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The other night we temporarily transformed our apartment into a cookie factory and baked a ton of cookies for the holidays—chocolate chip, cinnamon chip and chocolate mint chip—while watching Chevy Chase succumb to holiday psychosis in Christmas Vacation.
Usually the first batch of cookies gets a bit burnt on the bottom because we haven't figured out precisely how long to leave them in for yet (our cookie factory typically only opens once a year!) but this time each and every cookie came out perfectly. In the end things also worked out for Chevy Chase as his boss learned the error of his ways and decided to give Clark (Chevy) the bonus necessary to put in his planned swimming pool.
However, sometimes the holidays really are a full-fledged disaster. The pressure to be joyful can make us just the opposite if our lives are the slightest bit less than perfect. Financial problems, work stresses, falling out with friends, undergoing a break-up, fighting with family, illness, suffering the loss of a loved one or having to spend the holiday alone—any of these things (and many more) can infuse us with sadness, anger and feelings of deep frustation or dissatisfaction.
And so, although I hope your holidays are happy I also hope that if that's not in the cards for you this year that you can find a way to ditch the happy holiday pressure. Sometimes doing things for people that have it worse can help and sometimes we might feel better skipping the holiday entirely or breaking with previous traditions and spending it with different people and/or doing different things than usual. I think it's important to remember that now isn't always and that if are having a tough time now that next week, next month or next year you could be on top of the world.
With that in mind I want to wish everybody out there all the best for 2011! One of the things I'm really looking forward to is, of course, reading some great new YA books early in the new year. Here are some with late December or January release dates that I'm especially looking forward to and either have on order or recently picked up:
Truthfully, I finished Fall for Anything last week and it is stunning. Like Courtney Summers' previously novels it's extremely intense but Fall for Anything is my favourite of her books so far. I just loved Eddie and my heart ached for her as she tried to make some sense of her father's suicide. The books I love the most are the ones that make me feel something deeply and this is one of those books—a painful, truthful exercise in empathy.
One last thing, there are still a couple of days left to enter the contest to win signed copies of my three books at Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm. Contest closes December 27th!
I finished my very first YA book back in 2000 but long before I reached the last chapter, I realized the story wouldn't be over on the final page. No, I needed to write a sequel and then a sequel to the sequel before I'd truly be done with those characters. Yep, it turned out I was writing a trilogy and in the middle of my second book I began doing some comparative reading and discovered two YA relationship trilogies that felt like first cousins to my novels. The first of these was the Jackie & Kev Trilogy—an Irish series by Marilyn Taylor (Could This Be Love? I Wondered; Could I Love A Stranger? and Call yourself a Friend?). The second series was by best-selling British author Kate Cann and is referred to as the Diving In series or the Coll and Art trilogy. Only it's not a trilogy any longer because at last Kate Cann has released a fourth novel in the series.
While the first three books are from Coll's point of view, exploring her feelings as she falls for Art, discovers sex and navigates their often rocky relationship, this fourth book is, at last, Art's thoughts on their love affair. Being a big fan of the Coll and Art books I'm extremely excited about this new novel, Art's Story, because, as Kate Cann mentions on her website, this fourth book, "tells you if they stay together or not."
Here's the blurb on Art's Story from Kate Cann's site: "While Coll's passion for Art is growing – what's he feeling? What does he think of her, how does he see her? And why is he so cut off and cruel sometimes? And when Coll comes back form Canada, can Art change enough to keep them together?"
I highly recommend the Coll and Art books for readers who are fans of realistic teen fiction. These novels remain amongst the best, most truthful YA books about a teen relationship I've ever read and they have the added bonus, for Anglophiles like me, of being British.
But if you happen to be in North America, you're not of out luck, because the Coll and Art trilogy was released on this side of the pond under the titles Ready? Sex and Go! several years ago. It's interesting to note what a different impression a title and cover give a novel considering that the same words appear inside. In this case, I think the British titles and above cover designs do a much better job of capturing the feel of Coll and Art's tale. You might get the impression from the American packaging that this is a sensationalized story but in fact its charm is that it's completely down to earth and open-hearted.
I fell in love with Coll and Art's story years ago and now that Kate Cann's released Art's Story (which she says her old publisher wouldn't offer her a contract for because they felt "Art was too dark and negative") I'm going to go back and gleefully reread them all as I wait for my copy of Art's Story to arrive in the mail. If you're interested in checking out Art's Story too, you can order it on Kate Cann's website.
As a side note, I'm happy to hear that Kate Cann also intends to re-release Breaking Up, which I was lucky enough to pick up in paperback several years ago. And, finally, if you enjoy books with realistic male central characters, you'll love Cann's book Leader of the Pack about seventeen year old Jack who struggles to balance his lives and breathes rugby mentality with the realities of a relationship.
There's only a sprinkling of snow in the city so far but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas regardless. Here's what Toronto looked like like yesterday (December 8th):
The view from Front Street:
Four foot high gingerbread recreation (created with 54lbs of flour and 54lbs of sugar) of the Royal York hotel's original 1929 construction. You can find it in the lobby of the Royal York:
Chilly, lonely park along the Esplanade:
Overhead Christmas decorations in the Distillery District:
Christmas Market at the Distillery District. It runs until December 12th. Note the snowy sign pointing the way to the gingerbread house:
Distillery District Christmas market stalls:
Voila, the {edible} gingerbread house:
It was too cold to attempt the market ferris wheel:
But watching this choir singing Avril Lavigne's Keep Holding On was fun:
And then we moved on to watch the skaters at Nathan Phlilips Square. I couldn't see where the skate rental place had gone but apparently it's currently in a construction trailer on site:
Menorah in front of Old City Hall:
The nativity scene at Old City Hall has been vandalized again this year—the glass had been smashed and the baby Jesus stolen:
As usual, the Hudson's Bay Christmas windows are absolutely gorgeous:
The Swarovski Christmas tree at the Eaton Centre was pretty much the only visible Christmas decoration in the place:
Berczy Park, Front Street:
Restaurant poinsettias:
Brookfield Place holiday lights:
As a John Lennon fan, having a December 8th birthday can be rough. Inevitably, sometime during the day I end up tuning into one of the radio stations (this would be Q107 if you're in Toronto) playing 24 hours of Lennon tunes and feeling sad that John is no longer in the world with us.
He's been gone thirty years now and sometimes the loss still comes as a shock, like when I was watching the documentary LENNONYC a couple of weeks ago. After spending hours witnessing the charismatic figure battle to stay in the city he loved, battle with his own personal demons, and spread his message of peace, it was difficult, all over again, to let him go again when the documentary reached the moment of his murder, the moment he was snatched away from us too soon.
In fact, I was too young to really mourn John Lennon when he was killed in New York on December 8th, 1980. I became a fan in my teenage years, devouring Beatles and Lennon biographies, buying the music in tape format and reading John's own writings, In His Own Write, A Spaniard in the Works and Skywriting by Word of Mouth. He was an enormous influence on me, both creatively and in terms of social justice. He seemed fearless, direct to the point that the naked messages in songs like Working Class Hero, Imagine and Woman is the Nigger of the World, enraged and terrified some people while striking a chord of painful recognition in others who were ready for change, sick of hypocrisy and political and social double-think.
We will always have to fight for change and though I wish John Lennon were here to help us do it in person I'm extremely grateful we have his music and message, which continue to be powerful inspiration for anyone who wants to attempt living an authentic life in a society which often values artifice, money and power over what should matter—love, peace, equality.
Thanks, John, for everything.
I thought I'd include a few of my teenage writings (penned when I was sixteen or seventeen) that demonstrated my admiration and/or the influence John Lennon had on me as a young person. The first poem is directly about John, the second also touches on other aspects of my life (including what a stark blue my walls apppeared to be after taking down the collection of wall to wall posters that used to decorate my room!) and the third short piece clearly shows John's stylistic influence. I wrote quite a few pieces sporting a similar style around the same time and hope to post more at a later date. If you check out a story called Tomorrow Never Knows which I wrote several years later you'll see that John Lennon also makes an appearance there.
We all live and die
in our own time
But for you the city sighs
becoming its own grave
And the people all forgave
you for being human
I read the news today oh boy
and thought of John and Scotland and the Twins
but they were only in my head
I wished to be with them instead
of this blue room with four blue walls
and all of them bare
Once maybe someone told me that you have to be dead
but I wonder now if it's all in my head
like John and Scotland and the Twins
and I wonder if they lie surrounded by blue
though I know it's true of Scotland
and possibly the Twins
I read the news today oh John
and couldn't understand what all the words were about
or where you'd gone with the Twins
I wondered if it was Scotland and
is it true that you have to be dead
or is it all only in my head?
The Adventures of Hippy Head in the Unreal World
"Hippy Hair! Hippy hair!" the girls cried, making faces. Hippy head was too bloated to mind the name calling. He was really grooving now, there were chicks and everything. Hippy head's mind was filled with weird visions. He could barely see the girls from his place on the ceiling.
"Come up here and see me," Hippy head roared pleasantly.
"Oh, Hippy head, your hair's too long for us."
"That may be," said Hippy and tied it in a bow.
Songs for John
Here Today, Paul McCartney:
All Those Years Ago, George Harrison:
Empty Garden, Elton John:
The Late Great Johnny Ace, Paul Simon:
I know I'm supposed to be on a blog break to concentrate on writing my new book but I've had to take a break from my break to giggle at the fact that Johnny Marr (ex Smiths guitarist) has told British Prime Minister David Cameron to stop saying he likes the band.
On December first Marr tweeted, "David Cameron, stop staying you like The Smiths, no you don't. I forbid you to like it."
Anyone who follows British politics will understand Marr's thought process here. It's pretty difficult to fathom what Cameron, whose government is slashing more than £81 billion from the budget (cuts which will hit the poor and vulnerable the hardest) could possibly admire about a band that was so critical of Margaret Thatcher's government.
Apparently Cameron "has made a big deal about his music preferences, talking up his fondness for The xx, Radiohead and Pulp, perhaps in an effort to look a little more alternative."
Perhaps we can look forward to other bands coming forward to tell David Cameron to get stuffed!
While I'm here I should mention that my blog tour concluded yesterday but if you want to win signed copies of all my books head over to Ramblings of a Bookworm. There you'll also find an interview with Jersy from One Lonely Degree. If you ever wanted to know more about him, that's the place to go to find out!
A couple of weeks ago I blogged that I was experiencing separation anxiety at the thought of putting my work-in-progress novel aside to focus on My Beating Teenage Heart copy-edits. How I feel now shouldn't come as a surprise because it's what always happens to me when I'm away from one of my books for more than a couple days, but anyway, this Keane song sums it up exactly:
Yes, Book XI and I have become strangers...
"I don't know your thoughts these days
We're strangers in an empty space
I don't understand your heart
It's easier to be apart "
With the copy-editing for My Beating Teenage Heart behind me (at least for the moment!), I hope we can remedy that unhappy situation soon and I'm going to put all my efforts into getting back to where we were, which means I'll be in Internet-lite mode again for at least the next few weeks.
But during that time I'm also on a blog tour with The Teen {Book} Scene so if you want to catch up with me (or some of the characters from my books), here are the details:
Monday, November 22: Michelle at See Michelle Read
(Character Interview - Mason from Lighter Side)
Tuesday, November 23: Kelsey at The Book Scout
(Review: Light Side of Life and Death)
Wednesday, November 24: Christie at The Fiction Enthusiast
(Author Interview)
Thursday, November 25: Jessica at A Fanatic's Book Blog
(Review: I Know It's Over)
Friday, November 26: Lindsay at Just Another Book Addict
(Character Interview - Finn from One Lonely Degree)
Monday, November 29: Kate at I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read
(Character Interview - Nick from I Know It's Over)
Tuesday, November 30: Kari at A Good Addiction
(Review: One Lonely Degree)
Wednesday, December 1: Corrine at Lost for Words
Thursday, December 2: Corrine at Lost For Words
(Review: Lighter Side of Life and Death)
Friday, December 3: Faye at Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm
(Character Interview - Jersy from One Lonely Degree)
Many thanks to Kari and Kelsey for putting this tour together!
You know the way you can get tired of even your favourite food, if you've had it too often within a certain timeframe? Like, it's wonderful at dinner and you'd be supremely happy for the leftovers the next day at lunch but if you had to face the same meal yet again for dinner on that second day (and then the third and so on...) your enthusiasm would seriously wane?
Well, that's sort of what copy-editing feels like after awhile. To me anyway. No matter how much I love My Beating Teenage Heart I was at the point yesterday where I was immune to all its charms and equally as blind to any of its faults. Like, someone could have inserted an alien invasion into one of the paragraphs and I wouldn't have even noticed because I couldn't force my attention to stick with the words on the page.
So here are some things I did yesterday when I should've been poring over my manuscript but couldn't face it anymore:
1) Watched The Way We Were reunion on Oprah. My heart ached for Hubbell and Katie all over again. The following quote reveals, in a nutshell, why it could never work for them:
Hubbell Gardner: People are more important than their principles.
Katie Morosky Gardner: People are their principles.
Just hearing the song is always enough to make me want to sob!
2) Munched on Cheetos with unbridled enthusiasm. Since Cheetos make an appearance in My Beating Teenage Heart I suppose I could make a case for my Cheetos consumption being related to the copy-editing process but constructing that argument sounds like too much work.
3) Watched multiple episodes of In Treatment. I've been addicted to the show since the beginning. Though we cancelled the movie network/HBO cable package only last spring, I had to reorder it this October because there was absolutely no way I was going to miss season three of In Treatment! Watching the show makes me want to go into therapy with Paul (Gabriel Byrne). I met Gabriel Byrne once in a Dublin bookshop when he was doing a reading & signing of his autobiography and he was so lovely and genuine. Lovely, I tell you!
Gabriel Byrne turns in a stellar, nuanced performance as Dr. Paul Weston (a talented but troubled therapist) on each and every episode of In Treatment. So far this season my favourite patient is the Debra Winger character—she almost had me in tears yesterday when she was talking about her mother. Amy Ryan (of The Office, Jack Goes Boating and Gone Baby Gone) is equally amazing as Adele, Paul's own therapist. If you're interested in character driven TV, In Treatment is the show for you.
Before I change the subject, let's enjoy a snippet from Gabriel's Byrne classic performance in the terrific Coen brothers flick, Miller's Crossing:
4) Watched Adventureland for the second and third time but the second doesn't really count because it was really only acting as background noise and I basically missed the entire plot. I'm not sure you can tell what a cool movie Aventureland is from this trailer but Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart are great in it and so is the amusement park/80's setting.
5) This sounds like a hell of lot of entertainment viewing, I realize, so lest you think I sat idly in front of the screen all day I'll point out my other big activity yesterday, which was renovating my website and blog. If you suspected something looked a little different around here, you're right—I put a fresh coat of paint on the place and changed up some of the graphics. Periodically, I tend to get bored of the website's appearence and then feel compelled to freshen things up. Hope you like the new look and I'm also hoping that I'll be able to post a sample chapter from My Beating Teenage Heart soon!
So I've been keeping my head down these last couple of weeks, concentrating on writing a new YA book, and though I'm still really only at the beginning I've been making some good progress on it.
Here's a snippet from Chapter One:
"When I wake up I have a pounding headache behind my eyes just like I've had every morning lately. At first my eyelids refuse to open fully and when they do the weak winter light wafting through my window burns my retinas."
No matter how excited I am about getting started on a new book, I always find it difficult to move past the note taking and research stage and jump in. Facing a blank page (or blank screen) is pretty daunting and when I start typing the novel, for all I've thought about it, the book is sort of a stranger at that point—an unformed stranger.
Anyway, the new novel and I definitely aren't strangers anymore but I'm not entirely sure where we stand either. It's an interesting time and I'm extremely curious to see what's going to happen next but copy-editing for My Beating Teenage Heart arrived yesterday (with a fairly short deadline attached to it) which means that I'll have to set Book XI aside for the moment.
I was surprised at how much separation anxiety that involves. I seriously didn't want to stop writing! However, it's all about the copy-editing for now and so I'm continuing in Internet-lite mode for the foreseeable future, first to wrestle a bit more with My Beating Teenage Heart and then to dive immediately back into Book XI.
Completely off-topic but I just saw the trailer for Jane Eyre on the Women and Hollywood blog and am giddily awaiting its release. I've been an enormous fan of Mia Wasikowska ever since seeing her star as a troubled young gymnast in season one of In Treatment and Michael Fassbender was such a startlingly powerful presence in Fish Tank and Hunger that I'm certain this pairing is going to be dynamite!
Head over to Women and Hollywood to check out the trailer if you want to get giddy about this latest adaptation of Jane Eyre too.
When I first got on the Internet in 1998 our package with Compuserve gave us a mere five hours a month online.
Five. Hours.
I was living in Dublin at the time and I can't remember which sites Paddy and I used to check out in those five hours (clearly, not many!) but I do recall how cool it was to be able to email friends and family back home in Canada and that as crazy as it seems, at the time those five hours felt like enough.
Now I find I sometimes almost miss having such limited Internet access because as well as being a terrific tool the Internet can also be a horrendous time and energy sink. For someone who writes as slowly as I do that's especially problematic.
I'm not sure how other authors manage to juggle writing with maintaining some sort of Internet presence but for me, well, the more places I feel like I have to be online, the less actual writing I tend to get done. So for the next while, possibly even up till Christmas, I'm going to be in Internet Lite mode to work on a new novel. This means I won't be around my usual net neighbourhoods much. Quite probably I'll disappear entirely for weeks at a time, although I'll still answer email...just very slowly.
Anyway, this new novel (which currently consists of a mere 13 pages) will be Book XI but it's in the top secret stage. My feeling on books in progress is that they're in an incredibly delicate state during which if I even look at them the wrong way they begin to unravel and/or run away and hide and/or disintegrate like vampires exposed to daylight). So for now, pretty well all I can say is that Book XI is another YA book (Book X, which I finished in July, is actually my first adult novel and I have a huge crush on it but it won't let me talk about it yet either; damn it's coy!).
So, yeah, I'm a little short on book info at the moment but some day I hope I can share more details on both Book X and Book XI.
Despite what I said about being in Internet Lite mode there are a few places you'll definitely be able to find me next month and early December because I'm doing a blog tour (with book and swag giveaways) put together by YA blogger extraordinaire Kari of The Teen {Book} Scene. The blog dates and topics are below. If you're not in Internet Lite mode yourself then I hope you'll stop by and say hi somewhere along the way.
Wednesday, November 24: Corrine at Lost for Words
Wednesday, December 1: Christie at The Fiction Enthusiast
Before I go I also want to recommend some wonderful YA novels I've read recently—Lure by Deborah Kerbel, Gentlemen by Michael Northrop and Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick. And I'm currently throwing all my self-discipline into resisting the temptation to read the first five chapters of Courtney Summer's December release, Fall for Anything, online because I don't want to deal with what I imagine the staggering withdrawal effects of having to stop at the end of chapter five would be. However, come December 21st you gotta know that's what I'll have my eyes glued to!
Bye for now...
Continuing on from yesterday, here are some more autumn photos I've taken recently, these ones locally.
Yesterday we went for an autumn drive up to Erin and Orangeville, both lovely Ontario towns. There's a collection of tree carving sculptures (43 in total) in Orangeville. You can see pictures of a few of them below, along with images of fall decorations, city landmarks etc.
The run-up to Halloween is an apt time for a 50% off skull tattoos sale!
Posters asking for information on Sonia Varaschin's murderer were hanging in the doorways of many Orangeville businesses. If you have any information please contact the designated tip line at (519) 941-2522, extension 2211.
Skeleton making himself at home inside The Winchester Arms:
Main Street, Erin
Just off the main street, taking it easy with a bottle of chardonnay after a hard day's work:
Wisdom from an Erin bakery:
Have you ever seen the Tin Man look this cute?
I wouldn't have suspected crocodiles lurking in an Ontario river so was grateful for the warning sign.
But I couldn't comprehend the other sign.
Here's a close-up which appears to say that little girls shouldn't eat ice cream in the middle of the river. Maybe that relates back to the crocodiles too?
The weight scrawled on this pumpkin was a whopping 734 lbs. Here, I'm pondering how to lift it:
The Coll and Art Quadrilogy
Christmas Time in the City
This (Not So) Charming Man
Blog Tour Details & WIP Woes
Tales from a Day Spent Otherwise
Book Stuff & Upcoming Blog Tour
More Images of Lovely (and sometimes eerie) Fall
Autumn Rambling(s)


