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I've written before that the real value I bring to my owner/advisor clients isn't technical business knowledge—it's helping each of them to deal effectively with the challenges of managing and growing a service business.
Over the years, I've come to realize that perhaps the most critical of those challenges is dealing with the stress that comes with running a small business. Many advisors are attracted to launching firms due to the freedom that having their own business gives them in servicing their clients and in creating their own lifestyle. But that freedom comes at a cost: the responsibility for their future, and the futures of their employees and their clients; the nearly unlimited array of opportunities to grow their businesses, from new services to marketing channels to acquisitions; and, more often than not, a lack of colleagues to bounce their ideas off and to help them make decisions.
I've come to believe small business owners, such as owner/advisors, are especially susceptible to stress overload, which can have dramatic consequences for their personal lives and for their businesses. To help advisors manage their stress more effectively, I've found the Yerkes-Dodson Stress Law and its accompanying Human Performance Curve (see Figure 1, page 54) to be extremely valuable. First published in 1908, Yerkes' and Dodson's ideas about the relationship between stress levels and performance are widely known. Yet, in my experience, applying that knowledge in a small business setting—such as an advisory firm—is much harder than one might think. Here's a brief look at how we use the Yerkes-Dodson stress curve to keep firm owners' stress at productive levels.
For those of you unfamiliar with Yerkes' and Dodson's work, here's a quick overview. Their overall idea is that, when it comes to either physical or mental performance, some stress can be a good thing, but too much stress isn't. Psychologists use the term "arousal" interchangeably with "stress": both mean anything that gets your adrenaline flowing and your heart rate up. When it comes to performance, stress is any of the collection of factors that motivate you to do something: go to work, take a test, hit a golf ball, etc. They can be potential benefits such as getting paid, negative consequences like getting fired, or internal drives to do well—whatever motivates you.
As Figure 1 graphically illustrates, when one's stress level increases from zero, the level of one's performance (the quality or the quantity of one's results) goes up as well; but only to a point, at which we reach the classic point of diminishing returns. As stress continues to increase, performance starts to fall off and continues to do so. This curve captures the downward spiral that's all too common among business owners: The motivation to do more in less time eventually takes its toll, and both the quantity and quality of one's output begins to decline. Many business owners respond to their declining productivity by redoubling their efforts, which of course only increases their stress levels, causing their output to fall further. If left unchecked, this vicious cycle on the back side of the stress curve can lead to any number of dire consequences, including absenteeism, breakdowns, substance abuse and relationship problems.
What's more, owner/advisors operating on the downside of the stress curve almost always have an adverse effect on the employees of their firm. Managers under too much stress often become overly critical, self-absorbed and insensitive to the needs of their employees. They tend to micromanage in an effort to feel some level of control. Consequently, they increase the stress levels of their staff, which in turn can push their employees onto the downside of the stress curve as well, precipitating their downward spiral—and ironically, creating even more work for the already overworked owner.
The bad news is that once you're on the back side of the stress curve, getting off it is extremely difficult—and very painful. Often, people have to "hit bottom"—reaching their breaking point where they simply stop trying, which allows their stress level to reset. This is almost never a good outcome and includes a lot of collateral damage, both personally and to one's business.
The best strategy that I've found to get people off this slippery slope before it's too late is first to get them to recognize the problem. The key is the recognition that one's increasing efforts are yielding negative results. This makes it easier to stop doing what they're doing and try something else. That something else should include the following elements:
Take some time off to "reboot."
Yes, it's very difficult to get people to take time off when their workload is growing and their business is struggling. That's why most people need to "hit bottom." We use this fact to get people to take constructive action before it's too late. The first step is to take at least a couple of weeks and go sit on a beach somewhere. Tell your clients you're going away and when you'll be back. Leave the iPhone and iPad at home, don't check emails and truly get away. The change in perspective from just a week or two off of the treadmill can save one's business. And the break that one's employees will get while the owner's away can save their mental health, too.
Re-evaluate your standard of performance.
Advisors usually get overstressed because they don't understand the dangers of too much stress and consequently try to do too much. Now that you've learned what your limits are, it's time to learn to live within them. Everyone's peak level of stress is different. Your goal should be to operate on the positive side of the stress curve—and not too close to the peak, so that you have a cushion for short-term emergencies. The operative word here is "short-term."
Get positive feedback.
Many of us push ourselves because we want to do a good job. The problem is that we often need some confirmation of just what a "good job" is. When you're in a marriage, you can always ask your spouse for some support. When you own a business, asking your employees to tell you what a good job you're doing just feels a little creepy. But you can ask your clients. During their office visits, don't hesitate to ask if there's anything else your firm can do for them, and if they are satisfied with the service they're getting. To make sure you're doing a good job, regular client surveys will give you valuable, and probably more objective, feedback.
Learn not to buy into your own thoughts.
If you're a perfectionist like me, you're probably not a good judge of either how you are doing, or what you can realistically do. This is the real benefit of a coach, a consultant, a business advisor, a colleague or a trusted employee: someone to run your plans and projections by to get an objective reality check. Of course, the hard part will be to listen. The key is to remember that your tendency is to over-project unrealistic goals—so your default should be to believe your advisor when he or she suggests that you're doing it again.
The goal of every manager and business owner should be to keep his or herself on the front part of the Yerkes-Dodson stress curve—and to stay off the back side at all costs. For consistently good performance, owner/advisors need to stay safely behind their peak stress level to avoid the diminishing performance spiral. Knowing where their danger zones lie, recognizing the signs when they've pushed too far, and allowing themselves to take their foot off the gas and let stress levels decline a bit are perhaps the most important skills a small business owner can have. Successful businesses are built on consistent performance—by owners and by their employees—over the long haul. The key is just the right amount of stress.


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Game #103: Blue Jays at White Sox pregame
Toronto (51-51) at Chicago (47-56)
at 7:11 p.m. ET at U.S. Cellular Field
Today's lineups:
Reed Johnson, LF
Alex Rios, RF
Troy Glaus, 3B
Vernon Wells, CF
Frank Thomas, DH
Aaron Hill, 2B
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Gregg Zaun, C
John McDonald, SS
PITCHING: RHP Roy Halladay (11-4, 4.15 ERA)
Jerry Owens, CF
Josh Fields, 3B
Jim Thome, DH
Paul Konerko, 1B
A.J. Pierzynski, C
Jermaine Dye, RF
Scott Podsednik, LF
Juan Uribe, SS
Danny Richar, 2B
PITCHING: LHP Mark Buehrle (7-6, 3.23 ERA)
NOTES: Plenty of reaction today on Josh Towers' postgame tirade after Friday's loss in Chicago. Check the Blue Jays notes on the club Web site later on to read the follow-up and I'll probably post any leftovers on the issue on the blog later on. … The Phils called back about Towers, but Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said there won't be a deal, because the Phillies were offering too little. So Ricciardi said any deal with the Phils is over with. … Overbay, who was sent to the hospital on Friday after a bad bout of food poisoning, was back in the lineup and feeling better. … RHP A.J. Burnett is all go for launch. He's scheduled to throw his first rehab game on Wednesday in Dunedin.
entering Saturday
1. Boston 63-40 (–)
2. New York 55-48 (8)
3. Toronto 51-51 (11.5)
4. Baltimore 48-54 (14.5)
5. Tampa Bay 38-64 (24.5)
entering Saturday
1. Cleveland 60-43 (–)
2. Seattle 55-46 (4)
3. New York 55-48 (5)
4. Toronto 51-51 (8.5)
5. Minnesota 51-51 (8.5)
16 Comments
So Towers is staying here in Toronto. You guys hear of any other trade rumors with the Bluejays?
I just made a post under the last post thoughts please read and tell me what you think.also I shut the game off last night it was very poorly played that is the first time I shut the tv off when the jays were playing.
how many of you like gibbons as the blue jays mamager I DONT. I dont want to start a war over this I would just like to know.
I don't like Gibbons either. But it seams like most of us are two faced about this situation. When the Jays win, everyone seams to not mind Gibbons, when the Jays lose, everyone hates him.
I'll see you guys later. The Bluejays are actually on Tv here!!!! Yea!!!
I have never liked gibbons never have I ever said I did.
As for Towers,If my GM said he was not going to trade me for a sack of donuts I would wonder why he would use that term anyway.
The jays win 5 then play like idiots john.mac.knows if they miss the ball it's only 20ft from 2nd the ***** should have stayed on 1st.
If your a good team we are going to kick your butt If your a poor team we will get our butt kicked by you.
well here we go again I for one am losing interest in the jays for this year I will still follow them but I will not expect much.now I will watch my NL team the cubs I like pinella it's to bad toronto didn't have him.
I am sick of the Bluejays not able to win on the road!!!
fredom don't you get all the blue jay games.
gsumner bosox lee harry and the rest of you let's talk it's not the end of the world only our season,bosox cut up burnett we need a laugh.
JP says this is the best team he has ever seen and he is going to keep it together for next year well I hope not,What good are they they cant seem to hit on the road for some reason who or what can they get to help them.
They have to make some changes but where anybody.
Garry ,
What Towers did , airing his grievance in public was wrong . He should have slept on it and talked with the team today . What he did is no better than what Hillenbrand did a year ago . When a fellow player takes on the whole team it has to erode away their spirit. Now having said that , it makes you wonder even more about Gibbons as a manager . I have never particularly liked him . I don't think he is capable to lead this team to any kind of a pennant race . As for Riccardi , he does not use the money allowed him, wisely. I would love to see somebody like Girardi manage the Jays but he won't be a yes man to Riccardi so it will never happen . I think we need a change in the management all the way round
I'm with you on that I don't think ted rogers is an expert on baseball but he is an expert on making money and I think soon he will be wondering what he is getting for his money,I think soon he is going to start asking questions and they are not going to be able to answer him then and only then will we see change.
I dont see how this team is going to hit any better next year than this year do you.
Also maybe towers outburst was in hopes of getting traded????.
This team is capable of hitting . Yes we had a lot of injuries the first half that kept them from producing like they should have but this team lacks confidence, it weakens with each loss. I believe it comes from the manager and fellow players . They need to learn to play more small ball and quit hitting for the HR all the time .
The phillie talk I am sure had to be on Towers mind . If he wins then his value goes up and since he took the loss , he was frustrated and lashed out . Some teams may view this as him being a true gamer who wants to win and it will help his value . Others may see it as a weakness , not accepting the loss and moving on , hurting his value . If Jays don't renew his contract next year ( and they probably won't ) then he is like Hillenbrand , a player without a team . I believe he loves the game and it scares him where he will be after this season.
Indigo: Earl Weaver had a pretty good career as a manager without playing small ball.
garry, No I live in America, so the only times I can watch them is when they are playing the yankess or once or twice a year when they are on espn or something.

