insurance companies don't necessarily offer a discount on refinances, even if they did the research the first time and only have to review a few years of history).
College Textbooks
The college textbook market is one hell of a racket. It exists because for a lot of students, the person buying the textbook isn't the one paying for it. Many people get financial aid, which must be spent on education related materials, so they buy textbooks without considering the cost. Others get financial assistance from their parents, so they care very little too. That leaves everyone else, the people who make the buying decision and work extra hours to pay for it, paying "Brand New" prices for books that should be "Used."
Why? Textbooks change for no apparent reason. You can't tell me "Chemistry" needs a new edition each year. I don't care what's on the cutting edge of chemistry, an introductory university text on the subject should be the same today as it was in the 1980s. Put all the new developments since 1980 in Chemistry II. I understand there may be some fundamental changes in the last 40 years, Chemistry I will put the lessons in Chemistry II into historical context.
Car Rental Insurance
Liability damage waivers… that's the code word for one of the insurance add-ons a car rental salesman or woman will try to sell you. It's nothing more than your own car insurance, which covers you for rental cars, so getting it is really being double covered. The only benefit is that if something does happen, you don't have to deal with it. It's, however, ridiculously expensive. Just take the rate they charge, multiply it by 365, and compare it to your own insurance.
It's not worth it unless you're an absolutely terrible driving and you expect to crash the car. Actually, if you're like that, ask someone else to drive.
(Photo: Scam School [4] by magerleagues,$5 Bill [5] by Photos8.com, Xbox Controller [6] by schreiblockade, House [7] by Michel Fillon, Maserati [8] by Mdrewe, Textbooks [9] by wfryer)


