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Should India Use Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is a profitable business model, especially in India. This is the reason why it has been literally imposed upon Indian netizens without telling them of the dangers of the same.
India has a weak cyber law, ineffective cyber security and lack of privacy, data protection and data security laws. In other words, cloud computing is a perfect breading ground for cyber criminals of India and word over.
Lack of regulatory and security support has discouraged a dominant majority of CEOs in India to use cloud computing for their business. Add to these woes the incidences of frequent leakage of sensitive information in India as well as growing unaccountable e-surveillance in India.
Imagine a situation where the cloud computing service providers have nothing to loose by intentional or unintentional leakage of sensitive information. They cannot be challenges in a court of law as they would not be violating any law.
Further, if the security agencies are accessing that information, even without a court warrant, these cloud computing service providers would be more than happy to oblige them.
India must first establish proper legal frameworks for privacy, data security, data protection, lawful interceptions and effective cyber laws. Equally important is a law on information security that is missing in India.
Till these laws are in place, cloud computing is a risky and undesirable model in India.
Source: Cyber Laws In India
Posted by Ram. K. Kaushik at 10:38 PM
Cloud Computing Due Diligence In India By Perry4Law
Cloud computing around the world is thriving in recognition, but the legal control of this technology is still catching up to its requirements. Nowhere is that more true than in India, where the legal framework for regulation of the cloud computing business needs urgent formulation.
Any business that wants to explore cloud computing must know exactly what is legal and what is not. That's where we play the decisive role. At Perry4Law, we have been managing cloud computing due diligence and make sure that you are in full compliance with the law before you offer cloud computing to your clients.
The Information Technology Act of 2000 laid the groundwork for due diligence requirements for businesses and stakeholders in the IT industry. Many of the provisions of the act are relatively stringent, and companies that jump too quickly into cloud computing can find themselves in a jungle of legal issues if they do not perform careful due diligence.
Thus, cyber law due diligence in India cannot be ignored by cloud computing services providers of India. At Perry4Law we have been managing the cyber due diligence for Indian companies on multiple aspects.
One area in particular that has caused headaches for IT companies is privacy. More and more frequent civil proceedings are being initiated as individuals and businesses believe that their privacy rights have been violated, and as cloud computing grows, the potential for even more lawsuits has increased.
We can help your enterprise to navigate the legal framework that currently regulates cloud computing, and also assist you in establishing a best practices model that ensures a rock-solid cloud computing policy for all of your stakeholders.
At Perry4Law, we have our feet on the ground and our head in the clouds–the new practice of cloud computing that is. We can help you to successfully enter this rapidly growing area of technology and make large profits while staying on the right side of the law if you make a request in this regard.
We have also been helping various clients with dispute resolution, competitive intelligence, and recovery of assets to corporations, governments and to private clients, due diligence for Indian companies, providing unrivaled services in India market entry, corporate legal services, intellectual property protection, disputes resolutions, mergers, acquisitions and recovery actions, cyber forensics, cyber security, e-discovery services, etc.
Source: ICTPS Blog
Regulatory Framework For Cloud Computing In India
The proposal to use of cloud computing in India has raised many regulatory and security concerns. Without meeting these regulatory and security concerns, software as a service (SaaS) and cloud computing should not be used in India. In fact, cloud computing in India must be techno legal in nature and till it meets the techno legal requirements, it should not be used in India.
Before using cloud computing in India we must ask few questions to ourselves. These include what are the regulatory frameworks required for successful cloud computing, how the security concerns need to be addressed, what are the legal frameworks for multi jurisdictional cooperation, and what are the quality of service (QoS) parameters for effective cloud service.
Besides regulatory framework for cloud computing in India we must also ensure high availability levels, appropriate data erasing mechanisms, data privacy at the service provider's level, export restrictions upon data, data handling monitoring mechanisms, jurisdictional issues, cloud computing security issues, licensing issues for cloud computing, etc.
Till now we have no cloud computing policy of India. There is no cyber security in India and even cyber security policy of India is missing. There is no privacy law in India. There is no data protection law in India. And there is no data security law in and cyber security law in India. In short, there is no legal framework for cloud computing in India at all.
Fortunately, stakeholders have openly supported the need of regulatory framework for cloud computing in India. With an increasing pressure the Indian government may consider formulating a legal framework for cloud computing in India. The sooner it is done the better it would for all the stakeholders concerned.
Posted by Ram. K. Kaushik at 9:38 PM
Cloud Computing Due Diligence In India
Cloud computing in India is still at the infancy stage. The primary reasons for this situation is absence of legal framework for cloud computing in India, missing privacy laws, absence of data protection laws in India, inadequate data security in India, etc. Even the basic level cloud computing regulations in India are missing.
Many legal experts in India have opined that India must not use software as a service (SaaS), cloud computing, m-governance, etc till proper legal frameworks and procedural safeguards are at place. Even the CEOs of many companies are apprehensive of using cloud computing for their companies businesses.
Even if a company or individual offers cloud computing services in India, it/he has to comply with many legal provisions and cyber due diligence requirements. The information technology act 2000 (IT Act 2000) has prescribed due diligence requirements for various business organisations and stakeholders. These due diligence requirements equally apply to cloud computing service providers in India.
These due diligence requirements are very stringent and cloud computing providers can find themselves in legal hassles if they ignore the same. Managing sensitive and personal data and information in India is no more a causal approach but it has become very stringent.
With the proposal to codify law of torts in India, more and more civil proceeding for violation of privacy rights may be initiated against the cloud computing service providers. It would be a wise option to establish best practices and cloud computing policy by all stakeholders in their own larger interests.
Cloud Computing Laws In India
Use of cloud computing in India is still not very liberal. There are many policy and law related issues that are responsible for slow growth and adoption of cloud computing in India. Absence of an effective cloud computing policy of India is responsible for limited utilisation of cloud computing in India. However, legal issues of cloud computing in India are the main reason for cautious adoption of cloud computing in India.
We have no dedicated regulatory framework for cloud computing in India. In fact, we have no legal framework for cloud computing in India at all. Even as per the research and studies of Perry4Law and Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB), cloud computing in India is risky and India is not ready for cloud computing. This conclusion of Perry4Law and PTLB has been endorsed by other companies and it has been reported that chief information officers (CIOs) in India are not comfortable using cloud computing in India.
In short, cloud computing in India is still not trusted. The primary reasons for this situation is absence of legal framework for cloud computing in India, missing privacy laws, absence of data protection laws in India, inadequate data security in India, etc.
Even the cloud computing due diligence in India is missing and companies and individuals are using the same in great disregard of the various laws of India. Cloud computing service providers in India are required to follow cyber law due diligence in India. The cyber law due diligence for Indian companies is now well established but cloud computing and e-commerce service providers are not taking it seriously.
We believe that India must not use software as a service (SaaS), cloud computing, m-governance, etc till proper legal frameworks and procedural safeguards are at place. This has also been accepted by the CIOs community and it is now for the Indian government to do the needful. Similarly, cloud computing security in India is also required to be strengthened. As on date, use of cloud computing in India is not a viable solution as we are ignoring legal and security concerns. Cloud computing in India must be techno legal in nature and till it meets the techno legal requirements, it should not be used in India.
Privacy violations, data breaches, data thefts, cyber crimes, etc would definitely arise in cases of use of cloud computing in India. Even if a company or individual offers cloud computing services in India, it/he has to comply with many legal provisions and cyber due diligence requirements. The information technology act 2000 (IT Act 2000) has prescribed due diligence requirements for various business organisations and stakeholders. These due diligence requirements equally apply to cloud computing service providers in India.
Source: Corporate Laws In India
Computer Forensics Courses In India
The importance of information and communication technology (ICT) related research, education and training is self explanatory. This is more so when this is techno legal in nature where both technical as well as legal issues are involved.
This is the reason that the Lok Sabha passed a bill to provide status of IIT to eight new institutes and upgrade BHU's institute of technology into IIT. The government has also asserted that steps were being taken to address shortage of faculty and quality of higher education.
The government has also endorsed the importance of public private partnership (PPP) in imparting qualitative research, education and training in India. One area that can greatly benefit from PPP model is computer forensics research, education and training.
The word computer forensics depicts a picture of science fiction movie where cops or professionals engage in the same with great ease and style. However, in real life things are not as easy and glamorous as they are shown in movies.
