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Rustler User Guide
Last update: August 10, 2020
Rustler is no longer in production and is not available to users.
System Overview
TACC's Hadoop cluster, Rustler, is specifically architected to facilitate data-driven research. Using the Hadoop framework and YARN (MapReduce 2.0), Rustler is optimal for analyzing and storing huge amounts of data, structured or unstructured, in minimal time. Rustler differs from traditional high performance computing resources where storage and computations are located in physically separated racks. Instead, Rustler offers 1PB of distributed storage across its 64 data nodes, supporting the Big Data Analytics paradigms such as MapReduce, and applications, such as Hadoop and Spark. Rustler offers support for a variety of Big Data analysis applications and platforms including Hadoop, Spark, and R as well as programming support in such languages as C/C++, Java, Scala and Python.
Rustler is ideal for researchers whose work requires repeated access, transformation and analysis of multi-terabytes of data. Please email email@example.com for more information.
System Architecture
Rustler is a 66 node computing cluster for data intensive computing. Each node has dual eight core Ivy Bridge CPUs (Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2650) running at 2.60GHz, with 128 GB DDR3 memory and 16 1TB SATA drives providing the backing for the HDFS file system. All nodes are connected via a 10 Gbps network. Among the 66 nodes available on rustler, 64 nodes are configured as data nodes, 1 node is configured as name node and 1 node is configured as login node. The login node has 13TB storage for user to staging the data and is also connected to the TACC wide shared work file system, allowing for easy transfer of results to a POSIX file system available to all of the other clusters at TACC.
File Systems
- $WORK/Stockyard
System Access
The Rustler login node is used both for submitting jobs and for ingesting and retrieving data to and from the HDFS file system. Rustler is now in Friendly User Mode. Please email firstname.lastname@example.com to request access to Rustler.
SSH access
To create a login session from a local machine it is necessary to have an SSH client. Wikipedia is a good source of information on SSH, and provides information on the various clients available for your particular operating system. To ensure a secure login session, users must connect to machines using the secure shell
ssh command. Data movement must be done using the secure shell commands
scp and
Do not run the optional
ssh-keygen command to set up Public-key authentication. This command sets up a passphrase that will interfere with the execution of job scripts in the batch system. If you have already done this, remove the
.ssh directory (and the files under it) from your home directory. Log out and log back in to regenerate the keys.
To initiate an
ssh connection to a Rustler login node from your local system, use one of the SSH clients supporting the SSH-2 protocol e.g., like OpenSSH, Putty, SecureCRT. Then execute the following command:
localhost$ ssh firstname.lastname@example.com
Note: the TACC userid is needed if the user name on the local machine and the TACC machine differ.
Login passwords (which are identical to TACC portal passwords, not XUP passwords) can be changed in the TACC User Portal. Select "Change Password" under the "HOME" tab after you login. If you've forgotten your password, go to the TACC User Portal and select the "? Forgot Password" button.
Hadoop Installation on Rustler
The Cloudera's open source distribution of Apache Hadoop (Hadoop 2.3.0-cdh5.1.0) has been installed on Rustler. The Apache Hadoop software library is a framework that allows for the distributed processing of large data sets across clusters of computers using simple programming models. It is designed to scale up from single servers to thousands of machines, each offering local computation and storage. Rather than rely on hardware to deliver high-availability, the library itself is designed to detect and handle failures at the application layer, so delivering a highly-available service on top of a cluster of computers, each of which may be prone to failures.
The project includes these modules:
- Hadoop Common: The common utilities that support the other Hadoop modules.
- Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS): A distributed file system that provides high-throughput access to application data.
- Hadoop YARN: A framework for job scheduling and cluster resource management.
- Hadoop MapReduce: A YARN-based system for parallel processing of large data sets.
For backward compatibility, CDH 5 continues to support the original MapReduce framework (i.e. the JobTracker and TaskTrackers), but you should begin migrating to MRv2.
All Java libraries related with CDH 5 is available at /usr/lib/hadoop-mapreduce/. User should add /usr/lib/hadoop-mapreduce/ to their Java classpath variable and make sure the required java library files can be found when compiling their own developed code.
Running Hadoop MapReduce Jobs
The user can invoke Hadoop commands from login node directly.
Usage: hadoop [--config confdir] [COMMAND] [GENERIC_OPTIONS] [COMMAND_OPTIONS]
To run a user developed java application:
login1$ hadoop jar MyJarFile.jar MainClass args
In addition to running a jar file directly with a
hadoopcommand, a user can also submit a job specified by a job file with the "
mapred" command:
Usage: mapred [--config confdir] COMMAND
To submit a job specified by MyMR.job, a user can run following:
login1$ mapred job -submit MyMR.job
for example, to list current running job in hadoop cluster
login1$ mapred job -list
The mapred job command also enables user to interact with an active job by job-id
To check the status of the job
login1$ mapred job -status job-id
To kill an active MapReduce job:
login1$ mapred job -kill job-id
The default working director under hdfs for each user also is also the user's home directory under the hdfs at
/user/username. This directory should have been created for each user. Please contact us, if the directory is not available. A user can interact with HDFS using hdfs command:
Usage: hdfs [--config confdir] [COMMAND] [GENERIC_OPTIONS] [COMMAND_OPTIONS]
Here are a few common actions:
list the content under the current working directory
login1$ hdfs dfs -ls
copy a file,
foo.test, from local file system to HDFS and named as
login1$ hdfs dfs --copyFromLocal foo.test foo_in_hdfs.test
copy a file,
foo_in_hdfs.test,from hdfs to local file system as
login1$ hdfs dfs --copyToLocal foo_in_hdfs.test foo_from_hdfs.test
Remove a file named foo.test in the current working directory of hdfs
login1$ hdfs dfs -rm foo.test
Please see the Hadoop Commands Manual for more information.
Monitoring Hadoop Jobs
A web interface is available for checking cluster status, please visit https://rustler.tacc.utexas.edu/about/ and login with your TACC user id.
Application Support
Additional analysis software and libraries can be installed upon request. Currently the following software/libraries are available on Rustler
- Hadoop Ecosystem
- Mahout
- Python
Hadoop Streaming
Although the Hadoop framework is implemented in Java, MapReduce applications need not be written in Java. Hadoop streaming is a utility that comes with the Hadoop distribution. The utility allows users to create and run jobs with any executables (e.g. shell utilities) as the mapper and/or the reducer. See details in http://hadoop.apache.org/docs/r1.2.1/streaming.html.
For Hadoop users, writing MapReduce programs in R may be considered easier, more productive and more elegant with much less code than in java and easier deployment. It is great to prototype and do research. For R users, it opens the doors of MapReduce programming and access to big data analysis.
RHadoop is a bridge between R, a language and environment to statistically explore data sets, and Hadoop, a framework that allows for the distributed processing of large data sets across clusters of computers.
Set the complete path to the "
hadoop" executable
login1$ export HADOOP_CMD=/usr/bin/hadoop
Set the complete path to the hadoop streaming jar file
login1$ export HADOOP_STREAMING=/usr/lib/hadoop-mapreduce/hadoop-streaming-2.3.0-cdh5.1.0.jar
RHadoop example
Run RHadoop example code, which randomly generates 500 number from binomial distribution with size=100 and prob=0.5 and uses mapreduce procedure to sum up the frequency for each number.
login1$ Rscript /share/doc/example_RHadoop.R
Expected output should be similar to the following:
15/02/15 13:57:01 INFO mapreduce.Job: map 0% reduce 0% 15/02/15 13:57:09 INFO mapreduce.Job: map 100% reduce 0% 15/02/15 13:57:16 INFO mapreduce.Job: map 100% reduce 100% 15/02/15 13:57:17 INFO mapreduce.Job: Job job_1422482982071_0276 completed successfully 15/02/15 13:57:17 INFO mapreduce.Job: Counters: 50 File System Counters FILE: Number of bytes read=8175 FILE: Number of bytes written=305917 FILE: Number of read operations=0 FILE: Number of large read operations=0 FILE: Number of write operations=0 HDFS: Number of bytes read=1755 HDFS: Number of bytes written=4890 HDFS: Number of read operations=13 HDFS: Number of large read operations=0 HDFS: Number of write operations=2 Job Counters Launched map tasks=2 Launched reduce tasks=1 Rack-local map tasks=2 Total time spent by all maps in occupied slots (ms)=24810 Total time spent by all reduces in occupied slots (ms)=10158 Total time spent by all map tasks (ms)=12405 Total time spent by all reduce tasks (ms)=5079 Total vcore-seconds taken by all map tasks=12405 Total vcore-seconds taken by all reduce tasks=5079 Total megabyte-seconds taken by all map tasks=100430880 Total megabyte-seconds taken by all reduce tasks=60948000 Map-Reduce Framework Map input records=3 Map output records=57 Map output bytes=8036 Map output materialized bytes=8181 Input split bytes=226 Combine input records=0 Combine output records=0 Reduce input groups=28 Reduce shuffle bytes=8181 Reduce input records=57 Reduce output records=58 Spilled Records=114 Shuffled Maps =2 Failed Shuffles=0 Merged Map outputs=2 GC time elapsed (ms)=641 CPU time spent (ms)=6930 Physical memory (bytes) snapshot=4078620672 Virtual memory (bytes) snapshot=31807492096 Total committed heap usage (bytes)=6315245568 Shuffle Errors BAD_ID=0 CONNECTION=0 IO_ERROR=0 WRONG_LENGTH=0 WRONG_MAP=0 WRONG_REDUCE=0 File Input Format Counters Bytes Read=1529 File Output Format Counters Bytes Written=4890
