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|For an overview over all existing Virtual private network (VPN)-related articles in the OpenWrt wiki, please visit overview
This page is about strongswan. The old racoon documentation can be found here.
When configuring firewalls, tunnels and zones we always have to keep security in mind. First rule should be: Everything that is not allowed explicitly should be denied automatically. This article provides an easy but quite powerful security concept for your IPsec VPN setup. If you missed the basics please have look over there first.
In the following chapters you will find a detailed description of how to setup firewall rules for IPsec VPN connections. The experienced reader may notice that nowhere iptables IPsec policy rules are used (-m policy –pol ipsec). The reason for that is a special VPN scenario where both tunnel ends use overlapping IP addresses. In this case we have do use source NAT (network address translation) rules. SNAT is only available in the POSTROUTING nat table. At this late firewall stage the system will discover for the first time that the packet has to pass the IPsec tunnel. Any ipsec policy based filter before will ignore the packet.
As in many commercial firewall solutions OpenWrt works with zones. A zone is more or less a bunch of computers that reside in the same network. Common examples are WAN, LAN, WLAN, … Why not introduce a new zone for computers behind tunnels. Here are two facts that should encourage the use of a new zone named VPN.
Conclusion: Create a new zone and call it vpn. It is not required to assign an interface to it. If you want to rename the zone to something else you have to adapt parameter zone in /etc/config/ipsec.
We could build our own VPN firewall ruleset with iptables but why not go with LuCI. The interface should be flexible enough to build rules for our new OpenWrt IPsec enhanced router. The basic "Deny All" configuration can be achieved in the upper two panels. You should start with something like that:
Idea behind that is:
To allow IPsec communications from a remote VPN Gateway the router must be able to terminate incoming connections. Three rules are required.
The easiest will be to allow all traffic to the Endpoint ports. Although being security paranoid we have to think about road warriors that want to connect from random internet addresses. The input_rule queue is a a good place to activate those rules manually with the following commands.
iptables -A input_rule -p esp -j ACCEPT iptables -A input_rule -p udp --dport 500 -j ACCEPT iptables -A input_rule -p udp --dport 4500 -j ACCEPT
But we are not interested in manual setup. The solution should automatically integrate itself into the OpenWrt environment. So nothing to do now. We will discuss all different security aspects in detail and at the end of the page you will find a all-in-one script that will take care of everything.
Rules for the VPN zone require special considerations especially if you want to edit them with LuCI. Think of the IP address/interface overlap. Your routers default outgoing interface is normally the WAN connection. Every packet that does not match your internal network will leave there. But with active security profiles in the kernel packets e.g. to the remote VPN subnet 192.168.10.0/24 will go out through the WAN interface too. Of course they will be encrypted in advance. A simple rule "Allow all LAN Zone to WAN Zone" matches any packet to one of the remote VPN networks. Placed at the wrong position on top of the list it may conflict with other VPN specific rules that follow.
Conclusion: The firewall script of at least version 10 will take care about that. You do not have to bother.
Up to here it was easy. Now it is time for a deeper firewall inspection. A packet from zone SRC to any other zone will sometime pass the zone_SRC_forward chain. At this point the firewall checks the packets destination address and forwards or drops it. For each rule we created from SRC to somwhere else an entry has been placed into this chain. The chain sequence is analogous to the order of rules. A comparison of the following picture with the above ruleset should make it clear.
First of all two rules to zone VPN afterwards one to WAN and one to LAN. But with a sharp eye there are still two faults in our chain.
Two problems two solutions.
And that what it has to look like afterwards. The zone_VPN_ACCEPT and zone_VPN_REJECT are populated and zone_VPN_REJECT chain inserted at the right position. The VPN networks defined in our /etc/config/ipsec are 192.168.10.0/24 and 22.214.171.124/26.
The naming convention follows the LuCI standard so you won't get confused. Once again no action has to be taken because we will use a script.
Now that outgoing packets are covered by new policies we take care about the other direction. This is much easyier than before. The forward chain misses the jump into zone_vpn_forward chain as LuCI once again left it out due to missing associated interfaces. Without an interface we cannot insert the link directly but have to do subnet checkings in a new layer in between. As the picture shows we jump along the chains forward → zone_VPN_forward (new) → zone_vpn_forward (existing).