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Oracle v. Google and API copyrightability
Oracle v. Google and API copyrightability
As has been widely reported, the district court in the Oracle v. Google case has issued an order holding that the "structure, sequence and organization" (SSO) of 37 J2SE 5.0 API packages is not copyrightable. Oracle is expected to appeal.
The API packages at issue, comprising over 600 classes and over 6,000 methods, form part of the 166-package class library bundled with Sun's J2SE 5.0 JDK and JRE products. The accused 37 of the 168 packages in the Android Froyo platform's Dalvik class library substantially replicate the namespace hierarchy, class declarations, and method declarations of these J2SE packages, and provide equivalent functionality. Oracle claimed that this replication was copyright infringement, despite the fact that Google's implementations of the classes and methods were independently developed. From a source code perspective, 97 percent of the corresponding 37 API packages in the two platforms was dissimilar.
No US court had previously examined the copyrightability of APIs, let alone the SSO of a set of APIs. As was true of the recent SAS v. WPL case in the EU, the issues here principally involved the distinction between copyrightable expresson and noncopyrightable idea. Section 102(b) of the 1976 Copyright Act codifies this distinction, stating that copyright does not "extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery".
In asserting an SSO infringement theory, Oracle was drawing on a line of cases that had recognized a residual copyright interest in software where there was no literal copying of source or object code. As the court explained, judicial support for nonliteral software copyright infringement theories peaked in the 1980s. Since then, courts have been more cautious, mindful of 102(b) and the need to prevent extension of patent-like monopolies to the copyright sphere.
The holding
There were two parts to the court's holding. First, the court addressed Java platform APIs on an individual level. The court held that anyone could replicate the functionality of the API classes and methods, using identical declarations, so long as the implementations did not copy from the original version. The court made much of the fact that Java's syntactic rules mandated use of identical declarations (modulo class and method names) in order to develop an independent implementation that would provide the same functionality as the original. Under the merger doctrine, where there is only one way of expressing a given idea, no one can claim copyright ownership of such expression. While it was not necessary to replicate the names used in the API packages, names are themselves not copyrightable. Despite the emphasis on Java syntax, the court's reasoning seems applicable to APIs generally, as well as to typical varieties of the technically distinct category of web services APIs.
The court then addressed the copyrightability of the 37 API packages as a whole. Oracle claimed that it was copyright infringement to group the various packages, classes and methods in the same taxonomic manner as the J2SE class library. Nothing in the Java language dictated any particular organization in order to provide equivalent functionality. However, the court considered the J2SE organization to be a noncopyrightable utilitarian "command structure" for carrying out specified functions. Moreover, interoperability considerations suggested that the 37 API packages as a whole were a 102(b) "system" or "method of operation". Essentially, the court concluded that it was necessary for Google to provide the same "command system" with the same taxonomic organization, names and functional specifications in order for some of the massive amounts of existing third-party Java code to be easily portable to Android, since such existing code assumed the availability of common Java platform APIs.
Relevance for open source
It is an interesting peripheral fact that both Oracle and Google release versions of the relevant class library codebases to the public under open source licenses. Source code for the Dalvik class library, which is based on a subset of the late Apache Harmony project, is available under the Apache License 2.0. Oracle has continued Sun's post-2006 practice of releasing source code for versions of the Java SE class library under GPLv2 with the Classpath Exception, as part of the OpenJDK project. The Classpath Exception, which transforms GPLv2 into an MPL-like weak copyleft license, was adapted from the license for the GNU Classpath project. GNU Classpath (which remains in active development) and Apache Harmony, both of which aimed to produce complete independent implementations of core Java class libraries, are legacies of years of tension between the free software developer community and Sun over the latter's efforts to maintain control over Java, one lasting effect of which was a cultural isolation of the open source Java ecosystem.
The issue of API copyrightability has deeper historical resonance. Much of the history of free software has been characterized by efforts to develop replacements for elements of dominant or popular proprietary platforms, systems and protocols. This is seen not only in the various free JVM and Java compiler and runtime projects, but also in the earlier efforts to develop unencumbered clones of Unix (GNU, late versions of BSD and their descendants, and Linux). "Interoperability" in the sense meant in the Oracle v. Google order may be seen as an objective of many such projects.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, pivotal years for the development of free alternatives to proprietary Unix, the free software developer subculture was aware and fearful of judicial recognition of nonliteral infringement theories in software copyright cases. While the influential Richard Stallman was prominent in calling attention to the dangers of "interface copyright", his critics accused him of advancing a theory similar to interface copyright in his interpretation of the GPL as applied to software libraries. (The introduction of the LGPL was, in part, a product of this conflict.) But both pro-copyleft and anti-copyleft camps were united by a basic belief that law should not be used to prevent the development of unencumbered interface-compatible reimplementations of proprietary software. The Oracle v. Google decision on API copyrightability, which one suspects validates the policy intuitions of most developers, is well within the spirit of that belief.
12 Comments
Oracle lost the patent phase of the trial. Oracle lost the copyright phase of the trial. Google's supporters, including me, are celebrating Google's victory.
There is another victory here for open source that is not so obvious but may be even more important than the two listed above. When Oracle sued Google Oracle not only failed to obtain any money but they lost the majority of the patents that they used in this case. This puts those companies who are contemplating attacking open source with software patents on notice (again) that by doing so they are risking losing their software patents. Lawyers may not have a clue about prior art which does not appear in the patent records but the open source community sure does.
Steve Stites
Yet another loss. Oracle has been ordered to pay Google's legal fees which amount to about $300,000.
Steve Stites
The problem is not the copyrightability of the API but the fact that Google advertized programmers trying to convince them that the Google-made implementation was fully compatible with the JDK/JRE specs.
Google has created a compatibility nghtmare that costs a lot to application developers and defames the name of the Java platforms. We MUST say that the Android SDK is definitely NOT compatible with the Java JDK.
The abuse made by Google is in saying that the development would be the same. Google broke the contract offered in Java "Develop once, deploy anywhere".
As long as Google will not satisfy the compatibility test, or will reject bug reports related to its own implementation in the Adroid DSK, Google should not abuse the names and should instead use its own package names.
The Android platform is definitely not compatible. Applications have to be redeveloped and retested specifically for Android, the test on other mobile platforms certified (e.g. Nokia) are not enough.
Google lies to developers and to customers of devices running Android. It even created its own compatibility test, just as a commercial tactic to create another non-open marketplace for mobile applications.
So the copyright abuse is really in the abusive use of the Java reference name for too long. We know that Google lied to everyone (even to the court) and decided to abuse the name, just to refuse to open its own new proprietary platform.
Remember this : Android is definitely NOT open, much less than Java.
Google did not even want to get a licence in order to be able to integrate its specification in the Open platform to ensure the compatibility contract "develop once, deploy anywhere".
So Android applications now can no longer be deployed on Java platforms (mobiles, set tob boxes, TVs, media center appliances), and Java applications can no longer be deployed on Android devices. Google has created its own **closed** platform when insisting that it would be compatible with Java.
Do you really defend Google's closed platform here ? And the breach not really in terms of copyright but in trademarks and on Google's Android developer sites ?
If Oracle provided the TCK with an acceptable terms of use, then google would just implement java se or me. What oracle cares about is only to keep control and get the money.
Oracle gets much less control than what Google does with Android (which is all about controling the Google Apps Store and monetize it MUCH more than what Oracle does with really open licences).
But Google did not want any one of the available licences for Java (oncluding those that come at no cost).
Google wanted to promote its own new standard, and broke the interoperability, rejecting also the ISO standard specifications, rejecting the GPL principles.
Just compare the licence now wanted by Google for using its Andoid SDK : it is FAR WORSE for everybody than any available licences proposed by Oracle for Java.
The whole problem is there: Google had the choice, including with open licences. And rejected it. It wanted to get things outside of those licences as if it was a property thing.
But the main problem for everyone is that Google broke the interoperabiity, and REFUSED to adapt its SDK to cooperate with the open Java community. Who's more open ? Certainly not Google. What was asked to Google was to participate to the community if he wanted to influence the content of the JDK but also get official long term support for his propose extensions.
And The community could have had a voice to tune what Google proposed, to make sure that Java would remain portable and not limited to Android. There's absolutely NO community voice n the Android SDK. All is proprietary and decided by Google alone, that then forces all developers to follow his OWN decisions in the Android SDK. And force all developers to redevelop their apps for Android, testing them explicitly for Android.
Google has even failed to make Android portable with itself ! The upward upgradability which is a clear advantage of the Java platform is no longer true in Android alone.
I insist: the Android platform is a CLOSED platform because NOBODY else than Google can support it and because Google constantly includes new barriers including across its versions, forcin even the Androif developers to get new trainings, rebuild their apps, ultil Google will finaly vampirize those apps by creating its own version that will be the only one maintained across versions.
Effectively Google plays now the same closed game that Microsoft used in Windows (much less problematic today, Winphones are almost out of the market), then by Apple (with IOS).
Java was designed to work on all platforms. But now even Google blocks a compliant Java VM from running on Android devices (because it would mean that the same apps that may run on iPhones and Nokia could run on Android without changes) : this would mean that Google would no longer have controls on the contents available on mobile devices, meaning more competition between content providers and no more dependency with smartphone builders.
No more need to wait indefinitely for a firmware update by the OSM manufacturer. The VM would run correctly, would upgrade seemlessly, and applications would still work on these updated VMs. This is simply impossible with proprietary OSes like Android (and iOS, WinPhone)and on other devices (directly on your HDTV, or in your settop box, with a much wider market of apps working everywhere on all our screens).
I insist: the problem is not the copyrightability of an API but what kind of services this API is suppose to be used for. Google promises all sorts of things (including copying the documentation of the JDK from Oracle/Sun, and most of its Java source code), but fails in every other aspects. the Android VM is NOT working like Java. This means that Goofle lied even to customers and developers by republishing the JDK documentation WORD FOR WORD, but refusing to make the Android VM working as promissed in this copy. This is a clear defamation of the work made by Oracle/Sun and its open community to specify it and make it interoperable under clear design patterns.
Google did not even needed to reject Java to develop its own application market (now renamed Google Play, because Apple won against Google that called its Appstore like what Apple did for his iPhones/iOS platform).
Do you only know that Java works in open licences ? Including independant distributions where many core classes have been rewritten differently (including critical ones such as those involved in performance such as Security classes, 2D/3D rendering, audio/video codecs, and interoperability classes with lots of services like XML, HTML, CSS, web services, and high wuality mathematical packages (that DON'T run correctly on Android which produces wrong results, something that has never happened since several decenials in Java !)
"The problem is not the copyrightability of the API but the fact that Google advertized programmers trying to convince them that the Google-made implementation was fully compatible with the JDK/JRE specs.
Really? Can you provide a link?
Google has created a compatibility nghtmare that costs a lot to application developers and defames the name of the Java platforms.
How does this 'cost' developer? How does a product called 'android' defame a separate product called 'java'? That's like saying the Microsoft's impmentation of SQL defames MySQL's implementations. Droid and Java are two separate implementaions of similar concepts as are MS-SQL and mySQL-SQL...
"Android SDK is definitely NOT compatible with the Java JDK"
Where is the expectation that they would be?
The abuse made by Google is in saying that the development would be the same.
Can you point to a reference where Google stated that developing java on a Sun E10K would be the same as developing in Android for a cellphone? Really? REALLY?
Google broke the contract offered in Java "Develop once, deploy anywhere".
I want to see a copy of this contract. RODA doesn't exist in Oracle's implementation java (lookup "headless" sometime, or their implmentation of serial communications). You seem to be stuck on this idea that java and android are the same. Wheras they are only similar.
"As long as Google will not satisfy the compatibility test, or will reject bug reports related to its own implementation in the Adroid DSK, Google should not abuse the names and should instead use its own package names.
So no one else can have a 'System' class or an IO class? I don't think sun was particularly original with coming up with those names.
"The Android platform is definitely not compatible. Applications have to be redeveloped and retested specifically for Android, the test on other mobile platforms certified (e.g. Nokia) are not enough.
Welcome to the real world of software developement and configuration management. This is why my company is still using a 12 year old version of Windows - and java compatibility is not going to fix that either.
And why I have to have 4 versions of Oracle's jInitiator on my pc to run Oracle e-business.
Google lies to developers and to customers of devices running Android. It even created its own compatibility test, just as a commercial tactic to create another non-open marketplace for mobile applications.
What did they say that was a lie? Anyway, I believe that there are more aps for Android than for any other mobile platform, so I am not sure delopers are having a hard adopting the Android platform. Btw: Where is it written the Google MUST provide and 'open' platform?
"We know that Google lied to everyone (even to the court) and decided to abuse the name, just to refuse to open its own new proprietary platform.
We know that they lied? I wasn't there, so how would I know that? Were they sight for contempt? What "lies"? Show us the attribution of you claims?
Remember this : Android is definitely NOT open, much less than Java.
Is it supposed to be open? So what if it isn't? I don't know what point you are trying to make. Do you think that Oracle ERP, webcenter, or iFiles is 'open'?
Google did not even want to get a licence in order to be able to integrate its specification in the Open platform to ensure the compatibility contract "develop once, deploy anywhere".
Why would Google want their smart phone os to be run on TV tuners, DVR's, Camcorders, Torque Wrench Controlers, etc? Who says they have to? Who would expect that they would? One of my biggest beef with software vendors is how 'generalized' their enterprise software is - I end up paying to have the needs of asprin factories addressed in my software for running a CNC mill. A cell phone OS should work best on a cell phone.
So Android applications now can no longer be deployed on Java platforms (mobiles, set tob boxes, TVs, media center appliances), and Java applications can no longer be deployed on Android devices. Google has created its own **closed** platform when insisting that it would be compatible with Java.
You mean they did the same as Apple, RIM & Microsoft? Shame on them. And yet they are far and away the most popular OS, go figure.
Do you really defend Google's closed platform here ? And the breach not really in terms of copyright but in trademarks and on Google's Android developer sites ?
Listen, you have to defend them. You cannot have freedom only for some people (open source or nothing). If Google, or anyone for that matter want's to create software who are we to critisize? We're not foced to use it. The Open source community should be left alone to inovate, and so should comercial industry.
Google, as far as I can tell, is not bent on a campaign of stamping out the competition. Google is not extorting licencing fees from unsuspecting users, Google's search engine does not pop-up in my Explorrer window every time I mis-type a URL or path.
I am not a google slappy-fan, I actually don't even have an Android phone, but having dealt with Oracle's products and their people, I really don't find much sympathy for them in any of their misfortunes
The whole point of APIs is vendor's try to provide a tool that locks developers into their technology. Saying that Google is closed while Oracle is open forgets that Oracle takes over companies just to force Oracle down the throats of their customers at an ever increasing price. Thinking that Oracle is not going to do that to Java is naive.
Does this API judgement mean we can clone O/S interfaces (kernel calls and libraries) with impunity?
Modulo of course, avoiding patented solutions in implementations.
Does this API judgement mean we can clone O/S interfaces (kernel calls and libraries) with impunity?
The decision includes it its motivation the fact that the "copied" API is that of a programming language, and that using the same API structure, calls, etc. (which are nevertheless implemented differently) is technically necessary for trying to achieve interoperability, .i.e.: writing Java programs that have a chance to work on both platforms, and that this is not a violation of copyright.
Extending this reasoning to OS interfaces requires a next step, but that is not such a big step IMHO.
It would be no problem if the API implemented did really perform the same thing, with the same security levels and paradigms. The Andoid version violate several of these paradigms, notably they don't throw the documented exceptions (they could throw derived exceptions), but often silently return a default value without signaling anything to the application. When exceptions are expected to check the security of some applicationso that the exception handler will give an alternate execution path that is expected and only capable to produce the correct result, or when applications are not prepared to receive siliently a NULL default value so that now they fail by generating fatal errors when attempting to reference them, this is a severe problem.
Given that these Android API are different, they should definitely not use the same class names (or should be in separate replacement packages, allowing then application developers to create support classes for either platforms and easier testing to be compatible to both oin a single unified code).
This is not possible. The Android implementation is not an independant implementation, it breaks all Java programming paradigms : write once, deploy everywhere, with an upward compatibility that the Java promissed.
And here it is definitely not a question of bugs (that could be identified, and should be corrected, allowing also the development of temporary workarounds if the platform is clearly identifiable, using a custom classloader that will solve or workround some known bugs in specific versions)
If Google had particopated to the normal developement of the Java platform, it would benefit from all bug corrections that will now affect both platforms independantly and that will add up to more bugs for all applications and all users. This is a loss of time, when everything was open on the Java platform (including for corrections that were documented in one place accessible to everyone).
The GNU classpath for example complies to the Java platform, even if it still does not support everything. It has its uses and limitations that are now documented in the JDK, and that also allows the Java platform to develop new standard libraries in upper layers that solve common problems that are hard to solve cleanly between the implementations. These addons then can be optimized and be prefered to solve all these problems, including using "hidden" workaround as part of their internal implementation, without affecting the blackbox API.
An in fact, most of the implementations that are now part of the standard JVM distributions have been contributed by the Java community, The decision to choose one impelmentation to another was a long process where each API was scrutinized with the best current practices and knowledges collected by the community (all these researches and developments are easily accessible to everyone, including the history : there's nothing like this in Android where its platform and its evolution is discussed secretely by a few mysterious people).
Hello Philippe,
I am not a Java programmer (I prefer other languages), so I can't comment on the problems you mention, and I am not discussing that they may be real technical issues for the Java programming community. I share with you the idea that if something is called "Java" it should behave as "Java" is supposed to. If it does not, it is a bug, or an implementation mistake, and not counterfeiting a copyright. Also note that it is much easier to do a consistent implementation, running everywhere in almost the same manner, avoiding much of the problems you mention, if you are the only one implementing something.
In relation to this news, and the intellectual property concerns it addresses, I believe this is a great decision and precedent created for open source projects, whether it is for implementing another Java, or any other programming language as free software.
There has been a similar decision recently in Europe by the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C-406/10 SAS Institute Inc. v World Programming Ltd, 2 May 2012 about a programming language for statistical analysis.
And I can only be happy that such type of decisions are shared elsewhere in the world.
Reading the decision of the judge of the US District Court for Northern California, you can see that the court has made a real effort to understand what is a programming language, what is an API, in order to apply legal principles on what can be protected through copyright, and what can't.
That's a remarkable work that this American judge has done.
Java was cobbled together from existing technology. There was nothing new about when it came out. A close examination would show Oracle is vulnerable to the same accusations it is leveling.