SparkR is an R package that provides a light-weight frontend to use Apache Spark from R. SparkR exposes the Spark API through the RDD (Resilient Distributed Datasets) class and allows users to interactively run jobs from the R shell on a cluster.
Run SparkR example code, pi.R, which uses Monte Carlo method to estimate the value of Pi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Carlo_method). In the pi.R example code, 100,000 random points placing on a square are splited into 10 slices of RDD.
login1$ YARN_CONF_DIR=/etc/hadoop/conf MASTER=yarn-client \ SparkR-pkg-master/sparkR SparkR-pkg-master/examples/pi.R yarn-client 10
Expected output should be similar to the following
Loading required package: methods [SparkR] Initializing with classpath /home/rhuang/SparkR-pkg-master/lib/SparkR/sparkr-assembly-0.1.jar ... 15/02/15 13:35:06 INFO YarnClientImpl: Submitted application application_1422482982071_0275 15/02/15 13:35:20 INFO RackResolver: Resolved c252-113.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu to /default-rack 15/02/15 13:35:20 INFO RackResolver: Resolved c253-102.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu to /default-rack Pi is roughly 3.1419 Num elements in RDD 1000000 Stopping SparkR 15/02/15 13:35:25 INFO RemoteActorRefProvider$RemotingTerminator: Shutting down remote daemon. 15/02/15 13:35:25 INFO RemoteActorRefProvider$RemotingTerminator: Remote daemon shut down;...
Apache Spark
Apache Spark is a popular, general purpose cluster computing framework. While it can run in a variety of configurations, on Rustler we support running it on top of the YARN cluster manager so users can leverage the entire cluster for their computational tasks. In this configuration, these jobs will also use HDFS to access their dataset in a distributed fashion. Spark creates RDDs (Resilient Distributed Datasets) which are in-memory, fault tolerant transformations of datasets in disk based stores (like HDFS) or intermediate data generated by computations. By vitue of keeping these objects in memory, Spark is a very fast distributed computing framework.
spark-submit command
Spark applications are typically submitted using the "spark-submit" which internally sets up various SPARK and HADOOP environment variables prior to launching the application.
Usage: spark-submit [Spark Options] Application Jar or Python File [Application Options]
Run "spark-submit" with no options to see the Spark Options supported. Also see examples below.
Spark Example: Estimate Pi
Lets examine running some examples that come shipped with the Spark installation
(as /usr/lib/spark/examples/lib/spark-examples_2.10-1.0.0-cdh5.1.3.jar). Various other examples may be run using this procedure. Please refer to the Spark examples section of the Spark source code for details. (https://github.com/apache/spark/tree/master/examples/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/examples)
This example estimates the value of PI using the Monte Carlo method. The application takes one argument, the number of iterations to run (we chose 100 here).
login1$ spark-submit --class org.apache.spark.examples.SparkPi --deploy-mode cluster \ --master yarn /usr/lib/spark/examples/lib/spark-examples_2.10-1.0.0-cdh5.1.3.jar 100
Please note:
- "
--master" flag that specifies Spark Master as YARN since it is the resource manager of the cluster.
- "
--deploy-mode" flag used is "cluster". This is important as it ensures that nothing runs on the login node.
The "
spark-submit" command outputs to screen periodic application report stanzas for the job that looks as follows for a successful run:
15/02/12 14:32:17 INFO yarn.Client: Application report from ASM: application identifier: application_1422482982071_0154 appId: 154 clientToAMToken: null appDiagnostics: appMasterHost: N/A appQueue: root.agupta appMasterRpcPort: -1 appStartTime: 1423773105544 yarnAppState: ACCEPTED distributedFinalState: UNDEFINED appTrackingUrl: http://name.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu:8088/proxy/application_1422482982071_0154/ appUser: agupta ... 15/02/12 14:32:22 INFO yarn.Client: Application report from ASM: application identifier: application_1422482982071_0154 appId: 154 clientToAMToken: null appDiagnostics: appMasterHost: c251-114.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu appQueue: root.agupta appMasterRpcPort: 0 appStartTime: 1423773105544 yarnAppState: RUNNING distributedFinalState: UNDEFINED appTrackingUrl: http://name.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu:8088/proxy/application_1422482982071_0154/ appUser: agupta ... 15/02/12 14:32:29 INFO yarn.Client: Application report from ASM: application identifier: application_1422482982071_0154 appId: 154 clientToAMToken: null appDiagnostics: appMasterHost: c251-114.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu appQueue: root.agupta appMasterRpcPort: 0 appStartTime: 1423773105544 yarnAppState: FINISHED distributedFinalState: SUCCEEDED appTrackingUrl: http://name.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu:8088/proxy/application_1422482982071_0154/A appUser: agupta
The application identifier identifies a specific job. (in this example: application_1422482982071_0154). Its important to remember that since we are using YARN as our cluster manager, this is a YARN application ID. When application is running, it may also be viewed with the YARN command interface using:
yarn application -list.
If the application ended with some failures the last stanza of the application report would reflect that in the field distributedFinalState would show state "FAILED".
The above output of
spark-submit may be cancelled in order to get the shell prompt back using Ctrl-C.
More information on an application (its output, failures etc) can be found by looking at the application specific log files that are placed in the HDFS partition at the following path:
These may be examined using the dfs commands of HDFS.
For this specific example:
login1$ hdfs dfs -ls /var/log/hadoop-yarn/apps/agupta/logs/application_1422482982071_0154/ Found 3 items ...get shorter output
The last few lines of the log of the application master contains the results
(c251-114.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu_56010): ... stdout24Pi is roughly 3.1411232
Example: PageRank
This example runs a simple version of the PageRank algorithm on an input graph. The format of the input graph needs to be (with no blank lines):
FromURL ToURL FromURL ToURL ... FromURL ToURL
This example takes 2 arguments:
- The input graph file with the above format
- If the file is in HDFS, provide the HDFS path relative to your HDFS home folder.
- If the file is on the local file system, provide the absolute path prefixed by "file://"
- The number of iterations to run
spark-submit --class org.apache.spark.examples.JavaPageRank --deploy-mode cluster --master yarn \ /usr/lib/spark/examples/lib/spark-examples_2.10-1.0.0-cdh5.1.3.jar \ file:///home/agupta/edge_list.txt 50
In this example, the input graph (in "
edge_list.txt") is a graph of 1000 nodes and 10000 randomly created edges and the algorithm is run for 50 iterations.
The output is similar to the previous example:
15/02/12 16:06:21 INFO yarn.Client: Application report from ASM: application identifier: application_1422482982071_0160 appId: 160 clientToAMToken: null appDiagnostics: appMasterHost: N/A appQueue: root.agupta appMasterRpcPort: -1 appStartTime: 1423778749382 yarnAppState: ACCEPTED distributedFinalState: UNDEFINED appTrackingUrl: ... 15/02/12 16:06:26 INFO yarn.Client: Application report from ASM: application identifier: application_1422482982071_0160 appId: 160 clientToAMToken: null appDiagnostics: appMasterHost: c253-121.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu appQueue: root.agupta appMasterRpcPort: 0 appStartTime: 1423778749382 yarnAppState: RUNNING distributedFinalState: UNDEFINED appTrackingUrl: http://name.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu:8088/proxy/application_1422482982071_0160/ appUser: agupta ... 15/02/12 16:06:50 INFO yarn.Client: Application report from ASM: application identifier: application_1422482982071_0160 appId: 160 clientToAMToken: null appDiagnostics: appMasterHost: c253-121.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu appQueue: root.agupta appMasterRpcPort: 0 appStartTime: 1423778749382 yarnAppState: FINISHED distributedFinalState: SUCCEEDED appTrackingUrl: http://name.rustler.tacc.utexas.edu:8088/proxy/application_1422482982071_0160/A appUser: agupta
The results of a run can also be found in the application master log file in HDFS:
A section of the results looks like:
501 has rank: 1.103978228715302. 978 has rank: 0.8360883884213044. 34 has rank: 1.5498260479298391. 336 has rank: 0.8305731590891683. 716 has rank: 1.2556948018386884. 341 has rank: 0.6837823117718801. 680 has rank: 0.8281788633623367. 440 has rank: 0.7826825522156411. 542 has rank: 0.8771669240674593. 565 has rank: 0.6657704280226431. 109 has rank: 1.1040866397827505. 143 has rank: 0.6229546869395034. 132 has rank: 0.9529671056821962. 682 has rank: 1.0320869820757694. 430 has rank: 1.3435371064188004. 557 has rank: 0.4198054934772092. 169 has rank: 1.5631867069302998. 481 has rank: 1.4025914187834019. 744 has rank: 1.6301768850924943. 698 has rank: 1.207357785843826. 248 has rank: 1.1890010743342392. 695 has rank: 1.1707258115083423. 688 has rank: 0.9079755027702306. 607 has rank: 0.8205664753174244.
TACC resources are deployed, configured, and operated to serve a large, diverse user community. It is important that all users are aware of and abide by TACC Usage Policies. Failure to do so may result in suspension or cancellation of the project and associated allocation and closure of all associated logins. Illegal transgressions will be addressed through UT and/or legal authorities. The Usage Policies are documented here: http://www.tacc.utexas.edu/user-services/usage-policies.
Submit a helpdesk ticket via the TACC User Portal.