subset: commoncrawl


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Dir: Antoni Stutz. US. 2013. 95mins
This Texas-set noir thriller has all of the right ingredients on paper, especially in terms of a smart cast and strong locations, but somehow the story can't quite tally with the rather familiar storyline. TV's Dallas star Josh Henderson (he plays the young J.R.) is theoretically the one to draw in the younger audience, but charisma along can't carry a film.
Henderson has the looks and the moves but offers little depth to his simplistic character.
A strong supporting cast in the form of Beau Bridges and Aidan Quinn help give the film a limited gravitas, but while a limited US theatrical life is planned Rushlights' most productive life will likely be on home entertainment.
Henderson plays young blood Billy, who goes on the run with new girlfriend Sarah (Haley Webb) when she finds her roommate dead from an overdose (though quite why they decide to hit the road is never overly clear). When they realise the roommate was set to receive millions in an inheritance, Sarah – who is virtually a twin for the girl – pretends to be her and the pair meet with the Texas lawyer (Quinn) who is handling the estate.
Things get more complicated as rumours of another heir surface as well the arrival of the roommate's drug dealer who has followed Billy and Sarah, all of which leads the town sheriff (Bridges) – who also happens to be the lawyer's brother – to get more than a little suspicious.
Henderson has the looks and the moves but offers little depth to his simplistic character (which may well be the fault of a rather by-the-numbers script), and while the film is nicely shot by cinematographer Gregg Easterbrook, Rushlights (a rather clumsy and inaccessible title) rarely offers anything new or exciting.
Production company: Crosstown Films
International sales: Vision Films, www.visionfilms.net
Producers: Antoni Stutz, Jeffrey Coulter, Gabriella Stollenwerck
Executive producers: Cecilia Miniucchi, Donald Zuckerman
Screenplay: Antoni Stutz, Ashley Scott Meyers
Cinematography: Gregg Easterbrook
Editors: Michael Palmerio, Jane Abramowitz
Production designer: Niko Vilaivongs
Music: Jeffrey Coulter
Main cast: Beau Bridges, Haley Webb, Josh Henderson, Aidan Quinn, Jordan Bridges, Lorna Raver


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This site is the archived OWASP Foundation Wiki and is no longer accepting Account Requests.
To view the new OWASP Foundation website, please visit https://owasp.org
Top 10 2004
Please visit the OWASP Top 10 project page to find the latest edition.
Welcome to the OWASP Top Ten 2004
The OWASP Top Ten provides a powerful awareness document for web application security. The OWASP Top Ten represents a broad consensus about what the most critical web application security flaws are. Project members include a variety of security experts from around the world who have shared their expertise to produce this list. There are currently versions in English, French, Japanese, and Korean. A Spanish version is in the works. We urge all companies to adopt this awareness document within their organization and start the process of ensuring that their web applications do not contain these flaws. Adopting the OWASP Top Ten is perhaps the most effective first step towards changing the software development culture within your organization into one that produces secure code.
Browse online
You can Download International Versions from SourceForge until we get them moved to the main site. There are versions in all of the following languages.
- Chinese
- English
- French
- Italian
- Japanese
- Spanish
- Korean
Top Ten Overview
The following list summarizes the OWASP Top Ten. However, we strongly recommend reading the full report, as each area covers quite a lot of ground.
- A1 2004 Unvalidated Input
- Information from web requests is not validated before being used by a web application. Attackers can use these flaws to attack backend components through a web application.
- A2 2004 Broken Access Control
- Restrictions on what authenticated users are allowed to do are not properly enforced. Attackers can exploit these flaws to access other users' accounts, view sensitive files, or use unauthorized functions.
- A3 2004 Broken Authentication and Session Management
- Account credentials and session tokens are not properly protected. Attackers that can compromise passwords, keys, session cookies, or other tokens can defeat authentication restrictions and assume other users' identities.
- A4 2004 Cross Site Scripting
- The web application can be used as a mechanism to transport an attack to an end user's browser. A successful attack can disclose the end user?s session token, attack the local machine, or spoof content to fool the user.
- A5 2004 Buffer Overflow
- Web application components in some languages that do not properly validate input can be crashed and, in some cases, used to take control of a process. These components can include CGI, libraries, drivers, and web application server components.
- A6 2004 Injection Flaws
- Web applications pass parameters when they access external systems or the local operating system. If an attacker can embed malicious commands in these parameters, the external system may execute those commands on behalf of the web application.
- A7 2004 Improper Error Handling
- Error conditions that occur during normal operation are not handled properly. If an attacker can cause errors to occur that the web application does not handle, they can gain detailed system information, deny service, cause security mechanisms to fail, or crash the server.
- A8 2004 Insecure Storage
- Web applications frequently use cryptographic functions to protect information and credentials. These functions and the code to integrate them have proven difficult to code properly, frequently resulting in weak protection.
- A9 2004 Application Denial of Service
- Attackers can consume web application resources to a point where other legitimate users can no longer access or use the application. Attackers can also lock users out of their accounts or even cause the entire application to fail.
- A10 2004 Insecure Configuration Management
- Having a strong server configuration standard is critical to a secure web application. These servers have many configuration options that affect security and are not secure out of the box.
OWASP would like to thank the researchers at Aspect Security for their leadership and contributions to the Top Ten project.
The OWASP Top Ten project lead is Jeff Williams from Aspect Security. He can be contacted at jeff.williams 'at' owasp.org.
International Translators
- Ludovic Petit (French)
- Satoru Takahashi (Japanese)
- Jeremy Bae (Korean)
- Juan Carlos Calderon, Pedro DelReal, Rogelio Morell and Javier Muzquiz (Spanish)
- Weilin Zhong, Zhendong Yu, Wei Le (Chinese)
Users and Adopters
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission strongly recommends that all companies use the OWASP Top Ten and ensure that their partners do the same. In addition, the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency has listed the OWASP Top Ten as key best practices that should be used as part of the DOD Information Technology Security Certification and Accreditation (C&A) Process (DITSCAP).
In the commercial market, the Payment Card Industry (PCI) standard has adopted the OWASP Top Ten, and requires (among other things) that all merchants get a security code review for all their custom code. In addition, a broad range of companies and agencies around the globe are also using the OWASP Top Ten, including:
- A.G. Edwards
- Bank of Newport
- Best Software
- British Telecom
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)
- Cboss Internet
- Cognizant
- Contra Costa County, CA
- Corillian Corporation
- Foundstone Strategic Security
- IBM Global Services
- National Australia Bank
- Norfolk Southern
- Online Business Systems
- Predictive Systems
- Price Waterhouse Coopers
- Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI)
- SSP Solutions
- Samsung SDS (Korea)
- Sempra Energy
- Sprint
- Sun Microsystems
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
- Texas Dept of Human Services
- Zapatec
- ZipForm
- ...and many others
Several schools have also adopted the OWASP Top Ten as a part of their curriculum, including Michigan State University (MSU), and the University of California at San Diego (UCSD).
Several open source projects have adopted the OWASP Top Ten as part of their security audits, including:
- Plone open source CMS project (managed by the Plone Foundation)
Please let us know how your organization is using the Top Ten. Include your name, organization's name, and brief description of how you use the list. Thanks for supporting OWASP!
We hope you find the information in the OWASP Top Ten useful. Please contribute back to the project by sending your comments, questions, and suggestions to [email protected] Thanks!
To join the OWASP Top Ten mailing list or view the archives, please visit the subscription page.