subset: commoncrawl


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January 30, 2011 - By CATHY BROWNFIELD, Family Recovery Center
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text:
Not later than yesterday, we wrote about Apple's rumored plans not to push any hardware update for the Apple TV this fall and instead focus on software updates… and here it is: the Coupertino-based company just released Apple TV Software Update 4.3 (build 8F455) that adds Vimeo support and – more importantly – the ability to purchase TV shows from iTunes directly from your Apple TV.
Apple has already confirmed that shows purchased on Apple TV can be re-downloaded on other iOS devices (TV shows has been added to the "Purchased" sections of iTunes on both iOS and Mac/PC applications). All the shows previously purchased on other iOS devices or with iTunes automatically show up as available to play on Apple TV.


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Top Definition
Mokona is Mokona. You count them one Mokona, two Mokona and then you stop because there's only two.
"Mokona is not a "thing"! Mokona is Mokona!"
af HaleyHanabusa 18. marts 2010
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
Mokona Modoki is the name given to the two rabbit-like creatures from CLAMP's sister series Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and xxxHolic (Also appearing in one of their earlier works, Magic Knight Rayearth). The name Mokona Modoki (or simply Mokona) refers to any or both characters, as they are never called by their real names. The Black Mokona's real name is Larg, while the White Mokona's real name is Soel. However, the Mokonas always refer to themselves in the third person.
Their principal feature is thier behaviour, which is always hyper.
Their principal feature is thier behaviour, which is always hyper.
You're acting crazy, stop being so Mokona!
af mokona_89 28. oktober 2008


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|Tricks, Treats & Safety Make Halloween a Scream!
|| Print |
Tricks, Treats, and Safety Make Halloween a Scream!
It's the time of year to stock up on sweet treats and fill the yard and home with decorations as ghosts, goblins and caped crusaders plan their invasion of your neighborhood. As part of the "Teach Learn Care" TLC campaign, Safe Electricity urges everyone to make sure your costumed visitors are kept safe by following some basic electrical safety guidelines.
Safe Electricity suggests the following to avoid potential safety hazards:
Whether decorating or using extension cords in general, read the label on both the cord and the appliances that are plugged into it to make sure the cord can handle the load. If it can't, use a higher-rated cord or unplug some appliances. Remember that extension cords are meant for temporary, not permanent, use.
A safe celebration is the best celebration, and following basic electrical safety guidelines will help you avoid real scares and keep your memories "boo-tiful" and fun.