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Pumpkin Pie is one of the requirements at our Thanksgiving table. My husband loves it so much I make it several times even before Thanksgiving arrives. Over the years of experimenting this recipe has been updated and refined so it turns out very well. This recipe is grain-free and dairy-free and if you didn't know that before trying it you probably wouldn't notice a difference. The crust is made with almond flour instead of a traditional white flour crust and the cow's milk has been replaced with coconut milk. The coconut milk works very well and makes this pie very creamy.
For a pie recipe, this one is relatively quick to make. I put this one together in less then an hour including the crust.
Pumpkin Pie
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 cups pumpkin
- 3 eggs
- 1 can coconut milk
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp allspice
- Pinch cloves
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 425°. Mix together all ingredients with a mixer or a whisk until blended well. Pour the filling batter into the pre-baked pie crust. Bake in oven for 15 minutes at 425° then reduce temperature to 350° and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.
What is your favorite way to make Pumpkin Pie?
Did you enjoy this recipe? Would you like to get more real food recipes direct to your inbox? Click here to start receiving recipes!

subset: commoncrawl


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Spending on children's health rising faster than adults over past four years, says report
Spending on health care for children grew faster than spending for adults between 2007 and 2010 due to increasing prices for all categories of goods and services, finds a new report from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). This rise in spending occurred despite a decline in number of commercially insured children and a drop in the use of costly health care services, such as hospital stays and brand-name drugs, says the Children's Health Care Spending Report: 2007-2010. This is the first such analysis to track changes in spending, prices, and use of health care services by children covered by private employer-sponsored health insurance.
Price increases surpassed changes in the amount of health care children consumed and outstripped general inflation from 2007-2010, according to the report. Outpatient visit prices rose the fastest, increasing 34.4 percent over four years, nearly six times the rate of inflation, which grew 5.2 percent.
Per capita spending on children's health care rose to $2,123 in 2010, an 18.6 percent increase from 2007. Spending on health care for infants and toddlers was disproportionately high. Although children under 3 years comprised 17 percent of the covered child population, 31.4 percent of the total children's health care dollars was spent on them in 2010. Per capita spending for this age group reached $3,896 in 2010. At the same time, teenagers had the highest rate of per capita spending growth, rising 22.3 percent between 2007-2010, with more money going toward prescription drugs and outpatient care.
Utilization of mental health and substance abuse services by children rose nearly 24 percent over the four year period. Use of these services grew the most for children age 9-18. In addition, use of central nervous system drugs, such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and drugs used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, jumped more than 10 percent. Use of central nervous system drugs among teenagers was highest, with prescriptions exceeding 1 per insured child aged 14-18 in 2010.
"Children tend to use less expensive health care, so a bump in children's health care spending is troubling because it could indicate that kids are getting sicker or receiving unnecessary tests or excess procedures," says HCCI Governing Board Chairman Martin Gaynor, PhD, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Carnegie-Mellon University. "The data on spending for mental health and substance abuse services is particularly worrying. We need to look further into why there is such a high use of prescription drugs for mental health problems among children and whether this expenditure is yielding valuable health outcomes."
"HCCI's Children's Health Care Spending Report 2007-2010 is based on one of the largest collections of private health insurance claims data ever assembled and provides unprecedented insight into health care spending trends of children who are covered by their parents' or guardians' employer-based health insurance. Employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) is the largest single source of coverage for children in the United States. According to the report, insurers and consumers spent nearly $88 billion on health care for children in 2010, up nearly 12 percent from 2007. Spending rose even though the number of children covered by ESI declined 5.7 percent from nearly 44 million in 2007 to 41.4 million in 2010.
Most Money Spent on Professional Services
In 2010, the bulk of children's health care dollars (40.3%) was spent on professional procedures such as primary care office visits, immunizations and preventive care, a trend that was consistent across the four-year period. On average, $855 was spent on professional services per child, a 16.5 percent increase from 2007.
High rates of use helped make professional procedures the largest area of health care spending for children but price increases pushed up how much money was spent. On average, children experienced over 10 professional procedures in 2010, a 6.7 percent increase from 2007. Still, price increases for office visits, preventive care, and other services outpaced this growth, rising 9.2 percent over the four-year period.
Consumers also paid more out-of-pocket for professional procedures, which accounted for almost half of all out-of-pocket spending. For professional procedures, co-pays, deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs averaged $182 per child in 2010, an increase of 7.1 percent from 2009.
Exceptional Price Growth for Outpatient Care, ER Visits
Facility charges for outpatient visits increased, growing at more than twice the rate of inpatient admission facility charges. Emergency departments were an increasingly expensive place for care, with the average facility fee for an emergency room visit increasing 35 percent over 2007-2010 from $684 to $923.
Additional Report Highlights:
- West Spends Less Than Northeast: The growth in per capita spending on children varied considerably across the country but the gap was most notable between the West and Northeast. Between 2007 and 2010 spending grew over 25 percent in the Northeast, compared to just 14.8 percent in the West. In 2007, per capita spending for children in the West was $105 less than in the Northeast. By 2010 that difference had increased to $311.
- Cost-Sharing Rises: Consumers shouldered slightly more of the cost of children's health care in 2010. Consumers picked up 17.5 percent of all health care costs in 2010higher than the cost-sharing rate for the overall population (16.2%). Out-of-pocket costs rose by 6.8 percent, to an average of $371 per child from 2009-2010. Out-of-pocket spending was highest for children under 4 years ($491 in 2010), yet grew fastest for teens, increasing 8.8 percent from 2009 to 2010 to $433.
- Increase in Prescription Drugs: While prescription drug use declined 1.6 percent overall compared to 2007, the fastest growing prescription drugs used by children were cardiovascular drugs, which grew 24.8 percent; hormones, which grew 20.8 percent; and central nervous system drugs, which grew 10.4 percent. The rate of use of central nervous system drugs among teens ages 14-18 was nearly double that of children overall ( 1,191 per 1,000 insured children versus 692 per 1,000 insured children).
About the Data
Findings are based on de-identified Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant data sets from three billion health insurance claims provided by Aetna, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare, three of the nation's largest health plans. Future reports from HCCI will include data from Kaiser Permanente. It does not report on premiums or their determinants.
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LONDON (AP) — Stock markets ran out of steam Friday after a closely watched U.S. survey of consumer confidence reinforced concerns over the impact of rising oil prices.
In its monthly survey, the University of Michigan said its main index of consumer confidence unexpectedly fell to 74.3 in March from 75.3 in February, in a sign that households may be getting increasingly cautious over the increase in gas prices at the pump.
Given that the U.S. consumer accounts for around 70 percent of the U.S. economy, the survey served to keep the recent optimism in check especially at a time when oil prices are elevated on concerns over Iran's nuclear program.
"This is another piece of evidence that supports the view that the economy is growing only modestly and that there are no signs of acceleration in the stars," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak & Co.
In recent weeks, stocks have rallied on the combination of upbeat U.S. economic data and a more benign European debt backdrop despite some unease over the rise in the price of oil, which could cloud the investment picture by threatening the global recovery. Many of the world's major indexes are trading at multi-month highs. On Wall Street, the Standard & Poor's 500 index closed Thursday above 1,400 for the first time since May 2008.
But the consumer confidence figures acted to keep a lid on that optimism Friday.
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 0.42 percent at 5,965 while the CAC-40 in France rose 0.41 percent to 3,594. Germany's DAX was 0.1 percent higher too at 7,157.
In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average and the broader S&P 500 were broadly flat at 13,252 and 1,404, respectively.
The euro was outperforming the dollar as the U.S. currency has garnered support in recent days from the run of strong U.S. data. The euro was trading 0.7 percent higher at $1.3175.
Rising oil prices are a growing concern in the markets as they stoke inflation worries as well as potentially derailing the recovery picture.
"There are concerns, however that this recovery in equity markets could start to stall and tail off if oil prices, the lifeblood of any economy, continue to rise at their current pace and kill off demand," said Michael Hewson, markets analyst at CMC Markets.
On Thursday, oil prices oscillated wildly, with the benchmark New York rate dropping around $3 a barrel at one stage on reports that the U.S. and Britain had agreed to release spare supplies of oil in an effort to drive fuel prices lower. However, White House press secretary Jay Carney said there was no plan to release supplies and oil prices recovered much of their losses and are currently trading around the $106 a barrel mark.
Earlier in Asia, Asian shares took a breather following a strong run earlier this week.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed slightly higher at 10,129.83 after morning profit-taking sent the benchmark into negative territory. The Nikkei has clocked a week of gains largely due to the yen's retreat from record highs against the dollar. The dollar was up a further 0.2 percent on the day at 83.73 yen.
Mainland Chinese shares advanced with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gaining 1.3 percent to 2,404.74. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.2 percent to 21,317.85 and South Korea's Kospi dropped 0.5 percent to 2,034.44.
Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.