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Chinese Manufacturing Part 2: The Workers
20 March, 2012 § 3 Comments
This is another guest post by Alexis S.
The most wince-inducing and problematic part of Daisey's monologue was his characterization of the factory workers. It plays to some old, old racist tropes. We have an image in our culture of the Chinese worker. He used to wear a queue, and maybe one of those hats, then a Mao jacket, and now just some sad tattered clothes (or a Mao jacket or queue, because political cartoonists are lazy). He (or she, nowadays) is sexless, faceless, not an individual. He is a they, part of the Chinese Borg. (The computer game Alpha Centauri made this metaphor explicit.) If you're worried about American jobs, you worry about the Chinese because they have an unfair advantage against us: American workers need food, sleep, health insurance. Chinese workers will work for five cents an hour until their hands drop off and their eyes fall out, and as soon as they break, they will be swapped out for a new one from the teeming masses. If you care about human rights, you feel sorry for the Chinese, who lack the power and knowledge to stop themselves from being exploited. They need your help. If you, like Mike Daisey go to China and just talk to the workers (with a translator), hear their individual stories and give them yours (in translation), make that human-to-human (to-translator) connection, you could see them as real individuals, give them the voice they lack (translated), and rescue them. Even if you don't hate or fear or distrust the Chinese, the idea that they are ignorant voiceless masses waiting to be uplifted by a white American making an impulse trip to Shenzhen is as condescending as it is inaccurate. Look at this story from the TAL episode.
I talk to an older man with leathery skin. His right hand is twisted up into a claw. It was crushed in a metal press at Foxconn. He says he didn't receive any medical attention, and it healed this way. And then when he was too slow, they fired him. Today he works at a woodworking plant. He says he likes it better. He says the people are nicer and the hours are more reasonable. He works about 70 hours a week. And I ask him what he did when he was at Foxconn, and says he worked on the metal enclosures for the laptops, and he worked on the iPad. And when he says this, I reach into my satchel, and I take out my iPad. And when he sees it, his eyes widen, because one of the ultimate ironies of globalism, at this point there are no iPads in China. Even though every last one of them was made at factories in China, they've all been packaged up in perfectly minimalist Apple packaging and then shipped across the seas, that we can all enjoy them. He's never actually seen one on, this thing that took his hand. I turn it on, unlock the screen, and pass it to him. He takes it. The icons flare into view, and he strokes the screen with his ruined hand, and the icons slide back and forth. And he says something to Kathy, and Kathy says, "he says it's a kind of magic."
Here we have the ignorant worker, abused and exploited by the companies and government alike. He is a broken man, his hands twisted beyond recognition, all in the service of your iPad. And what does Mike Daisey do? He shows the man a complete iPad, not yet on the market in China, the object that this man destroyed himself to make. The man doesn't hold a grudge against the iPad; instead, his face lights up with childlike wonder, and he runs his broken hands over the touchscreen and says, "magic."
I told this story to a friend from Hong Kong and he just laughed. The idea that anyone in Shenzhen, even the poorest most ignorant laborer, had never seen or used a touchscreen tablet is funny. Even if this man had never been into the section of the factory where they turn the iPads on to test them, even if he never saw any iPads owned by Hong Kong visitors or mainlanders who bought one in Hong Kong or abroad, he still lives in Shenzhen, a city designed to bring in international business and advanced technology, one next to both the cosmopolitan city of Guangzhou (Canton) and the even more international Hong Kong. By the time Daisey made his trip, Shenzhen was full of tablets: legitimate iPads, "oops, it fell off the conveyer belt" or "it didn't pass quality control" iPads, stolen iPads, and "no really, this is totally a real iPad!" iPad knock-offs. Plus non-Apple branded tablets from all the other American, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Chinese, and European companies that have their goods manufactured in Shenzhen. I'm sure there are people in Shenzhen who have never used a tablet. I could probably go around New Jersey and find someone who has never used an iPad or similar tablet. But neither person is going to think it's magic. Chinese laborers just aren't that ignorant.
Nor are they that ignorant about their rights. Laborers in southern China (what Ching Kwan Lee calls China's "sunbelt") are actually pretty knowledgeable about their legal rights. Workers talk to each other, share legal information and strategies. When they protest publicly, or go to the capital to petition, many workers can and do cite specific laws that are being violated. Remember when I said I would explain why the laws are important? That's why. Even when they aren't enforced, they give workers a clearer idea of what to demand, and give them specific language to use. Protestors in China draw on the language and concepts of modern Chinese law, on old Communist promises, and on imperial Chinese petitions. And, because they are savvy political actors, they say what Beijing wants to hear: that they only blame the local officials and factories, and they trust Beijing to make it right. It doesn't always work. Sometimes there is backlash, sometimes there recompense is inadequate, sometimes workers get nothing and they also lose their jobs, or get beaten by police, or thrown in jail. Even when that happens, workers share the knowledge and experience they gained by going through the process, in order to better facilitate their rights in the future.
As a group, Chinese factory laborers are intelligent, strategic, and adaptable. They know their rights and share their knowledge and experience. Chinese laborers also tend to be strategic as employees. When they can, they seek out factories with better pay and working conditions. Many of them are working not just to feed themselves, but to save up and start businesses in their hometowns. Treating Chinese workers as ignorant victims is wrong, both factually and morally. It's also bad entertainment. The story becomes one about the magical white American attaining enlightenment and spreading the new cause. This is not exactly an original story. It could be Chinese factory workers, handicapped people, the mentally ill, African-American schoolchildren, Tibetan monks. The lies replace a compelling story with stereotypes and self-absorption. So why not tell the truth instead?
Suggested resources:
China Blue, a 2005 documentary about a factory that makes jeans. You get to see the workers' lives, and also what happens when they take action. Kind of the same concept as Daisey's performance, but focused on the workers, and more nuanced. The PBS page for the film {http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/chinablue/film.html} also contains an extensive list of sources.
Against the Law (2007) and Gender and the South China Miracle (1998), both by Ching Kwan Lee Against the Law is a study of the ways laborers in different parts of China advocate for themselves. It's a good combination of hard data and human stories, the result of extensive interviews conducted by Lee. Gender and the South China Miracle is about factory culture in Hong Kong vs. mainland South China. Lee not only conducted interviews there, she actually worked undercover in the factories.
"Hope for Protection and Hopeless Choices": Labor Legal Aid in the PRC by Mary Gallagher from the book Grassroots Political Reform in Contemporary China, ed. Elizabeth Perry and Merle Goldman and "The Moral Universe of Aggrieved Chinese Workers: Workers' Appeals to Arbitration Committees and Letters and Visits Offices" by Isabelle Thireau and Hua Linshan in The China Journal The titles are probably self-explanatory.
With the exception of China Blue, these are all academic works, not light reading. I would suggest some more popular books, but I don't know of any. If you're read or written one, please recommend it!
Chinese Manufacturing Part 1: The System
19 March, 2012 § 1 Comment
This is a guest post by Alexis S.
Alexis has a formal academic education in Chinese government, politics, and economics, is fluent in Chinese, and has lived in China*. As it happens, I have these credentials as well, and I'll be fielding questions in the comments (although, if she likes, Alexis is welcome to as well.)
(* I say this to establish her credentials to talk about this topic, not to shut down discussion. Feel free to disagree with us.)
I (Ben) have edited this essay. I take responsibility for all errors.
If you follow news about China or NPR, you have already heard the recent story about Mike Daisey. If you haven't, you can go here or here to get details, but the quick summary is that monologuist and Apple fan Mike Daisey wrote and performed a one-man show called "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," where he told stories of traveling to Shenzhen and interviewing workers at Foxconn, the Taiwanese-owned company that Apple and other tech companies rely on for much of their manufacturing. The show got some attention, but the real surge seems to have come after This American Life devoted an episode to it, airing an excerpt from the show and then interviewing Daisey. They included some corrections, but overall presented the show as true. And then yesterday NPR Marketplace and Ira Glass admitted that they had discovered some problems: some of Daisey's stories were exaggerated, some were second or third-hand stories he had recast as personal experience, and some were just not true. Daisey says his stories are entertainment, not journalism. A predictable fuss has occurred.
I had only gotten around to hearing the TAL episode two weeks ago, and the problems I had with the show are largely unaffected by the veracity of any given story of Mike Daisey's. When I heard the episode, I assumed his anecdotes were his actual experiences, and the things that felt wrong or inaccurate to me were because his experiences were filtered through the mix of confusion, prejudice, patronizing sense of superiority, racism, and deep ignorance that characterizes so much of the American debate on China. Now we know many of these stories are false, so the personal experiences are removed from the equation, but all the issues remain, and those are what I want to discuss.
This is the story Daisey tells: Since Deng Xiaoping came to power, the Chinese Communist Party has sold the bodies and souls of Chinese workers in exchange for the trappings of wealth and modernity. The workers are cruelly and needlessly exploited by factory owners out of a combination of laziness and greed, until the workers are crippled or killed. The American companies turn a blind eye because it keeps costs down, and American consumers remain ignorant because we want cheap phones and iPads, and because somehow it never occurred to us to think about where our products were made.
This is a compelling story, because it tells us what we want to hear and it reinforces beliefs many of us already hold. But it's not true.
First, the CCP. It's easy to hate the CCP. They block wikipedia and the New York Times, imprison artists, threaten Taiwan, and commit all manner of atrocities against Tibetans (and against the Xinjiang Uighurs, not that anyone pays attention to a bunch of Muslims). It's natural to implicate them in the labor abuses. So what's wrong? A couple things: the CCP is not a monolithic entity, and the CCP actually takes steps to help and protect workers at times.
We like to think of China as a dictatorship (Daisey calls it "a fascist country run by thugs"), where the evil Communists (or evil ex-Communist traitors, depending on the politics of the speaker) control everything with an iron fist. Hu Jintao probably daydreams about that being true, but it isn't. Beijing isn't aware of everything that goes on at the local level, and Beijing's priorities don't necessarily match up with the priorities of local cadres.
Nor is the central government completely uniform. The CCP is comprised of anti-corruption reformers, of hardline authoritarians, of economic growth proponents, Mao nostalgists, hawks (especially on Taiwan), urban and rural partisans, and others. What they share is a desire for the CCP to stay in power. This means no rebellions, no military coups, no invasions. Setting aside coups and invasions, which aren't the focus of this piece, the central government knows they need to keep people happy enough that the country won't break out into revolts. That's one reason China tries to keep a tight grip on economic growth, keeping the economy growing, but not too quickly. It also means that when workers do get angry at local cadres (small-level government officials) or factory owners, the central government will often step in and throw money at the workers to placate them. And then sometimes they arrest the leaders of the protests, because they're also a threat to stability. The central government's role is complex, and there are plenty of times when siding with laborers against factories is in its best interest, so that's what it does. Corruption, size, and structural inefficiencies all make it hard for the central government to have the local control they would like, so they've adopted a strategy of waiting until things get bad, then coming in with a combination of harsh scapegoating for obviously corrupt officials and potentially powerful organizers, and compensation and apologies for everyone else.
So the government sometimes sides with workers. They even passed a labor law in 2007 to give more protections to workers. Do you know who fought long and hard against that bill? If your knowledge about the issue only comes from that TAL podcast, you probably don't, because it never mentions one of the major anti-labor forces in China: the foreign business lobbies. The US Chamber of Commerce and the US-China Business Council argued against worker protections such as restricting non-compete clauses and limiting periods of unpaid on-the-job "training." The European Union Chamber of Commerce made regretful noises about being forced to leave China if their workers were granted these basic rights. I'm all for blaming the CCP for their part in human rights abuses, but it strikes me as unfair and inaccurate to call the body that passed labor reforms "thugs" and never mention the Western interest groups that fought to weaken those reforms. If we, as Americans, are going to condemn the abuse of workers in China, why don't we blame our own civil society groups?
(Some of you may be wondering whether a labor law is actually important, or if it would just be ignored. The laws are important, for reasons I explain more in the next part.) (ed: the next part will be posted tomorrow.)
Another cause of labor abuses in China that often goes uncriticized is the structure of manufacturing in China. I have some sympathy for Daisey here– it's hard to critique a system and still be entertaining, and entertainment is his priority. Nonetheless, this system is important. Much of Chinese manufacturing, both high-tech stuff like computers and low-tech stuff like shirts, is subcontracted. Apple does not own the factory that makes iPads. Foxconn does, and also makes electronics for other companies, including laptops, cell phones, and video game systems from American, European, and Asian companies.. This strongly limits the amount of pressure Apple can bring to bear on Foxconn. Foxconn isn't going to want to lose a major client, but they have to balance the demands of multiple clients. If Apple is the only company pressuring them for reforms, and all the other companies are still pressuring for speed and cheapness above all, they may decide that labor reform is a bad decision.
Meanwhile, Foxconn and similar companies are themselves insulated from the labor abuses. These are not companies run by Mainland Chinese passport-holders. Most of them are companies in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, or Japan. They are less subject to the pressures that a Chinese company would feel. In some cases these companies are basically just middlemen: an American shoe company hires a Taiwanese company to find a factory in China to produce their shoes. Not only can the shoe company maintain plausible deniability for any abuses, but the company they hire can, too. This is more common in the garment industry, where the manufacture requires less skill and fewer proprietary technologies. This extra distance is one reason why the garment and toy industries tend to have some of the worst abuses. For Chinese factory laborers, places like Foxconn are actually considered some of the better places to work: There is less distance between the western company, the manufacturer, and the factory itself, and thus less likelihood for abuse.
A lot of hostility is aimed at the Chinese government, at Apple, and at Foxconn. The main effect of this is to make the critic and his audience feel better. The Chinese government is the wrong target, and probably doesn't care what you think anyway. Foxconn doesn't really care what you think either, unless you're one of the companies investing it it. Criticizing Apple might get them to make changes, but unless you're going to go after every electronics company that sells in America, you're not going to make any substantial change. If you do feel the need to go after individual companies: garment and toy companies are a more deserving target. But, if you really want to make a substantial change, go after the big business lobbying groups such as the American Chamber of Commerce, the US-China Business Council, or your local equivalents. Form counter-lobbying groups for Chinese workers' rights, or organize a boycott of every member of these organizations, or publicly shame them for their aggressive anti human rights practices. At the very least spend as much time and energy calling them out as you did Apple.