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democide
racewar
collapsifornia
Most Americans don't realize that each new day brings us a little bit closer to war
While most Americans remain in a deep state of slumber, global events are moving us a little bit closer to military conflict with each passing day. U.S. relations with China are rapidly going down the tubes, and this is something that should greatly concern all of us because it has very serious implications for our future.
(Article by Michael Snyder republished from EndOfTheAmericanDream.com)
Personally, this is an issue that I have been focusing on for a very long time. Many years ago when I worked as an attorney, I would often have conversations about the state of the world with those that I worked with, and when China would come up I would warn that someday the U.S. and China would be bitter adversaries. At the time, what I was saying didn't seem to make sense to a lot of people, but I understood where global trends were taking us. Like most of the things that I write about, I knew that it wouldn't happen right away, but now we have reached a point where U.S. relations with China are the worst that they have been since the Korean War.
On Monday, there was breaking news about a huge international scandal involving China, but it didn't get that much coverage from the corporate media.
According to NPR, the Biden administration announced that it is formally blaming the Chinese government for a large scale cyberattack on Microsoft…
The White House is publicly blaming China for an attack on Microsoft's Exchange email server software that compromised tens of thousands of computers worldwide, allowing hackers to gain access to troves of sensitive data.
Separately, the Department of Justice announced Monday that a federal grand jury in May had indicted Chinese nationals accused of working with official sanction from Beijing to break into computer systems belonging to U.S. companies, universities and governments.
This wasn't just some random State Department official making speculative comments about who may be responsible. This is the official position of the White House, and a number of other governments around the world joined the Biden administration in placing the blame on China…
In a coordinated announcement, the White House and governments in Europe and Asia identified China's Ministry of State Security, the sprawling and secretive civilian intelligence agency, with using "criminal contract hackers" to conduct a range of destabilizing activities around the world for personal profit, including the Microsoft hack.
A cyberattack of this magnitude is an act of war, and we are being told that sensitive systems all over the country were compromised…
The cyberattack on Microsoft, which is believed to have begun in January, reportedly injected computers with malware that secretly monitored systems belonging to small businesses, local and state governments and some military contractors.
As part of the attack, an unidentified American company was also hit with a high-dollar ransom demand, according to a senior Biden administration official.
This represents a dramatic escalation by the Chinese, and the Biden administration crossed a major threshold by formally pointing a finger at China.
There is no going back to the days when the U.S. and China were "friends". Way too many bridges have been burned, and now an act of war has been committed.
The good news is that at least we aren't shooting at one another yet, but that could change. China has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan if independence is declared, and if that happens the U.S. military would get involved.
Many Americans can't even find Taiwan on a blank map of the world, but the truth is that it could easily spark a major military conflict. If you don't want to take my word for it, just consider what some national security experts are saying…
A clear and troubling consensus has emerged in the American national security community that the Taiwan Strait is the most likely place for a major war to erupt between the United States and China; that it might start soon, and that such a conflict might quickly escalate into a nuclear confrontation.
In March, the leading foreign policy organization in the United States, the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, issued a report concluding that Taiwan has become "the most dangerous flashpoint in the world." There, a unique and troubling set of geopolitical developments have conspired to make a shooting war between the People's Republic of China and the United States more likely than ever before. Recently the newly appointed commander of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific Region, Admiral John Aquilino, remarked that a possible invasion of Taiwan by the People's Republic of China (PRC) "is much closer than we think."
For such a long time I have been warning that this was coming, and now it is becoming a reality.
Recently, the Japanese government also publicly warned that the Chinese could soon invade Taiwan, and the Chinese responded very angrily. In fact, a video channel that has "close ties to the People's Liberation Army" released a video which had such harsh words for Japan that it made headlines all over the globe…
"When we liberate Taiwan, if Japan dares to intervene by force – even if it only deploys one soldier, one plane or one ship – we will not only return fire but also wage full-scale war against Japan itself."
Can you imagine the uproar that would happen if the Biden administration said something like that?
In the video, Japan was also threatened with nuclear war…
In the new video now deleted, a narrator said: "We will use nuclear bombs first. We will use nuclear bombs continuously.
"We will do this until Japan declares unconditional surrender for the second time."
The video has now been taken down, but it should be unthinkable to say such things.
Unfortunately, these are the times in which we live.
Here in the United States, members of Congress from both parties are trying to get increasingly tough on China, and Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland is of particular concern…
The push to drain China's influence from the U.S. economy has reached America's farm country, as congressional lawmakers from both parties are looking at measures to crack down on foreign purchases of prime agricultural real estate.
House lawmakers recently advanced legislation to that effect, warning that China's presence in the American food system poses a national security risk. And key Senate lawmakers have already shown interest in efforts to keep American farms in American hands.
In recent years, the Chinese have been buying up thousands upon thousands of acres of prime farmland, and their holdings are now valued at approximately 1.9 billion dollars…
Chinese firms have expanded their presence in American agriculture over the last decade by snapping up farmland and purchasing major agribusinesses, like pork processing giant Smithfield Foods. By the start of 2020, Chinese owners controlled about 192,000 agricultural acres in the U.S., worth $1.9 billion, including land used for farming, ranching and forestry, according to the Agriculture Department.
Hopefully Congress will step up and do something.
Of course if that happens, the Chinese government will almost certainly retaliate against U.S. companies in China.
Most Americans simply do not understand how bad things have gotten. Our relations with China have been deteriorating for years, and now we have officially reached a crisis point.
Unfortunately, it appears that relations between our two nations will continue to fall apart in the months ahead, and at this point everyone should be able to see where all of this is eventually leading.
As always, let us hope for the best, but let us also get prepared for the worst.
To many people, any sort of open conflict between the U.S. and China is absolutely unthinkable, because the consequences of such a conflict would be too horrific for words.
Read more at: EndOfTheAmericanDream.com and CommunistChina.news.
Tagged Under: China, cyber attack, dangerous, government, invasion usa, Joe Biden, national security, nuclear attack, politics, Taiwan, USA, War, World War III
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The pitcher studies the signals given to him by the catcher. He nods when the one he likes is given to let the catcher know what to expect. He winds up and throws the ball. With the ball reaching speeds around 100mph, the batter swings as the ball gets within reach. The fans hear a loud crack and before you know it half of the bat if flying towards the stands. Before she can move away from it, the bat hits her right arm as she protects her face. Her arm is broken. She is removed from the stands by a medical team and taken to a hospital. This is all too common a sight at a baseball game.
Nascar has had its share of harrowing accidents involving fans as well. Cars flying around the racetrack at incredible speeds bump into each other frequently. The recent accident at Daytona where the car of driver Austin Dillon was bumped and slammed into the catch fence, breaking into pieces is only the latest example of the risk sports fans take going to watch an event. Thankfully, in this accident only one spectator was taken to the hospital and the driver, Austin Dillon was able to walk away from the wreck.
Did you know that there is an estimate that at every major league game at least one spectator is in significantly injured? Actually, there have been 35 deaths at major league games caused by errant baseballs and broken bats. As you would expect, many file lawsuits when suffering an injury at a sporting event. What might surprise you is that most who file these suits are unsuccessful in being awarded any financial settlement.
It is believed by most courts that when someone attends a sporting event they are aware of the dangers involved. Common sense would tell a spectator watching a ball game that with 35-40 foul balls hit into the stands at each game, there is a risk of being hit by one. The same goes for Nascar. Accidents are common and not all will be contained on the track. It is impossible to tell where debris is going to land.
The only time the arena, track or other venue would be responsible for an injury if it was determined not all safety precautions were followed. Any questions regarding injuries during sporting events should be directed to your attorney.
« Is Florida's Wrongful Death Act discriminatory?