In this case a single rule from remote machine 192.168.10.1 to local machine 192.168.213.66 was defined. With the new chain links it will be evaluated by the firewall. This modification will also be accomplished by our script.
If we want to reach the device through a VPN tunnel we have to check the correctness of the INPUT chain. It branches into the input (lowercase!) chain where the system checks it for the different zones. The jump over to the vpn_zone is missing by default although the chain itself already exists and is populated. So just put this entry at the beginning.
This feature has been introduced in version 9 of our firewall script.
Some of our interfaces will run in masquerade mode. The source address of packets that will leave through these interfaces will be translated to the interface address itself. This is an unwanted contrast to VPN networks where IP addresses are usually untouched. Maybe sometime later we will have look at overlapping VPN subnets. This time our challenge lies in the NAT POSTROUTING chain. For each interface that you flagged with masquerading in LuCI a rule is inserted there. When taking no action something like this will happen.
So once again we have to fix the queue. Therefore we will put a rule at the first position in the chain. This will ensure that packets to foreign VPN subnets will remain untouched.
To enable custom firewall rules we hook up with the default firewall mechanism. Ensure that firewall user scripts are loaded and reloaded everytime we (re)start the OpenWrt firewall. Verify/adapt the following lines in /etc/config/firewall
config include option path '/etc/firewall.user' option reload 1
Additionally place the call to the ipsec user firewall script into /etc/firewall.user.
# This file is interpreted as shell script. # Put your custom iptables rules here, they will # be executed with each firewall (re-)start. # Internal uci firewall chains are flushed and recreated on reload, so # put custom rules into the root chains e.g. INPUT or FORWARD or into the # special user chains, e.g. input_wan_rule or postrouting_lan_rule. /etc/firewall.ipsec
Finally we have a look at the script. It injects all the additionally required settings according to /etc/config/ipsec into the OpenWrt firewall. Save it as /etc/ipsec/firewall.sh and put a calling line into /etc/firewall.user so it gets loaded automatically. REMARK: This script only enables VPN firewall rules that have been set in the LUCI web interface. There is no guarantee that manually implemented rules in /etc/config/firewall will work!
#!/bin/sh #/etc/ipsec/firewall.sh - version 2 . /etc/functions.sh GetZone() { config_get zone "$1" zone vpn } GetTunnel() { local remote_subnet local local_subnet local local_nat config_get remote_subnet "$1" remote_subnet config_get local_subnet "$1" local_subnet config_get local_nat "$1" local_nat "" iptables -A zone_${zone}_ACCEPT -d $remote_subnet -j ACCEPT iptables -A zone_${zone}_ACCEPT -s $remote_subnet -j ACCEPT iptables -A zone_${zone}_REJECT -d $remote_subnet -j reject iptables -A zone_${zone}_REJECT -s $remote_subnet -j reject iptables -A zone_${zone}_INPUT -s $remote_subnet -j zone_${zone} iptables -A zone_${zone}_FORWARD -s $remote_subnet -j zone_${zone}_forward if [ "$local_nat" == "" ]; then iptables -t nat -A zone_${zone}_nat -d $remote_subnet -j ACCEPT else iptables -t nat -A zone_${zone}_nat -d $remote_subnet \ -s $local_subnet -j NETMAP --to $local_nat iptables -t nat -A prerouting_${zone} -s $remote_subnet \ -d $local_nat -j NETMAP --to $local_subnet fi } GetRemote() { local enabled local gateway config_get_bool enabled "$1" enabled 0 config_get gateway "$1" gateway [[ "$enabled" == "0" ]] && return config_list_foreach "$1" tunnel GetTunnel } GetDevice() { . /lib/functions/network.sh local interface="$1" network_get_device listen "$interface" # open IPsec endpoint if [ "$listen" == "" ]; then iptables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -p esp -j ACCEPT iptables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -p udp --dport 500 -j ACCEPT iptables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -p udp --dport 4500 -j ACCEPT if [ $has_ip6tables -eq 1 ]; then ip6tables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -p esp -j ACCEPT ip6tables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -p udp --dport 500 -j ACCEPT ip6tables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -p udp --dport 4500 -j ACCEPT fi else iptables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -i $listen -p esp -j ACCEPT iptables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -i $listen -p udp --dport 500 -j ACCEPT iptables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -i $listen -p udp --dport 4500 -j ACCEPT if [ $has_ip6tables -eq 1 ]; then ip6tables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -i $listen -p esp -j ACCEPT ip6tables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -i $listen -p udp --dport 500 -j ACCEPT ip6tables -A zone_${zone}_gateway -i $listen -p udp --dport 4500 -j ACCEPT fi fi } GetInterface() { config_list_foreach "$1" listen GetDevice } zone=vpn config_load ipsec config_foreach GetZone ipsec if [ -x /usr/sbin/ip6tables ]; then has_ip6tables=1 else has_ip6tables=0 fi iptables -F zone_${zone}_ACCEPT if [ $has_ip6tables -eq 1 ]; then ip6tables -F zone_${zone}_ACCEPT fi iptables -N zone_${zone}_gateway iptables -I input -j zone_${zone}_gateway if [ $has_ip6tables -eq 1 ]; then ip6tables -N zone_${zone}_gateway ip6tables -I input -j zone_${zone}_gateway fi config_foreach GetInterface ipsec iptables -t nat -F zone_${zone}_nat iptables -t nat -I POSTROUTING 2 -j zone_${zone}_nat iptables -t nat -I PREROUTING 2 -j zone_${zone}_prerouting # sort VPN rules to top of forward zones and insert VPN reject marker afterwards ForwardZones=`iptables -S | awk '/.N.*zone.*_forward/{print $2}' | grep -v ${zone}` for ForwardZone in $ForwardZones ; do echo "iptables -F $ForwardZone" > /tmp/fwrebuild iptables -S $ForwardZone | grep zone_${zone}_ACCEPT | \ grep -v "^-N" | awk '{ print "iptables " $0}' >> /tmp/fwrebuild echo "iptables -A $ForwardZone -j zone_${zone}_REJECT" >> /tmp/fwrebuild iptables -S $ForwardZone | grep -v zone_${zone}_ACCEPT | \ grep -v "^-N" | awk '{ print "iptables " $0}' >> /tmp/fwrebuild chmod +x /tmp/fwrebuild /tmp/fwrebuild rm /tmp/fwrebuild done # link zone_vpn via zone_vpn_INPUT iptables -N zone_${zone}_INPUT iptables -I input -j zone_${zone}_INPUT # link zone_vpn_forward via zone_vpn_FORWARD iptables -N zone_${zone}_FORWARD iptables -I forward -j zone_${zone}_FORWARD config_foreach GetRemote remote
With the firewall ready we can start our first IPSec VPN scenario. A site to site connection.


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| 11.7°C Belfast
Jockey Frankie Dettori and X Factor contestant Rylan Clark have entered the Celebrity Big Brother house - and immediately had to banish half their housemates to the basement.
Bosses on the Channel 5 show have decided to make life hard for some of the contestants, with half spending their time in the grotty basement area, where there is no running water, no windows and residents will have to scavenge for food from the scraps from the main house.
Told their task by Big Brother in the Diary Room, Dettori and Clark looked distinctly uncomfortable but said: "Somebody's got to do it."
As the other housemates were introduced in pairs by host Brian Dowling, Dettori and Clark had to decide who would go the luxury house, and who to the basement. They first sent model Paula Hamilton to the basement as being more irritating than actress Tricia Penrose, who was allowed to go to the house proper.
Next Dettori and Clark had to decide who was more "fake" out of Neighbours actor Ryan Maloney, who has played Toadfish in the Australian soap since 1995, and ex-EastEnders and Footballers Wives star Gillian Taylforth, and sent Maloney to the basement.
Dettori and Clark then had to decide who fancied themselves more, former Coronation Street actor Sam Robertson or glamour model Lacey Banghard. Apologising as usual to the loser in their decision, they said: "Sam, sorry pal."
The next pair were former Steps star Claire Richards and former footballer Neil "Razor" Ruddock, and Clark and Dettori were told to choose which would have the bigger ego - to be sent to the basement. Ruddock was the choice for the basement. The last choice was between reality TV couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, who first finding fame in MTV show The Hills. Pratt was sent to the basement this time.
Clark has been installed as favourite to win the show by bookmaker William Hill, with Dettori next.
One absentee is comedian Jim Davidson who had been due to appear but was dropped after being arrested and questioned by detectives over allegations of sexual offences, which he denies.
The contestants will spend the next few days holed up in the custom-built property in full glare of TV cameras with a winner emerging later this month if they can prove popular enough with viewers and their own housemates. The series is expected to last three weeks, with the first eviction due on Wednesday.