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Sugar Rush: Happy National Carrot Cake Day
Your daily dose of something sweet.
Happy National Carrot Cake Day! For some reason, February 3 has been deemed the day to celebrate the moist and spiced root vegetable-enhanced cake covered with cream cheese frosting. While many carrot cakes may look like the glowing specimen above, I'm going to use this holiday as an opportunity to point out my favorite carrot cake in the world (so far).
It make look like a boring, brownish-orangish lump, but the carrot cake from M&I International Food in the Russian community of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, is easily the best chunk of carrot-enhanced cake I've ever eaten. Frosting is my least favorite part of the typical carrot cake since it sometimes seems excessive and if it's bad, it has the ability to destroy what could be a perfectly good cake. M&I's version is naked, preventing any potential harm by way of overly sweet frosting. Even better than the crust being unadorned is that it has a crisp texture when fresh—cracking through reveals the main star of moist, tender cake beneath.
Serious Eats New York dessert goddess Kathy YL Chan describes it best in her review of the cake:
A thin, super crisp crusty surface and innards that will blow your mind if nothing else. Thick forests of shredded carrots (not the thin shredded carrots you find in American carrot cakes, but thiiiick shredded), handfuls of walnut chunks and tons of raisins, of both the dark and golden breed. The cake itself? Incredibly moist with soft tender crumbs.
Kathy also said on at least one occasion that she'd want to serve this cake at her wedding. It's good stuff. We just wish it wasn't so far out on Brighton Beach. Any other favorites?
M&I International Food
249 Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11235 (map) 718-615-1011
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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This Kit Fits 2005-2010 V6/GT Hoods
>Legend Lime
>Eliminates the use of existing prop rod allowing you to have room to work under the hood.
>Does not require drilling or cutting on your hood.
>Simple "Bolt-On" System
>High quality aluminum injected molded diecast material that sets the "Industry Standard" for quality, fit, form and function.
>Lifetime Limited Warranty
Kit Includes:
(2) Upper Brackets, Driver & Passenger Side
(2) Lower Brackets, Driver & Passenger Side
(2) Gas Struts, Driver & Passenger Side
(1) Installation Sheet
Special Notes:
V6/GT Gas Strut Hood Lift Kits DO NOT fit Shelby GT 500 or GTH models. All 2011-2012 V6/GT Mustangs require the use of the GT500 Gas Strut Hood Lift Kit. The use of replacement gas struts, other than the ones supplied by the manufacturer, will void warranty. Colors are matched to factory color chips; colors and finish may vary slightly from the factory finish on your Mustang due to Sun fading, repainting, and weather. Image shown may vary from actual part .
Proudly Manufactured in the USA by CPC


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October 14, 2011
Dear CODEPINKer,
Tweet This: RT @codepinkalert: Rise and celebrate #ows victory, join #october15 to unite struggles for justice worldwide http://j.mp/qdGQu9 #occupylsx
Like CODEPINK on Facebook
Order a Bring Our War $$ Home t-shirt
This morning at dawn I gathered with thousands of friends and allies in an emergency action to defend the home and heart of Occupy Wall Street. Just as we have organized against illegal foreclosure of our neighbors, we stood shoulder to shoulder with unions, city workers, and countless community members to prevent Mayor Bloomberg's shameful attempt to evict us from the park under the guise of "sanitation"! At 7 am, to raucous celebration, the people's microphone announced that the owners of the park had postponed the sanitation plan.
Thank you for helping make this beautiful victory possible!
While we celebrate how the movement is gaining momentum, we must not disregard the brutality of the Boston and Denver police who descended upon peaceful protesters in riot gear and evicted them in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, Boston and Denver did not have as many people protesting their evictions as we did.
Tomorrow people will be rising up in over 950 cities in 82 countries for a historic global day of action and we need you to join us in the streets to send a clear message that you are fed up with the greed and corruption of the 1%. Join our Anti-War March in New York or find an event in your city.
Onward for peace and justice,
Melanie, CODEPINK NYC Coordinator and OWS Organizer
P.S. Read Melanie's reflections from Occupy Wall Street.
CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S. funded wars and occupations, to challenge militarism globally, and to redirect our resources into health care, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities. The name CODEPINK satirized the Bush Administration's color-coded, fear-mongering "security" alert system that has since been phased out. CODEPINK is a lively call for the people of the world to "wage peace." More...