Security researchers discovered weaknesses in WPA3 that could be exploited to recover WiFi passwords by abusing timing or cache-based side-channel leaks.Security researchers discovered weaknesses in WPA3 that could be exploited to recover WiFi passwords by abusing timing or cache-based side-channel leaks.
One of the main advantages of WPA3 is that it's near impossible to crack the password of a network because it implements the Dragonfly handshake, Unfortunately, we found that even with WPA3, an attacker within range of a victim can still recover the password of the Wi-Fi network.
Security researchers Mathy Vanhoef and Eyal Ronen discovered weaknesses in the early implementation of WPA3-Personal that could be exploited by an attacker within range of a victim to recover WiFi passwords by abusing timing or cache-based side-channel leaks.
An attacker can steal sensitive transmitted information, including credit card numbers, passwords, emails, and chat messages.
"Concretely, attackers can then read information that WPA3 was assumed to safely encrypt. This can be abused to steal sensitive transmitted information such as credit card numbers, passwords, chat messages, emails, and so on." reads a dedicated website published by the experts that describe the DragonBlood research.
WPA3 that could be exploited to carry out downgrade and side-channel leaks.
Devices that support WPA3 must guarantee backward compatibility with WPA2 and this is done supporting a "transitional mode of operation" that could accept connections using both WPA3-SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) handshake aka Dragonfly) and WPA2.
The security duo demonstrated that the transitional mode is vulnerable to downgrade attacks. An attacker could abuse it to set up a rogue AP that only supports WPA2, forcing the WPA3-certified devices to connect using insecure WPA2's 4-way handshake.
The attackers need to know the SSID of the WPA3- SAE network to carry out the attack, experts pointed out that a man-in-the-middle position is not needed. Anyway, the attacker must be close to a client to broadcast a WPA2-only network with the given SSID and force the target to connect to our rogue AP using WPA2.
The experts detailed two side-channel attacks against Dragonfly's password encoding method (Cache-based (CVE-2019-9494) and Timing-based (CVE-2019-9494) attacks) that could be exploited by attackers to perform a password partitioning attack and obtain Wi-Fi password.
"The cache-based attack exploits Dragonflys's hash-to-curve algorithm, and our timing-based attack exploits the hash-to-group algorithm. The information that is leaked in these attacks can be used to perform a password partitioning attack, which is similar to a dictionary attack. The resulting attacks are efficient and low cost." wrote the experts.
"our cache-based attack exploits SAE's hash-to-curve algorithm. The resulting attacks are efficient and low cost: bruteforcing all 8-character lowercase password requires less than 125$ in Amazon EC2 instances" continues the paper.
To carry out the password partitioning attack, the experts need to record several handshakes with different MAC addresses. It is possible to record them by targeting multiple devicess in the same network (e.g. tricking multiple users to download the same malicious application). If the attackers are only able to hit one client, then it is necessary to set up rogue APs with the same SSID but a spoofed MAC address.
The experts plan to release the following four separate proof-of-concept tools to test the vulnerabilities they described.
Dragondrain—a tool that can test to which extend an Access Point is vulnerable to Dos attacks against WPA3's Dragonfly handshake.
Dragontime—an experimental tool to perform timing attacks against the Dragonfly handshake.
Dragonforce—an experimental tool that takes the information to recover from the timing attacks and performs a password partitioning attack.
Dragonslayer—a tool that implements attacks against EAP-pwd.
The researchers reported their findings to the WiFi Alliance and are working with vendors to address the flaw in existing WPA3-certified devices.