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Content count5,545
Last visited
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About Spazo
porkchop sandwiches
Contact Methods
Website URL
General Info
Australia NSW
Music, drums, drifting
Car Type
Nissan Silvia
Car Model
Any Vapors on NS?
Spazo replied to Softy's topic in General Off Topic DiscussionsYeah just quit, you're not being clever by spending your money on these stupid things, which are damaging according to several sources. I quit with Champix. Smoked like a chimney for about 8 years, about 1/2 a pack a day on average (1 full pack if I was out on the pingas), if I can do it so can you.
Bbc cancelled the last episode of tg.. Game over maybe
I dunno... 5th gear is kinda gay with Tiff and that other bloke, it's like an old boys club too. I just don't like them, or find them funny (despite all the chuckling going on) maybe it's me that has a problem lol. And just like topgear, they aren't as objective as you'd like with the challenges. Varvs is on the money though, Top gear really falls short in that it's mostly super cars... I couldn't give a shit about a la ferarri or bugatti. At least fifth gear review cars that we could afford.
Jeremy Clarkson suspended
Spazo posted a topic in General Off Topic DiscussionsApparently JC punched a producer in the face on set... he's been suspended, Sunday's UK airing of the show has been cancelled. What do you reckon? Do they have a show without Clarkson? Do you like him? Hate him? Personally I want to like topgear but I find it a bit painful to watch these days. It's nice to see the flashy cinematography for a few minutes, I'll leave it at that.
330ci vs s15 - Fight!
Spazo replied to s15Ferreira's topic in General Automotive ChatAs everyone has said, both cars aren't going to be reliable. Do you have a job? You might get lucky and buy a gem but my guess is you'll have your hand in your pocket all the time with the s15 (I know, I owned one), and the beemer you'll probably have a better run but then no one will know how to fix the electrics when they start playing up and you'll get drilled paying for parts. I reckon get a newer jap car with lower k's, it may cost a bit more up front but you'll probably save a bundle in the long run. If you have to go performance, you might like an MPS. http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Mazda-3-2008/SSE-AD-3185216/?Cr=4 Not as pretty as the s15, and you'll never be a drift hero but you'll be able to get in the car, turn the key and drive and not worry about all the other bullshit.
What stops developing countries from advancing?
Spazo posted a topic in General Off Topic DiscussionsIt occurred to me I have always wondered why some countries just can't grow from being 3rd world. Take Africa for example, they receive lots of aid but it's said that corrupt pollies keep it for themselves. South Africa is somewhat westernized but the place is f**ked, very high crime and poverty. Some countries are just unfortunate to have no resources that they can grow/harvest and trade, or the climate is bad for growing food. And I know some cultures aren't really compatible with capitalism. India seems to be turning around finally but plenty of places are stuck in the dark ages. I'm starting to wonder if certain races are just too self serving to get a community happening. Or is it the impoverished environment that brings out the scavenger in ppl. I'm really not sure, that's why I'm fishing for ideas. Why are we so lucky?
I assumed loading it up while it was cold was the bad thing.
Yeah the engine builder (for my s15) told me to warm it up for a few mins. Well this is good, means I can take off sooner (in my mazda).
Interesting article about warming up
Spazo posted a topic in General Automotive Chathttp://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2007/09/27/2044311.htm I have been in the habit of warming up for a few mins.. Apparently it might be wrong.
Next time tell her there's a spaz in NSW who needs a decently hot passenger.
I'm not really qualified to say but if you saw under my mx5, there's shitloads of bracing and control arms, it looks a race car under there.
Good points rhino @ skep. 5% either way is splitting hairs to most of us, and I think my s15 would have been better if the suspension had a bit more travel (it was the usual low + stiff Silvia thing). I think lightness in general allows these things to be so nimble. You don't have the torque of the sr to pull out of corners but the speed you can enter and carry through a corner more than makes up for it. 118kw isn't much but it does alright if you know how to make full use of it (not saying I do)
First time through the natio I was blown away, I've never driven anything that corners so quick. And it's so easy to drive too. Chap - I'm normal height.. But the seats in these are pretty low so taller guys would fit.
Not sure where you're from or which freeway lol. I'm in Wollongong NSW
Cheers man, I bought one, pics on the other page + members rides. Same here, test drove an NC, got back in my s15 and realized how sharp the mazda is. I don't think the s15 is unbalanced but in my s15 I thought I knew how to take corners quickly.. Now in my mx5 I can't even get near the cars limits, it's amazing. I kinda outgrew drift so I don't see why I needed the s15 anymore, I get way more thrills from this. Show us your NB?


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Asset Publisher Asset Publisher
Customs & Excise
Mission statement
To protect the society with respect to the international movement of goods and people to collect control and secure revenue; to facilitate trade whilst exercising appropriate control, and to advance Namibia's interests regionally and internationally in these areas.
The role of the Directorate of Customs and Excise within the Department of Revenue Management is complex and mainly encompasses the control of international movement of goods, people and conveyances. This requires:
- Participation in national, regional, and international dialogue involving international trade. Implementation of policies, regulations and procedures arising from these dialogues. Enforcement of the Customs and Excise laws of the Republic of Namibia , including those of line Ministries and/or other agencies.
- Detection and interdiction of illicit activities, including cross border movement of undeclared or under-declared goods and contraband such as controlled substances and drugs
- Facilitating smooth movement and clearance of legitimate trade.
- Continuously perform these duties professionally, efficiently and effectively in a manner that demonstrates pride in our Nation, our Organization and our Mission .
- Collection of revenues and accurate trade statistics.
- Implementation of strategic human resource management programmes that support and respond to trade demands.
- Maintaining appropriate external communications that cascade voluntary compliance through consultative meetings with stakeholders.
Strategic planning conferences
The Strategic Planning Conference has held twice annually to review progress as contained in the divisional action plans. The purpose is to outline our corporate strategies, and to dictate what we intend to achieve, how we will go about it, and how our performance is to be assessed. This year the emphasis was on monitoring each action plan resulting in a more complete overview of corporate achievement. In the coming year we intend to include representatives from major client groups in the preliminary discussions leading to the development of corporate strategies to ensure that they are in line with the needs of the community, industry and other agencies.
Regional and international involvement
Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
The SACU Headquarters Agreement with the Host Country was signed between Hon. Sara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Namibia and SACU Executive Secretary, Ms Tswelopele Moremi during the period under review. The SACU Secretariat, which has been established in Windhoek two years ago, appointed its Directors, Legal Advisor, Auditor, Human Resource Expert and Supporting Staff.
The Tariff Board and National Bodies envisaged in the SACU Agreement (2002) must still be established. Draft annexure of both the Tariff Board and National Bodies have been finalized and on their way to legal drafters for legal drafting. Draft annexure to the SACU Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance and SACU Single Origin are about to be completed. The Ministry of Finance seconded two staff members to the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) for training purposes in establishing National Bodies.
The Task Team on the Management of the Common Revenue Pool was established as directed by the SACU Council of Ministers to discuss the terms of reference for the update of the Centre for Research into Economics and Finance in Southern Africa (CREFSA) report.
Revenue from SACU shares
Revenue collected during the period under review amounts to N$ 5 388 627 848 billion (bn) compared to the previous year figure of N$ 3 228 193 326 billion. The Republic of Namibia received also adjustments for 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 FY in terms of 1969 SACU Agreement which amounts to N$ 884 918 000 (thousands) and N$ 1 082 790 000 billon for 2003/2004 and 2004/2005 FY. The total adjustments in terms of 1969 SACU Agreement amounted to N$ 1 967 708 000 billion.
Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Namibian Customs and Excise continues to actively participate in the SADC Customs Advisory Working Groups (CAWG's) and the Sub-Committee on Customs Cooperation (SCCC) established under the Trade Protocol. The Directorate had also participated in reviewing of Model Customs Act and Draft Common External Tariff Nomenclature as well as SADC Transit Regulation and the Rules of Origin Procedure Manual.
World Customs Organization (WCO)
Namibia Customs and Excise is a fully paid-up member of the WCO. Namibia Customs has now acceded to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (as amended) – (Revised Kyoto Convention) as from the 3 rd February 2006.
Namibia Customs and Excise has completed WCO Columbus Programme on the implementation of the SAFE Programme (Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade).
Ongoing Free/Preferential Trade Agreement (FTA)/(PTA) Negotiations
Namibian Customs and Excise continues to actively participate on the SACU/EFTA; SACU/EPA; SACU/MERCOSUR and SACU/USA FTA/PTA negotiations.
Memorandums of understanding
A special committee has been established to review existing Memorandums of Understanding and to coordinate Directorate efforts to negotiate further MOU's with sister customs administrations and other stakeholders.
Draft MOU's exchanged between Zambia
- Lack of participating fully in regional and international meetings and negotiations hampers the empowering staff in terms of required skills and competencies.
Future plans
- Continue to work closely with line Ministries, external stakeholders both nationally and internationally.
- Continue to participate in FTA negotiations to enhance multilateral trading system.
Enforcements and Audits
Namibia Customs has joined hands with other law enforcement agencies like NATIS, MTI, NAMPOL, the South African Revenue Services, and regional initiatives such as Business Against Crime and Agri-Inspect to combat 'pseudo exports', round-tripping, undervaluation and tax evasion especially of excisable products and second- hand vehicles. New procedures are being discussed in SACU forums, whilst a customs register-and-acquittal system has been introduced nationally.
Warehouses and Bonds
All bonded warehouses, clearing licenses and bond amounts have been reviewed and aligned with the Asycuda++ system.
Memorandums of understanding
A special committee has been established to review existing Memorandums of Understanding and to coordinate our efforts to negotiate further MOU'S with sister customs administrations and other stakeholders. Consistency with World Customs Organization models and regional instruments such as the Annexes to the SADC Trade Protocol must as far as possible be upheld.
IT/ Automation
Significant progress has been made on implementation of the new Customs system Asycuda++ (Automated System for Customs Data). The migration process represents 95 % of declarations captured electronically on the A++ system. The lodging of electronic entries by all commercial importers was a major success and has been supported by the industry. This is turn is essential if we are to position ourselves to ensure that Namibia Customs is able to take advantage of future developments in global electronic trading. As of now, the project has been implemented in 19 Customs offices and has processed more than 1 300, 000 declarations whilst producing trade and revenue statistics as well user defined reports for managers.
Revenue collections
Revenue collections have continued to decline as a result of the introduction of the new Revenue Sharing Formula. Revenue collected during the period under review amounts to N$4 206 746.00 billion (bn) compared to the previous year figure of N$ 3 035 612 000.00 (billion).
Border operations
The Customs officials at Hosea Kutako International Airport seized Cocaine with a total estimated street value of N$ 9 million dollars. Several joint operations were carried out during the year, which resulted in large seizures in the northeastern part of Namibia. The success of these and other operations are the result of close cooperation and exchange of intelligence between Customs, Police and neighboring Customs Administrations.
The Training Section activities were hampered by budgetary constrain which resulted in most programmes as scheduled being cancelled. However, the Directorate benefited mostly from international training programmes offered by International Organizations. The training centre in collaboration with INWENT has successfully trained Customs officers, clearing and forwarding Agents on the Asycuda++ system as well as the procedures.
A lack of facilitative equipments inhibits the enforcement of proper controls that optimizes revenue collections and compliance.
- Inadequate organizational structure influences the achievement of strategic goals while on the part of the importing trade increases cost, thereby impeding voluntary compliance in respect of regulatory procedures. In addition, it leads to major bottlenecks in the decision making e.g. dispute resolution.
- The distinct lack of audit capacity remains a major constraint.
- Inability to formulate, gazette and interpret laws, regulations and policies timorously influences the performance of the Directorate and achievement of desired goals.
Future plans
The Directorate plans to :
From the operational view point, the challenges ahead are listed as follows:
- To review of the current organizational structure.
- To accelerate the need for specialist skills in activities such as auditing and enforcement.
- Continue to strike an appropriate balance between trade facilitation and facilitations of passengers and cargo movements whilst upholding law enforcement responsibilities aimed at ensuring integrity.
- Continue exploitation of technological advances.
- To complete the office automation strategy.
- Undertake to provide corporate wide technical skills training to all customs staff at border posts to trouble shoot the system.
- The Directorate plans to acquire x-ray machines, scanners to detect, monitor, and enforce legal provisions.
- Implement new SACU Customs laws that will flow from the recently launched multilateral project to re – write the (SACU) Customs Act.
- To train on all staff members to be fully effective in the required skills and competencies.