subset: commoncrawl


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Role: Letting Negotiator/ Advisor
Employment Type: Permanent
Location: Wokingham
The Leaders Romans Group are one of the UK's largest multi-faceted property companies aswell as Romans being the UK's best largest Lettings agents. Our brands have been operational for over 30 years each with their own unique heritage; Leaders, Romans and Boyer.
We have over 2,000 employees across 160 locations, allowing us to provide fantastic growth and development opportunities for our teams.
We are always looking for individuals that are driven, creative and ambitious to succeed. We ensure our employees are provided with fantastic development opportunities and rewards. To name a few we provide up to 35 days annual leave including bank holidays, an additional 10 days holiday every 5 years of service, Sickness absence benefit, employee assistance program, annual trips and incentives.
We offer learning opportunities to our employees that provide great ways to gain and enhance skills, knowledge and experience that may be needed at certain stages of their career. These are available for both new and existing staff subject to line manager approval.
There are many different Upskilling opportunities available across the business covering a wide variety of job roles, and can lead to professional qualifications including ARLA and NAEA. These allow you to study alongside your normal duties and your training costs are funded by the Leaders Romans Group (LRG).
The Leaders Romans Group is an organisation that understands the value of its employees and that without great teams in place, we could not provide the first class service we do to our clients.
As a Lettings Advisor, the primary responsibilities of this role will include…
To succeed, you will need an in-depth working knowledge of residential lettings procedures, practises and legislation. You will also need…
By joining the Leaders Romans Group, you will get a lot more than just a career, we want to ensure that you never stand still and are always fulfilling your potential.
In a company as large as ours there's always room for progression and we will support you in finding the right path and work with you to enhance your skills as well as offering you a competitive salary package and the opportunity to grow your expertise at an expanding company.
Due to the high volume of applications that we receive, if you are not contacted within 10 days then your application has unfortunately been unsuccessful. Please keep reviewing our vacancies in case a suitable position arises in the future. We wish you every success with your job search.
The closing date should be treated as a guide. We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we would advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.


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Kansas high court says state is inadequately funding public schools
Stay with KMBC.com for updates
The Kansas Supreme Court said Friday the state's current public school funding levels are unconstitutional.
In the much-anticipated ruling, the court said Kansas' poor school districts were harmed when the state made the decision to cut certain payments when tax revenues declined during the Great Recession.
The Supreme Court also sent the case back to district court for more review to "promptly" determine what the adequate amount of funding should be, but didn't set a deadline for a hearing. It did, however, set a July 1 deadline for legislators to restore money for two funds aimed at helping poorer districts with capital improvements and general school operations.
The case has broader implications beyond the classroom: Kansas enacted sweeping cuts to income taxes in 2012 and 2013 championed by Gov. Sam Brownback that have reduced the amount of available resources to comply with a court order.
The lawsuit was filed in 2010 on behalf of parents and school districts who argued the state had harmed students because spending cuts resulted in lower test scores. State attorneys maintained that legislators did their best to minimize cuts to education.
Friday's decision has been in the works since the state appealed after a three-judge panel in Shawnee County District Court said in January 2013 that the lawsuit was valid. Because no issues involving the U.S. Constitution were raised, there's no appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In the lawsuit, attorneys representing four school districts and parents alleged that Kansas reneged on promises made in 2006 to provide a certain level of funding the Kansas' public schools, namely that the failure to provide money for classroom instruction has harmed the state's education system - including programs aimed at helping poor and minority students.
In recent years, school districts have trimmed their staffs, cut after-school programs and raised fees for parents. Classrooms became more crowded.
State attorneys had said legislators did the best they could to maintain education spending among the reduced available revenues during the recession, pointing to efforts to raise the state sales tax rate in 2010 and the reliance on federal stimulus funding to keep spending stable.
Legislators delayed any decisions on school funding until the high court made a final judgment.


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Your Super
eCommerce • Food
Your Super is a fun and fast-moving start-up that's determined to make a difference. Our mission is to make healthy eating easier with organic, plant-based superfood mixes. Our supply chain is 100% transparent and sustainable. And for every mix sold, we donate a life-saving food bar (1:1) to those in need.
55Local Employees


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Think Romney's welfare attack ad is just a distasteful blip on the screen? Think again.