Computer forensics is not an easy task. Rather it is a complicated procedure that requires great cyber skills development. Computer forensics requires practical scientific knowledge about computers and associated accessories. The evidence acquired through computer forensics must be legally admissible hence every precaution must be taken to acquire evidence in a legally acceptable manner.
Computer forensics in India is still at its youth stage. This is so because there is a general lack of legal enablement of ICT systems in India that can strengthen computer forensics research, education and training in India. In the absence of adequate legal enablement of ICT systems in India, computer forensics has also not developed much.
Another reason for lack of computer forensics in India is absence of adequate and qualitative techno legal computer forensics institutions. There are very few institutions that provide computer forensics educations and training in India. However, computer forensics is techno legal in nature that must cater both technical and legal requirements of the learners.
India has a single techno legal cyber forensics research, training and educational institution. It is managed by Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB). The centre is providing techno legal computer forensics education, trainings and course in India.
PTLB is providing its computer forensics courses and other techno legal course and trainings through the use of e-learning and online education models. Registration for online education and trainings in the field of cyber forensics and other techno legal courses of PTLB can be done through its online platform.
The present course is a basic level course and highly specialised courses would also be provided in future. The same would be managed by Perry4Law Techno Legal ICT Training Centre (PTLITC).
Some of the topics covered by the basic level computer forensics course include basic introduction about applicable law, cyber law of India, digital evidencing in India, e-mail tracing, data recovery, etc. The students or professionals undergoing the basic level trainings and education from PTLB would be given preference for courses and trainings undertaken by PTLITC.
Application form for the enrollment to various courses, internships and trainings can be downloaded from here and more details about the courses of PTLB can be found here.
PTLITC is also in the process of providing highly specialised and domain specific techno legal trainings, courses and educations in the fields like cyber law, cyber security, cyber forensics, anti cyber terrorism, anti cyber warfare, human rights protection in cyberspace, lawful interceptions and self defence against unlawful interceptions, etc. If you have a temperament for techno legal course, get yourself a seat as techno legal profession is going to be one of the most remunerative and in demand profession in future.
Source: Cjnews India
Posted by Ram. K. Kaushik at 1:25 AM
The Future Of Indian Cyber Law And Cyber Forensics
Cyber law of India is an essential part of legal enablement of ICT systems in India. The same must be strengthened by good cyber forensics capabilities in India. The present cyber law of India is not only a weak piece of legislation but also ineffective against the contemporary cyber crimes. Similarly, it is also violating human rights of Indian in the cyberspace. The bottom line is that Indian needs a good techno-legal expertise to tackle the growing menace of cyber crimes.
The information technology is a double edge sword, which can be used for destructive as well as constructive work. Thus, the fate of many ventures depends upon the benign or vice intentions, as the case may be, of the person dealing with and using the technology. For instance, a malicious intention forwarded in the form of hacking, data theft, virus attack, etc can bring only destructive results unless and until these methods have been used for checking the authenticity, safety and security of the technological device which has been primarily relied upon and trusted for providing the security to a particular organization. For instance, the creator of the "Sasser worm" has been hired as a "security software programmer" by a German firm, so that he can make firewalls, which will stop suspected files from entering computer systems.
These methods may also be used for checking the authenticity, safety and security of one's technological device, which has been primarily relied upon and trusted for providing the security to a particular organization. In fact, a society without protection in the form of "self help" cannot be visualized in the present electronic era.
Thus, we must concentrate upon securing our ICT and e-governance bases before we start encashing their benefits. The same can be effectively achieved if we give due importance to this fact while discussing, drafting and adopting policies decisions pertaining to ICT in general and e-governance in particular. The same is also important for an effective e-commerce base and an insecure and unsafe ICT base can be the biggest discouraging factor for a flourishing e-commerce business. The factors relevant for this situation are too numerous to be discussed in a single work. Thus, it would be better if we concentrate on each factor in a separate but coherent and holistic manner. The need of the hour is to set priority for a secure and safe electronic environment so that its benefits can be reaped to the maximum possible extent.
Prevalence of Cyber Crime
The prevalence of Cyber crime throughout the world has frustrated law enforcement agents and legislators alike. According to an article published in the American Criminal Law Review, at least half of all businesses in the United States alone have been the victims of cyber crime or some sort of security breach. Cyber Crime is such a detrimental type of offense not only because of the type of damage that it can do to individuals and businesses but also because of the costs involved in cyber crime. These costs are most often associated with the repair of a computer system or network. There are also costs associated with the compromise of data that often occurs. This is particularly costly because of the damage that it can do to the reputation of a business and organizations. Customers can become more apprehensive about shopping at a franchise that has experienced computer security problems or going to a bank that has been the victim of cyber crime. For this very reason, the article points out that some businesses and organizations that have been affected by Cyber Crime do not report breaches in security.
Cyber Crimes in India
India is on the verge of a technology revolution and the driving force behind the same is the acceptance and adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its benefits. This technology revolution may, however, fail to bring the desired and much needed result if we do not adopt a sound and country oriented e-governance policy. A sound e-governance policy presupposes the existence of a sound and secure e-governance base as well. The security and safety of various ICT platforms and projects in India must be considered on a priority basis before any e-governance base is made fully functional. This presupposes the adoption and use of security measures more particularly empowering judiciary and law enforcement manpower with the knowledge and use of cyber forensics and digital evidencing.
Cyber Forensics and Its Need
The concepts of cyber security and cyber forensics are not only interrelated but also indispensably required for the success of each other. The former secures the ICT and e-governance base whereas the latter indicates the loopholes and limitations of the adopted measures to secure the base. The latter also becomes essential to punish the deviants so that a deterrent example can be set. There is, however, a problem regarding acquiring expertise in the latter aspect. This is so because though a computer can be secured even by a person with simple technical knowledge the ascertainment and preservation of the evidence is a tough task. For instance, one can install an anti-virus software, firewall, adjust security settings of the browser, etc but the same cannot be said about making a mirror copy of hard disk, extracting deleted files and documents, preserving logs of activities over internet, etc. Further one can understand the difficulty involved in the prosecution and presentation of a case before a court of law because it is very difficult to explain the evidence acquired to a not so techno savvy judge. The problem becomes more complicated in the absence of sufficient numbers of trained lawyers in this crucial field.
The Cyber Forensics has given new dimensions to the Criminal laws, especially the Evidence law. Electronic evidence and their collection and presentation have posed a challenge to the investigation agencies, prosecution agencies and judiciary. The scope of Cyber Forensics is no more confined to the investigation regime only but is expanding to other segments of justice administration system as well. The justice delivery system cannot afford to take the IT revolution lightly. The significance of cyber forensics emanates from this interface of justice delivery system with the Information Technology.
The growing use of IT has posed certain challenges before the justice delivery system that have to be met keeping in mind the contemporary IT revolution. The contemporary need of Cyber Forensics is essential for the following reasons:
(a) The traditional methods are inadequate: The law may be categorized as substantive and procedural. The substantive law fixes the liability whereas the procedural law provides the means and methods by which the substantive liability has to contended, analyzed and proved. The procedural aspects providing for the guilt establishment provisions were always there but their interface with the IT has almost created a deadlock in investigative and adjudicative mechanisms. The challenges posed by IT are peculiar to contemporary society and so must be their solution. The traditional procedural mechanisms, including forensic science methods, are neither applicable nor appropriate for this situation. Thus, "cyber forensics" is the need of the hour. India is the 12th country in the world that has its own "Cyber law" (IT Act, 2000). However, most of the people of India, including lawyers, judges, professors, etc, are not aware about its existence and use. The traditional forensic methods like finger impressions, DNA testing, blood and other tests, etc play a limited role in this arena.
(b) The changing face of crimes and criminals: The use of Internet has changed the entire platform of crime, criminal and their prosecution. This process involves crimes like hacking, pornography, privacy violations, spamming, phishing, pharming, identity theft, cyber terrorisms, etc. The modus operendi is different that makes it very difficult to trace the culprits. This is because of the anonymous nature of Internet. Besides, certain sites are available that provides sufficient technological measures to maintain secrecy. Similarly, various sites openly provide hacking and other tools to assist commission of various cyber crimes. The Internet is boundary less and that makes the investigation and punishment very difficult. These objects of criminal law will become a distant reality till we have cyber forensics to tackle them.