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No. 15 Men's Volleyball With Comeback Win at Princeton
PRINCETON, N.J. – The No. 15 Ball State men's volleyball team battled back from two sets down to defeat Princeton (21-25, 19-25, 25-20, 26-24, 15-4) Saturday evening. AVCA National Player of the Week Marcin Niemczewski led the offense while MIVA Defensive Player of the Week David Ryan Vander Meer picked up a match-high in digs. Senior setter Graham McIlvaine tallied his second double-double of the season.
With the win the Cardinals improve to 5-3 on the season while the Tigers fall to 0-4 on the year. Ball State is currently on a four-match winning streak. Princeton was coming off a five-set loss to IPFW on Friday evening.
Niemczewski led the offense with a career-high 25 kills on the night off a .364 hitting percentage (25-9-44). The sophomore added seven digs and four assisted blocks. Senior Larry Wrather was the second Cardinal in double digits in kills with 10. His stat line included an assist, ace, five digs and two assisted blocks. Junior Matt Sutherland provided key offensive production for the Cardinals off the bench with nine kills to go with six digs and four assisted blocks. Senior Kevin Owens registered seven kills with two solo blocks and six assisted blocks.
McIlvaine finished with his second double-double of the season off 47 assists and 10 digs. In addition, the senior had seven assisted blocks, the third time in his career he has had seven assisted blocks. Vander Meer got under 15 digs to go with four assists. Senior Matt Leske had three kills to go with a solo block and eight assisted blocks.
An ace and a Ball State attack error gave Princeton a slight 5-3 lead in the first set. Ball State was not able to maintain a run as service errors plagued the Red and White early on. A triple block by the Tigers extended their lead to 11-7. Princeton would get a block a few points later to get a 14-9 lead causing the Cardinals to call a timeout. The Tigers would force the Cardinals to a call a timeout down 17-11 after a service ace from Will Siroky. Ball State battled back late in the first set capitalizing on a kill from McIlvaine and two-straight Princeton attack errors to force the Tigers to call a timeout leading 22-19. The Cardinals could not recover, however, as the Tigers took the first set 25-21.
The second set started out similar to the first with Princeton benefitting from Ball State errors. Princeton rattled off six-straight points early in the second set to take a 12-5 lead. The Cardinals would secure kills from Niemczewski and Wrather and force a service error and an attack error by the Tigers to bring the Princeton lead to 11-10. Ball State would stay within one point until Princeton pulled away off a kill, ace and BSU attack error. The Tigers would not look back and took the second set 25-19.
The Cardinals jumped out to a quick lead in the third set of kills from Wrather and Niemczewski. The Tigers inched back and were able to tie the set at 13-all off a service ace. The teams would trade points back and forth until the set was tied again at 16-all. From that point, Princeton made a service error while Niemczewski and Sutherland added kills. An attack error from the Tigers' Pat Schwagler caused Princeton to call a timeout with Ball State up 20-16. Ball State maintained its lead the rest of the set and picked up a 25-20 set win off a kill from Owens.
The fourth set was tightly contested with nine ties in the early goings. With the score tied at 11-all Ball State would get back-to-back kills from Owens and Wrather. The Tigers would come back and tie the set at 15-all after a Ball State attack error. Five more ties and a Cardinal attack error would see the Tigers take a 21-20 lead late in the set causing the Cardinals to call a timeout.
Three kills from Sutherland would give Ball State a 23-22 lead. Princeton's Junior Oboh would commit an attack error giving Ball State its first look at set point, 24-22. Back-to-back kills from the Tigers' Pat Schwagler tied the set at 24-all causing Ball State to call time. Out of the timeout Ball State registered consecutive kills from Leske and Niemczewski to force a fifth set.
The Cardinals came out of the gate strong in the fifth and decisive set profiting from two attack errors by the Tigers along with a kill from Niemczewski and a Leske-Wrather block. Two service errors by Princeton and a kill and block by Owens have Ball State a 9-4 advantage. From there the Cardinals would score the last six points of the set off the serve of Wrather.
Princeton was led offensively by Devin Stearns and Cody Kessel each with 13 kills. Pat Schwagler added 10 kills.
Ball State is back on the road next weekend traveling to Quincy on Friday, Feb. 14 before visiting Lindenwood on Saturday, Feb. 15. Both matches will begin at 8 p.m. ET. Check ballstatesports.com for more news and information on Ball State men's volleyball.


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Auto Repair
Auto Repair Reference Center (BadgerLink)
Books & Literature
Dear Reader An on-line book club
ebooks, audiobooks, music download to MP3, iPods, Kindle, Nook, etc.
Novelist (provided by Badgerlink)
Business Databases from EBSCOhost (BadgerLink)
Careers & Jobs
Educational - Students
Britannica School Edition (BadgerLink: Encyclopedia Britannica)
Kids Search (BadgerLink: EBSCOhost)
Novelist K-8 (BadgerLink: EBSCOhost)
Searchasaurus (BadgerLink: EBSCOhost)
Student Research Center (BadgerLink: EBSCOhost)
Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia database (BadgerLink - EBSCOhost)
Learning Zone (BadgerLink - Encyclopedia Britannica)
LitFINDER (BadgerLink)
Genealogy & History
Ancestry Library (in library use only)
Military & Government Collection (BadgerLink - EBSCOhost)
Newspaper ARCHIVES (BadgerLink - EBSCOhost)
Health Databases from EBSCOhost (BadgerLink)
Consumer Health Complete (BadgerLink)
Magazines & Newspapers
Magazine & Newspaper Databases from EBSCOhost (BadgerLink)
NewspaperARCHIVE (BadgerLink)
BadgerLink Songbook Database (Wiscat - request books through interlibrary loan at the main desk)
ebooks, audiobooks, music download to MP3, iPods, Kindle, Nook, etc.
Education Databases from EBSCOhost (BadgerLink)
Learning Express Practice tests and learning centers for all ages
LitFINDER (BadgerLink)
Sur La Lune Storytime Suggestions for storytime programming


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Grand Bazaar - New York
Emerald Tassel & CZ Crown Earrings
- Color:
- emerald
Qty: 1
- 1
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Description: Emerald tassel earrings with cubic zirconia crown details and 22K yellow gold plated base metal closure accents
- 3 inches long
- 0.56 inches at widest point
- Hinge closure
- Please note: Stone shape, color, and size may vary due to natural gemstone variations.
Material: 22K yellow gold plated base metal and emerald
Brand: Grand Bazaar - New York
Origin: Imported


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New Balance 690 v2 Running Shoe - Womens
Looks like you've got more shoe shopping to do - have fun!
Zip through your workouts in comfort and style with the women's New Balance 690 lightweight running shoe! This sporty-chic lace-up features a fresh pop of color and is ready to hit the pavement whenver you are.
This women's running shoe is best for the neutral to underpronator. What is pronation?
- Breathable mesh upper with synthetic overlays for structured support
- Padded collar and tongue
- Fabric mesh lining
- Cushioned insole
- Molded EVA midsole provides lightweight cushioning and shock absorption
- Textured rubber outsole for traction and durability
- Flex grooves allow for a smoother stride and natural range of motion
- Imported
- View More New Balance
*Your pronation type is determined by the natural motion your feet apply throughout your running gait. When you pronate your foot rolls from either the outer edge, inner edge or not at all. If your foot rolls to the outer edge when you run, you are an underpronator, if it rolls to the inner edge you are a overpronator and if your foot doesn't roll at all you are a neutral or stable runner.
Find the the best running shoe for your pronation type :


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New library patrons: 24,905
Total number of Library Patrons: 173,660
Number of Items checked out: 7,196,027
Number of reference questions answered: 351,172
Number of items in our collection: 721,267
Total Attendance at Programs & Events: 178,867
Volunteer hours: 24,265
The Public Service Announcement "Discover Your Library", produced by Douglas County Libraries and The Network DC, wins two Emmys at the 22nd Annual Heartland Regional Emmy Awards & Silver Circle Presentations. "Discover Your Library" wins in categories for Community/Public Service (PSA) – Single Spot, and Short Form Editor.
Douglas County Libraries, in partnership with the Douglas County School District, offers the first GED testing opportunities in the county. By the end of the year, 73 students had passed the GED.
Douglas County Libraries hosts the first Douglas County-wide Literacy Summit to develop a network of literacy providers and programs, and create a steering committee of community members. Its goal is to make Douglas County a hub for lifelong learning and literacy.
Author Dave Barry headlines the first Author Extravaganza Signature Event. "An Evening with Dave Barry" is part of the Author Extravaganza: a group of events highlighting writers and their craft, which include the Castle Rock Writers Conference and "Getting it Down - A Workshop for Writers."
In the 2008 Hennen's American Public Library Ratings, Douglas County Libraries moves from seventh to fourth place nationwide among libraries serving populations of 100,000 to 250,000. The ratings are based on statistics collected from nearly 9,000 public libraries measuring 15 factors.
Rochelle Logan, the Associate Director of Research and Collections for Douglas County Libraries is elected to be the new President-Elect for the Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL).
The library district's request for a mill levy increase is defeated by 140,656 votes in the November 2008 election. This happens as the nation heads into a recession.
Douglas County Libraries launches Biz Info: Build Your Business Here, a new reference service for entrepreneurs and small businesses.