Mitt Romney's new ad campaign, attacking President Obama over welfare, is no isolated event. In state capitals, think tanks, and Congress, American conservatives are assailing government programs for the poor with renewed fervor as the nation creeps out from recession.
The Right has ample targets. The federal safety net has swollen to unprecedented scope and size in recent years as the economic crisis, globalization, an aging population, soaring health care costs, and more-liberal eligibility standards have led tens of millions of the working poor to turn to the government for support.
Medicaid, food stamps, disability, and supplemental-income programs have morphed from emergency remedies to common crutches of working-class life. The "fundamentally destructive" and "narcotic" dependency on the social-welfare system that President Franklin D. Roosevelt warned of in his 1935 State of the Union speech is increasingly a reluctant necessity.
The cost to the taxpayers: $927 billion in state and federal funds last year.
Consider a few examples:
State and federal costs for Medicaid, the health care program for poorer Americans, have jumped from $159 billion in 1995 to $401 billion in 2010, and are expected to double again by 2019 to $811 billion, according to the Health and Human Services Department.
The number of Americans who participate in the federal food-stamp program has more than doubled in the past 10 years, and costs have quadrupled, in part because of more-lenient enrollment standards, the General Accounting Office has found. By 2020, one in 10 U.S. residents will receive food-stamp benefits, the Congressional Budget Office predicts, at a cost of $73 billion a year.
The more-liberal eligibility standards in Social Security Disability Insurance, which provides support to non-elderly Americans who are deemed too disabled to work, have helped spur a "rapid expansion" in that program until the share of working-age Americans claiming the benefit is approaching 5 percent. It has become something of a shadow unemployment-insurance fund. According to GAO, "the projected gap between its spending and dedicated revenues in the future raises questions about the financial sustainability of the program."
The Supplemental Security Income program, a social-welfare fund once reserved for blind and physically disabled individuals, has grown rapidly to some 8 million individuals receiving payments, in large part due to an influx of children with relatively common behavioral disorders like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. A 2010 investigation by the Boston Globe found that "this little-scrutinized $10 billion federal disability program has gone seriously astray, becoming an alternative welfare system with troubling built-in incentives that risk harm to children."
But the Romney ad campaign focuses, deceptively, on the core welfare program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, which has remained relatively stable in the years since the welfare-reform act of 1996. It is the dozens of satellite programs, providing food, housing, medical care, and cash benefits, that have pushed means-tested social-welfare spending for the poorer among us -- not including Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, or worker's compensation -- toward the trillion-dollar mark.
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"Means-tested spending comprises a vast, hidden welfare state," said Robert Rector, the senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, in congressional testimony this summer. "The public is almost totally unaware of the size and scope of government spending on the poor ... each of the 79 programs is debated in isolation as if it were the only program."
Progressives don't argue with the figures. "If one simply looks at total means-tested programs, costs appear to remain high in the years to come and will likely continue climbing over time as a percent of [gross domestic product]," said Robert Greenstein and Richard Kogan, in a study for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "The costs of these programs have risen significantly in the last few years."
But these kinds of increases are inevitable, the CBPP scholars argue, as our aging population, facing rising health care costs, emerges from the Great Recession. As the economy recovers, the cost of food stamps and other antipoverty programs will decline over time to the historic average, or below, CBO projects. Health care costs -- which account for about half of all social-welfare spending -- are the great exception.
"The growth of health care costs and the aging of the population explain all of the long-term growth of expenditures as percent of GDP," the analysts write. "Medicaid isn't the cause of this system-wide cost growth." Indeed, "over the past decade, per-beneficiary costs have been rising more slowly in Medicaid than under private insurance," they note.
Nevertheless, the conservative pushback is strong:
The House Republican budget proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., would transform Medicaid into a block grant and cut Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program spending almost in half, as a share of GDP, in the next 20 years. "Cutbacks might involve reduced eligibility ... coverage of fewer services, lower payments to providers or increased cost-sharing by beneficiaries--all of which would reduce access to care," CBO concluded.
House conservatives have demanded changes in eligibility and $16 billion in cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food-stamp, budget over the coming decade, a primary reason the farm bill remains stalled in the House.
High-profile Republican governors, like Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Rick Scott of Florida, and Rick Perry of Texas, are leading a national movement against the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that would increase Medicaid payments to the states.