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Advanced Search
I saw two items that gave me pause. I'm going to be neutral on this because, quite frankly, I'm more concerned with what you think, and this is sensitive stuff. Say too much and I'm sure to offend someone. So just the facts this time, ma'am.
First up, Microsoft has finished working on a system for New York City that combines massive video surveillance with an equally massive database. The idea is to see anyone in the city, watch exactly what they are doing in real-tine and match them to what is already known about them. The system, according to press statements, is aimed at terrorists and suspected criminals.
The second item is more interesting. Apparently Homeland Security has a new laser that, pretty soon, will be able to shoot beams at us and find out most everything -- whether we have drugs, weapons, if we're nervous, even what we ate in the Red Carpet Club. All this from 50 yards away. And even though this is aimed at airports, what's to keep this out of the hands of regular old law enforcement?
The author who brought me this info had a point of view and used the article as a platform to promote a new app that can secretly record one's interactions with the police.
The point here is that sometimes in some places police officers believe being recorded is illegal and have arrested those doing the recording.
You can see how divisive these topics can be. But because the technology is moving so fast (who doesn't have a camera phone?), we may want to tackle some public policy now before we reach the point of no return.
Posted by Doug Barney on 08/10/2012 at 1:19 PM
Microsoft on Friday announced a public preview of Windows Autopilot for HoloLens 2, its mixed-reality headset.
Microsoft may have started something new by attempting to charge its customers for software that uses its application programming interfaces (APIs).
Spacesuits are heavy, claustrophobic and hot -- an uncomfortable combination for many would-be astronauts. Here's how Brien came around to the idea of wearing one.
Microsoft this week announced a few Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) product milestones as part of the KubeCon event.
More Tech Library
More Webcasts


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PLEASE NOTE that the Tennessee State Library and Archives does not hold copies of all of the items listed in this bibliography. Please check the Tennessee State Library and Archives Online Catalog or e-mail the Library and Archives to verify we have an item in our collection. We will respond to e-mail requests promptly; response time may vary, depending on the amount of research required to answer your question and the unique nature of your request. If you need immediate assistance you may call the reference desk at (615) 741-2764 or visit us in person.
Subjects :
Allred, Charles E. Mobility of rural relief families in TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1936. 35 pp. (its Report #14)
Allred, Charles E. Relation of education to economic & social status of relief clients in TN. Knoxville, TN Ag. Exp. Sta., 1937. 36 pp. (its Report #24)
Biographical directory, TN General Assembly, 1796-1969 (White County, Preliminary # 30). Nashville, TSLA, 1972. 92 pp.
Butts, Charles. Coals in the area between Bon Air & Clifty, TN. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1917. 310 pp.
Cantrell, Gerry R., comp. History of White County churches. Sparta, n.p., 1980. 136 pp.
Clark, Darius. The Civil War diary of Darius Clark of White County, TN, Co. G, 16th TN infantry, CSA. Huntsville, J.J. Betterton, 1980. 35 pp.
Comstock, Charles. Freemasonry in pioneer times, White County. Sparta, n.p., 1929. pp.
Doran, Edwina B. Folklore in White County, TN. George Peabody College thesis, 1969. 437 pp.
Doran, Edwina B. "The rock woman & the little people-- White County legends." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 50 (1984), pp. 136-140.
Dudney, Betty J. Civil War in White County, TN, 1861-1865. TTU thesis, 1985. 68 pp.
Eldridge, Lewis W. The rehabilitants of White County, TN from Jan., 1963 through Dec., 1968. TTU thesis, 1970. 72 pp.
5 county association: Cannon, Dekalb, Van Buren, Warren, White: promoting progress through cooperation. McMinnville, the association, 1974. 19 pp.
England, Bransford & Ruth H. England. The history of a pioneer church. N.p., Macedonia Baptist Church, 1969. 20 pp.
Fancher, Frank T. The Sparta bar. Milford, NH, Cabinet Press, 1950. 4 pp.
Fowler, Walter. An educational, economic & community survey of White County, TN. UT thesis, 1932. 79 pp.
Golden, Charles E. A survey of the causes of absences in the public school system of White County & Sparta, TN. Nashville, George Peabody College, 1955. 133 pp.
Goodspeed's history of TN (White County, pp. 797-812, 860-884). Goodspeed, 1887.
Huehls, Betty S. Life in the coal towns of White County, TN, 1882-1936. TTU thesis, 1983. 101 pp.
It happened in White County. By members of White County Retired Teachers Association. Mrs. Anna Grace Bandy, ed. Sparta, the association, 1986. 107 pp.
Keele, Robert L. "Folklore of the branch line railroad." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 13 (1947), pp. 10-15.
Kirkeminde, Patricia B. History of White County, TN, index. Crossville, the author, 1982. 34 pp. (index to Monroe Seals' History of White County, TN)
McDowell, L.L. "A background in folklore." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 2 (1936), pp. 1-8.
Marchbanks, Nell & Wally Gillian, comp. A pictorial history of White County, TN. Sparta, the Expositor, 1994. 96 pp.
Moore, Debra. "Jim Bobo's fatal ride: a study in progress of a TN ballad." TN Folklore Soc. Bull. 50 (1984), pp. 40-57.
Phillips, William J., comp. Pioneers of White County, TN. Whitesburg, GA, Wide Services, 1991. 139 pp.
Pictorial history of Sparta-White County, TN. Cookeville, Anderson Performance Printing, 1984. 189 pp.
Prater, Otto. Economic history of White County, TN. George Peabody College thesis, 1932. 126 pp.
Rogers, Eliza G. Memorable historical accounts of White County & area. Collegedale, College Press, 1972. 158 pp.
Seals, Monroe. History of White County, 1867-1935. N.p., 1935. 152 pp. (reprinted 1974 by the Reprint Company)
Soil survey, White & Van Buren counties, TN. Washington, D.C., US GPO, 1981. 86 pp.
TN Dept. Transportation [county maps] issued periodically.
TN Valley Authority. Ind. Div. Agricultural-industrial survey of White County. Knoxville, TVA, 1934. var. pp.
US Geol. Survey [topographic maps] issued periodically. Quadrangles: Silver Point, Burgess Falls, Dry Valley, Monterey Lake, Sligo Bridge, Cassville, Sparta, DeRossetta, Pleasant Hill, Campaign, Doyle, Bald Knob, Lonewood, Herbert Domain.
Webb, Thomas G. "The pottery industry of Dekalb, White & Putnam counties." THQ 30 (1971), pp. 110-112.
White County Immigration Bureau. White County, TN in a nut-shell. Sparta, n.p., n.d. 5 pp.
White County, 1980-1987: an economic analysis. Nashville, TN Dept. Emp. Sec., 1988. 12 pp.
White County home & heritage [videorecording]. Comp. by Betty Huehls, narrated by Don Howard. Sparta, Rock House DAR, 1992. 1 videocassette
White County overall economic development program. N.p., Area Redevelopment Comm., 1962. 40 pp.
White County Retired Teachers Association. Field trips into White County history. Ed. by Mrs. Anna Grace Bandy. Artist Mrs. Veta Floyd. N.p., Brady Print. Co., 1983. 53 pp.
Willey, P., et al. "Aboriginal skeletons & petroglyphs in Officer Cave, TN." TN Anthrop. 13 (1988), pp. 51-75.
Williams, Carol. Legends & stories of White County, TN. George Peabody College thesis, 1930. pp.
Wren, Jenny & William Jenkins. From valley to mountain: the fruitful years: volume II of A saga of riches. N.p., L. V. Blaschak & W. W. Jenkins, 1987. 190 pp. (fiction)
Flood insurance study: city of Sparta, TN, White County. Washington, D.C., FEMA, 1977. 15 pp.
Johnson, Rena J., comp. History of First United Methodist Church, 1825-1982, Sparta, TN. Cookeville, the compiler, 1982. 169 pp.
The Sparta expositor: souvenir supplement. January, 1902. Sparta, the Expositor, 1902. 56 pp.
Tubb, James R., Jr. Seventy years agrowing: the story of Sparta Spoke Factory, 1896-1966. Sparta, n.p., 1966. 16 pp.