text:
Berry Comb
This item is currently not available.
Additional Information
Speedy Berry Picker
- Handy scoop speeds up berry harvesting
- Ideal for a variety of berries, including blueberries and blackberries
- Bright red color makes it easy to spot in the garden
Berry growers use large box-like combs to quickly separate the berries from the stems. We've found one that's better suited for home gardening. Blueberries, huckleberries and blackberries pop right off the plant and into the basket. Ergonomic handle design.Product Details
- Sturdy plastic
- 6" L x 4" W
There are no special shipping restrictions or charges associated with this item. For detailed information about our delivery methods and charges, click here.
We're proud of the fact that this item is shipped to you directly from our warehouse in Vermont, by one of our 250 employee-owners. In-stock items are packed with care and shipped within the next business day to ensure prompt delivery to your home and garden!


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50+: Live Better, Longer
Hospital Infections Kill 48,000 Each Year
Feb. 22, 2010 - Every year, 48,000 Americans die of infections they caught while in the hospital -- and that's a conservative estimate, a new study finds.
These aren't infections people would have caught anyway. They are mistakes that cost lives, says study researcher Ramanan Laxminarayan, PhD, MPH, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C. think tank Resources for the Future.
"It is a staggering number and one that does not have to be," Laxminarayan tells WebMD. "When a patient goes to the hospital for another illness and dies of pneumonia, it does not always occur to the family that it was a mistake. But if that same patient went to the hospital and got blood tainted with HIV, the response would be quite different."
Hospital acquired infections actually kill three times more Americans than HIV does. Yet we're only beginning to get a handle on the size of the problem. That's because it's been very hard to separate out the costs -- in terms of lives, suffering, and money -- from the suffering caused by the illnesses and injuries that land people in the hospital in the first place.
Laxminarayan and colleagues analyzed administrative data from a huge national database of information on hospital records for 69 million U.S. residents in 40 states between 1998 and 2006. They focused only on infections acquired in the hospital, and not on infections picked up in the community.
Most of the infections come from using catheters and ventilators. Some of the germs causing the infections have been around for years; others are scary new bugs such as the MRSA staph "superbug."
Johns Hopkins researcher Peter J. Pronovost, MD, PhD, is a world expert on hospital-acquired infections. He tells WebMD that the Laxminarayan study finally gives hard numbers to a problem that has vexed hospitals for decades.
"These deaths are invisible. The public doesn't know. They are happening one at a time, silently, and patients think they are inevitable," Pronovost tells WebMD. "But we know from our large patient studies this is not the case."


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The news coming out of AMD hasn't been on the most positive
note in the past few weeks. The company announced in early April that it will cut
1,600 jobs by the end of 2008 representing 10% of its workforce. The reason
for the cuts came as a result of steep declines in every business arena that
AMD competes.
Four days later, the company's Chief
Technology Officer, Phil Hester, stepped down from the company with no
replacement in sight.
Today, AMD released even more unsettling news in the form of
its Q1 2008 earnings report. As previously forecasted by AMD, revenue fell 15%
from the previous quarter to $1.505B and the company experienced a net loss of
$358M. Operating losses totaled $264M and the company faced a charge of $50M
due to its 2006
acquisition of ATI.
"A seasonally weak first quarter was amplified by a
challenging economic environment for consumers and lower than expected revenues
of previous generation products, resulting in lower than expected revenues in
all business segments," said
AMD CFO Robert J. Rivet. "However, we are encouraged by the market
acceptance of our Quad-Core AMD Opteron server processors as well as our new
chipset and graphics offerings."
After experiencing an entire year of losses, AMD is now
looking to restructure its business. The company will now put all of its
divisions under the microscope and make the decision to sell off some of its
underperforming units in order to become profitable in the second half of 2008.
"It is clear that our business environment has changed
from just the second half of last year when we saw some of our non-core businesses
on a path to growth and profitability. That is now questionable," said AMD
CEO Hector Ruiz.
"As a result, we are embarking on a significant
restructuring of our company to address the following: We need to intensely
scrutinize all of our businesses in order to ensure that our core x86 and
graphics products are on a healthy path to leadership and profitability,"
Ruiz continued. "We also need to scrutinize our non-core business and see
how they fit into our plans toward growth and profitability."
AMD's consumer electronics division could be a prime target
for cuts according to Technology Business Research analyst John Spooner.
"It makes sense because it's not a core part of their business, and they
can't really afford to focus on consumer electronics at this point," said
Spooner. They need to focus on processors for PCs and servers as well as
AMD is indeed ramping up to unleash a new wave of processors
and graphics cards for consumers. As reported yesterday DailyTech, AMD is working on its quad-core 45nm Shanghai processor architecture along
with its 6-core
and 12-core variants.
On the graphics front, AMD is preparing for the launch of
its successor to the Radeon 3850/3870 graphics processors. Radeon graphics
processors based on the new RV770
core are expected to debut under the $300 price point.
quote: Moreover, we are still importing more than we are exporting (a weak dollar promotes exports) and our trade deficit has gone up not down. But, our debts over seas has decreased and our GDP has continued to increase http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/glance.htm .
quote: Banks are said to be struggling? http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h8/Current/ In reality, for US banks as a whole, bank Residual (that is assets minus liabilities) has increased much higher than last year. In short, they are still getting richer.
quote: The only place where the economy is angry is where everyone suddenly realized that ARM mortgages were really, really stupid ideas. Which should have been outright obvious.
quote: he GDP may have increased in monetary terms, but the per capita product in real terms (adjusted for inflation, weakening dollar, population growth, etc) has fallen for the last two quarters.
quote: Banks simply aren't providing as much lending as they had before, and lending is an important part of the economy.
quote: The mortgage problem is big -- traditionally people build up equity in their home, giving a nice financial cushion to fall back on. However, house values have fallen, leaving many homeowners with homes less valuable than their mortgage, eliminating this cushion.
quote: So, it seems banks are doing just fine. Banks as a whole in the US. There are a few that aren't, but CPU makers as a whole are doing just fine in the US, it's only AMD that's struggling. One example does not make a market in either direction. At least if I'm interpreting the data right.
quote: Normal 30 year mortgages aren't having this trouble, and people who live in their houses instead of using real estate to get rich aren't the ones hurt too much by lowered housing values. It's kinda like the stock market, it'll go down for a quarter or two, but over a period of several years, it's always going up.
quote: This seems to be the root of the "economic problem" coupled with soaring fuel prices. Since the dollar isn't weakening that much (and it isn't something that's suddenly happened), and inflation isn't any higher than previous years (yet, and I hope it stays that way), it all points to the economy just going through its normal fluxes with only two real negative events occurring.