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Home » ReR Label » GROUND ZERO: Plays Standards
GROUND ZERO: Plays Standards
Just when you thought it would be safe... Ground Zero are back with a CD of extraordinary covers, some are massive, others strange, all add something to their originals and were selected because of their importance to founder Otomo Yoshihide's personal musical biography - all explained in his excellent accompanying notes. Just the version of Shed a Little Tear is worth the whole CD. L
Only available at this price as part of the ReR Sale Offer (minimum) 4 titles)
Code: ReRGZ3
Price: £5.00


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WireLace Techniques
Let us teach you these incredible jewelry making and beading techniques! Follow our simple, step-by-step beading tutorials on many useful WireLace ribbon techniques, including using crimping WireLace ribbon and gluing beads onto WireLace ribbon. Each technique page has a list of materials and tools needed, plus helpful tips and tricks!


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Skip navigation.
Today we finished this summer of SurfGoddess classes. We are unlike ordinary surfers in so many ways: we are glamorous, uncompetitive and believe that the best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun. Most students began with extreme nerves with fears of everything from sharks to riptides to intimidating cute surf boys. Fortunately, no worries were realized and we had the ultimate summer fun – giggling like teenagers. Everyone that took the class stood up on their stick and got surf stoke! I must admit that I was genuinely proud of each surfgoddess student. Of course, I must shout out to the best two surf instructors getting tossed around the impact zone with me that I could have hoped for: Michelle Dittman and Amanda Schmitz.
But by far, what sets us apart from every surfer on the beach is the fact that we clean up the beach before we even enter the water. I simply couldn't go into the water without having a potato chip bag stuck to my leg. I knew something was fishy when I actually found fishnets ( yes the kind us showgirls wear!) You would be surprised and shocked at what we have found littering our beautiful beaches in Southern California! The list is appalling, hilarious and completely outrageous. We have picked up with our gloved hands: wilted balloons tangled in seaweed, Styrofoam cups, potato chip wrappers, dog collars, hotdogs, a boat propeller, cel phones, Juicy Couture sweats, a sleeping bag, a coffeemaker, an American Flag, condom wrappers, a ukulele, a peppercorn grinder, ateddy bear, sunglasses and a lot of plastic.
However, the most copious item that was tossed into our large plastic bags was cigarette butts. It is shocking how the beaches are teeming with butts and each SurfGoddess picks up over 150 butts (mostly the Parliament brand). To clarify, most of these butts are not from people smoking at the beach. These butts are from smokers down in Hollywood, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. They light up in front of a club or in their car and then casually and carelessly toss their cigarette on the sidewalk in front of the club, café, bookstore or houseparty. I have heard people passionately conversing about the environment while they obliviously fling their cigarettes to the sidewalk. Little do they realize thatthese cigarette butts end up in the ocean and on the beach. Its not just big corporations that are ruining our beach – its us! Please, pass it on to your friends, co-workers, hotties at the club, people you meet at an AA meeting or strangers on the street. Think globally, act locally, now matter how fine you think your butts are, keep you butt out of my ocean.
Fri, September 12, 2008 @ 5:52 AM
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AP Poll Debt Limit.JPG
This Nov. 16, 2012, file photo shows President Barack Obama, accompanied by House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, as he hosted a meeting of the bipartisan, bicameral leadership of Congress to discuss the deficit and economy
(Photo by The Associated Press)
By Marc A. Thiessen, The Washington Post
They should have held today's inauguration on the deck of the USS Missouri instead of the steps of the U.S. Capitol, so Barack Obama could formally accept the surrender of the GOP. Before Obama even placed his hand on the Bible Monday, his rout of the House Republicans was already virtually complete. Not only have Republicans capitulated on taxes by violating their no tax pledge, Republican leaders have now announced that they are capitulating on spending as well, by violating the "Boehner rule."
All this before Obama's second term even began.
In the 2011 debt-limit standoff, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) established the Boehner rule, declaring that henceforth Republicans would insist on at least one dollar in spending cuts for every dollar in debt limit increase. This may have been one of the most important fiscal policy innovations in a generation. The rule is simple, it is perfectly reasonable, and it is broadly popular. A recent poll found that 72 percent of Americans agreed that "Any increase in the debt limit must be accompanied by spending cuts and reforms of a greater amount." Only 22 percent disagreed.
Most importantly, the Boehner rule is not a gimmick. Just following this basic rule could restore fiscal sanity to our country. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has calculated that following the Boehner rule would reduce spending by more than $3 trillion over a decade and pave the way for full balance — getting the budget deficit to below 1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and spending below 20 percent of GDP, by 2022. On Tuesday, Portman will introduce the "Dollar-for-Dollar Deficit Reduction Act," which would codify the Boehner rule and mandate that any future increase in the national debt be matched with equal or greater spending cuts.
Unfortunately, House Republicans have already announced that they will violate the principle they established, and pass a three-month debt-limit increase this week without any spending cuts. Instead of cuts, the GOP will insist that the House and Senate pass formal budgets by April, or else forgo their Congressional pay. "The principle is simple: no budget, no pay," Boehner declared.
Sorry, I thought the principle was "a dollar of spending cuts for a dollar of debt limit increase."
Republicans claim this is no retreat, but they are not fooling anyone. White House press secretary Jay Carney celebrated the GOP capitulation, declaring the president was "encouraged" that the GOP was finally ready to "back off their insistence on holding our economy hostage to extract drastic cuts in Medicare, education, and programs middle class families depend on." A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared the GOP move "reassuring." Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called it a "major victory" for president. And The Post editorial page welcomed the GOP's "apparent abandonment" of their "economically nonsensical" insistence that any increase in borrowing authority be matched with equal or greater spending cuts.
Sorry, linking the raising of the debt ceiling to spending reductions is neither nonsensical nor ground breaking. In fact, every significant debt reduction bill in the last 27 years — starting with Gramm-Rudman-Hollings in 1985 — was linked to a debt-limit increase. It seems to be the only thing that forces politicians in Washington to cut spending.
So why on earth would Republicans abandon that leverage, much less violate the promise they made to follow the Boehner rule on all future debt limit votes? Charles Krauthammer explained the GOP thinking this way: Many Republicans are coming to realize that they can't govern from one house of Congress; the GOP needs to forget about forcing Obama to enact fundamental tax reform or structural reforms to entitlements and go for small victories instead.
Fair enough. So Republicans may not be able to force Obama to enact structural entitlement reforms, like those advocated by Rep. Paul Ryan. Perhaps fundamental tax reform is off the table as well — because Obama will use it to demand another round of tax increases.
But abandon the Boehner rule as well? Sticking with the Boehner rule would be a "small victory." It is the floor of what the GOP should support in exchange for a debt-limit increase. This is not an idea coming from the far right fringes. If someone with the gravitas and mainstream credibility of Portman is saying that this is the path Republicans should take, maybe it's time for the House leaders to stop and listen.


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A lawsuit filed in US District Court yesterday alleges that Microsoft unfairly and incorrectly labeled machines as "Windows Vista Capable" when said systems were only capable of running Vista Home Basic. According to the complaint:
"[The PCs in question] cannot run, or run poorly, with Vista Home Premium... the least expensive version of Vista that includes Vista's heavily marketed and most popular features. The enhanced graphics, media center, and remote control that have been marketed and advertised by Microsoft as 'Vista' are available only on Home Premium and more expensive versions of the software... In sum, Microsoft engaged in bait and switch'assuring consumers they were purchasing 'Vista Capable' machines when, in fact, they could obtain only a stripped-down operating system lacking the functionality and features that Microsoft advertised as 'Vista.'"
Microsoft, unsurprisingly, takes some issue with these claims, and has noted that it provides comprehensive information regarding the features of various Vista versions. One could argue that Microsoft helped create this problem by seeding the market with so many different versions of the operating system, but that's almost beside the point; the interesting question this lawsuit raises is what, exactly, makes Windows Vista "Windows Vista"?
My gut feeling on this one is that it'll go precisely nowhere. Microsoft is hardly the first company to offer the same basic product with variations or features at different price points, and while there may be a handful of marketing-friendly features lacking from Vista Home Basic compared to Vista Home Premium, there are a thousand or more underlying technology advances and upgrades that Microsoft can point to and say "this makes it Vista." In the end, this lawsuit says more about the inherent problems of marketing a new OS to the large segment of the population that is not technology-savvy than it does about any alleged bait-and-switch tactics.