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Photographer's Note
This is the view from our hotel (hotel Las Olas), a great place to stay in the town of Bocas del Toro. Bocas is a great destination for enjoying nature, snorkeling, beach, surfing... great food and nice people make it a lovely place. From the town of Bocas you can hire a water taxi or a tour to visit the many amazing places in the archipelago.
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Photo Information
- Copyright: Daniel Moreno (dospordostres) (1170)
- Genre: Places
- Medium: Color
- Date Taken: 2013-05-28
- Categories: Architecture
- Camera: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, 18-55mm Canon, 58 mm Circ.polar + UV
- Exposure: f/8, 1/100 seconds
- More Photo Info: view
- Photo Version: Original Version
- Date Submitted: 2013-06-02 18:58
Viewed: 3104
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When it comes to men's motorcycle trousers, what are the essentials that you can't live without? Comfort? Safety? Protection? Ventilation? Waterproofing? At REV'IT!, we're proud to offer trousers that have all of the above characteristics. It doesn't matter what kind of bike you ride, you will find what you're looking for here.
We dedicate a large portion of R&D towards bringing our riders the best and most innovative features in our motorcycle clothing. But that would be null and void if the trousers weren't comfortable. If you don't enjoy spending time in your gear, it won't inspire you to ride matter how many great features it has.
Tailoring the fit to various body shapes and sizes makes our lineup so diverse, whether you are riding in an urban setting, touring, adventuring or are on the track. Our trousers come in a variety of sizes including standard, short and long lengths.
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Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance will be out in North America on July 31, but the new trailer for the Nintendo 3DS game is out today. This one starts Sora and Riku.
Like what you see?
And if you're confused about Kingdom Hearts lore at all, consider studying up on it.


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Ding (tripod cauldron), Late Shang Dynasty: photo by Mountain, 27 February 2006 (Shanghai Museum)
an unidentified object,
an unexpected guest.
It sat there
for a while, and then it stood
there for a while, where it was.
It was full of air
for a while, and then
for a while it was
full of nothing, and
then for a while,


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With an etched cactus, this jade Cuppa Color Mug makes a vibrant addition to your morning cup-a-joe. This porcelain mug includes a twine-tied tag that doubles as a gift card, making it gift ready for a friend, co-worker or nature enthusiast. Pair with matching Cuppa Coaster for a complete retro-modern look.
- Size (inches): 3.375 dia. x 4.375 h.
- Holds 10 fluid ounces.
- Stoneware.
- Lead-free. Non-toxic.
- Each mug includes gift tag.
- Dishwasher safe.
- Microwave safe.


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Wells Fargo Advisors (WFC) issued its 2012 Midyear Economic and Market Outlook on Monday, highlighting four areas of investment opportunities: the U.S. economy; U.S. equities; fixed income; and international investments, commodities and currencies.
The report includes the views of analysts and strategists on Wells Fargo Advisors' Investment Strategy Committee. Its main conclusion is that, while there are positive forces supporting the U.S. economy and domestic stock markets, there are also plenty of downside risks as well.
Read on for details on the forecasts and specific portfolio opportunities in each of the four areas analyzed by Wells Fargo experts.
1. Economy
Overview: Uncertainty overshadows an improving economy; the recovery remains subpar; but the economy is not headed for another recession
Forecasts (Year-end 2012): 2.5% inflation-adjusted GDP, 8% unemployment, 2.5% CPI inflation
Recommended overweight: International emerging fixed income, short-term investment grade bonds (Treasuries, agency securities, mortgage-based securities, corporate bonds and municipal bonds)
Source: Chief Macro Strategist Gary Thayer
2. U.S. Equities
Overview: Though choppy, the market has the potential to move higher; investors should focus on cyclically oriented stocks; volatility during the last portions of economic recoveries is normal.
Forecasts (Year-end 2012): 1,400-1,450 S&P 500 Index; $103 in S&P earnings
Recommended overweight: Consumer discretionary, information technology, materials and telecommunications
Source: Chief Equity Strategist Stuart Freeman, CFA
3. Fixed Income
Overview: Buyers seeking perceived safe-haven investments have driven yields on high-quality sovereign debt down to historic lows.
Forecasts (Year-end 2012): 0.00%-0.25% target federal funds rate; 2.5% 10-year Treasury yield; 3.5% 30-year Treasury yield
Recommended overweight: Corporate bonds, emerging-market debt.
Slightly overweight: Municipal bonds, preferred securities
Source: Chief Fixed Income Strategist Brian Rehling, CFA
4. International & Commodities
Overview: As Europe continues to weigh on the markets, remain cautious but expect a better second half as there are signs the global slowdown may be ending.
Forecasts (Year-end 2012): 1,500 MSCI EAFE equity index, 1,100 MSCI emerging-market equity index, $104 crude oil per barrel, $1,700 gold per troy ounce, $1.23 euro exchange rate
Recommended overweight: Equities in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Mexico; sovereign debt in Canada, Australia and New Zealand; currencies in Japan and emerging Asia; and energy and gold.
Source: Chief International Strategist Paul Christopher, CFA
Top 10 lists from AdvisorOne:
- 10 Best Cities for Jobs in Financial Services
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- Top 7 Cities for Financial Job Seekers
- Top 10 Best Cities for Educated Job Seekers
- Top 10 Surprisingly Best Cities for Retirees
- Top 9 Most Disliked U.S. Companies


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Sean Avery, now playing for the Connecticut Whale in the AHL, was a healthy scratch last night for what the Rangers are calling "disciplinary reasons." It remains unclear, however, what required the discipline. The rumor spreading on Twitter is that he was benched for spitting on his coach.
Further seasoning the story is the news that at least two teams would claim Avery were he re-called by the Rangers. One team, apparently has gone so far as to ask the Rangers to do just that, while another quietly waits in the wings. The Rangers, however, would prefer to trade Avery because a claim would require them to pay half his salary and involve a salary cap hit they would like to avoid.
So, with the prospect of getting back to the NHL stalled for what appears to be trade deadline posturing, Avery toils away in Connecticut minor league hockey. He is most likely aggravated and feeling helpless, with a very defined skill set: pissing people off. Up until this point, things have generally worked out for Avery when he pisses people off, so it is entirely possible this was an orchestrated maneuver, designed to force New York's hand. Or, he could just be a crazy person incapable of controlling himself in the high stakes atmosphere of Connecticut minor league hockey.
Sean Avery scratched from AHL game for disciplinary reasons [Pro Hockey Talk]