(c) The need of comparison: There is a dire need to compare the traditional crimes and criminals with the crimes and criminal in the IT environment. More specifically, the following must be the parameters of this comparison:
a. Nature of the crime
b. Manner/Methods of commission of the crime,
c. Purpose of the crime,
d. Players involves in these crimes, etc.
Thus, Cyber Forensics is required to be used by the following players of criminal justice system:
a. Investigation machinery- Statutory as well as non-statutory
b. Prosecution machinery, and
c. Adjudication machinery- Judicial, quasi-judicial or administrative.
d. Jurisdictional dilemma: The Internet is not subject to any territorial limits and none can claim any jurisdiction over a particular incidence. Thus, at times there is conflict of laws. The best way is to use the tool of Cyber Forensics as a "preventive measure" rather than using it for "curative purposes".
The growing use of ICT for administration of all the spheres of our daily life cannot be ignored. Further, we also cannot ignore the need to secure the ICT infrastructures used for meeting these social functions. The threat from "malware" is not only apparent but also very worrisome. There cannot be a single solution to counter such threats. We need a techno-legal "harmonized law". Neither pure law nor pure technology will be of any use. Firstly, a good combination of law and technology must be established and then an effort must be made to harmonies the laws of various countries keeping in mind common security standards. In the era of e-governance and e-commerce a lack of common security standards can create havoc for the global trade in goods and services. The tool of Cyber Forensics, which is not only preventive but also curative, can help a lot in establishing a much needed judicial administration system and security base.
Cost of Computer Security Breach
Many CEOs and CIOs are slow to invest in computer security because they do not know how to measure their Return on Investment (ROI). No one has shown them the actual costs associated with not investing in computer security. The objective of this paper is to provide the information security officer with objective data about the actual cost of computer security breaches to commercial companies. The information presented herein can be used as input into the ROI analyses to support security procurements.
How Cost Is Measured
In the commercial world, the cost of a cyber security breach is measured by both "tangibles" and "intangibles." The tangibles can be calculated based on estimates of:
(a) Lost business, due to unavailability of the breached information resources
(b) Lost business, that can be traced directly to accounts fleeing to a "safer" environment
(c) Lost productivity of the non-IT staff, who have to work in a degraded mode, or not work at all, while the IT staff tries to contain and repair the breach
(d) Labor and material costs associated with the IT staff's detection, containment, repair and reconstitution of the breached resources
(e) Labor costs of the IT staff and legal costs associated with the collection of forensic evidence and the prosecution of an attacker
(f) Public relations consulting costs, to prepare statements for the press, and answer customer questions
(g) Increases in insurance premiums
(h) Costs of defending the company in any liability suits resulting from the breached company's failure to deliver assured information and services.
Not all of these tangible costs will occur with each breach; some will only occur with major, well-publicized breaches. The intangibles refer to costs that are difficult to calculate because they are not directly measurable, but are nevertheless very important for business. Many of these intangibles are related to a "loss of competitive advantage" that results from the breach. For example, a breach can affect an organization's competitive edge through:
(a) Customers' loss of trust in the organization
(b) Failure to win new accounts due to bad press associated with the breach
(c) Competitor's access to confidential or proprietary information.
Even the military environment has similar cost issues. In the military, the tangible costs are measured in human lives, replacement costs of equipment, and prolonged military operations. The intangibles would include loss of tactical advantage, loss of international prestige, and impaired negotiating positions.
Hypothetical Examples of the Cost Impact of Security Breaches
Forrester Research1 estimated the tangible and intangible costs of computer security breaches in three hypothetical situations. Their analysis indicated that, if thieves were to illegally wire $1 million from an on-line bank, the cost impact to the bank would be $106 million. They also estimated that, in the hypothetical situation that cyber techniques are used to divert a week's worth of tires from an auto manufacturer; the auto manufacturer would sustain losses of $21 million. Finally, they estimated that if a law firm were to lose significant confidential information, the impact would be almost $35 million. Does this sound unrealistic? Remember, that Forrester used both tangibles and intangibles in their estimates, including the loss of confidential information and reputation. The sections below present the results of analyses of real world cost impacts of cyber events, using largely tangible costs as the means of estimating impact.
Real World Examples of Cost Impacts
Cost Impacts on Individual Companies
In December, 1998 Ingram Micro, a PC wholesaler, had to shut down its main data center in Tucson, Arizona due to an electrical short. While the reason for the shutdown was not a security breach, the loss of Ingram's Internet business and electronic transactions from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM mimicked what could happen with a Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack or a major intrusion. As a result of its one day of lost sales and system repairs, Ingram estimates that it lost a staggering $3.2 million. This figure is comparable to Forrester's projection of a $21 million loss for an auto manufacturer who is unable to get tires for a week. To estimate the cost impact of the types of breaches that happen daily to companies, one can turn to the annual surveys of the Computer Security Institute (CSI) and the FBI. For the past five years, the CSI-FBI "Computer Crime and Security Survey" has been a major source of information on the frequency and impact of computer security breaches, through their polling of commercial, non-profit, and government organizations. Their Year 2000 report was based on a survey of 643 information security professionals from organizations throughout the United States. Typically, the respondents represent organizations that have already made some commitment to computer security. In the 1999 survey, 91% of the respondents had firewalls, 42% had intrusion detection systems, and 34% were using digital certificates in their companies. Of the 643 respondents in the year 2000, 90% had detected cyber attacks on their organizations; and 74% reported financial losses associated with those attacks. Of the total sample of respondents, 42% (273 people) were able to quantify their exact losses, which totaled $265,589,940, or $972,857 cost impact per organization across all types of breaches.
The highest impact came from theft of proprietary information, reported by 66 people. Their total losses came to $66,708,000 or $1,010,727 cost impact per organization for theft of proprietary information. While this may seem like a lot, the average cost impact of theft of proprietary information in their 1999 survey was even greater -- $1,847,652. The sabotage of data or networks was reported by 61 respondents, for a total loss of $27,148,000 or an average loss of $445,049 per organization. This loss was significantly higher than the 1999 average loss of $163,740 associated with sabotage. While these estimates are presumably based on tangible costs to the company, one can infer that the respondents are very aware of and sensitive to the intangible costs of a tarnished reputation that could result from media treatment of security breaches. I base this conclusion, on some interesting data in the 1999 survey. In 1999, 48% of those respondents who had been subjected to an intrusion did not report it. Among the most important reasons cited for their decision not to report those breaches were the fear of negative publicity and the use of the information by competitors.
Cost Impacts across Industries
Some research and consulting firms such as Computer Economics (www.computereconomics.com) measure the impact of computer breaches across several companies or industries. Computer Economics5 has estimated that in 1999 businesses around the globe spent $12.1 billion to combat the effect of computer viruses. Their estimate was based on tangibles such as lost productivity, network down time, and expenses incurred to get rid of the virus infections. The ILOVEYOU virus and its copycats have also been studied for their financial impacts across industries. According to Computer Economics the ILOVEYOU virus and its variants caused $6.7 billion in damage in the first five days.
The FBI, in their testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism and Government Information, cites the Yankee Group's estimate that industries around the world lost $1.2 billion to the DDOS attacks on e-commerce in February 2000. Their estimate was based on lost capitalization, lost revenues and the costs of security upgrades.
The Cost of Piracy
A different form of security breach – software piracy – also has a cost impact across the software industry. International Planning and Research, an independent research firm, estimated that software vendors lost $12.2 billion 1999 due to software piracy. They estimate that one out of three pieces of software used by businesses around the world is pirated copies.
The financial impact of computer security breaches has been quantified by several sources. The best estimate of the impact of security breaches on a single organization can be found in the CSI-FBI survey of over 600 organizations. They concluded that the average cost impact of security breaches on each organization is over $972,000 per year.
Hacking Technique, How Hackers Do It
Every day, hackers compromise systems using these attacks. Being aware of how these attacks are performed, you can raise awareness within your organization for the importance of building and maintaining secure systems.
Many organizations make the mistake of addressing security only during installation, and then never revisit it. Maintaining security is an ongoing process, and it is something that must be reviewed and revisited periodically. Using the information in this article, you can try hacking into your organization's datacenter, high-end server, or other system to determine where basic attacks would succeed. Then, you can address security weaknesses to prevent unauthorized users from attacking the system.