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April 1, 2013
The actor took heat last week when he released a vicious video attacking the late actor and NRA president Charlton Heston, lampooning Southern culture, and trashing the Second Amendment.
In a press release issued on March 29 through a public relations firm, Marleah Leslie & Associates, the Canadian comedian displayed his ignorance of the First Amendment when he considered filing a lawsuit against Fox News for its "irresponsible buffoonery" after the network dared criticize Carrey and his music video.
Fox's Greg Gutfeld criticizes Carrey.
"I would take them to task legally if I felt they were worth my time," he said.
"He issued a press release, which is basically a complete meltdown," said Fox's Greg Gutfeld, who had some choice words for the actor. "This is a guy that insulted most of America and danced on the grave of Charlton Heston. Jim Carrey is, in this letter, threatening legal action — something Charlton Heston can't do because Charlton Heston is dead. That was the whole point, to stand up for somebody who couldn't talk back to a fool like Jim Carrey."
"He released this video, then he retreated. He wouldn't respond. He hid like a little baby."
"The bottom line is that Carrey wouldn't have a chance at getting Gutfeld or Fox News on a defamation claim. All he would get is a hefty legal bill, and yet another humiliating news cycle went he lost in court," writes Ken Klukowkski for Breitbart. "So evidently Carrey doesn't know the law. But we already knew that because he thinks the Second Amendment allows the government to ban large classes of commonly-owned firearms."
Unfortunately, there is a large number of "representatives" in Congress who are as clueless as Jim Carrey when it comes to the Second Amendment and its intended purpose – resisting a tyrannical government of the sort Carrey and no shortage of liberals and other government-lovers support.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


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Glencore Founder Marc Rich Dies
Marc Rich, the oil trader who was pardoned by then U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2001 over charges of racketeering and tax evasion, has died at his home in Switzerland at the age of 78. Mr. Rich started the company that was to become the commodity giant Glencore-Xstrata.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... the the ... it has lost his life ... FBI most wanted list was called by President Clinton ... has died at his home in Switzerland the age of seventy eight which shot to fame in nineteen eighty three when he was indicted by the U S owns sixty five pounds of tax evasion wire fraud mail fraud ... racketeering ... and trading with the enemy he was accused of taking advantage of control so the price of oil in the U S ... and a break in oil embargo with the wand ... secretly trading with the country at the time when he was holding fifty two Americans hostage ... Rich's Company offence repeated guilty and paid a fine but the billionaire himself and his Patna but still held has been irresponsible ... although it's never return to the U S he was crunched the surprise pot and live ... as did Bill Clinton ... what is the last day in office in two thousand and one ... Clinton said that he was convinced that which is being ... prosecuted for acts of would not crimes ... he initially worked as a young man one of the largest U S trading houses at the time for the brothers ... before going on to form a company ... that eventually became the commodities giant a stake ... in coal extraction of ... according to the matching to read to them the mall which Foundation in Switzerland which is bawdy will be taken to Israel for burial ...


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CISO Trainings , Governance & Risk Management , Professional Certifications & Continuous Training
'Security is a Demanding Journey'Security Leader Manish Dave Shares Insight on Public Cloud, Skills Gap
The success of new technologies depends largely upon awareness, budgets and skill sets available. While technologies such as Cloud Access Security Broker, or CASB, promise to address security challenges, market maturity may have its own say in how well adoption goes.
See Also: Live Event: CISO Perspectives on Distributed Workforce and Post-pandemic Enterprise
"Companies have their own challenge because most don't have clear strategies to deal with basic items like mobility and others," says Manish Dave, an expert practitioner with a leading conglomerate. "Security concerns are underlined by the lack of a clear strategy in many cases. So expecting CASB now is asking for a bit much."
But he says that technologies, including CASB and Run Time Application Self Protection, or RASP, are going to be the norm in the coming years because they address fundamental security issues.
In this exclusive interview with Information Security Media Group, Dave speaks about his plans for the coming year; the Indian practitioner's challenge and some observations on MSSP trends. He covers:
- The CASB market in India;
- CISO challenges and public cloud security tips;
- The skills gap and the MSSP culture.
Dave has more than 24 years of experience in the IT domain, including 12 years of experience in information and network security; information security audits; policies and procedures; and IT risk management and governance. Before joining his present position, he was the group CISO at the Essar Group.
An edited transcript follows:
CASB Awareness
VARUN HARAN: What is the level of awareness of CASB as a technology in the Indian Market?
MANISH DAVE: I don't think there is an understanding of technologies like CASB in the Indian market. I believe awareness is a big issue, especially for small and medium enterprises. How do they educate themselves, in the first place? Not enough security practitioners in India today have access to research from the likes of Gartner, Forrester and others. That's where media such as yours need to step in. CISOs are increasingly attending industry forums and conferences to educate themselves on the current trends in the market and what are driving them, but awareness remains low. (Also See: Cloud Security's Next Evolution?)
I feel small companies may not go for CASB because they don't have a complex, hybrid IT infrastructure. Most of the small companies have limited budgets that won't allow them to pursue CASB technology. They will rely instead on the security provided by the public cloud service provider.
But CASB is the way to go. Two to three years from now, CASB is going to be what anti-virus is today. However, in a country like India, in the current recessionary scenario, CASB is not something that's going to be on the priority list. It is going to happen only once awareness reaches a certain critical mass in this market. (Also See: Public Cloud Is Here to Stay - Is Security Ready?)
Public Cloud Security
HARAN: How are you approaching the public cloud security challenge? Can you share some recommendations? Don't you think CASB is going to help?
DAVE: I advise creating a matrix to determine public cloud risk, which defines the parameters on which I recommend sorting these risks into yellow, red, and green. Some of these criteria are:
- What workloads are eligible for the public cloud?
- Are these workloads processing business sensitive information?
- What is the level of availability & performance, the business requires for these workloads?
- Do these workloads connect to the corporate network?
- Are these workloads accessible by mobile devices?
Using this matrix, an example of a green workload would be development workloads. You can straight away move something like this to the cloud without having to think twice, because there isn't going to be any data. In fact you would control costs as this would be on a pay per use model. This is a kind of matrix that can help in preparing for a move to the public cloud.
However, most companies out there have their own challenges because they don't have a clear strategy to deal with glaring issues like mobile security, cloud security, application security and others. So for instance, while there is pressure from the business to push mobility, security concerns are underlined by the lack of a clear strategy, in many cases. In such a scenario where even the basics might not be in place, expecting CASB is asking for a bit much.
Indian organizations also have contradicting philosophies in place. On the one hand, people are moving collaborative platforms like Google & Microsoft Office 365 for their email, portals & basic applications, and at the same time refusing to block USBs, etc., because they don't want to be perceived as mistrusting the employees. Now if you have threats emanating from the USB vector, how do you protect IP & safeguard organizational information?
Key Issues
HARAN: What are some of the issues that are top-of-mind for you this year? What areas are you planning on giving attention to?
DAVE: In large multi-national organizations, there is global guidance and best practices that are shared. However these global perspectives are often strategic, and this where we as practitioners can provide the local, geographic security context.
Some things I feel a practitioner today should focus on include RASP, or run time application self-protection. RASP is important because today, you may have malware sitting on your phone, and if you have an app that is accessing data on your server and storing it locally, there is a good chance that the malware intercepts and exfiltrates the data. Particularly in cases where, for instance, senior management like CEOs are provided BI reports on their cellphones and tablets, it can be a big threat. We tend to focus on security of 'data in transit' when internet is the medium. The big risk lies in the 'data at rest' and integrity of data or application on mobile phones.
Application security, in itself, is a big concern. The security checks that you need to have in applications do not exist in applications that were rolled out a decade back in organizations. Even though some organizations have a process via a VA/PT that is done on applications on roll out, the gap between each testing is in years. In this time, the entire threat landscape changes tremendously.
Keeping these things in mind, for instance, I've gone ahead and implemented a Web application firewall in my geography. My 5 priorities this year would be Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP), CASB, Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC), SCADA Security, and intelligence in physical security systems at plants.
Skills Gap
HARAN: Lets talk about the skill set problem. How good are the MSSPs in the market today? How are Indian organizations dealing with the skills gap?
DAVE: I think the skill sets available with MSSP today are not up to the mark. In fact, while many organizations pay through their noses, they are getting saddled with freshers and entry level operators for their L1 and L2 kind of job roles - for instance the overnight 24x7 support slots use low-cost, junior level resources during off-peak hours. Many of these MSSPs use the client organizations as a training bed for their operational staff, I feel. Moreover their level of initiative is restricted to the contractual liabilities and there are many gray areas where they fail to take action or are just not bothered because there is no contractual obligation. They are supposed to be 'experts', but I believe that they are neither proactive, nor do they have the proper competencies that they claim. The main question is how well do they understand business risk.(Also See: MSSPs, The Preferred Route to Skills Challenge)
Security is a demanding journey. You cannot implement a piece of technology and then just forget about it. Continuous monitoring and tweaking is necessary. For instance, a firewall with a year-old rule set is going to be of no use. I think I can safely say that today, the majority of the SIEMs being used across all verticals in the industry today might not be properly configured to define what constitutes an incident. An incident needs to be defined, and this definition, unfortunately, is being articulated by junior L1 and L2 operations guys who may not have a complete picture of the business risk.