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ROCKFORD — The NIU College of Education announced the names of area students who earned a spot on the fall 2013 dean's list. Students receiving this honor include: Chelsea Anderson, Pecatonia; Kate Basting, Roscoe; Morgan Bockhop, Rockford; Scarlett Bunders, Polo; Drew Colclasure, Rochelle; Elizabeth Corsolini, Loves Park; Bethany Davidson, Loves Park; Kelsi Eyster, Rochelle; Marie Farrell, South Beloit; Lisa Istad, Rockford; Brendan Kelly, Loves Park; Allison Kereven, Oregon; Jordan Larson, Roscoe; Amy Long, Rockford; Sarah Orr, Rockford; Marcella Quinonez, Rochelle; and Sarah Thompson, Rochelle. To receive this honor students must earn at least a 3.75 grade point average and complete a minimum of 12 semester hours. For information: niu.edu.
Location, ST | website.com


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WPU & St. David's Host Women's NCISAA-2A Softball Tournament
William Peace University
Fri May 17th, 2013 - Sat May 18th, 2013
Friday 10:00 a.m. - 05:30 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 03:00 p.m.
William Peace University, along with St. David's, a private Christian school located in Raleigh, NC, is proud to host the 2013 Women's NCISAA-2A State Softball Tournament. The event will feature several private high school teams from across the state. Hundreds of players and families are expected to descend upon the campus, specifically the softball field and field house. Concessions will be available throughout the tournament, along with restrooms and portable toilets, which will be located in the field house, Belk Dining Hall and on Franklin Street.
A schedule of games is listed below:
- Tuesday, May 14 - Possible play-in game, time TBD
- Friday, May 17 - 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.
- Saturday, May 18 - 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and possibly 3:00 p.m.
Should inclement weather force a game delay, games may be rescheduled for Sunday or Monday, May 19 or 20.
For more information on the event, please contact St. David's:
- Wes Wilder, Athletic Director (firstname.lastname@example.com)
- Brooke Johnson, Head Softball Coach – email@example.com or 919-795-9515.


text:
A Home Away From Home! Dependable Service for Affordable Rates!
Hotel Stanford group is a collection of family-owned and operated boutique hotels, each with its own unique style and exciting location. A distinguished vision of old world charm and contemporary convenience, the Hotel Stanford group strives to establish an internationally recognized brand for our affordability and captivating hospitality rooted in the values of the Orient.
Founded in 1986, Hotel Stanford Group is a rapidly growing company, which began with a commitment to delivering friendly personalized service, complimentary amenities, and economical comfort without compromising on quality. The company began its mission with the opening of its flagship property in the 'one and only' boutique hotel in New York City. Hotel Stanford breaks the mold of large chain-hotels by offering an enchanting cross-cultural experience and by developing a covetable reputation for introducing a combined heritage of genuine service with personal touches for reasonable prices.
Hotel Stanford strives to provide favorable travel experiences around the globe. With its headquarters in New York City, Hotel Stanford operates 3 properties Seoul (South Korea), Santiago (Chile), and Panama City (Republic of Panama).


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The search is on Tuesday for three carjackers in College Park after a frightening ordeal in a woman's driveway.
The victim told officers that three armed men approached her when she returned home at 10:30 p.m. Monday.
They stole her car and sped off from her Shady Lane Drive home.
The trio was stopped by officers at a stoplight nearby, but they sped off again. A police pursuit ensued.
The stolen vehicle was driven into the Windsor Cove Apartments. Officers said the three men then ditched the car, letting it roll into a parked vehicle.
Anyone who may know more about this case should contact authorities.


text:
Where the Black Raiders looked dark, looming and powerful the white raiders bring a balance and mystique to the design. Where oily black gives way to an airy white, the cards seem to float through your fingers, we kept the highest casino grade stock, and Bicycle's air-cushion finish to provide unparalleled durability and glide. The color scheme has been updated and refined to reflect the more elegant theme. With red and black pips on bone white card stock these cards more easily blend with some of your favorite card gaffs without compromising high contrast ratio and are friendlier to old school card mechanics. We've gone back to the drawing board with the jokers as well; this time around we get a new portrait of Rex Raider and an awesome new reveal.
Magic Network's new White Raider deck is a superior precision tool for the serious card mechanic or manipulator. This is definitely a deck that will draw attention, turn heads and keep your audience staring in awe.
No reviews yet. Do you own this product? Write a review.


text:
A man in line at a Whataburger in Fort Walton Beach was punched after he repeatedly yelled 'War Eagle,' according to a story in the Northwest Florida Daily News.
According to an Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office arrest report, a brief argument ensued in the wake of the chanting, after which two men each hit the victim near his left eye with a closed fist. The chanting man allegedly returned a punch. The assailants fled on foot.
The assailants left without their burgers.
For the full story, see the Northwest Florida Daily News.


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Today marks the beginning of my second week in new work surroundings. My colleagues and I have abandoned our old headquarters near Washington, D.C.'s Verizon Center for a new HQ on North Capitol Street NE.
It's an impressive building. It's spacious. It's modern. And, it's clean. One of my colleagues summed it up saying, "I just prepared my meal in the bathroom. It's nicer than my kitchen."
It is a nice place to work. A truly nice place. But while the bathrooms really do sparkle, I don't know that I want to make my customary peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the same room in which I flush it away.
Showing up for my first shift last weekend was akin to Dorothy arriving in Oz. After her farmhouse was swept away in a tornado, she went from a drab world filled with shades of gray to the splendor of fabulous Technicolor. The only thing missing when I arrived at the new building was a crowd of munchkins doing a song and dance routine and handing out giant lollipops.
I just wish the Yellow Brick Road leading there wasn't so hard to follow.
I spent years perfecting my commute to our old building. The drive became so routine that I really didn't have to think about it too much. As long as I paid attention to radio traffic reports, the commute from the Eastern Panhandle was usually trouble-free. And, if a problem cropped up somewhere along the line, I generally knew how to avoid it and still arrive on time.
All that's changed now. And, I fear the move to the new building is reviving my reputation as a directionally challenged "Wrong Way" Corrigan, the pilot who famously flew from New York to Ireland in 1938 instead of to California, as his flight plan indicated.
Corrigan blamed his unauthorized trip across the Atlantic on a navigational error. He said his compasses failed. While he never admitted it, there are strong suspicions that he undertook his transatlantic flight on purpose after being denied by aviation authorities. If only I could convince my wife and kids to think the same of me.
There's a joke around my house about my ability (or lack thereof) to get from point A to point B.
It usually comes up when we are all in the car together, and my wife thinks wherever we are going is taking too long. She'll roll her eyes and borrow a line from the Supertramp song, telling the kids, "Your father likes to take the long way home." That's their cue to begin singing the chorus.
I've always denied intentionally taking the long way. But it seems as if the new commute is proving my wife's point.
I just can't seem to get the hang of driving to the new building. Even my iPhone is having trouble guiding me there. The app I've downloaded will get me close, but so far I haven't arrived without first getting lost (it's got to be the app's fault).
It'd be nice if I had a Good Witch looking after me. One wave of the wand could turn my route into an easy-to-follow yellow.
But since that's not going to happen, I'm just going to have to make the best of it.
Otherwise, I might be reduced to clicking my heels.
- Giles Snyder lives in Martinsburg with his wife and kids. You can reach him through his blog at gilessnyder.wordpress.com.


text:
Learn how to protect yourself from Internet scams. Read our online fraud prevention tips
Free Stuff-Freebies-Bargains ClassifiedsFor Sale Local NJ Classified Ads
30 listings match, 1-10 shown
Can't find what you're looking for? Try our
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I'm a recent college graduate offering FREE website design to use in my portfolio of work. 5-7 pages. Nothing too advanced. Please let me know what your business does and why you need a website. E-mail Ian at firstname.lastname@example.com or call (646) 374-1235 (number won't receive texts).
Web Id: NJC15580142
Published on NJ.com 8/25. Updated 9/23.
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Web Id: NJC15057406
Published on NJ.com 3/22. Updated 8/18.
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For more information regarding the Go-Green Assistance Center, please contact us.
John SossiDirector301 Mexico Blvd., Suite H1ABrownsville, TX 78520Phone: 956-882-4119Fax: email@example.com
Disclaimer: The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under Grant Number HSIAC-08-TX-15 with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of University Partnerships. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government.
The University of Texas at Brownsville website uses Javascript.
To access this page as it is meant to function please use a Javascript
enabled browser.