A trick is a "mean crafty procedure or practice...designed to deceive, delude, or defraud." Hackers use tricks to find short cuts for gaining unauthorized access to systems. They may use their access for illegal or destructive purposes, or they may simply be testing their own skills to see if they can perform a task. Given that most hackers are motivated by curiosity and have time to try endless attacks, the probability is high that eventually they do find a sophisticated method to gain access to just about any environment. However, these aren't the types of attacks we address in this article, because most successful intrusions are accomplished through well-known and well-documented security vulnerabilities that either haven't been patched, disabled, or otherwise dealt with. These vulnerabilities are exploited every day and shouldn't be.
Finding Access Vulnerabilities
What generally happens is that an advanced or elite hacker writes a scanning tool that looks for well-known vulnerabilities, and the elite hacker makes it available over the Internet. Less experienced hackers, commonly called "script kiddies," then run the scanning tool 24 x 7, scanning large numbers of systems and finding many systems that are vulnerable. They typically run the tool against the name-spaces associated with companies they would like to get into.
The script kiddies use a list of vulnerable IP addresses to launch attacks, based on the vulnerabilities advertised by a machine, to gain access to systems. Depending on the vulnerability, an attacker may be able to create either a privileged or non privileged account. Regardless, the attacker uses this initial entry (also referred to as a "toe-hold") in the system to gain additional privileges and exploit the systems the penetrated system has trust relationships with, shares information with, is on the same network with, and so on.
Once a toe-hold is established on a system, the attacker can run scanning tools against all the systems connected to the penetrated system. Depending on the system compromised, these scans can run inside an organization's network.
Finding Operating System Vulnerabilities
As mentioned previously, hackers first look for vulnerabilities to gain access. Then they look for operating system (OS) vulnerabilities and for scanning tools that report on those vulnerabilities.
Finding vulnerabilities specific to an OS is as easy as typing in a URL address and clicking on the appropriate link. There are many organizations that provide "full disclosure" information. Full disclosure is the practice of providing all information to the public domain so that it isn't known only to the hacker community.
Attacking Solaris OE Vulnerabilities
Let's use Solaris 2.6 OE as an example. A well-known vulnerability, for which patches are available, is the sadmind exploit. Hackers frequently use this vulnerability to gain root access on Solaris 2.6 OE systems. Using only a search engine and the CVE number, found by searching through the Mitre site listed previously, it is possible to find the source code and detailed instructions on how to use it. The entire process takes only a few minutes. The hacker finds the source code on the Security Focus web site and finds detailed instructions on the SANS site.
Hackers use a variety of tools to attack a system. Each of the tools we cover in this article has distinct capabilities. We describe the most popular tools from each of the following categories:
(a) Port scanners
(b) Vulnerability scanners
(c) Rootkits
(d) Sniffers
Port scanners are probably the most commonly used scanning tools on the Internet. These tools scan large IP spaces and report on the systems they encounter, the ports available and other information, such as OS types. The most popular port scanner is Network Mapper (Nmap).The Nmap port scanner is described as follows on the Nmap web site:
Nmap ("Network Mapper") is an open source utility for network exploration or security auditing. It was designed to rapidly scan large networks, although it works fine against single hosts. Nmap uses raw IP packets in novel ways to determine what hosts are available on the network, what services (ports) they are offering, what operating system (and OS version) they are running, what type of packet filters/firewalls are in use, and dozens of other characteristics. Nmap runs on most types of computers, and both console and graphical versions are available. Nmap is free software, available with full source code under the terms of the GNU GPL3.
Nmap is an excellent security tool because it allows you to determine which services are being offered by a system. Because Nmap is optimized to scan large IP ranges, it can be run against all IP addresses used by an organization, or all cable modem IP addresses provided by an organization. After using Nmap to find machines and identify their services, you can run the Nessus vulnerability scanner against the vulnerable machines.
Nmap supports an impressive array of scan types that permit everything from TCP SYN (half open) to Null scan sweeps. Additional options include OS fingerprinting, parallel scan, and decoy scanning, to name a few. Nmap supports a graphical version through xnmap. For more information about Nmap,
Vulnerability Scanners
This section describes tools available for scanning vulnerable systems. Vulnerability scanners look for a specific vulnerability or scan a system for all potential vulnerabilities. Vulnerability tools are freely available. We focus on the most popular and best-maintained vulnerability scanner available, Nessus. The Nessus vulnerability tool is described on the Nessus web site:
The "Nessus" Project aims to provide to the Internet community a free, powerful, up-to-date and easy to use remote security scanner. A security scanner is a software which will remotely audit a given network and determine whether bad guys (aka 'crackers') may break into it, or misuse it in some way. Unlike many other security scanners, Nessus does not take anything for granted. That is, it will not consider that a given service is running on a fixed port—that is, if you run your web server on port 1234, Nessus will detect it and test its security. It will not make its security tests regarding the version number of the remote services, but will really attempt to exploit the vulnerability. Nessus is very fast, reliable and has a modular architecture that allows you to fit it to your needs.
Nessus provides administrators and hackers alike with a tool to scan systems and evaluate vulnerabilities present in services offered by that system. Through both its command line and GUI-based client, Nessus provides capabilities that are invaluable. Running Nessus is much more convenient in its GUI mode. For more information about Nessus, refer to their web site.
The term rootkit describes a set of scripts and executables packaged together that allow intruders to hide any evidence that they gained root access to a system. Some of the tasks performed by a rootkit are as follows:
(a) Modify system log files to remove evidence of an intruder's activities.
(b) Modify system tools to make detection of an intruder's modifications more difficult.
(c) Create hidden back-door access points in the system.
(d) Use the system as a launch point for attacks against other networked systems.
Network sniffing, or just "sniffing," is using a computer to read all network traffic, of which some may not be destined for that system. To perform sniffing, a network interface must be put into promiscuous mode so that it forwards, to the application layer, all network traffic, not just network traffic destined for it.
The Solaris OE includes a tool called snoop that can capture and display all network traffic seen by a network interface on the system. While being relatively primitive, this tool can quite effectively gather clear-text user IDs and passwords passing over a network. Many popular protocols in use today such as Telnet, FTP, IMAP, and POP-3 do not encrypt their user authentication and identification information. Once a system is accessed, an intruder typically installs a network sniffer on the system to gain additional user ID and password information, to gather information about how the network is constructed, and to learn.
In this section, we describe two different attack scenarios to demonstrate how easily a hacker can gain access to an unsecured system. These successful attacks simulate the following scenarios:
(a) Attacks from the Internet
(b) Attacks from employees
In both attack scenarios, after the hacker establishes a root account, the hacker wants to maintain access to the system and establish additional privileges to access the rest of the environment. We correlate the tools that the hacker uses to find vulnerabilities, gain access, and establish additional privileges.
Attacks From the Internet
In this scenario, a hacker uses the Nessus vulnerability scanner to locate a system running Solaris 2.6 OE that has not been protected from the sadmind remote procedure call (RPC) service vulnerability. Let's see how the sadmind exploit works against the victim system. After the hacker gains access, the hacker uses a rootkit to gain and maintain root access. The header of the sadminindex.c program provides the following information on its usage: The author of the sadmindex program made things even easier by providing example stack pointer values. Some tinkering with the sp value was necessary in this example to get the exploit to work; however, it didn't take much trial and error because the next offset tried was 0xefff9588.
Attacks From Employees
In this scenario, an employee has user access privileges to the system, however, the employee is not authorized to have root access privileges. This scenario is very common. It usually occurs when accounts are left logged on and systems are insecure, thus providing an intruding employee the opportunity to perform unauthorized actions. The ability of malicious internal users to gain additional privileges on Solaris OE systems is a very real security issue. Unfortunately, it is frequently overlooked or ignored by administrators and managers who say, "That could never happen here" or "We have to trust all of our employees." Serious security incidents occur in situations like these.
Most systems have different types of users. Authorized individuals are systems administrators, operators, database administrators, hardware technicians, and so forth. Each class of user has permissions and privileges defined by user ID and group IDs on the system. Most of these users do not have a root password or permission to use it.
Once on a system, malicious users and intruders can use buffer overflow attacks to gain root privileges. For example, on August 10th, 2001, a buffer overflow against xlock was released. (The xlock executable is a utility for locking X-windows displays.) This utility is useful to attack because it is installed with the setuid root command, due to its need to authorize access to the display when it is locked. A quick search through a few web sites provides the sample source code, which only has 131 lines of code.
Now that the attacker has root privileges on the system, it is easy to use a sniffer, install back doors, maintain and gain additional access privileges using rootkits, and perform tricks and subsequent attacks.
Future of Cyber Crime and Conclusion
What's in the future for Internet Crime and Punishment? With every new avenue opening up on the Internet, comes more possibilities for criminal intent. The difference now and in the future is, technology and human services are now in place or coming into place, to make these individuals or organizations accountable for their actions. Laws and punishments for even the smallest Internet crimes are now on the books, or in the process of being created. Make no mistake; once something is on the Internet, it is fact. It is traceable and punishable. No matter how hard someone tries to cover it up, erase it or disassociate from their actions, once the footprint is made, it can't be unmade. Somewhere there is a way to track that footprint. Law enforcement across the globe will enforce it.