text:
#include "modules/perception/obstacle/onboard/lidar_process.h"

#include <string>
#include <vector>

#include "gtest/gtest.h"
#include "pcl/io/pcd_io.h"

#include "modules/common/adapters/adapter_manager.h"
#include "modules/common/configs/config_gflags.h"
#include "modules/common/log.h"
#include "modules/perception/common/pcl_types.h"
#include "modules/perception/common/perception_gflags.h"
#include "modules/perception/obstacle/lidar/dummy/dummy_algorithms.h"

namespace apollo {
namespace perception {

using Eigen::Matrix4d;
using pcl_util::Point;
using pcl_util::PointCloud;
using pcl_util::PointCloudPtr;
using std::vector;

class LidarProcessTest : public testing::Test {
 protected:
  LidarProcessTest() {
    common::adapter::AdapterManagerConfig config;
    config.set_is_ros(false);
    {
      auto *sub_config = config.add_config();
      sub_config->set_mode(common::adapter::AdapterConfig::PUBLISH_ONLY);
      sub_config->set_type(
          common::adapter::AdapterConfig::PERCEPTION_OBSTACLES);
    }

    common::adapter::AdapterManager::Init(config);
  }
  virtual ~LidarProcessTest() {}

  LidarProcess lidar_process_;
};

TEST_F(LidarProcessTest, test_Init) {
  lidar_process_.inited_ = true;
  EXPECT_TRUE(lidar_process_.Init());
  lidar_process_.inited_ = false;