text:
Seething in the wake of a cyberattack that put millions of South Carolinians at risk, Gov. Nikki Haley told the world she wanted to slam the responsible hacker against a wall and brutalize him.
Previous coverage
For more stories about the state Department of revenue breach, go to postandcourier.com/hacked.
But just how likely is it that the governor or anyone else will ever get their hands on the culprit who violated the state Department of Revenue's computers?
By their very nature, hackers are a shadowy and elusive lot who go to great lengths to mask their mischief, hide their identities and cover their trails across cyberspace.
Their ranks include lone wolves out for a challenge, "hacktivists" out to prove a point or expose vulnerability, criminal gangs seeking to plunder from the unsuspecting and cyber-agents trying to glean secrets from competing nation-states.
They are sprinkled all over the globe, and they can be very hard to catch — though not impossible.
In February, Interpol announced the arrest of 25 suspected members of the loose-knit Anonymous hacker group in a sweep across Europe and South America. The FBI rounded up several more suspected LulzSec and Anonymous hackers in March with the aid of a legendary computer vandal turned informant. And in June, an international investigation led to the arrest of 24 hackers around the world who had used stolen credit card, bank and personal information to victimize hundreds of thousands of people.
Still, the hacker community remains a thriving underworld.
Doug Benefield, director of research and development for Barling Bay, a SPAWAR security contractor with corporate offices on Remount Road, said the hacking threat is omnipresent.
"Everybody's getting hacked," he said. "We're in cyberwar and it's been going on for a while."
"It's really just the last five years that it's kind of gone off the charts with volume," he said. Benefield, who works with the federal government's classified systems, said one major U.S. military command gets attacked some 10,000 times a day. "The volume is just absurd."
Big profits
Driving many hackers and their criminal associates are the huge potential profits that can be made from stolen data on the black market.
To get an idea of the scope of the problem, an estimated 8.6 million U.S. households had at least one person 12 or older who experienced identity theft in 2010, with losses totaling $13.3 billion, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. A recent report by Javelin Strategy and Research determined the victim count rose to 11.6 million last year.
South Carolina ranked 26th nationwide in the number of cyber-crime complaints referred to the federal Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2011, with $4.6 million in losses.
John Kenney, resident agent in charge of the Secret Service's Charleston office, said businesses ranging from yogurt stands to major health care corporations have been targeted in the Palmetto State. The attacks on people and payment systems occur on a constant basis, he said.
"It's a huge amount of money that is transferred through cyber-crime," he said. "Hackers are pinging systems all over the country at all times looking for vulnerabilities. They are looking to break in through a back door and suck out as much credit and banking information as they can get."
Thieves buy and sell stolen personal information in murky online chat rooms, card-sharing websites and hacker forums. They also treat it like a commodity overseas, experts said.
"Bad guys find this attractive because it's an easy crime to commit and its hard to hunt down these people in other countries," said Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute, a Michigan-based think tank dedicated to privacy and data-protection practices. "And the bad guys are very persistent because there is gold in this information."
How it works
Ponemon said the price for individual pieces of information can range from a few pennies to several dollars, depending on its value. When you sell in bulk, that adds up.
Stolen credit card numbers are often sold online in large batches known as "dumps" that buyers bid on with a guarantee that a certain percentage will be good to use, Kenney said. The sellers are urged to use the numbers quickly, before the card holders or their credit card companies discover the theft and cancel the number, he said.
Health records or detailed tax files cost more and are more of a long-term threat because they contain a whole host of information that can be used to raid a bank account or steal an identity, Ponemon said. Even if someone knows their Social Security number has been compromised, it's very difficult to get that number charged, leaving them vulnerable to theft.
"Tax returns are a treasure trove," Ponemon said. "There is tons of information in there."
Some con artists have used such information to file bogus tax returns, beating the actual taxpayer to the punch and reaping his refund before he is wise to the scam. In July, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reported that the Internal Revenue Service had processed 1.5 million fraudulent tax returns last year, resulting in more than $5.2 billion in bogus refunds.
What's more, the inspector general estimated that the IRS could dole out $21 billion in fraudulent refunds due to identity over the next five years.
How bad is it?
State officials have said they are still trying to determine the extent of the breach in South Carolina and what was stolen. One Midlands lawmaker issued a release stating that entire tax returns were accessed by the hackers, but the governor's office has not confirmed that statement. What is known is that hackers raided a Department of Revenue database with 3.6 million Social Security numbers, 387,000 credit or debit card numbers and information for as many as 657,000 companies in a breach that began Aug. 27.
Beth Givens, director of the San Diego-based Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, said the theft is the largest breach of a state agency on record that her organization is aware of.
Gov. Nikki Haley has said the attack originated from a foreign IP address, but won't say exactly where.
Several security experts said the attack sounds like the work of sophisticated cyber-thieves who operate out of Russia and other former Soviet bloc countries. Russian hackers have long been known for their clever and devious skills, including a 2000 breach in which cyber-thieves infiltrated Microsoft's computer system and sent passwords for its closely guarded source code to an e-mail account in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Other countries also have a strong presence. In China, for example, police uncovered a hacker training operation two years ago that recruited thousands of members online and then provided them with lessons and tools.
Hackers employ a variety of strategies to get in from afar.
Some send emails trying to trick folks into clicking on infected attachments that download harmful software, allowing the attacker entry or control over the computer.
People's natural curiosity often gets the better of them, at the expense of their employer, said Frank Abagnale, an infamous former con man who now runs a security firm and is an FBI consultant.
To emphasize his point, Abagnale said, he often scatters USB flash drives labeled with the word "Confidential" around the parking lot of a business before he gives a presentation. During the presentation, he then logs on and points out how many employees have found and inserted the drive into their work computers with no idea where it came from or what's inside it. He always finds some workers who have done this, even though their company policies may strictly forbid it.
"That's how these breaches occur," Abagnale said. "The hackers are just waiting for someone to open that door for them."
Other hackers employ something known as an "SQL injection" attack which uses malicious code to probe and exploit vulnerabilities in websites and access poorly protected databases. A suspected member of the LulzSec hacking group reportedly used this technique last year in an extensive attack against the computer systems of Sony Pictures Entertainment, according to the FBI.
Catching culprits
So how do you catch these folks?
Kenney, the Secret Service agent, said doing so requires a lot of investigation and a fair amount of cooperation with law enforcement and governments here and around the world.
In South Carolina, the Secret Service participates in a cyber-crimes task force with the State Law Enforcement Division and local police. Overseas, they work with European task force on electronic crimes based in Rome, Kenney said.
The Secret Service also has offices in Russia, Bulgaria, Estonia and other countries where prolific hackers hide, Kenney said. Information developed here is passed on to offices there, and those agents then work with their foreign counterparts to try to shut down the operation, he said.
The FBI has employed similar strategies, and has had some success. In 2005, for example, specially trained agents traveled to Morocco and Turkey after hackers there unleashed a malicious code called "Zotob" that caused computer systems worldwide to sputter and crash.
Agents gathered IP addresses, e-mail addresses, names linked to those addresses, hacker nicknames, and other clues uncovered in the computer code. Working with Turkish and Moroccan law enforcement, they used the information to track down two of the suspected hackers within eight days of code hitting the Internet, according to the FBI.
But experts caution that other hackers learn from such episodes and make course corrections to keep from getting caught while prowling for ways to get into the world's computers.
"A lot of these technologies that are used are developed by people who are very, very smart," Ponemon, the cyber-security expert, said. "These are genius-level people who can pretty much get inside anything. If you find a cure for the problem today, that doesn't mean tomorrow or even a couple of minutes from now, there won't be an attack to circumvent what you've created."
Brendan Kearney contributed to this report. Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or Twitter.com/glennsmith5.
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Vacancy has expiredShow me jobs like this one
|Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
|Job Category:
|Engineering and Technology
|Job Type:
|Full Time
|California (CA)
|Salary and Benefits:
|Monthly Salary: $13,155 - $16,616
|Post Date:
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
Monthly Salary: $13,155 - $16,616 Plus excellent benefits
The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, a progressive public utility, is seeking a Director of Engineering. This position will direct, manage, and administer all activities within the Engineering Department which includes Environmental Services Division and Capital Projects Division. This position will assist the General Manager in formulating and administering District programs.
Education and Experience:
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• Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major work in civil, chemical, mechanical, or environmental engineering. A master's degree in engineering is desirable. Licenses and Certificates:
• Possession of a Certificate of Registration as a professional engineer issued by the State of California in the area of civil, chemical, or mechanical engineering.
• Possession of a valid California Driver's License. A valid out of state driver's license will be accepted during the application process. Must possess a valid California Driver's License within 90 days of appointment.
A District application, resume, and cover letter outlining your interest in this position must be filed by January 13, 2014, at 5:00 p.m. Apply on-line at www.centralsan.org. For further information, contact Koff & Associates, Inc. at (510) 658-5633.
An Equal Opportunity Employer Encouraging Workplace Diversity