The Internet has not only drawn people together, it has drawn international crime fighting agencies together in a common purpose. The Internet is not a free playground anymore. It is a global arena. Internet crime will take the punch.
International Commercial Arbitration And Dispute Resolution In India
The scope of International Commercial Dispute Resolution (ICDR) Services in India is increasing day by day. ICDR can be availed of for disputes arising out of contracts on sales of goods, distributorship, agency and intermediary contracts, construction, engineering and infrastructure contracts, intellectual property contracts, domain name dispute resolutions, joint venture agreements, maritime contracts, employment contracts, etc. The list is just illustrative as the business transactions are too many to categorised here.
The traditional litigation methods of dispute resolution are not very helpful for such high staked commercial disputes. This has necessitated the requirement for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms like Arbitration, Mediation, Conciliation, etc. India provides world class "ADR Services" for various fields including those for ICDR.
ICDR in India can be conducted either as "Ad hoc arbitration" or as "Institutional Arbitration". India has tremendous capabilities for both these forms of dispute resolution. However, India is lacking on the front of use of information and communication technology (ICT) for dispute resolution. This has resulted in a limited growth of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) in India.
ICDR can be greatly benefited by the use of ODR in India. All we need to do is to strengthen Techno-Legal Services in India.
Posted by Ram. K. Kaushik at 12:41 AM
International Commercial Arbitration In India And Commercial Transactions
Information and communication technology (ICT) has given a new meaning to international commercial transactions and business. E-commerce has now become an indispensable part of our day to day commercial activities. This has also given rise to both traditional as well as contemporary international commercial disputes all over the world. E-commerce dispute resolution in India is also the need of the hour.
So much so that the previous Law Minister Veerappa Moily has said that a commercial court would be set up in each high court and all cases with an investment exceeding a certain sum will be tried in the commercial court.
At the same time alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism in India is also under the process of rejuvenation. Though online dispute resolution (ODR) and e-courts in India are still a distant dream yet the procedure of bringing suitable amendments in the existing arbitration law of India is in pipeline. There are many reasons for failure of e-courts in India.
Thus scope of International Commercial Dispute Resolution (ICDR) Services in India is increasing day by day. ICDR can be availed of for disputes arising out of contracts on sales of goods, distributorship, agency and intermediary contracts, construction, engineering and infrastructure contracts, intellectual property contracts, domain name dispute resolutions, joint venture agreements, maritime contracts, employment contracts, etc. The list is just illustrative as the business transactions are too many to categorised here.
The traditional litigation methods of dispute resolution are not very helpful for such high staked commercial disputes. This has necessitated the requirement for ADR mechanisms like Arbitration, Mediation, Conciliation, etc.
India has tremendous capabilities for both ADR and ODR. However, India is lacking on the front of a good law in this regard. The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 has proved more to be a burden than a relief. There is an emergent need of reformulating Indian laws in this regard.
Technical Skills Development In India
India is facing a mammoth task of imparting skills to its young generation so that unemployed youths can be accommodated in various segments of the employment system of India. With the educational system of India on the verge of collapse, skills development in India is needed as soon as possible.
Skills development in India and the vocational education and training system of India must be strengthened. Wherever Indian government lacks the necessary expertise, help of private sector must be taken. Further, online skills development in India must be encouraged to impart skills and trainings to maximum number of candidates.
Perry4Law and Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB) are the leading techno legal skills and trainings providers of India. Perry4Law and PTLB are providing exclusive techno legal skills development in India and world wide. The techno legal trainings of Perry4Law and PTLB are provided in an online environment and through distance learning mode so that both national and international students can be accommodated there.
Perry4Law and PTLB are world renowned for ensuring skill development in India for technical education. They provide the most extensive technical and technological skills development In India.
If you are interested in technical education and skill development in India in general and any techno legal courses of PTLB in particular, you can fill the application form that can be downloaded from here. Additional information in this regard can be found here.
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Our 9th Annual Dictionary Project was another big success. During the month of November, 2018 dictionaries were given to every 3rd grader in the five Shaker Heights Elementary Schools and St. Dominic Elementary School. A total of 358 dictionaries were given out. The dictionaries are greatly appreciated by both the students and the teachers. Several teachers commented, that the new blue cover dictionary, entitled "A Student's Dictionary" that we started giving out last year is especially helpful in the class room. Many wonderful thank you letters have been received from the students. During the class time students practiced looking up words, like service which relates to Rotary's Motto of "Service Above Self" and also the word election. They also explored the maps of the world in the back of the dictionary and information about the 45 United States Presidents and facts about the State of Ohio.
Members of the Rotary Club of Shaker Heights, friends and colleagues and Honored Guests; David E. Weiss, Mayor of Shaker Heights, Jeri Chaikin, Chief Administrative Officer, Nancy Moore, Chair of Safety and Public Works Committee, Patrick Sweeney, Fire Chief and Jeffrey N. DeMuth, Chief of Police gathered at Fire Department Station #1 on Chagrin Blvd. at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 to watch Lt. Christopher Wirsching of the Shaker Heights Fire Dept. and Detective Bruce Adkins of the Shaker Heights Police Dept. receive special recognition as Firefighter of the Year and Police Officer of the Year respectfully. Rotary Club President John Sobotincic presided over the event and Rotarian Maria Kaiser led the Pledge of Allegiance and Rabbi Lloyd Goldman gave the Invocation. President Sobotincic presented Certificates and Rotary pins to Chief Sweeney and Chief DeMuth, announcing that they had been made Honorary Members of The Rotary Club of Shaker Heights. A delicious hot breakfast was prepared by the Firefighters and enjoyed by all. At this Annual event, Supervisors in both the Fire and Police Departments single out one individual who has provided outstanding service to the Community and beyond to receive the Rotary Club Awards and Plaques. This event is now in its 40th year.
On June 6, 2018 the Rotary Club of Shaker Heights awarded the V. Blakeman Qua Scholarship Awards to four local high school seniors, at a luncheon at the Cleveland Skating Club(note recipient Evangeline Yeh was out of town on June 6th and she received her award on June 20, 2018). The meeting was Moderated by Co-President Maria Kaiser, and the Invocation was given by Rabbi Lloyd Goldman. Dr. William Benish presented the Scholarship Awards. The 2018 Scholarship Recipients were: Krysta Aulak, Eunice Min and Jonah Ross all three from Shaker Heights High School and Evangeline Yeh from Hathaway Brown School and as noted above was absent and she received her award at our Rotary meeting on June, 20th. Paul Qua addressed the Scholarship Recipients.
On February 24, 2018 approximately 250 hearty souls enjoyed a delicious Pancake Breakfast with the Birds at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes (NCSL).This was the 11th Annual Pancake Breakfast of the Rotary Club of Shaker Heights. After enjoying blueberry, chocolate chip, plain or gluten free pancakes and sausage, the families could enjoy a Feathered Friends Bird Show , put on by the Nature Center, our pancake breakfast partner. The proceeds benefit the Rotary Club of Shaker Heights, Community Service Third Grade Dictionary Project and the Nature Center.
The annual Four-Way Test Speech Contest was held on March 22, 2017 at a noon luncheon at the Cleveland Skating Club.
The event was chaired by Robert T. Ault and began with a beautiful Invocation by Rabbi Bud Frankel. There were three contestants from local high schools; Anthony Collier(Shaker), Christine DeSantis (Beaumont).,and Christos Ioannou (Shaker), . The three contestants are shown in the photograph., along with Mr. Michael Larsen, English Teacher at Beaumont School(left) and Mr. Bryan Elsaesser, Individuals and Societies Teacher at Shaker Heights High School(in the red shirt). The winner was Christine DeSantis School. All contestants received an award and the winner moves on to the District competition on April 8, 2017.
At the District 6630 Conference Of Clubs on Friday April 25, 2014 District Governor Bob Johnson recognized Jack Benish as having been a faithful member or Rotary for the past 58 years. A truly faithful member, as Jack has a perfect attendance record for all of those 58 years. Jack transferred his membership from the Birmingham Michigan Rotary Club to the Shaker Heights Rotary Club effective April 1, 2014. We are delighted to have Jack as a new member in our club.
On January 8, 2014 four new members from the Shaker Heights City Schools Administration were inducted into membership. The new members are: Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr., Superintendent, Dr. Bernice Stokes. Assistant Superintendent, Mrs. Marla J. Robinson, Assistant Superintendent, and Mrs. Christine Auginas, Assistant to the Superintendent. These new members were inducted into membership by District Governor Robert "Bob" Johnson.
We hope to help supply a truck for transportation in this remote village of boys. We are writing a proposal for funding in partnership with the Rotary Clubs of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Pictured here is Kevin, a 16 year old who is attending Elvel School. Johanna, who has received a Shaker Rotary scholarship in the past, continues her college education. The last trip to Honduras was in February. Karen Godt is co founder of this nonprofit organization and is a member of Shaker Heights Rotary.