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Johnny Carson made a sex tape back in the 1970s.
Go ahead and make your own Herrreeeeeeeees Johnny! joke and lets move on.
Carson reportedly recorded a sex tape with his wife back in the 1970s and the tape is now on the market, according to TMZ.
The website said multiple sources said the tapes owner approached the Carson estate in September to make a deal. Not only did the estate say no, it threatened to sue the owner if he ever sold it.
Now the unnamed owner is reportedly shopping it to private collectors.
TMZ quoted sources who have seen it as saying the tape was made with one of his wives, but its not clear which one. The 25-minute tape takes place by a pool, then in Carsons bedroom.
TMZ also reported that Carson was er ah a legend in more than just the TV realm.
Supposedly, legal reasons prevent the owner from selling it to a porn film distribution company, which is why he or she is contacting private collectors.


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Hi folks,
Just to let you all know I've arranged a comedy night in the town on Saturday 29th January at the grammar school to raise money for the climb of Mount Kilimanjaro I'm doing in aid of Marie Curie cancer care. I have a target figure of £4,000 to reach before i do this climb in February so I'm hoping takings from the comedy night will go some way towards hitting my target.
The attached poster should have all the details for the event and you may see these in shops and pubs around town. Tickets are £10 on sale in A P Taylors. There will be some music to start the evening and mid-way through there will be a raffle and possibly an auction if i can get some decent prizes. Hope to see you there and I would appreciate it if you would spread the word on this event to try and get as many people through the door as possible.
If you can't make the event but wish to make a donation then there is a link to my just giving page below.


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Madison, NJ real estate market
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Madison is characterized by a wide selection of housing options, the cultural and academic influences of local universities, and a colorful local history. Located about 26 miles west of Manhattan, its picturesque downtown has over 50 buildings listed on the state and national registers of historic places.
Contributing to Madison's appeal is the fact that it's a livable, friendly and accessible community. Most downtown buildings offer retail space at the street level with residential units above. Many residents walk to shops, houses of worship, schools, parks and public transportation.
Drew University's tree-lined campus borders Madison, while the Madison-Florham Park Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, as well as the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, are adjacent to town. A portion of Fairleigh Dickinson University is located on the former Madison estate of Florence Vanderbilt and Hamilton Twombly.
The Free Public Library of the Borough of Madison is widely regarded as one of the finest small public libraries in New Jersey. Known for its lively cultural offerings, Madison is home to the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Playwrights Theater of New Jersey and the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts.Back to top
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The home inspection business is like the Wild West, where anyone can print up a business card and call themselves an inspector, says industry insider Bruce McClure. For this reason, he says, all inspectors should not be painted with the same brush.
"If you happen to have web skills and computer skills, you can make yourself a great website and overnight make it look like you are the biggest show in town," he says.
In his newly published book Buy or Run, I'm a Real Home Inspector, Not a TV Celebrity, McClure argues the lack of industry standards creates friction between inspectors and realtors, whom he believes have too much influence over the inspection process.
"It's about who is running the show, and at this point in time, it is the realtors that are running the home inspection industry," says Mc-Clure, a former director of the Ontario Association of Home Inspectors (OAHI) and co-ordinator of the home inspection program at Conestoga College in Kitchener.
Some agents feel they can intimidate an inexperienced inspector to make the sale "work", he says. But as inspectors become more established, he argues, there are agents who will blacklist them to secure a sale.
"They want a home inspector that is going to protect their sale," says McClure, who was recently in Ottawa promoting his book. "They want a home inspector that is going to turn a blind eye to things. And that is why we get these sensational news stories and TV programs about all these mistakes home inspectors make. In a lot of cases, it is really a case of who the home inspector is looking (out) for."
Peter Weeks, a home inspection instructor at Algonquin College, acknowledges he has run across similar issues during his career.
"There's no doubt if a buyer walks after seeing the inspection report the realtor is not happy," says Weeks. "But for the most part, real estate agents are good hard-working people trying to put together a good deal for their client."
Like McClure, Weeks believes one of the biggest problems that plagues the industry is that it's not regulated, which means anyone can call themselves a home inspector. Both say it's these people who are undercutting other qualified inspectors, and therefore missing some of the major issues when inspecting homes. This lack of industry control, both argue, puts all three parties - the buyer, the realtor and the home inspector - in a vulnerable position that may result in legal problems.
Buyers can ask their realtor to suggest names of home inspectors, but ultimately it's the buyer's decision on who to hire.
So how do you know if you are hiring the right inspector if they are not required to have a licence?
Do your due diligence, says Weeks, and make sure they are registered as a home inspector with the OAHI. (In order to register, inspectors are required to complete 10 college courses that include structural, heating and plumbing inspection and have 200 hours of experience as an apprentice.)
Weeks, who like McClure is a registered home inspector, says it's important for consumers to understand the home inspector's role, too. He says potential buyers should see them more like a "home doctor" who does a visual inspection of areas such as the roof, foundation and heating and cooling systems, and if red flags are raised in the report, they will suggest further inspection by a specialist such as a plumber or electrician.
Randy Oickle, incoming president of the Ottawa Real Estate Board, says that, like realtors, there are good and bad home inspectors, and the best way for inspectors to deal with accusations of blacklisting or intimidation is to refer to the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act and a Regulatory Code of Ethics.
"In contrast to home inspectors, real estate salespeople are highly regulated," says Oickle. "If a salesperson knowingly steered a home buyer to a bad home inspector, that salesperson could face severe penalties. Home inspectors have no such obligations."


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Long Island's lords of artwave ranged from straight-ahead punkwave to loopy 50s- and 60s-popculture manifesti, but it's all genuinely unlike anyone else you've ever heard: 1978-1983. They called it "an avant absurd experiment...We liked the idea of breaking down meaning to the point of abstraction and then reinterpreting it based on personal associations and meaning rather than having any absolute meaning. Eventually we got stuck in our own muck, but of course we always were!" Tracks from their 45, one for the never-released Live From CBGB Vol. 2, and three studio sessions, all in glorious hi-fi...(And naturally, because it IS on H2D, it's loaded with first-rate hooks.) $9.00
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[Video] Psalm One: "A New Phaze" (Feat. The Hood Internet, Tanya Morgan and Fluffy)
Last week, Psalm One, aka 'Hologram Kizzie' dropped her album, Hug Life via Bandcamp and iTunes. This week, on the heels of a solid first week of sales for the largely independent artist out of Chicago, Psalm offers up the… Continue Reading


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As you may have noticed, it now seems that the securities industry has successfully shifted the focus of the reregulation debate away from a fiduciary standard for brokers (as mandated by Dodd-Frank) and on to the reregulation of investment advisors (as if they are the greater threat to financial consumers; whipping boy Bernie Madoff not withstanding). To get a handle on what all this means for a universal fiduciary standard for retail advisors, I caught up with Knut Rostad, chief regulatory and compliance officer of Rembert Pendleton Jackson Investment Advisors (in Falls Church, Va.), and founder and president of The Institute for the Fiduciary Standard.
"Things don't currently look all that great for an authentic fiduciary standard for brokers any time soon," he told me in an interview. "In fact, it looks like the regulators punt. Yet, I don't think that's cause for doom and gloom; it seems to me (and to a lot of other folks) that the future of a broad fiduciary standard depends less and less on what the regulators do, and instead is increasingly a function of the advisory profession itself, and what happens with technology. In fact, given everything we see right now, I am very optimistic."
Knut's optimism is based on what he deems a "very myopic view" of the current situation by the financial services industry, one that ignores the macro public sentiment. "Do they realize that no one is listening to them?" he asked. "And if anyone is listening, they don't believe what they hear. The new normal is not just distrust, it's disgust. The question is whether this is just a swing of the pendulum or a larger trend that has longer-term consequences."
For Knut (left), the answer is clearly the latter: a long-term shift in public sentiment, which he (and others) equate to what happened to the views of our parents (or grandparents) who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s. For you youngsters who need a refresher, the virtual collapse of the U.S. (and world) banking system created widespread distrust in large financial institutions in an entire generation that lasted the rest of their lives: enabling the rise of upstarts like Fidelity Investments, Merrill Lynch, and the rest of the retail mutual fund and brokerage industries.
Rostad believes that our recent Great Recession combined with ongoing reports of Wall Street's bad behavior has led to a similar change in the minds of the current investing public, particularly younger folks, who, like folks 80 years ago, may never regain their faith in 'the system.' Rostad argues that "today's investors have become so disgusted by what they see, they are beyond distrust. Many of them have lost confidence in active investment management, along with the brokerage/advisory system that supports it."
Consequently, Knut thinks (and it's hard to argue with him) that today's investors will increasingly turn away from traditional advisors and the brokerage industry and toward technological solutions offered on the Internet. "The macro data is that Merrill [and the other Wall Street firms are] now losing the argument with the boomers," he said. "Our kids are more uncomfortable with advisors, period, and are increasingly looking to the Internet as a mechanism to manage their own portfolios."
While the new public perception of traditional "advice" poses some dangers for independent advisors, it also offers great opportunity—if they can continue to position themselves as the nontraditional, client-centered "revolution" that's made them the rising stars of retail advice for the past 20 years. Rostad believes that the fiduciary standard will be the key to that positioning. "In order to remain valuable to clients, advisors will have to embrace the strongest fiduciary standard," he predicts. "And they'll have to help consumers to see the difference [between them and the many folks whom the regulators will allow to call themselves a 'fiduciary']. The role of a profession in creating and upholding their own standards will take on a new importance—led by organizations with the highest standards, and that are outspoken. NAPFA and the CFA Institute come to mind, first. It's not time for the faint of heart."
It's a vision that offers both great challenge and great opportunity to independent advisors. In my view, it's a tragedy that the CFP Board, with its watered-down standard and broad interpretations of what's in the clients' best interests, doesn't make the list of potential industry leaders. Perhaps the new realities will motivate them to move the financial planning profession into the forefront of independent advice and the fiduciary movement.