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SEO optimization is important for all businesses to drive potential customers to their company website. Sadly though, just getting a customer to the site is not enough. An attractive website that is easy to navigate, keeps the customer engaged and makes it more likely for them to return to the website. Thus, leading to a higher retention rate and a positive association with the target audience. 2Marketing design strategies that get more users to visit a website and to keep them returning frequently. In addition, they help clients maintain a positive presence on a variety of social media platforms and the Internet as a whole.
Founded in 2001 as an SEO business, 2Marketing has grown into a full-service digital marketing firm. The success of their customized approach to SEO marketing has gained them international respect and a reputation as one of Canada's top SEO agencies. Building on this success, they have widened their scope to meet all the online needs of a modern business.
2Marketing's full-service approach includes a vast range of serviceareas. They provide Internet Marketing, Google Penalty Recovery, Remarketing, Google Local SEO Map Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Website Conversion Optimization, Mobile Web Design, Copywriting and Translation, SEO Services and Optimization, and Pay Per Click Management.
Website design and development services are available for all applications, such as online shopping, research and information gathering, user forums and discussion boards, blogs and articles, product catalogs and reviews, and video and photo galleries.
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The entire special interview [in Spanish] with the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Jorge Areeaza, follows. The clip above begins at position 10:05 in the video below.
Uploaded by teleSUR tv | Published on May 17, 2019.
Telesur English | 17 May, 2019.Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza hailed Norway's mediation efforts and stressed that "knowing how to listen, agree and comply is required."During an exclusive interview with teleSUR, Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza addressed some of the the highlights of the current political, economic and diplomatic situation his country is going through.With regard to the "exploratory phase" of dialogue taking place in Norway between representatives of the President Nicolas Maduro administration and delegates of the opposition Juan Guaido, Arreaza recalled that his government has always insisted that dialogue is a "must" and much more when Venezuela is under attack.Representatives from the International Contact Group for Venezuela, which includes several Latin American and European countries have made five visits to the country in the last three months, informed Arreaza. The vice-ministers of foreign affairs from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden and Uruguay who all belong to the group made a special visit to Venezuela Thursday and met with Maduro where they were asked to understand the Bolivarian Revolution without outside biases.Importante reunión con el Grupo Internacional de Contacto que visita Venezuela. Les expresé mi disposición de resolver las diferencias internas por la vía del diálogo y conversamos sobre las agresiones económicas del imperio de los EE.UU. en contra de nuestro Pueblo. pic.twitter.com/Z4zJQGJDXK— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) May 17, 2019Important meeting with the International Contact Group visiting Venezuela. I expressed my willingness to resolve internal differences through dialogue and we talked about the economic aggressions of the US empire against our People.It is important to "understand the Venezuelan reality by taking into account the historical struggle for the control of oil resources, which happens between, on the one hand, a local bourgeoisie wanting to appropriate oil revenues for its own benefit and, on the other hand, a government seeking to distribute oil wealth through housing, health and education for its people," emphasized the Venezuelan diplomat during the interview.#FromTheSouth News Bits | Mara Verhayden-Hilliard, the attorney representing the Embassy Protection Activists who were arrested by #UnitedStates federal police, has said the invasion of the Venezuelan embassy in #WashingtonDC is an outrageous violation of the Vienna convention. pic.twitter.com/9nze1f1rUC— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) 17 de mayo de 2019Minister Arreaza did not provide details about the dialogue's exploratory phase, however, he thanked Norway for its willingness to contribute to peace."We are very grateful to the kingdom of Norway for its efforts to bring parties together. ... Dialogue in democracy is always good news. ... There is a historical conflict that must be managed in peace (and) knowing how to listen, agree and comply is requiered."Regarding the Lima Group meeting, which was scheduled for this week but suspended, the foreign minister said that such suspension reflects a change in the group's strategy, which was "surprised" by the recently publicized talks in Norway."It is the anti-dialogue group. ... It's a group of right-wing Latin American governments that reflect U.S. policy. ... However, Venezuela is willing to work with these governments," stressed the Venezuelan minister who explained that although the Lima Group rejected a military intervention in Venezuela, it has fostered political conditions that make the U.S. believe that such an intervention is feasible.We will be gathering at the Venezuelan Embassy at noon and then marching to the White House to demand us hands off Venezuela, drop the charges against the embassy protectors and no war on Iran. Join us? https://t.co/ms6xafeYN9— Phil Wilayto (@PhilWilayto1) 17 de mayo de 2019Speaking about recent foreign-driven actions against Venezuela, Arreaza highlighted the unfortunate events that took place at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington D.C. Thursday and thanked U.S. peace activists who defended that building for over a month.On May 16, United States local and national security forces invaded Venezuela's sovereign embassy in D.C. to arrest the remaining Protection Collective members inside the building trying to keep it in the hands of the democratically elected Maduro adminstration."First of all a recognition to the activists who protected the embassy. ... Their moral strength and integrity were greater than all the police forces trying to evict them through the back door," said Arreaza and commented that "it was a sad spectacle and a violation of the Vienna Convention."This multilateral agreement, he recalled, obliges any country to respect and protect other countries' embassy even when there is a rupture of diplomatic relations or armed conflicts."We do respect international law. ... The U.S. sits on the United Nations Security Council but threatens other countries with war," he said and pointed out that "the time for diplomacy is now, I hope they understand... all their strategies against Venezuela have failed. ... (Trumps') advisers have committed one awkward event after another," referring to the failed 'humanitarian aid' in February, massive electrical sabotages on Venezuela in March, and May's coup attempt against Maduro.#LIVE | President @NicolasMaduro: "We call to respect the human rights of @codepink activists that defended our embassy after we broke diplomatic relations with the Trump government" pic.twitter.com/FqFLOwNM9V— Global Analytica (@AnalyticaGlobal) 16 de mayo de 2019Minister Arreaza indicated that similar actions against the U.S. embassy in Caracas could be undertaken, if his country followed the 'Principle of Reciprocity' tradition. However, Venezuela will not do so because the Bolivarian government does respect international law.With respect to what could happen to the Venezuelan building in D.C., he said that it would be absurd for the Venezuelan opposition to occupy the Bolivarian embassy and perform administrative tasks from there."If any Venezuelan went to the embassy, he could not process a visa, apostille a document or perform similar actions. It would be absurd."Arreaza stressed again that the "brazen" disrespect for international law that took place at the Venezuelan embassy has become "a great triumph" for both his country and peace activists who demonstrated "seeds of change" that will benefit sooner than later the world and the United States.As a message to all Venezuelans without distinction of political positions, Minister Arreaza said that violence will not be the means to solve domestic disputes."We have a Constitution which cost a lot and we must protect it. Venezuela needs a peaceful and democratic road. Within that, there is no intervention," he recalled and added that "we all have to reject war and blockades, and bet on dialogue, democracy and peace. ... Problems will not be solved with aggression, insult and violence," said the diplomat. SOURCE


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Foundation is the basis of many great makeup looks. Foundation can help your skin tone appear even and help minimize flaws. A good application can make the difference between a picture-perfect finish and a glamour don't. We have all seen bad foundation applications on women who look like they are wearing an orange mask or whose faces don't match their necks. But there is no reason to be intimidated. It is actually quite easy to apply foundation. Here's how:
Color selection is the first step in avoiding obvious foundation lines. It is best to buy foundation at a store where you can try the colors because it can be very difficult to judge shades based on the package alone. Bring someone with you who you trust to give you an honest opinion about whether or not a shade is right for you. Also, be sure to step outside of the store to see how the color looks on your skin in the sunlight. Foundation that looks great in the store could look clown-like in natural light.
Begin with well-hydrated skin for even coverage. Moisturize your face and let it sink in for about five minutes.
Pour a very small amount of foundation onto your fingertips and dot onto your cheeks, forehead, nose and chin.
Using a damp cosmetic sponge, blend each dot outward until all areas of the face are covered. You can apply a little more if needed. After you are satisfied with the results, take your sponge or brush and blend the line where the foundation ends one more time around the perimeter of your face to ensure that no visible lines remain.
Dust with loose powder to help set the foundation in place.
Check your face in natural light to make sure everything is blended nicely.
Foundation doesn't have to be scary to apply or look bad. If you're not confident in your technique, practice before applying the rest of your makeup so that you can wash it off and start over if you aren't happy with the results.


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Millimeter-Wave S-Parameter Measurements
Make millimeter-wave S-parameter measurements with frequency extension modules for your vector network analyzer
OML's external frequency extension modules when combined with a Keysight vector network analyzer allow you to extend the frequency range of your instruments to perform accurate and repeatable S-parameter measurements on your millimeter-wave band circuits and devices.
- Perform millimeter wave S-parameter measurements
- Millimeter wave extension modules for your vector network analyzer
- Extend the frequency range of your Keysight PNA and PNA-X
- External VNA modules simplifies setup and optimizes performance
- Over-the-air, on-wafer, or waveguide connections to your DUT
- Waveguide interface compatible with MIL-DTL-3922/67D (UG 387/U-M)
- Accurate and repeatable S-parameter measurements on your mm-wave devices
- Request more information and Keysight's partner, OML, Inc., will contact you to discuss your requirements in more detail.
Documentos e downloads
Millimeter-Wave S-Parameter Measurements
Co-branded Solutions Partner brochure with OML, Inc. on millimeter-wave s-parameter measurements.
Brochura 2014-08-02


text: This is the all new X79 motherboard from MSi. This is their high-performance offering for this chipset and it should come with a whole host of features that will impressive the enthusiast community. MSi have a well-earned reputation for producing incredibly well performing products and offering them at a very competitive price. So let's have a look first at what this new chipset from Intel has to offer.