text:
Q: How to find number of characters matches in two strings? How can I do this in Python?
first string = GOOD MORNING
second string = GOOD BYE

After 5 characters there is no match
in C, it can be done as:
length = strspn(str1,str2);

A: For the sake of diversity
from itertools import takewhile, izip
sum(1 for x in takewhile(lambda x: x[0] == x[1],
   izip(iter('GOOD MORNING'), iter('GOOD BYE'))))
5

A: def matcher(A, B):
    for i in range(min(len(A), len(B))):
        if A[i] != B[i]:
            return i
    return min(len(A), len(B))

print str(matcher("GOOD MORNING", "GOOD BYE")) + " characters match"

def strspn(A, B):
    for i in range(len(A)):
        if A[i] not in B:
            return i
    return len(A)

print "129th has " + str(strspn("129th", "0123456789")) + " digits"

Output
5 characters match
129th has 3 digits

A: Two methods:
first = 'GOOD MORNING'
second = 'GOOD BYE'

import difflib
sq = difflib.SequenceMatcher(None,first,second)
m = min(len(first),len(second))
print sq.find_longest_match(0,m,0,m)[2]

print '-----------'

print (i for i in xrange(min(len(first),len(second)))
       if first[i]!=second[i]).next()

result
5
-----------
5

A: def strspn(s1, s2):
    m = min(len(s1), len(s1))
    mismatches = (i for i, (c1, c2)
                  in enumerate(zip(s1[:m], s2[:m])) if c1 != c2)
    return next(mismatches, m)

A: Looks like a job for enumerate:
>>> a = "GOOD MORNING"
>>> b = "GOOD BYE"
>>> temp = max(a, b)
>>> for x, y in enumerate(min(a, b)):
...     if temp[x] != y:
...             print x
...             break
...
5

A: I don't know if python has a build-in function for that, but you can simply write yours
first = 'GOOD MORNING'
second = 'GOOD BYE'
len1 = len(first)
len2 = len(second)
count = 0
for i in range(len1):
    if i < len2 and first[i] == second[i]:
        count += 1
        continue
    else:
        break
return count

A: a = "good morning"
b = "good bye"

differ_idx = None
for idx, a_b in enumerate(zip(a, b)):
    a, b = a_b
    if a != b:
        differ_idx = idx
        break

print "first string = %r" % a
print "second string = %r" % b
if differ_idx is None:
    print "Strings match"
else:
    print "After %d characters there is no match" % differ_idx

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


It takes a large army of staff to make screening programmes work well. Today, we start a series of blog articles highlighting some of their roles. Pat Schan talks about her job as antenatal and newborn screening coordinator at Western Sussex Hospitals Foundation Trust.
A decade ago I was a community midwife and fairly fed up with on-calls and negotiating hideous traffic.
A good friend had moved to Worthing Hospital a year or two earlier and told me there was a vacancy for a screening co-ordinator. "Not for me," I said. "Don't fancy that." Then she told me there were regular hours, a staff car park and my own office. "I'm your woman," I replied.
The interview was tough but I got the job. In those days, women attended antenatal screening clinics on a Tuesday morning to have a triple test – and then phoned in for their results on a Thursday. The scanning department would occasionally phone to say they had a lady with a problem and were sending her straight up. As a result, I spent a lot of time scrabbling through scan abnormality reference books.
Today, following the 2010 merger with St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, we are Western Sussex Hospitals Foundation Trust. We were rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission and deal with around 5,500 births each year.
I coordinate all 6 antenatal and newborn screening programmes for the trust and manage a small team across both sites. I am well supported by the head of midwifery and line managed by a passionate senior midwifery manager in public health, who is totally committed to screening.
I work 4 long days per week and a typical day (if there is such a thing) starts at about 7:15 am.
First I check the handover sheet of our current cases before having the first of my 10 daily cups of tea. Then I catch up with the antenatal clinic team leader, who I share an office with, and check if any of our caseload women are inpatients.
Women often ask: "What would you do?" But it is important that we are not directive and don't make assumptions. Our role is to provide information and choices.
I am based at Worthing Hospital but go to our other hospital at least once a week. We have regular team meetings and a great relationship with our tertiary centres, especially St George's in London. I was lucky enough to be part of the national forum that looked at the new standards for infectious diseases in pregnancy screening and the antenatal rubella screening cessation group, which was a really interesting experience. We also ran 2 screening study days during 2015 to 2016 which were great fun – including demonstrating recessive inheritance by doing speed dating to disco music!
Having been one of the first trusts to have a quality assurance visit, I trained as a peer reviewer and have taken part in 2 visits this year. I love seeing how other antenatal screening coordinators run their services and have picked up some good tips along the way.
And, of course, I'd advise them to keep up to date with screening developments by signing up to receive the PHE Screening blog posts. They are such a good way to get information over, share good practice and give screening the high profile it deserves.
Working in screening is tough. It can be isolating and we all have days of giving bad news but there is huge job satisfaction in helping parents through really challenging times.
I am so glad my friend told me about this job all those years ago.
I had the honour to work with Pat and her team. They are dedicated to make sure patients are well looked after!
Thank you Pat for giving us an in sight into the working life of a screening coordinator, I'm really pleased that you have clearly stated that you coordinate 6 programmes, as very often it is assumed that "screening" just covers scans and foetal abnormalities.
Thank you for your kind comments - I am very aware that the amazing support and commitment to screening from my manager and HOM makes it so much easier.
At WSHFT ANNB Screening is seen as a vital Public Health element and I think the strong PH team and profile we have in the trust is key .
Such an inspiration to those of us who are struggling to get support on a day to day basis. Well done and well deserved.