  FLAGS_enable_hdmap_input = false;
  EXPECT_TRUE(lidar_process_.InitFrameDependence());
  EXPECT_TRUE(lidar_process_.Init());

  FLAGS_onboard_tracker = "DummyTracker";
  EXPECT_TRUE(lidar_process_.InitAlgorithmPlugin());

  EXPECT_TRUE(lidar_process_.Init());
  EXPECT_TRUE(lidar_process_.inited_);
}

TEST_F(LidarProcessTest, test_Process) {
  std::string pcd_file =
      "modules/perception/data/cnnseg_test/"
      "uscar_12_1470770225_1470770492_1349.pcd";
  PointCloudPtr point_cloud(new PointCloud);
  pcl::PointCloud<pcl_util::PointXYZIT>::Ptr org_cloud(
      new pcl::PointCloud<pcl_util::PointXYZIT>);
  CHECK_NE(-1, pcl::io::loadPCDFile(pcd_file, *org_cloud));

  point_cloud->points.reserve(org_cloud->points.size());
  for (size_t i = 0; i < org_cloud->points.size(); ++i) {
    pcl_util::Point pt;
    pt.x = org_cloud->points[i].x;
    pt.y = org_cloud->points[i].y;
    pt.z = org_cloud->points[i].z;
    pt.intensity = org_cloud->points[i].intensity;
    if (std::isnan(org_cloud->points[i].x)) continue;
    point_cloud->push_back(pt);
  }
  std::shared_ptr<Matrix4d> velodyne_trans = std::make_shared<Matrix4d>();
  (*velodyne_trans) << 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1;
  lidar_process_.hdmap_input_ = HDMapInput::instance();
  EXPECT_TRUE(lidar_process_.Process(123.0, point_cloud, velodyne_trans));
}

TEST_F(LidarProcessTest, test_GeneratePbMsg) {
  double timestamp = 1234.567;
  lidar_process_.timestamp_ = timestamp;
  vector<std::shared_ptr<Object>> objs;
  std::shared_ptr<Object> obj1 = std::make_shared<Object>();
  obj1->type = ObjectType::VEHICLE;
  objs.push_back(obj1);
  std::shared_ptr<Object> obj2 = std::make_shared<Object>();
  obj2->type = ObjectType::PEDESTRIAN;
  objs.push_back(obj2);
  lidar_process_.objects_ = objs;

  PerceptionObstacles obstacles;
  lidar_process_.GeneratePbMsg(&obstacles);
  EXPECT_EQ(obstacles.perception_obstacle_size(), 2);
  EXPECT_EQ(obstacles.perception_obstacle(0).type(),
            PerceptionObstacle::VEHICLE);
  EXPECT_EQ(obstacles.perception_obstacle(1).type(),
            PerceptionObstacle::PEDESTRIAN);
}

}  // namespace perception
}  // namespace apollo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Liverpool plugs in district heat for new science campus
A combined heat and power (CHP) energy centre buried below a 14 storey car park in Liverpool is set to become a key source of low carbon energy for a £1bn new life science campus.
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The 1,195 kWh unit forms part of an energy centre being delivered by sustainable energy experts Vital Energi for the 30-acre Paddington Village development, currently under construction at the eastern end of the city centre's Knowledge Quarter.
The CHP engine will plug into an underground district heating network design to serve heat to multiple buildings across the campus.
A freestanding flue will be built, by contractor Morgan Sindall Construction, in January before the system goes live in summer 2020. The car park will be completed in January 2021.
Michael Cooke, regional director for Vital Energi, said: "This is a truly exciting project because, not only do we have the opportunity to create an efficient and robust energy scheme and heat network in the heart of Liverpool's newest major development, we are also able to work with the city council, Chamber of Commerce, Liverpool in Work and other organisations to deliver some truly valuable social value measures through the Fair City initiative."
This policy is designed to ensure that projects deliver a range of social value commitments to benefit the people of Liverpool.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson commented: "Liverpool recently declared a climate change emergency and as a city council we are doing everything in our power to cut our carbon footprint.
"I'm delighted this energy centre is being built. It sends out a signal the city means business on making a difference both to our economy and our environment."
Paddington Village will be built in three phases: Paddington Central, South Paddington and North Paddington to accomodate a mix of research, education, health and science related business and institutions.
The first phase will include 10 proposed development plots, public realm and greenspace. Projects under way include the new £35m headquarters for the Royal College of Physicians, known as 'The Spine' and a four-star, 160-bedroom hotel and 60-bedroom aparthotel operated by Novotel.
Also confirmed as a tenant is Liverpool International College, a partnership between Kaplan and the University of Liverpool, which will take 35,000 sq ft of education and learning facilities.
The Rutherford Cancer Centre North West, a proton beam cancer therapy treatment hospital and advanced diagnostics centre will be established by Proton Partners International. Both schemes have planning permission and are due to open in 2019.
district heat
Electric storage heating – a Cinderella solution
Why has electric storage heating been overlooked as we seek to tackle decarbonising domestic heat?
Prospects bright for landmark East London Heat Network
New Vattenfall-Cory partnership marks step towards record-breaking heat network capable of serving over 10,000 homes
New construction director at Switch2 Energy
Appointee brings experience from Vattenfall and Eon
How E.ON. is helping the City of London become a zero emissions city
Discover Citigen. Deep in the heart of our bustling capital