The House and Senate Republican tax bills debated in recent weeks kept the George W. Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans intact but slashed the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit and child tax credit and a higher-education tax credit, which had been boosted for some 25 million working-class families in the 2009 economic-stimulus act. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., called the credits "spending items ... that failed."
Romney's antiwelfare ad is just one slice of an ongoing conservative media campaign to characterize the beneficiaries of social-welfare benefits as relatively comfortable -- if not fat and lazy -- consumers of America's material gifts. "Poor Americans are healthier than the rich of previous generations," wrote Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in the National Review last fall. "The average poor household has a car, air conditioning, two color televisions, cable or satellite TV, a DVD player, and an Xbox."
"To the extent that poverty impacts health, much of it can be attributed to behavioral factors," Paul said. "Obesity rates are significantly higher among the poor than the general population."
"When is it going to end? Is the upper 49 percent going to have to continue to carry everything in this country?" exclaimed Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, during debate on the Senate tax bill this summer.
"Almost half of Americans pay no federal income tax at all," griped Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, in the House debate. "What we need are more taxpayers, not more taxes" on the wealthy.
In the House and Senate debates, the Democrats noted how the conservative attack on the social-welfare programs is being waged in conjunction with an embrace of greater tax cuts for the very wealthy, in a nation where income inequality is a rising issue.
Nor are Republicans as critical, in general, of the Pentagon budget -- which itself has more than doubled in the last 10 years and is far bigger now than at any time during the Cold War. If reducing debt and deficits is a vital national goal, the Democrats asked, shouldn't all Americans contribute fairly?
"My God, can we do any more to help the wealthy in America than what our Republican friends have done?" asked Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.
At this point, the Republicans continue to portray themselves as compassionate conservatives, making their arguments in the rhetoric of economic opportunity. As the American economy struggles to recovery from recession, they should be aware of the danger of becoming too strident and of attacking poor people instead of wasteful programs. Going overboard makes them look unfair, and fairness is an American tradition--even in today's politics.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
A trillion-dollar price tag isn't the only cost of war.
While most of the Country's attention is fixed on how best to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the nation recently reached another milestone related to that event. Total military spending on Iraq and Afghanistan passed the $1 trillion mark at the end of April this year, and it is currently racing toward $1.5 trillion.
Most of that money was raised by selling debt, which over time will compound that figure. Economists predict the War on Terror will ultimately cost the nation a staggering $3.7 trillion. The economic debacle of the last few years has made it all too clear how many ways that vast amount of national wealth could have been better spent, particularly as increasingly desperate budget crunching has turned us against ourselves in the nastiest manner imaginable.
The invasion of Iraq did far more than divert the nation's attention from running down the culprits of the September 11 attacks. It proved a pit for both the nation's resources and its credibility.
The decision to pacify and modernize Afghanistan opened a strategic quagmire for the United States and NATO. Large-scale combat missions in Afghanistan will end, according to the president, by 2014. I wish I could say that whatever hard-won "success" is achieved in Afghanistan will prove enduring, but I have a sickening suspicion that the corrupt regime in Kabul and the flimsy infrastructure that has been so laboriously constructed over the past decade will not last many weeks after a U.S. withdrawal. But that may prove true whether the United States departs in 2014 or 2044.
I find myself thinking of the Athenians who, assured by the oracle at Delphi that a great empire would fall if they invaded Syracuse, felt emboldened to launch their great navy without first pondering which empire the oracle was referring to.
Al Qaeda's $250,000 September 11 attack may prove to be the most cost-effective strike against a great power in history. It did not have to be so. Many strategic options were on the table in the aftermath of September 11, and they did not include the ill-conceived campaign against bin Laden's secular Arab enemies in Iraq which has delivered the nation to this point almost 10 years later.
And yet we go about our lives listless and indifferent to the suffering of our own military families and the collateral damage inflicted around the world, stupefied and frozen before the nation's debt-addled economy and the increasing inequity of our social order.
When will we account for the terrible tradeoffs we have made in order to pay for more war? Will anyone ever be made to pay for the cherry-picked and distorted intelligence that rushed the nation into the Iraq invasion in 2003?
Pope John Paul II, attempting to thwart the first Gulf War, implored President Bush the elder to turn away from the path of war, what he called the "adventure with no return," and its ceaseless spiral of violence and mourning. How poignantly those words resonate today as we attempt to extricate ourselves from Iraq and Afghanistan where more than 6,000 U.S. servicemembers have died, together with an unknowable number of civilians.