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on January 11, 2013 - 1:00 AM
Having armed officers in schools makes sense
I think we're all very happy that the students from Sandy Hook have returned to school and we wish them all the best. I also think we are all concerned about them returning to a secure environment, so I was glad when Monroe Police Lt. Keith White proclaimed the new school the safest school in America, and I know why. I saw armed officers positioned around the school to provide protection for the students, just like the National Rifle Association suggested.
What? Wait a minute. What's going on here? When the NRA suggested that an armed security officer be stationed at schools to provide protection, it was jeered as a bunch of gun-toting cowboys trying to turn the school grounds into the Wild West. But when Monroe police officers show up with guns at their sides, there's not a peep about it. So maybe it's not a bad idea after all. It just depends who the advocate is.
George Knab


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CEO And Co-Founder Pilar Manchón Raises $5M For Indisys
Spanish dialogues systems startup Indisys raises $5 million Series A.
By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0)
Spanish entrepreneur Pilar Manchón co-founded Indisys (Intelligent Dialogue Systems). She raised $5 million in Series A funding from Intel Capital and Inveready Group recently to go international with their natural language and dialog management products.
"With Intel Capital's support, global network and expertise, our potential is growing exponentially and our international expansion


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Wvery time I start playing a particular civilization I notice another civilization that I have alot of trouble against. For instance Ottoman vs the Dutch. But this time I ha ve run into trouble vs the Aztec.
My game play type is superamacy and it 1 vs 1. Basically I find it near impossible to kill mass coyote runners unless I have equal numbers of muskets, unit upgrades and have managed to kill a few of hteir priest.
The aztec unit combo of coyote runners and maces feels kinda unstopable for me because
MUZZIES:Many of the people playing have parents
お忍び: Esam 709:Penguins rock.They are OP
Esam 709:Penguins rock.
fenina:lol only use musk and crosk no by the end of game u have just wasted your ecoand u have nothing to build any more russians is a good civ with little musk sletes and some cannons but u will need some extra wood to use lots of sletes they are skirms and dont waste your eco like musk do
Well spelled and well done, you revived one year old thread!
Stephennn: hahahhaha TBJ is OP
sief3792:Wvery time I start playing a particular civilization I notice another
civilization that I have alot of trouble against. For instance Ottoman
vs the Dutch. But this time I ha ve run into trouble vs the Aztec.WOW GoldTera GoldCheap Maplestory Mesos
cam44:wut inn thee fawk r u tokking abowt?
You sir bumped a thread with fcking useless information lol.
1) Its sup
2) Coyotes counter strelets and cannons lolol
3) stop using some list of good civs to act like you know stuff and stop acting as if that list is the law
4) Russian musks and strelets dont suck. They are just ok in sup (strelets are pretty insane actually) and in TR they are instant thus pretty nice (although strelets are very pop inefficiënt so not used too much)
5) Did you know that its not about infantry or cav, but about what they counter.
emsstewart929:gee chill and its not me making the fcking tiers talk to milky_ about that one. No need to get all mad at me its just a game
This is the forum.
I am trying to obtain full control over it.
This is not a game, this is about forum domination.
On a serious note Im just preventing misinformation to be spreaded in these threads and the tier thing is annoying because you shouldnt think in tiers in my eyes.
Milky made the list as a general reference for people to understand which civs have inherent advantages in TR games. Specific matchups give different civs the advantage, even if they're the "worse" civ. You will learn a lot faster if you stop trying to use it to answer everything and listen to the specific arguments experienced players make about civs.
And you should listen to what Jerom said, because all of his points are correct, though perhaps put a bit bluntly :P


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Professional soccer star and Olympics gold medalist�Hope Solo�was arrested for assault, the Kirkland, Wa police tell the Seattle Times.
Early�Saturday�morning, Kirkland PD responded to a 911 call reporting that a female at a local�residence�was hitting people and wouldn't stop. Officers arrived on the scene and after taking statements and observing injuries on Solo's sister and 17-year-old nephew, Solo was arrested on two counts of domestic violence assault. The 32-year-old was booked and will have a mandatory court appearance on Monday.
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Solo's team, the Seattle Reign FC, released a statement saying, "We are aware of the situation regarding Hope Solo and are currently gathering information. We have no further comments at this time."�The U.S. Soccer league also released a statement, saying, "We are aware of the situation. At this point, we don't have any further comments."
Solo previously released a memoir�accusing�her�Dancing with the Stars�partner�Maksim Chmerkovskiy�of being physically aggressive. "He manhandled me in rehearsals from the start, pushing me, whacking my stomach, bending my arms roughly," she wrote. "One day, Maks was trying to put me in a certain position and hit my stomach so hard with his open palm that I had a red handprint there for the rest of the day." A few months later, Solo's now husband, NFL player Jerramy Stevens, was arrested for allegedly assaulting her in their home. They got married the next day.�
View original Hope Solo Arrested for Domestic Violence at TVGuide.com
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Weather Blog: Cold Settles In
Thank you for stopping by the Weather Watch 12 Blog! A nearly 40 degree temperature plunge sent many scrambling for winter coats. A return to winter-like temperatures will hang around southeastern Wisconsin early this week. In today's blog we look at the chill, and when a few flurries or snow showers drift across the state.
Let's start with a quick look at rain totals from Sunday. Since many of you have retired rain gauges for the season, here's a look at how much rain was measured in our area.
- Fond du Lac 0.62"
- Sheboygan 0.38"
- Racine 0.31"
- Kenosha 0.27"
- Milwaukee 0.17"
?The rainfall deficit in Milwaukee still stands at over 5.50" so more moisture is needed.
The focus early this week is on cold temperatures. Highs are expected to remain in the 30s through Tuesday, more typical of early December. A few flurries can't be ruled out Monday, but the first snow accumulation should elude the area.
The cold airmass will send temperatures into the teens and 20s close to home early Tuesday. The NAM forecast temperature map below shows the plunge of cold gripping the Midwest to start Tuesday.
The chilly weather will continue into the middle of the week. Along with the cold we will keep an eye on a very weak disturbance in the upper Midwest. If this slides a touch farther southeast it may bring our area flurries or a snow shower on Wednesday. Right now the going forecast is mostly cloudy.
The tiny area of snow flurries/showers is showing up on the HPC forecast map below valid at 6pm Tuesday. The weather team is always looking over the latest data, and if anything changes we will let you know first.
The coldest temperatures will ease by later this week when highs return to the upper 40s to possibly 50 degrees.
For the latest weather information watch WISN 12 News, and for updates throughout the day follow me on Twitter @jnelsonweather
Have a great day!
Jeremy Nelson
Copyright 2012 by WISN.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.