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Ryan Linn continues his insiders look at Offensive Security's online training in Part 4 of this continuing review of 'Pentesting with BackTrack.' As a reminder, PWB is described by Offensive Security as, "An online course designed for network administrators and security professionals who need to get acquainted with the world of offensive security. This penetration testing course introduces the latest hacking tools and techniques, and includes remote live labs for exercising the material presented to the students. This course gives a solid understanding of the penetration testing process, and is equally important for those wanting to either defend or attack their network. The course can be taken from your home, as long as you have a modern computer with high speed internet."
Ryan brings it all together for you next month with a complete review of the course as well as the exam experience. Stay tuned.
Discuss in Forums {mos_smf_discuss:Linn}
This is the final installation of the weekly Pentesting With BackTrack (PWB) review. This week we will cover the final sections of the course which deal with post-exploitation exercises, web application penetration testing, and the final extra credit challenges. Up until this point, the course has covered recon, enumeration, exploitation creation, exploit use, and tunneling in depth. Now that those topics have been well covered and understood, PWB focuses on what happens after you have obtained a foothold in the environment.
The first section of the fourth theme covers Password attacks. The section starts out with the theory behind password attacks and explains what is happening using a Python script. This example is a good background and also shows how to create a very basic password guesser for services that may not have one already designed. The code has good feedback built into it, so that you can know what is happening as the script is running.
After the foundation for password attacks have been laid down, more automated approaches are introduced. THC Hydra is used to do the same tasks that the Python script did. Hydra is used to brute force a few services in order to show how it is flexible and how different options are utilized. Also covered is how to use wordlists differently in order to get results. One example that I use a lot was the SNMP example which will allow you to guess SNMP strings with Hydra.
Next the class goes through dealing with wordlist creation using a variety of tools. When profiling an organization it is frequently useful to gather words that are unique to that company to use as passwords and tools are introduced to gather those words from web pages in order to turn them into usable wordlists. The best part of this section is that there are tools that are on the BackTrack distribution to facilitate the creation of wordlists, and I was previously unaware of the one used in the course. I was impressed with how
easy they made this topic seem. I have seen some of this presented before, and it was presented very simply here which I liked.
Next there is a discussion and demonstration of getting password hashes out of a Windows machine using fgdump and pwdump. The course explains how to get the tools on the machine, what to expect when you run them, and what portions are important. Once you have the hashes, PWB takes you through cracking them via John the Ripper, Rainbow Tables and even online with the Offensive Security online crack tool. The final part of the password attack section covers the theory and use of the smb_relay Metasploit module, a tool that can use the victim's credentials against them in order to drop Metasploit payloads on the victim machine. This stuff is all pretty basic, but critical to a course like this, especially if the student hasn't been exposed to these types of tasks. At this point, they need it before they can even think of moving into professional penetration testing.
Next is a section that dealt with passwords when a machine is offline. If you were able to boot a BackTrack CD in a machine to which you have physical access, this section walks you through dumping SAM information on non-Domain Controllers, dealing with the restore password for Active Directory boxes, managing Linux partitions, and even dealing with Cisco device passwords. Each section is short, but gives links to a lot of additional information.
The final section for videos is the Web Application Attack section. Three basic types of attacks are enumerated for this section: SQL Injection Attacks, Using Web Proxies, and Command Injection Attacks.
The first section, the SQL Injection Attacks, covers in-depth the theory behind SQL injections, detecting SQL injections in a web page, and then the details of how the SQL injection can be used for database enumeration and even shell access.
PWB starts out by showing a vulnerable web app and then digging down into the code to show where it is vulnerable. Once we understand what a SQL injection vulnerability is, we find out how to tell if a web page is vulnerable. While the tests it lists aren't numerous, it does a good job of explaining the process.
Once you have identified the vulnerability, the class walks through table enumeration and column enumeration by hand. I have seen tons of tutorials online that cover the tool-based approaches to dealing with these attacks, but knowing how these attacks are working by executing them by hand really adds to the understanding.
Once the enumeration has been handled, a stored procedure was used and xp_cmdshell are discussed. xp_cmdshell allows for command execution, so this part of web exploitation is particularly valuable. This portion of the class is pretty brief, but the highlights are touched to give a point of reference for additional understanding in the future.
The next section deals with web proxies. This section is very brief and discusses how local web proxies can be beneficial to capture and modify data being passed between the web browser and the web server.
This section uses the Tamper Data plugin to demonstrate parameter manipulation. I thought that this section was pretty brief, and I wished that it had been longer. I use the web proxies very frequently while doing web penetration tests, and I think they are probably at least as important as understanding SQL injection. The theory is all there, I just wished that they had gone more into the practice of using web proxies.
The final portion of the web section involved command injection vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities exist when data input from a web application are passed in some form to the shell to be executed. The course looks at some code that might exist and how it is vulnerable to this type of attack. Once the basics have been covered the limitations and some examples of exploitation are covered. This was another short section, but this time I thought the length was appropriate.
The next sections exist in the manual only, not in video form. These are all areas that are extra topics and appear to be bonus topics for those interested. The first section is on Trojan Horses. This section covers a variety of types of trojans, how they work, and include information on how to get them to try on your own. This section was interesting, and I tried one or two of the trojans , but I didn't play around with them extensively as I got what I needed from the description. I don't see myself using these very often, but it's good to know they exist in case some situation arises where they may be useful.
The next section was on Windows Oddities including NTFS Alternate Data Streams (ADS) and dealing with the Windows Registry. The ADS section describes how to use ADS to hide files and applications on the NTFS file system. Once the files are hidden this section then walks through how to access files that have been hidden. The final portion of this section discusses how to hide values in the registry, specifically ensuring that an application which is in the Run section of the Windows registry can't be seen. While I don't expect to use the second half of this section frequently, the ADS is handy when you don't want a file to be seen.
The final educational section of the class is on Rootkits. This section focused first on the background behind rootkits with some good links to more information, and then finally looks at 2 different rootkits. Each rootkit has a description of how it works and why it is interesting. The exercise is constructed to use some of these rootkits to see what it looks like on the machine, which I recommend just so see what happens when one of them is installed. Afterwards you will want to revert your lab machine, but this section was fun anyway.
Once all the teaching is done, it's time to play. The final part of the class is to exercise all of the tools and techniques you have learned in order to achieve 7 different tasks. Each task consists of using the tools you have learned to exploit a machine or a service, and each task you complete can earn you points on the OSCP exam. I thought this section was crazy amounts of fun and got to strengthen my knowledge about each of the techniques from the class. Each box reinforces a different strategy, and the fact that you have to document each step gets you ready to take the OSCP exam where documentation is critical. I spent quite a bit of time on this section and loved every minute of it. I thought each challenge was laid out well, and the fact that you take these points with you to the OSCP sealed the deal.
This is the last of the weekly updates. After this I am off to take the OSCP exam and write the final review for the class. Come back to find out what I thought of the exam, how I did, and how I feel the course fit together as a whole. Thanks for reading!
Ryan Linn, CISSP, MCSE, GPEN – Ryan is currently an Information Security Engineer at SAS Institute. Employed in the computer industry since 1997, he has held positions ranging from web developer to Unix Systems Programmer at a large university to his current position in Information Security. Ryan has been responsible for working with large scale deployments of various flavors of *nix, high availability web and database clusters, as well as for application programming in high availability environments. In the past few years, Ryan has incorporated Windows security into his responsibilities, and is now part of the team responsible for information security globally in one of the largest privately held software companies in the world.


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TERMS & CONDITIONS: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice on DVD
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Bordeaux 101
Bordeaux is a wine with baggage. I always assumed it was an out-of-reach, snobby wine that was too expensive and available only to collectors and le wine buffs with deep pockets. And while it's true that some Bordeaux wines are indeed expensive (top-of-the line Bordeauxs are snapped up for hundreds or even thousands a bottle!) it's just not true across the line. This wine-producing area in the southern part of Western France includes over 60 appellations, or wine-producing areas.
Another common assumption: Bordeaux wines are all red. Nope. Although Bordeaux is best known for its reds, wines from the region can be white, rose, and they can also be sweet.
I asked Laurie Forster, a wine educator who also calls herself "The Wine Coach" some questions about this misunderstood wine.
Can you give us a quick "Bordeaux 101"? The red wines of Bordeaux are always blends of five different grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, and Malbec. The left bank wines tend to have more Cabernet Sauvignon, while the right bank wines tend to have more Merlot and Cab Franc, and tend to be softer than left bank wines. We like to generalize about Bordeaux, but they can be very different based on the geography—the soil really makes its mark on the wine.
What makes Bordeaux wines particularly exciting right now? There have been a number of great vintages in the last five years. Thanks to lots of production and a domestic shrinking of consumption, this is the perfect storm for finding value for your money. There's also such a great balance of old tradition and innovation going on right now. Innovation with Biodynamics, packaging—wine tubes, appellations for example—Cotes de Bordeaux and marketing aimed to draw in the U.S. market.
Can you recommend some bottles in a reasonable price range worth seeking out (and drinking) now?
Chateau St Marie Entre-Deux-Mers 2009 $13 164% Sauvignon Blanc, 28% Semillon and 8% Muscadelle. White flowers, citrus and fresh acidity.
Clos Puy Arnaud Cotes de Castillon 2005 $25-30 This is a biodynamic wine from the right bank. Red fruit-ripe berries, plum, cherry. Generous texture and velvety tannins.
Chateau Dutruch Grand Poujeaux 2005 Moulis-en-Medoc $27 This is a left-bank wine, where the soil is more gravelly. It's a blend of 57% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. Still elegant tannins, more mineral, earthy with black fruits.
Aureus de Sauternes 2006 $26 This is an affordable Sauternes with flavors of crystallized fruit and hazelnuts. Sweet wines aren't just for dessert—I would try pairing this with foie gras, blue cheese, or grilled poultry.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - The former live-in caretaker of a Pittsburgh-area mansion will stand trial on charges he drank more than $102,000 worth of old whiskey that he was supposed to be guarding.
A district judge on Wednesday ordered 62-year-old John Saunders, of Irwin, to trial on theft charges after hearing from the owner of the South Broadway Manor Bed and Breakfast.
The owner found nine 12-bottle cases of whiskey hidden in the century-old mansion built by industrialist J.P. Brennan after she bought it last year. The Old Farm Pure Rye Whiskey was produced in the early 1900s and appraised at more than $2,000 a bottle.
After Saunders moved out last March, the owner discovered 52 empty bottles and police found Saunders' saliva DNA on some of the bottles.
Saunders' attorney argued the value of the whiskey was "pure speculation."


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One-piece leather straps are known for their comfort and good looks. They are made from very soft, flexible, and comfortable single-layered cowhide leather. The leather is skived down to about 1.6mm thick, for comfort and easy fitment on most watches. This 3-ring leather strap wears similarly to our nylon Heavy Duty NATO straps.
The Peanut colorway is a light to medium shade of brown, that has an uneven tone across the strap (highs and lows). The leather has a slight pull-up effect, and is stitched with matching brown thread. This model is constructed in a single-layered 3-ring NATO style. The backside of this strap is the unlined natural suede of the leather. It features stainless steel "Heavy Duty" style hardware in brushed stainless steel. 10.75" length including the buckle.
Status: Discontinued
Privacy / Terms / Legal
Crown and Buckle LLC
of International Watchman, Inc.


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I drove to a Parrot Rescue 75 miles away today. I am going to be volunteering there one or two days a week.
They have about 50 birds. I spent today leaning about the story of each one. There is already one who seems attached to me. She would call to me whenever I went away, and even said my name once (total coincidence, but still a bit startling. She also called me Mary)
The birds range in size from a budgie to several Greenwing Macaws. They range in age from fairly young, to an old wild-caught Moluccan Cockatoo of unknown age.
I saw a breed I had never seen before, a Mealy Amazon. I never knew that they were so big, and chunky.