His warning sadly resounds as we simultaneously seek a way ahead in our own troubled nation toward a renewed and shared understanding of a common good—and a way to pay for it all.
Rarely have the just war principles seemed so pointed and true as when up against the decision to begin that "war of choice" in Iraq. Rising out of the ashes of the World Trade Center, we sought justice, and let's face it, we sought revenge.
Now we emerge from the political and economic wreckage of our Middle East campaigns adrift and at war with ourselves. We may have remotely heard the Christian call to the imperative of peacemaking in the past. Perhaps now we have come to see the common good wisdom of it, too.
This article appeared in the September 2011 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 76, No. 9, page 47).
Image: Photo illustration by Tom Wright


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An impeller is a rotating iron or steel disc with vanes in a centrifugal pump.
Impellers transfer energy from the motor that drives the pump to the fluid being pumped by accelerating the fluid radially outwards from the centre of rotation.
The velocity achieved by the impeller transfers into pressure when the outward movement of the fluid is confined by the pump casing. Impellers are available as vortex or channel impellers.


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BOSTON – State Sen. Karen Spilka will begin her tenure as Massachusetts Senate president July 23.
The date was released Thursday in a joint statement from Spilka, D-Ashland, and current Senate President Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester.
"We have both shared a strong belief that our guiding priority must be to ensure stability in the Massachusetts Senate," the statement reads. "Each of us also believes that a smooth, orderly transition between each of our tenures as Senate President is the only way to ensure the Senate's uninterrupted work on behalf of the men, women and children of this Commonwealth."
Chandler temporarily took over leadership when former President Stanley Rosenberg stepped down in early December, amid an ethics investigation. She said she wasn't interested in the job long term.
"Chairwoman Spilka and I have been long-time friends and colleagues, and I am pleased to be handing the Senate over to a strong leader who will continue to lead us into the future," Chandler said in Thursday's statement. "I look forward to working with her closely through the coming months, and into next session."
A handful of senators vied for the title, but Spilka announced last month she had the votes needed to secure it.
"Senate President Chandler has served the Senate admirably in these challenging times," Spilka said in the statement. "I look forward to continuing to benefit from her wise counsel throughout my presidency, as I have during the many years of our friendship.
Spilka plans to make Chandler part of her leadership team, according to the statement, and will not make significant changes to the Senate organization.


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Despite the ongoing upturn, automotive suppliers at the lower end of the value chain face elevated debt levels, strong competition and price pressure.
- Further growth expected in 2018
- Limited impact of potential US punitive tariffs
- Major challenges in the supplier segment remain
According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers OICA, French automotive production increased 6.5% in 2017, while domestic registrations or sales of new vehicles rose 4.7%. French carmakers, which have a 59% market share in France, recorded a 14% sales increase, benefitting from growing domestic and international demand. In H1 of 2018 the robust performance continued, with domestic automotive sales increasing 4.7%. The utility vehicles market performed well, partly driven by a rebound of the construction sector.
Automotive parts and components manufacturers' revenues are expected to increase 3.5% in 2018 after growing 6% in 2017. Automotive suppliers are impacted by the decrease in diesel vehicles production and have therefore launched measures such as new R&D, innovation and investment plans in a shift to provide components for more environmental-friendly engines as well as connected and electrical vehicles. This requires large investments, and it helps that banks are currently willing to provide loans to this segment, which is already highly dependent on bank financing (both short- and long-term debts).
Despite the unfavourable impact of rising commodity prices and higher staff costs automotive suppliers posted good margins in 2017, with average earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (ebitda) at 5.7% of revenues.
That said, structurally the margins of suppliers remain under pressure as the powerful car manufacturers keep requesting greater productivity, coupled with lower prices (e.g. many suppliers could not pass increased metal prices on to OEMs). Despite the ongoing upturn, major structural issues persist (high working capital, investment requirements leading to high debt levels and financing needs, coupled with strong competition and price pressure). Any demand downturn in the future could seriously affect suppliers, especially those who are highly geared and positioned at the lower end of the value chain.
On average, payments in the French automotive industry take 60 days (end of month). Timely payment is important, and there are few protracted payments. The payment experience has been good over the past two years, and we do not expect any fundamental change in the coming months.