Why should you do plumbing maintenance in your home?
Have you ever get leaky pipes, burst pipe, or broken water heater?
If yes, then you already know that plumbing maintenance is an important thing to do. But, if you're not, then this is what you should know from the start. We believe that home is our place for resting, place for sharing quality times with our family, therefore it is a valuable place for us. That's why it should be a comfortable place.
However, there are so many problems in the home that may exist. Home system problem is the most crucial because it supports your daily needs and activity. One of the home system problems that used to appear is plumbing. But how do you keep your home value if there's a plumbing problem that may appear anywhere in anytime?
Many people don't realize how important plumbing is until they get the leak in their pipe, broken shower tub, or even get flooded home. This may something that looks simple and we used to forget, but you need to know that plumbing serves the necessity of water for us in every single day. If you live in an apartment, you may think that plumbing is out of your business because there's a management that will handle it.
This is the wrong perspective. The truth is, plumbing is more complicated in high-rise building rather than in a single home. So if there is something wrong happen with your plumbing, it takes more than the usual time to repair it. No, your property management would not take care of it as well as it should be, or repair it as soon as it should be.
If plumbing is still out of your concern, then you may re-think again after knowing these several facts. This is what happened to them that not pay attention to plumbing until they suddenly woke up and got their home flooded.
Now you see, it all happened because there's something wrong with their plumbing. There's an issue but it's too late for them to handle it. For example, your water heater gives signs that there's something wrong within (e.g. a noise sound, pull out the rusty water, and water leak around the water heater) but you don't pay attention to it until it's too late to do water heater repair cause it's already broken. We don't want it to happen to us of course. This is why if we are talking about plumbing, maintenance is everything. Plumbing can turn its image into a nightmare for us and that's the last thing we want to be happening.
So the next question, why is it important?
Why do we have to pay attention more to our plumbing?
It's not that it's going to have problems every day anyway.
Yes, it's not. However, plumbing knows no time to get the leak, to get broken, to get clogged, and have problems. It seems okay now but you'll never know about tomorrow. There are so many examples of accident happened right before Christmas or Thanksgiving.
Can you imagine? We should enjoy our times, sharing good moments with our family and friends, but plumbing takes our concern to repair it. This is why maintenance is important. Furthermore, plumbing system can be more complicated if it has a damage within. Prevention is better than reparation. You better detect the leak early before it causes more damage. You never want your beloved home get flooded right?
Now you already realize how important plumbing maintenance is. Then you should know that you need to do plumbing maintenance to keep your plumbing stay in a good condition. Some of you may think that that is out of your mind. You are inexperienced with plumbing things, even don't know what plumbing is and don't have any idea what to do.
If you are the type of that person, you may relief because in this article, we will reveal the whole secret and important plumbing maintenance that a professional plumber used to do. Don't worry if you think that it is going to be long-complicated and boring things because it is not.
Faucet leak is not harder to detect. If there's a leak in your faucet, the faucet will keep running. Sometimes it's not that obvious because it can appear in various places. There are some of the places you need to check to see whether there is a leak or not.
Spout. If you have a dripping faucet, it may be there's a leak in its pipe. The faucet handle will tighter every time you want to shut it off because it keeps the faucet stay in the right position so it won't leak. So remember to tighten the faucet every time you use it.
Around the base of the faucet. This place used to be forgotten by us every time we use the sink. We only concern to the faucet. But leak also can appear at the base of the faucet. But it's a little bit hard to notice. It's only detected when you turn on the faucet. If there's water flow from it, then it can possibly happen because of the leak.
Under the sink. This might the hardest thing to check because you may not check it if there is no problem yet. Furthermore, it's quite dangerous, because if there's a leak under your sink, then the water leak may fall on the floor and it makes the puddle. It's not impossible if you get the slip if you don't notice it from the beginning. So you better check it continuously. Turn on the water slowly to see where the leaks come from. Need to note, that you need to know how to shut off appliances. If plumbing system has problems, whether it's as simple as the little leak, clogged or anything, you need to stop the system first before you fix it if you don't want the worse happen. Locate the main shut-off water valve in your home.
Running toilet may seem like not a big problem but it wastes lots of water. The signs of running toilet are when your toilet handle sticks need a little jiggle or the tools in your toilet parts is wear down, or maybe there's a sound when you are flushing your toilet. So you better check it carefully.
Drain slower. Drain slower can cause clogged sink and the over water flow. There are some of the things to avoid slower drain. First is clean the whole debris or any hair in your sink drain. Second, use the plunger to pull all the wastes inside the toilet.
Don't throw any waste into your toilet. Your toilet drain is for sump and water only, don't flush tissue toilet, paper, or any 'thing' inside of it, because in the end, it would be piled up and clogged.
Second, remove the sink pop up to let the clogged water flow to the drain. The third step, use drain cleaner to clean your drain. It makes sure to help your drain is clear of debris. However, if for some reason your drain cleaner is not working, you may need to take your plunger in action.
Many people don't pay attention to this one, but it's important to check whether there's a leak or not. The garbage disposal can be one of leak source. However, if you have a leak in your garbage disposal, it doesn't always mean that you have to replace it with the new one. The leaks can appear in anywhere such as in gasket or in the flange.
Kitchen sink can be a hard thing to deal with. It is prone to have leaks or trouble in its drain. Checking the kitchen leak every time is needed to prevent this issue. Beside of kitchen leak, you also need to clean your kitchen drain every month. Dirty kitchen drain can be a source of the clogged sink. Consider getting drain cleaner to clean your drain.
Gas is also may get a leak. But this time, we are not going to talk about the water leak, but the gas. Gas can be dangerous if its pipeline is the leak. This leak is more dangerous rather than you're the leak in your kitchen sink. Because a small leak may gradually build up an explosive concentration of gas, leaks are very dangerous.
If gas pipe leaks happen, turn off the gas first. Put away everything that can stimulate fire, and unplug the pipes from your stove and the gas tank. Install the new gas pipe for your gas.
Having a gas detector is a good idea. The gas detector is a tool to detect the presence of gases in the air. It has a sensor that works when levels of gases in the air are too much or contain a dangerous type of gas.
Check your water pressure all the time in your kitchen faucets. Too high or too low of water pressure can cause new plumbing issue. If water pressure is too high or too low, you need to install a pressure regulator to bring it to the safe level. If you have it already but the water pressure is still not stable, it means your pressure regulator needs to repair or replace depends on levels of its problem.
If you have septic tanks in your home, you better check it once every three years. Sometimes, it needs to be pumped. The installed and inspection requires a professional plumber to do. But if you feel that it has been three years since it was installed, then you need to call a plumber to pump and inspect it. If it's inspected continuously, septic tank can give you free drainage problem and also wastewater.
Sewer drain may be clogged. It's going to be harder to solve if it's stoppage. If you have sewer lines clogged, you better don't use any plumbing for a while. It means there's stoppage in your sewer. The sign of sewer problem is when some of the plumbing fixtures are back up at the same time. The most affected plumbing of sewer drain stoppage is a toilet, but it doesn't mean that it can't affect the other plumbing. Tub shower, flush of a toilet, even washing machine can be a sign of stoppage. If they are not working correctly or get blocked.
Now you know what you should do for your plumbing maintenance. So spend a little bit time to do plumbing maintenance inspection. It's really a simple task that everyone can do. All you need to do is checking before it's too late. But, here is the next question. How if you don't have any time to do this? You are a busy employee that works nine to five, or maybe you are somebody that not stays in your home for a long term because of your business. So how do you suppose to do this plumbing maintenance while you are out of home?
Easy. If you are that type of person, then you can rely on us. That's what we are meant to be. We are Emergency Response Plumbers, professional and trustworthy plumbers that have handled this plumbing issues and maintenance for more than ten years. We can prove to you that this is not going to bother you anymore. We can do all plumbing repair and plumbing maintenance to keep your plumbing so it doesn't bother you when you are in your home.
If you can do the whole plumbing maintenance by yourself, we are a local plumber, ready to be your assistant to help your works. With tons of experience in plumbing, we believe we can serve you with the best service. Don't hesitate to call us soon. We're here 24/7, whenever you need a plumber to back you up.