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It is 2am and I am going to post this without corrections. YES, I DO go back through and make corrections, believe it or not. Which, even I have trouble believing sometimes when I re-read what I have written.
We've been at the hospital since Monday, or Tuesday, or last November (it seems) and, when I got home tonight I crashed; slept more soundly than I have in days and now I am up, but the brain may not be up to correcting things much.
The brain is such a marvelous, misunderstood, know-nothing-about organ. My neurologist says they know the least about the brain out of the whole body. I have had diagnoseees/diagnosis/plural/whatever that have said, that I have either left-temporal lobe epilepsy, or familial hemiplegic migraines (which mysteriously, I do not have a single symptom of, or just those curvy brainwaves.
It has often been said, about my mother and by my mother, that no one will ever know if she gets dementia because it is her normal state. They were wrong. BIG TIME!
Mom is 90, so a few months ago, when she started getting significantly more spacy than normal, it was no surprise. Last week, she descended quickly. We thought she was having mini strokes. She has been diagnosed with partial seizures. She stares into space, mouth open and then comes back to us, she also mentions she has a headache, starts talking gibberish and then says, "I can't even understand myself."
Unfortunately, she also has Alzheimer's. I imagine that she would also like me to mention that it is highly unfair to expect her to remember what year it is as she has always been bad with numbers. That's what she told us when she failed her fourth Alzheimer's quiz. Oh, and there are also only two numbers in the year because the first two numbers don't count, so saying the year is 27, is correct, even though there is no 7 involved in saying 2012.
Poor gal, also has to have surgery, but that's in a couple of weeks.
Tomorrow, the doctor and husband and I take mom across the ER parking lot to the rehab/nursing center. She wants to go home and keeps forgetting she is going there, even though she said it is fine to go there. She wants her computer, even though she cannot remember how to turn it on and her crocheting even though she has not crocheted in years. And, I will bring her travel Scrabble, and we will play it together.
I might actually have a chance to win now.


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Pon farr is the Vulcan time of mating. (TOS: "Amok Time")
It is considered to be a very private matter within Vulcan society, so much so that only a handful of Starfleet doctors have ever handled it. Amongst themselves, Vulcans find it inappropriate to involve themselves with another's pon farr. (VOY: "Blood Fever")
Biology of pon farr
During pon farr, adult Vulcans undergo a neurochemical imbalance, that takes on a form of madness (culminating in the plak tow). A Vulcan could die within eight days if their pon farr isn't satiated. (TOS: "Amok Time"; VOY: "Blood Fever") Vulcan males experience pon farr every seven years of their adult life. (TOS: "The Cloud Minders"; Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; ENT: "Fallen Hero")
In rare instances, the imbalance during pon farr can be transferred to other species via a telepathic mating bond. (VOY: "Blood Fever") Certain microbes have also been known to trigger pon farr prematurely. (ENT: "Bounty")
Also during this period, the cortical levels rise and fall, as the brain's regulatory system appears to shut down. Serotonin levels become unbalanced. (VOY: "Blood Fever")
Vulcan females also endure pon farr. Normally, their hormones and endorphins rise to a dangerous level. Like males, females must mate or otherwise receive treatment in order to survive. (ENT: "Bounty")
Rituals surrounding pon farr
During the ancient, pre-Surak times, Vulcans would normally kill to win their mates. After the Time of Awakening, the koon-ut-kal-if-fee was adopted, and many Vulcans became telepathically bonded at youth. (TOS: "Amok Time") In the early stages of mating, Vulcans would generally touch fingers, before touching their faces together. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) There are three options open to Vulcans that usually end a pon farr. (VOY: "Blood Fever")
- Taking a mate
- Participating in a kal-if-fee
- Intensive meditation
Notable pon farrs
In 2153, Subcommander T'Pol of Enterprise underwent pon farr after exposure to an unusual microbe. She was confined to Decon and treated by Doctor Phlox. Her premature pon farr ended when the microbes were eliminated. (ENT: "Bounty")
Lieutenant Commander T'Pol of the ISS Enterprise underwent pon farr at some point before 2155. She was assisted through this period by Commander Charles Tucker, several times. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")
On stardate 3372.7, Spock had his first pon farr during the USS Enterprise's five-year mission. At the time, Captain James T. Kirk was under direct orders from Starfleet to proceed directly to Altair VI for an inauguration ceremony, with no time to stop off at Vulcan, but after coaxing Spock into telling him what was happening to him, Kirk took Spock to Vulcan anyway, knowingly risking his career. Spock invited Kirk and Doctor Leonard McCoy to attend his koon-ut-kal-if-fee ceremony.
At the ceremony, hosted by Vulcan Ambassador T'Pau, Spock's betrothed, T'Pring, claimed kal-if-fee and chose Kirk as her champion, in a move calculated to ensure that she would have her desired mate, Stonn, regardless of the outcome of the fight. During the fight, McCoy dosed Kirk with a neural paralyzer, and Spock seemingly killed Kirk, breaking his plak tow. When he returned to the Enterprise, intending to immediately surrender himself to the authorities, Spock was delighted to find that Kirk was alive and well after all. (TOS: "Amok Time")
On stardate 8210.3, the regenerated but mindless body of Captain Spock experienced the pon farr on the planet Genesis. Lieutenant Saavik was present and assisted Spock through this time. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)
Tuvok went through pon farr in 2304. He took his mate T'Pel at this time. (VOY: "Ex Post Facto", "Flashback")
Tuvok and T'Pel conceived Asil following his eleventh pon farr. (VOY: "Alice")
In 2370, Tuvok underwent pon farr. He informed Kathryn Janeway that he was suffering from Tarkalean flu.
On stardate 54238.3, Tuvok began the early stages of another pon farr. Since he was stranded aboard the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, return to Vulcan was impossible. He intended to control his pon farr with a combination of disciplined meditation and specially prepared medication. His neurotransmitters did not absorb the medication, and the Doctor was not present to prescribe an alternative. Tom Paris designed a hologram of T'Pel to handle the situation. Tuvok once again claimed to be suffering from the Tarkalean flu. (VOY: "Body and Soul")
On stardate 50537.2, Ensign Vorik of the USS Voyager underwent his first pon farr. Due to the Voyager's presence in the Delta Quadrant, he was unable to return to Vulcan. He declared koon-ut-so'lik, a marriage proposal, to B'Elanna Torres, in order to gain a mate.
Vorik was injured unconsciously attempting to form a telepathic mating bond with Torres. While in sickbay, the Doctor determined that Vorik was undergoing pon farr. Vorik noted his intention to satiate his needs through meditation. He was confined to his quarters and wore a cortical monitor.
After discovering from Tuvok that Torres had also undergone pon farr, Vorik had trouble maintaining his composure. The Doctor began administering medication to control Vorik's serotonin levels. The Doctor also designed the holographic T'Pera to serve as Vorik's "self-healing" technique.
The Doctor declared Vorik cured of his pon farr when his cortical levels nearly stabilized following mating with T'Pera. This was a ruse, however, in order to transport to the Sakari homeworld and attempt to mate once more with Torres.
After disabling communications, Vorik arrived at the planet. After witnessing Torres' intention to declare Tom Paris as her mate, Vorik declared koon-ut-kal-if-fee. Torres chose herself as champion and the kal-if-fee was officiated by Tuvok. Vorik was knocked unconscious by Torres and his pon farr ended. (VOY: "Blood Fever")
Sek, child of Tuvok, underwent pon farr between 2371 and 2374. His mate conceived a child, T'Meni from this union.
This news was delivered to Tuvok in 2374 onboard the USS Voyager via the Hirogen communications network. (VOY: "Hunters")
Background information
Pon farr was also mentioned in "Gravity" and "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy".


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By Emma Lacey-Bordeaux, CNN
Follow on Twitter: @CNNEmma
Editor's Note: Listen to the full story in our player above, and join the conversation in our comments section below.
(CNN) - David Sarich had long finished the Boston Marathon when the bombs went off:
[:20] "I finished about 1:20. I got my clothes, got my partner, went in search of free beer. It was about 2:50 when I heard a big boom."
He's now back home in Atlanta. He's safe but the experience has left him shaken. He says at the time the bombs went off, most of the runners on the course were those running for a charity or for a family member:
[1:07] "Those are the people I usually run with. That I usually train with. I was just lucky to be further along."
Jeff Galloway had a flashback of his own when he heard about the attacks. Galloway competed in the Olympics in 1972, the year terrorists held athletes hostage. Eleven died.
[2:37] "The overwhelming reaction that the athletes had when we talked was, 'you can't take this away from us.'"
A similar sentiment to those coming from runners now, in the wake of the bombings in Boston.
For example, David Sarich lead a tribute run and the shoe store where he works has more planned; CNN iReporters are uploading photos of their running shoes and sharing running goals; and from her home in Columbus, Ohio, Becca Obergefell is orchestrating a global commitment under the Twitter hashtag, #RunforBoston, so far over 17,000 miles have been logged.
For Galloway, this kind of reaction means a great deal:
[2:46] "When you see the reactions of runners, you get this wonderful feeling that you know humanity is going to make it."
Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. And listen to CNN Soundwaves on our SoundCloud page.