Insolvencies decreased in 2017 and the insolvency level is expected to remain low (below 1.5%) in 2018. Usually the assets of defaulting companies are taken over by other suppliers, sometimes supported by a car manufacturer in order to avoid disruptions in the supply chain.
Given the solid performance in 2017 and the positive business outlook for 2018, our underwriting stance for the French automotive industry remains generally open. We expect that the impact of any US import tariffs on French carmakers and suppliers would be limited as the export share to the US is very low, with no change in credit risk for the industry.
OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers retain a strong risk profile, posting robust revenues and margins, For Tier 2 suppliers our underwriting stance is more neutral, as this segment remains impacted by changes in raw material prices and pressure on margins from OEM/Tier 1 businesses. Businesses in the Tier 2 segment remain susceptible to higher risks, as the trend to outsource production overseas and high competition from foreign companies has led to overcapacity. We closely monitor smaller suppliers engaged in foundry work, small stamping and/or producing items with low technology requirements. We also maintain a neutral underwriting stance for car dealers, as this segment suffers from decreasing demand of diesel cars and could therefore face significant inventories.


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During an address at the Business School on Monday, former President of Mexico Felipe Calderon argued that although private sector companies are often hesitant to adopt climate change initiatives, minimizing carbon emissions may prove extremely profitable.
The conversation, which was titled "Climate Change and Business," attracted dozens of graduate students from the Business and Kennedy Schools.
Calderon highlighted how global leaders were still reluctant to address climate change only a few years ago, specifically mentioning an international conference in Copenhagen in 2009.
"Not all leaders and countries felt involved in the issue at that time," Calderon said.
Nevertheless, Calderon noted that leaders have grown increasingly cognizant of the problems posed by climate change.
"[Today,] climate change is the most important challenge for a human being," Calderon said.
Calderon pointed out a false dilemma many leaders in the private sector believe they face when trying to implement policies to reduce carbon emissions.
According to Calderon, many believe that "either you tackle climate change or you create economic growth."
Those two goals, Calderon argued, are not mutually exclusive.
Read more in University NewsPershing Square Foundation Gives $17 Million To Fund Human Behavior Initiative


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Physically he's been renewed. Spiritually he's been renewed.
Ty's mom
When Ty, 8, was offered a wish, he asked to be a volcanologist. He traveled to Hawaii with his family and, for the first time in a long time, it was an airplane trip that had nothing to do with doctors. It was a chance to "take a deep breath and relax," his mom said.
It's that opportunity to take some stress off your life and just open up and be a kid.
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Ty's dad
This story makes me feel
June 25, 2012 - 11:25 AM
Glenda T.
One of the most heartwarming wishes I've seen...altho they are all wonderful!
October 22, 2013 - 7:20 PM
Kevin K.
I love it!!!! Science always got me excited, and I see Ty is no different. This world would be a better (and smarter) place if we had more Ty's.
November 21, 2013 - 7:33 AM
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Kishorn Pressed
Lightweight Cashmere Scarf
Kelly Green
A lightweight, delicately woven style, the Kishorn is the scarf for any season. Made from 15 micron 100% cashmere, the sleek, stable characteristics of the yarn are due to the traditional worsted process, where shorter fibres are eliminated before combing. An incredibly versatile style with short fringes, it was designed by Begg & Co to offer a contemporary look that feels comfortable to wear, regardless of the weather.
- 100% Cashmere
- 70x180cm approx
- Free shipping worldwide
- Woven in our mill in Scotland


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Garmin's VIRB X action camera shoots rich, high-definition, wide-angle footage at 1080p30, and 12 megapixel photos at up to 10 frames per second. Powered by Garmin GPS, G-Metrix allows you to track and overlay how fast, how far, how high, and how intense the moment truly was. Designed for the toughest environments, the VIRB X is able to dive to 50 meter depths without a case, allowing capture of cleaner and clearer audio. Its tough, compact design is ready to withstand the elements with an exposed microphone that records clean and clear audio that cameras in cases just can't pick up. Thanks to a hydrophobic, flat, glass lens, underwater shots are crystal clear while transitions in and out of the water stay unobstructed by droplets. The VIRB X features weatherproof power contacts so you can connect to a vehicle battery or other power source to allow for long periods of uninterrupted recording in even the toughest conditions. VIRB X also features a rechargeable/replaceable lithium-ion battery for maximum flexibility.
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