Company jobs circular 2018. We publish all private company jobs news in here from ejobscircular source. Company jobs Application & job results pdf download in our website www.bdgovtjobs24.com.
All times everyone wants a government jobs. When thay didnot get a govt job then they are looking a company job. In Bangladesh there have many private company. They always give out jobs circular in online or newspaper. We know In company job there are so many fasility. If you want you can give on of this jobs then you can easily. But also compay give a empolyeer many condition which everybody can't accpet this.
If you want find a good jobs, you can find it here. All kinds of job we publishing here. We hope you can satisfide for this post.


On June 14, NAHRO submitted its comment letter to HUD's request for comment on Reducing Regulatory Burden; Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda Under Executive Order 13777.
The regulations listed are non-exhaustive. NAHRO's comment letter is a start of a conversation between the Department and NAHRO. Given the limited time to compile this list, NAHRO expects to identify additional avenues for further regulatory streamlining, which we will share with the HUD.
NAHRO's comment letter is organized into three sections: Public Housing and Section 8 recommendations; Community Planning and Development; and recommendations on cross-cutting programs and initiatives. Within each major section are topic headers with NAHRO's recommendation on each topic.
As NAHRO previously reported, HUD published a final rule last year that provides expanded housing protections for survivors of violence and fully codifies the provisions of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) of 2013 into HUD regulations. Most of the final rule's requirements became effective on December 16, 2016, but covered housing provider are also required to comply with rule's emergency transfer plan provisions (and be able to begin making transfers) no later than today – June 14, 2017.
Last month, NAHRO policy staff conducted a webinar that discusses compliance with HUD's final rule and the requirements for completing an emergency transfer plan and providing emergency transfers. This recording is available for purchase online at NAHRO's Digital Store.
Click below for additional details on how to apply.
Today, HUD released the FY 2017 allocations for the Department's Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) formula grant programs: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) , Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), and Housing Trust Fund (HTF).
For FY 2017, states and local communities across the nation will receive approximately $3.0 billion in CDBG, $958 million in HOME, $320 million in HOPWA, $270 million in ESG, and $219 million in HTF funding. These amounts reflect approved grant reductions and reallocated funds for the CDBG and HOME programs.
The CPD allocations can be found online here.
The National Housing Conference (NHC) hosted the 2017 Annual Policy Symposium on June 9, 2017. The keynote speaker was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Ben Carson. While the Secretary discussed several topics, he also mentioned his support to lift the cap on units for the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. Secretary Carson noted it would help leverage funds to provide more affordable units using public-private partnerships. He also discussed the importance of homeownership and recent data that shows an upward trajectory of homeowners. Secretary Carson noted concerns that "millennials may become a lost generation for homeownership, excluded from the American dream and punished as an unintended byproduct of the financial crisis from 2008." He urged stakeholders to do more to find reasonable and affordable pathways with investors and lenders in order for more individuals to join the housing market. One solution mentioned was the Housing Opportunity through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA), which allows the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to lower the owner occupancy minimum from 50 to 30 percent to allow more individuals to use FHA loans to attract more millennials to buy condos.


From January to March of 2018 Central American countries bought $40 million worth of malt beer from abroad, 46% more than the same period in 2017.
In the first three months of this year, the main importer of beer in Central America was Guatemala, with $16 million, followed by Honduras, with $9 million, Panama, with $7 million, Costa Rica, with $4 million, El Salvador, with $3 million and Nicaragua, with $1.3 million.
For the period from January to March of 2017 and 2018, the value of imported beer in Central America increased by 46%, rising from $28 million in 2017 to $40 million in 2018.
In the first three months of the years between 2013 and 2016, regional purchases abroad grew steadily at an annual average of 14%. Regarding the monthly import value, the graph shows a clear upward trend for the months between January 2012 and March 2018.
From January to March 2018, 53% of the value purchased by Central America came from Mexico, 29% from the US, 3% from Portugal and 2% from Belgium.
Mexico is the origin market for imports that has grown the most in the quarter in question in the last seven years, as in 2012 it represented 30% of total purchases and in 2018 that figure rose to 53%.
In the first nine months of 2018, beer imports in Central America totaled $128 million, 50% more than in the same period in 2017, and the increase is because of the behavior of purchases from Mexico.
In the first nine months of this year, the main importer of beer in Central America remained Guatemala, with $46 million, followed by Honduras, with $32 million, Panama, with $29 million, El Salvador and Costa Rica, with $10 million each, and Nicaragua, with $2 million.
During the period from January to September 2017 and 2018, the value of beer imported into Central America increased 50%, from $85 million in 2017 to $128 million in 2018.
For the periods concerned, regional purchases from Mexico increased 48%, from $39 million to $58 million.
From January to September 2018, 45% of the value purchased by Central America was from Mexico, 31% from the U.S., 2% from Portugal and 2% from Belgium.
Mexico is the market origin of imports that has grown the most in the months concerned in the last seven years, since in 2012 represented 31% of total purchases and in 2018 grew to 45%.
For brewers in Panama it is necessary to incorporate innovations in manufacturing, since in the local market consumption has ceased to be a fashion to become a trend.
The expectations of Panamanian businessmen are encouraging, because they expect that the demand for high quality artisanal beer in the country will continue to increase, so continuous improvement of the product will be key to the expansion of production.
See "Beer Imports Up to September 2018"
Alejandro Quiodettis of Cervecería Maestra, explained to Martesfinanciero.com that "... The growth of artisanal beer brewing in Panama has gone from being a fashion to a trend, reason for which it is key to see first hand what the great American players do, so that the local company also conforms to innovations. Each one of us is looking for ways to improve each time, and we are aiming at that goal, to look for the best ingredients to prepare under high quality standards the handcrafted beer."
Ricardo Richo Fernández, from Cervecería Casa Brujas, said that "... What has happened in Panama with the movement of artisanal beer has caused not only a great boom in this segment, but has also benefited the traditional industry. The key is that we are making a great quality artisanal product that will continue to grow."
You may be interested in "Wines: Imports up to the first half 2018"
According to reports from CentralAmericaData, in the first nine months of 2018 the main importer of beer in Central America remained Guatemala, with $46 million, followed by Honduras, with $32 million, Panama, with $29 million, El Salvador and Costa Rica, with $10 million each, and Nicaragua, with $2 million.
When you want a cold beer and cool atmosphere, these are plenty of places to go in Panama! At these spots, you can find local craft beers like Casa Bruja, original house-brewed beers, international IPAs, and of course the classics: Cerveza Panama, Atlas, and Balboa.
Panama Brews is a hidden gem in Panama City and the first to feature over 35 LOCAL craft beers ON TAP! You can order a sample shot flight for $3 to try six different brews and then order a pint of your favorite. The bar is even equipped with a chiller to keep your beer cold while you drink! It's a little hard to find, but it's on the second floor of Balboa Boutiques towards the back.
El Republicano is a gastropub located in the Coco del Mar neighborhood in Panama City. They feature a few of their house-brewed beers as well as several other local craft beer favorites.
A small bar located on Via Argentina has some fantastic house brews. They also serve complimentary popcorn!
Independiente just opened in 12 de Octubre and has a large selection of Panamanian craft beers. You can order a taster for $5 that includes four local beers on tap.
Biergarten has a huge selection of international craft beers as well as a few local brews on tap to try. It's located in the pool area of the Granada Urban Hotel and an excellent spot to enjoy a drink outdoors!
Istmo is a great spot to hangout with friends! You can try one of their original house-brewed beers, play a game of pool, or listen to live music. They have locations in San Francisco and El Cangrejo.
Lynchburg serves authentic German food with a wide selection of specialty beers! They also have live music a few nights a week.
La Rana Dorada is a favorite spot to go for their local house-brewed beers. Be sure to get the boat sampler before you order so you can try them all! They have locations in Casco Viejo, Via Argentina, Costa del Este, and San Francisco. You can also stop by their actual brewery in Loceria on Friday from 4 pm to 8 pm and Saturday from 12 pm – 6 pm. Put "Cerveceria La Rana Dorada" into Waze or Uber, and it will get you there.
Brew stop has knowledgable staff that loves beer with an awesome selection of craft and IPA beers like Rogue, Lost Coast, Abita, and more! They have locations in Marbella and El Cangrejo.
LB Bieren has one of the largest selection of specialty beers, and they are a retail store that lets you drink the beers you purchase at one of their small tables or take them to go. Located in San Francisco.
Feel like you're drinking at home at El Apartamento! Chill atmosphere to go with friends for a few drinks. Located on Federico Boyd.
Another great restaurant serving authentic German food and international beers in a cozy atmosphere. Located in Coco del Mar.
Chill and casual spot to go in Casco Viejo for some well-priced beers.
I saved the best for last… Casa Bruja is my favorite locally brewed beer in Panama, and they have recently opened a small taproom at their brewery in Costa del Este. It's only open Wednesday, Thursday & Friday from 5 pm – 9 pm and Saturday morning for tours so be sure to stop by for the best beers on tap! They also have a location opening July 2017 in Casco Viejo.