text:
Being Cleansed From SinSittingLikenessExpiationGod Made Visible In ChristGod's Glory RevealedPerfection, DivineGospel, Historical Foundation OfAdoration, Of ChristGod Is TranscendentLight, SpiritualExaltation Of ChristChrist's NatureAccuracyRevelation, In NtHoliness, Believers' Growth InGlory, Revelation OfGlory Of GodDivinity Of ChristEarth, God SustainingSelf ImageImage Of God
"Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded." And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do." ... Bible Scripture Art
Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. And I said to them, "Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes." The city was wide and large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt. Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it: ...
Throughout the history of art many great artists have been inspired by stories in the bible. On this site an ever increasing selection of their work is presented, with every painting linked to a related bible passage. The text is from the King James Bible, also known as the Authorized Version. You will find the full text online, including the apocrypha and the translators' preface. Bible Scripture Art
2 Chronicles 2:14 - The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father [was] a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father. Bible Scripture Art
This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. ... Christian Canvas Art
Thus says the Lord, "Go, buy a potter's earthenware flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests, and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. You shall say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind— ... Bible Scripture Art
Glory of ChristOther BlindingChrist's Own GloryAgeControlling Your ThoughtsUnbelieversPerfection, DivineCommitment, to the worldChrist, Names ForSatan, Kingdom OfSatan, Titles ForThe Light Of ChristDarkness, As A Symbol Of SinCultsRevelation, In Ntevil, origins ofSpiritual Warfare, Causes OfHeart, Fallen And RedeemedBlindingSpiritual Blindness, Results Of Sin Christian Gifts
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: Christian Canvas Art
As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, 'You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. Christian Canvas Art
"You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth. "As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall set them in filigree settings of gold.read more.
Thus says the Lord, 'Behold, I am bringing evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah. Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place and it shall not be quenched.' Bible Scripture Art
It was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces, a man's face toward the palm tree on one side and a young lion's face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were carved on all the house all around. From the ground to above the entrance cherubim and palm trees were carved, as well as on the wall of the nave. The doorposts of the nave were square; as for the front of the sanctuary, the appearance of one doorpost was like that of the other. The altar was of wood, three cubits high and its length two cubits; its corners, its base and its sides were of wood And he said to me, "This is the table that is before the LORD." The nave and the sanctuary each had a double door. Each of the doors had two leaves, two swinging leaves; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other. Also there were carved on them, on the doors of the nave, cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls; and there was a threshold of wood on the front of the porch outside. There were latticed windows and palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the porch; thus were the side chambers of the house and the thresholds. Share Your Faith Products
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ... Bible Scripture Art
Being Cleansed From SinSittingLikenessExpiationGod Made Visible In ChristGod's Glory RevealedPerfection, DivineGospel, Historical Foundation OfAdoration, Of ChristGod Is TranscendentLight, SpiritualExaltation Of ChristChrist's NatureAccuracyRevelation, In NtHoliness, Believers' Growth InGlory, Revelation OfGlory Of GodDivinity Of ChristEarth, God SustainingSelf ImageImage Of God Bible Scripture Art
While I may be a "leader," I certainly don't fit the mold. I'm soft spoken, introverted, and don't exactly share a physique with the superheroes we know and love. But when I started crafting designs featuring my favorite verses and quotes and sharing them, I began to see an unexpected impact. I received emails from team leaders who let me know how the prints had been motivating their employees. Teachers, who had been hanging them in their classrooms. And caring people who had gifted the artwork to friends battling cancer.
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. ... Christian Gifts
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He also made two capitals of molten bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five cubits and the height of the other capital was five cubits. There were nets of network and twisted threads of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one network to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. The capitals which were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. There were capitals on the two pillars, even above and close to the rounded projection which was beside the network; and the pomegranates numbered two hundred in rows around both capitals. Thus he set up the pillars at the porch of the nave; and he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz. On the top of the pillars was lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished. Now he made the sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits in circumference. Under its brim gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, completely surrounding the sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast with the rest. It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom; it could hold two thousand baths. Then he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was four cubits and its width four cubits and its height three cubits. This was the design of the stands: they had borders, even borders between the frames, and on the borders which were between the frames were lions, oxen and cherubim; and on the frames there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. Its opening inside the crown at the top was a cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its opening there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. The four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. On the top of the stand there was a circular form half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its stays and its borders were part of it. He engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders, cherubim, lions and palm trees, according to the clear space on each, with wreaths all around. He made the ten stands like this: all of them had one casting, one measure and one form. He made ten basins of bronze, one basin held forty baths; each basin was four cubits, and on each of the ten stands was one basin. Then he set the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the sea of cast metal on the right side of the house eastward toward the south. Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished doing all the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of the LORD: the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands; and the one sea and the twelve oxen under the sea; and the pails and the shovels and the bowls; even all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of the LORD were of polished bronze. In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; the weight of the bronze could not be ascertained. Solomon made all the furniture which was in the house of the LORD: the golden altar and the golden table on which was the bread of the Presence; and the lampstands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; and the flowers and the lamps and the tongs, of gold; and the cups and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and the firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, that is, of the nave, of gold. Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of the LORD was finished And Solomon brought in the things dedicated by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. Publication date: May 9, 2019. Publisher: OpenBible.info.
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He made 300 shields of beaten gold, using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. Share Your Faith Products
He also made two pillars for the front of the house, thirty-five cubits high, and the capital on the top of each was five cubits. He made chains in the inner sanctuary and placed them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates and placed them on the chains. He erected the pillars in front of the temple, one on the right and the other on the left, and named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz. Bible Scripture Art
"Now I am sending Huram-abi, a skilled man, endowed with understanding, the son of a Danite woman and a Tyrian father, who knows how to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, and in purple, violet, linen and crimson fabrics, and who knows how to make all kinds of engravings and to execute any design which may be assigned to him, to work with your skilled men and with those of my lord David your father. Bible Scripture Art
It was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces, a man's face toward the palm tree on one side and a young lion's face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were carved on all the house all around. From the ground to above the entrance cherubim and palm trees were carved, as well as on the wall of the nave. The doorposts of the nave were square; as for the front of the sanctuary, the appearance of one doorpost was like that of the other. The altar was of wood, three cubits high and its length two cubits; its corners, its base and its sides were of wood And he said to me, "This is the table that is before the LORD." The nave and the sanctuary each had a double door. Each of the doors had two leaves, two swinging leaves; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other. Also there were carved on them, on the doors of the nave, cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls; and there was a threshold of wood on the front of the porch outside. There were latticed windows and palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the porch; thus were the side chambers of the house and the thresholds. Bible Scripture Art


Bill Murray is many things: a brilliant comedian, a legendary actor and an American hero. He's also the best party crasher on the face of the planet.
Murray's been known to pop up everywhere from ice cream parties to engagement photos, so it's not totally surprising that Murray showed up at a birthday party in rural Jedburg, S.C. The Post and Courier reports that Marvin Larry Reynolds, who was celebrating his birthday Saturday night, and his wife Julie "invited Murray to attend the party and celebrate his own birthday." Murray turns 64 Sunday.
Charleston chef Brett McKee, a friend of Murray's who catered the event, captured some hilarious videos of Murray dancing with partygoers, including "Turn Down For What:"
"He doesn't care," McKee told the Post and Courier of Murray. "To him, he's just a regular dude."


Not sure about you guys, but this is the first holiday that we truly feel like adults. And we have to say, it just might be more fun than holidays as a kid. Totally kidding…obviously. 😉 But, there is so much magic and cheer about the holidays, regardless of age, and we've rounded up our favorite things about being an adult this holiday season.
1. Dinner at the big kids table.
Seems like a good rule of thumb…bring a dish, get promoted from the kids table to the "big kids" table. This year, we were tasked with bringing our own dishes to Thanksgiving dinner and we had so much fun paroozing through Pinterest to find the perfect recipe.
It seems like almost everywhere you go, everyone is just a little bit happier and everything is just a little more cheery. Whether it's wishing a total stranger a happy holidays, or writing an extra holiday card for a colleague, it feels so great to spread a bit of holiday cheer.
There's so much joy in decorating your home for the holidays. A beautiful tree, little Nutcrackers and stockings…it's so fun to bust out all the holiday decorations. Makes coming home every day just a bit sweeter.
4. More time with friends and family.
There's nothing like getting to spent days with family playing board games, eating way too much food and laughing till it hurts.
5. Cozy PJs and fuzzy, festive socks.
There's something so magical about cozying up to the fireplace with hot cider in hand and fuzzy socks on your feet.
What are your favorite things about being an adult during the holiday season? Tell us in the comments!


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I'm looking at doing a live feed on Facebook sometime in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for the date and time. I'm looking forward to chatting with my readers about anything and everything.
Someone emailed me about my new kit configuration after I stacked the Ludwig in the corner. As you can tell I went back to the basics. No more sample pads or triggers, just the standard four-piece. My kit is a PDP. The shells are mahogany and the sizes include 18″ x 14″ bass drum, 12″ x 9″ rack tom, 14″ x 12″ floor tom, and 13″x5" snare drum. From time to time I switch out the snare for a ddrum 14″x5" Brass Carmine Appice signature snare. I use Meinl MCS cymbals: 16" hi-hats, 18" crash and 20" ride. I use clear REMO Emperors on the bass drum, rack tom and floor tom and a coated Emperor on the snare. The drums are tuned wide-open and I use no muffling throughout. I also use a Mapex P500 single bass drum pedal with a DW Black Sheep beater. My sticks are signature Rich Sticks. I often use Drumtacs on the snare and TnR's Booty Shakers on the toms when applicable. The pink oyster wrap is custom designed by Bum Wrap Drum Company. When I'm warming up I use a Red Storm ProLogix drum pad. That's everything and I think I got all of my sponsors.
Today's post is a little off-topic as far as our usual ones go but it is still "drum" related. You'll understand as you read this. I thought it might be fun to go back in time and recall our childhoods when playing with toy soldiers was a great source of amusement. I for one grew up a student of the Civil War. I think you can tell that from my frequent posts on the subject of drummer boys. I remember entertaining myself for hours upon hours in my basement recreating battle scenes. I believe this early fascination with drummer boys led to my interest in studying the history of the drums. Although it would be several years until I pursued an instrument myself, the seed was planted. In other words, playing with toy soldiers led to pursuing the antiquity of the drums. It peaked my interest and I vividly remember singling out the drummer boy figures in my collection. As non-combatants they stood out among the other pieces.
Today's post is about humility. When I started playing the drums, actually when I started getting serious about the instrument, I developed an ego. Like many middle-schoolers, I was immature and conceited. Very few kids were playing instruments at the time and that set me apart from them. While they were goofing off I was going to weekly drum lessons and spending time practicing my rudiments on the pad. While they were watching MTV for fashion tips I was observing the drummers. While they were emulating their favorite athletes I was mimicking my favorite players.
As I moved onto eighth grade I got my first drum set, a beautiful white Pearl Export kit with Paiste 505 cymbals. It quickly became my most prized possession. After starting high school I became friends with all the other drummers in the various band programs and we all lifted each other up while maintaining a healthy sense of competition. As high school progressed I started cutting school in favor of hanging out with older drummers and playing in garage bands with my friends. This led to summer school in order to graduate. I had chosen drums over education. All along I felt I was better than I was and it was only after college that I realized I had a chip on my shoulder.
As I grew into adulthood I began to gain a sense of humility that overpowered my sense of pride. I felt grateful to be able to play an instrument and be a part of the drumming community. I also realized that every drummer and musician I had ever played with had gone on to record their own CDs. Bands like Grapevine, The Drowning, Hepcat Dilemma and New World Trio all put out tremendous albums. Recording in a studio is still an accomplishment I have yet to experience. I do produce my own drum tracks but that is a solitary affair. So today I come to you with a deep sense of unpretentiousness. I feel a sense of accomplishment with my books and blogging but my ego remains in check. What did I learn from all of this? Work hard but keep in mind there is always someone better. All you can do is be the best drummer you can be. Have pride but don't be prideful and above all else, play your instrument for all the right reasons. Play for the joy of playing, not for bragging rights.
As my last post was about my own drum set I thought it would be a cool idea to briefly share my all-time favorite drum set. It belongs to Ginger Fish and was used during his time with Marilyn Manson. As you can see the configuration is quite odd. The enormous 40+" bass drum is the stunt centerpiece to this contraption that appears to use floor toms and bass drums as the primary toms. Notice the placement of the cymbals hanging off the bass drum and the center-to-left-hand position of the hi-hats. I believe Ginger is a left-handed player who uses a right-handed kit but I may be wrong. I know he plays open-handed quite a bit. I'm not sure what tour this was used on but I have seen a video of him jumping up and down on it (see below). That's a testament to the durability of this kit. As Manson was known to throw things at Ginger his drums had to be able to stand up to the abuse. Ginger is a Premier artist but I believe this particular kit was built by a very talented gentleman named Bill Detamore. Bill is currently the owner of Pork Pie Percussion. (I am not sure what company he was with at the time of the build.) Ginger used a lot of set-ups after this one but it remains one of the most original configurations that I am aware of. It's both impressive in form and function and remains my favorite drum set to this day.
First, the extensive amount of time and dedication that a musician spends practicing their craft. Second, the sheer joy they experience as a result of their tireless preparation. Whether a cello player in a symphony or a bass player in a bar band the emotional attachment remains the same.
Personally I have a love affair with my instrument. It's always there for me. It brings me a sense of fulfillment unlike any other possession in my life. There are times that I simply sit and stare at it. The distinctive wrap, shiny chrome and cylindrical shapes are striking. I love tuning, polishing and reconfiguring my setup. It keeps things fresh and new. As a drummer it seems ironic that I find pleasure in beating the hell out of an object that I care so dearly about.
Known as the "Father of the Blues" William Christopher Handy summed up the relationship between a musician and his instrument when he said "Setting my mind on a musical instrument was like falling in love. All the world seemed bright and changed." No matter what the type be it horns, strings, percussion or piano the feelings remain the same, most musicians feel a deep connection to their instruments that is translated into their music.
Last week's appearance on Around the Kit gave me an opportunity to talk about subjects that rarely come up. One of the questions Joe Gansas asked was in regards to the origin of "FUNdamentals of Drumming for Kids." For a project that has been so successful, the story behind it is surprisingly simple. Five years ago my son Jackson (left) showed a casual interest in playing my drums. Seeing an opportunity to pass on my interest I began looking for teaching aids in print and online. As Jackson was going on five at the time I was hoping to find something for his age group. I did not. In fact I was unable to find anything even close to a five year-olds comprehension level.
During my research I came upon a YouTube video of a drum clinic. In it, an intense looking guy in black was playing along to "She's Country." At the time I had absolutely no idea who Rich Redmond was but the song was vaguely familiar. Seeing that Rich was an educator I decided to reach out to him. I was able to find Rich's email address on his website. I sent him a short message that described my dilemma and asked if he was aware of any teaching tools for younger kids. He was not. During our conversation it came up that I was a writer. Ever the entrepreneur Rich saw an opportunity.
After a short discussion and meeting the two of us decided to write our own book dedicated to the 5-10 year-old range. The result was "FUNdamentals of Drumming for Kids." After shopping the draft around to several publishers the manuscript landed on the desk of Mike Dawson, managing editor of Modern Drummer magazine. Mike saw the value of the book and decided to publish it. The book would then be distributed by Hal Leonard. After winning a Best in Show award at NAMM, reaching the Best-Seller list on Amazon and currently in its second printing FUNdamentals continues to thrive. Rich and I are grateful for the continued interest in what started out as a whim. Ironically my son lost interest in the drums in favor of playing baseball.
Here is an informative video on Civil War–era drums from Outlaw Drums. Titled "Drums of War: On the Ropes" expert Brian Hill presents the history of several marching drums. As I have researched and written multiple posts on the subject this video is of particular interest to me. Hill does an excellent job bringing the stories of these drums to life: https://gem.godaddy.com/p/63144a?fe=1&pact=39420-139758137-8338237541-e395f75e54e66f1dc9fabed33d89be7413321864.
I have been very fortunate to have experienced some wonderful opportunities for playing the drums. From parades – to festivals, competitions – to concerts my hard work and dedication has paid off. I have been very lucky to have the support of my family and drum instructors. One memorable moment for me came my senior year of high school. That was the year (1990) that I was selected to audition for the Mellon Jazz Festival in my hometown of Pittsburgh. In order to participate students were required to submit a drum set and a snare drum piece. I did an improvisation for the drum set portion and I believe I played something from "Fundamental Studies for Snare Drum" by Garwood Whaley (I may be wrong).
After I was selected I received three songs in the mail to prepare for. I remember they were more complicated than I was used to. On the day of the tryouts I took my own drum set to the venue. We started out with a solo, then a jam session and finally one of the musical pieces we had prepared for. I did fairly well and made it through the day. Hometown hero Jeff Watts (Brandon Marsalis) and Steve Turre (Saturday Night Live Band) worked with us and their tutelage was priceless.
I will never forget performing in a theater at the Carnegie Museum. Although the crowd was small everyone played as if they were at Carnegie Hall. The second round of auditions followed that. Unfortunately I did not make the cut for the evening performance. Despite my disappointment the experience was something that I learned a great deal from. The Mellon Jazz Festival is still a staple in the music scene in Pittsburgh. It was a privilege for me to participate and I still cherish that day.


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Security flaws in 4G and 5G revealed
A group of academics have discovered three new security flaws in 4G and 5G networks which they say could be used by attackers to intercept phone calls and track the locations of smartphone users.
This is the first time that vulnerabilities have been found that affect both 4G and the upcoming 5G standard in relation to law enforcement's use of cell site simulators often referred to as "stingrays".
Syed Raiful Hussain, Ninghui Li, Elisa Bertino, Mitziu Echeverria and Omar Chowdhury all contributed to a research paper titled "Privacy Attacks to the 4G and 5G Cellular Paging Protocols Using Side Channel Information" which details how these new vulnerabilities can defeat even the latest protections in 5G designed to make it more difficult to spy on mobile users.
The coming 5G revolution
5G could solve major 4G congestion
GSMA: One in seven connections will be 5G by 2025
The researchers are set to reveal their findings at the Network and Distributed System Security Symposium in San Diego this week.
Torpedo, Piercer and IMSI-Cracking attacks
The first of the attacks the group discovered is called Torpedo which exploits a weakness in the paging protocol used by carriers to notify a phone before a call or text message comes through. The researchers found that several phone calls made and canceled within a short time period can trigger a paging message without alerting the target device to an incoming call and this can be exploited by an attacker to track a victim's location. Once a victim's paging location is known, an attacker can then hijack the paging channel to inject or deny paging messages.
Once the Torpedo attack has been carried out, attackers can then launch a Piercer attack which allows them to determine an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) on a 4G network. The IMSI-Cracking attack can then be used to force an IMSI number on both 4G and 5G networks where IMSI numbers are protected with encryption.
These attacks put even the newest 5G-capable devices at risk from stingrays and Hussain points out that all four major US carriers are affected by Torpedo. Attackers can carry out these attacks with just $200 worth of radio equipment.
Outside of the US, almost all cell networks are vulnerable to these attacks including several networks in Europe and Asia.
Hussain and the other researchers have reported these flaws to the GSMA and the industry body representing mobile operators will likely fix the Torpedo and IMSI-Cracking flaws first. Fixing the Piercer vulnerability will be up to carriers though Torpedo remains the priority as all of the other flaws depend on it to work.
Via TechCrunch
This is everything you need to know about 5G
Shark Stratos Upright Vacuum review: a powerful vacuum cleaner for busy homes