I have soooo many of these little pictures now - it's about time I used them!
Hmmm...The top of a coctail mixer. I've had one of these before and gave it to a friend that had a bar. I thought this would fit one of the large cocktail mix glasses that I had but alas it wasn't to be. Now I'll have to find the bottom half....urghhh..
Linked up with Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl for more thrifty goodness!
Oh yes! The tablecloth is gorgeous and in fantastic condition.
It must be easy to say you've had enough when you're the lucky finder of such gorgeous and lovely stuff Tinker.
I think I was a bit spoilt, eh! The problem is that as I'm not a re-seller my house is rapidly filling up and I need to put the brakes on sometimes.
Thanks, Lucy. That's my favourite plate too.
the little deer is so incredibly cute. What a lucky find and the other finds are wonderful too.
Treasuring hunting is so much fun, especially when the shops are filled with lovely vintage goodness. Your treasures are wonderful, my favorites are the patterns and instruction books, but like everything you found this week.
Oh my goodness! What an amazing haul of goodies.
Wow, what great finds! I love the sweet little deer bookend, and all the fabrics are swoon-worthy! XO.
Thanks! I think I'd be in trouble with the mister if I brought this much home each week!


text:
Authenticx Announces $20M in Series B Funding to Enhance the Customer Journey
kevinJanuary 17, 2023 January 19th, 2023
Indianapolis, IN (January 17, 2023) — Authenticx, the new standard in healthcare for listening to customer voices at scale, today announced $20M in Series B funding led by Blue Heron Capital with participation from Beringea, Indiana Next Level Fund/50 South Capital Advisors, High Alpha, Mutual Capital Partners, Signal Peak Ventures, Allos Ventures, Elevate Ventures and M25.
The investment comes after a significant year of growth for Authenticx, which saw a 2.5x increase in ARR in 2022 and 64 new employees since July 2021, many of whom joined product innovation and sales departments. Additionally, Authenticx's customer base doubled over the last year, with its client portfolio now including five of the top 10 leading global pharmaceutical companies.
"By listening at scale, business leaders can feel confident that the strategies they implement in their organization are backed by data generated from the authentic words of their customers," said Amy Brown, CEO of Authenticx. "Whether identifying areas of frustration for customers or listening for good news, conversational data can be used to revolutionize the patient experience and remind the workforce of their noble purpose. With this funding, we'll be able to continue driving innovation in conversational intelligence and machine learning to streamline the patient journey and help staff do their best work."
Unsolicited customer feedback is a valuable resource for healthcare and life science organizations. After analyzing 100 million conversations with healthcare customers for its 2022 Customer Voices in Healthcare report, Authenticx identified multiple disruptive themes in contact centers, including failure to provide anticipated information via callbacks, callers becoming stuck between two or more healthcare entities, and conflicting information offered by different sources. Access to these comprehensive insights from actual customer conversations enables decision-makers to develop effective strategies for addressing customer frustrations.
Authenticx plans to use this capital infusion to further increase customer-centricity in healthcare by:
Innovating in machine learning and product engineering
Fueling sales and marketing efforts
Continuing to expand the business
"As healthcare organizations focus on building customer-centric solutions, they need a way to understand the truth of what customers truly want," said Tom Benedetti, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Blue Heron Capital. "We're excited to partner with Authenticx and their strategic vision as they continue to align business decisions with patient experience."
As part of the investment, Blue Heron Capital Operating Advisor, Scott Sanner, will join the Authenticx Board of Directors. Mr. Sanner is the former CEO of Citra Health Solutions and brings nearly 30 years of relevant industry experience having previously held leadership positions at McKesson and Change Healthcare.
Innovative features of the robust Authenticx platform include the Eddy Effect Dashboard and the quality management solution, which improve customer experience by identifying obstacles hindering the customer journey, providing teams with insights to tell data-backed stories, pinpointing areas of improvement and opportunity, reducing agent onboarding time, increasing efficiency and delivering a better CX.
"The infusion of capital gives us the opportunity to continue our growth in becoming the go-to solution for healthcare organizations relying on contact centers," said Brown.
For more information on how Authenticx helps healthcare organizations improve the customer journey, please visit Authenticx.com.
Original story can be found here.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Searching for the 107 !
It had been years since I had last visited Peterborough, the destination to collect my new acquisition – a Peugeot 107 semi-automatic. From photos on a salvage website, I was sure that it had been owned by a woman because of the flowery stickers spread over the rear doors and the 'horse beware' stickers on the back screen. A £26.50 one-way direct ticket was bought which was simple enough but then I had to find a way from Peterborough station to get close to the A1 – the Great North Road which was where the salvage yard was. A twenty minute walk from the station towards the aptly-named 'Trainworld' and a £10 purchase of a ticket to take me along a historic line along the Nene Valley would take me close but not to my destination; unusually amongst decaying steam trains, there perched on a section of concrete monorail was a hovertrain prototype, Research Test Vehicle 31 to be precise, built in England with research funded by the British government. Unfortunately, Michael Heseltine stopped the flow of money which prompted a form of retaliation as it then recorded a top speed of 107 mph. Thirty years later, the Shinkansen bullet train from Japan has replaced the hovertrain's fans with magnetic propulsion to become a successful and viable mode of transport.
Having reached Wansford station close to the A1, all that I needed to do was to go the correct way along it and after speaking to a delivery driver, I thought I had it sorted until after twenty minutes of traversing alternating verges and barriers, truck stops with dozing European drivers did I begin to panic as there was no yard in view. After contacting headoffice, I started to become increasingly desperate as five o'clock approached so I made a decision to run the opposite way. Salty sweat stung my eyes and after an exhausting and arduous journey, I sighted a small yard with van livery confirming that it was the correct site – think of a compound word similar to 'car' and 'pig' then you would name the company. Imagine my anger though, when I saw the gates chained shut despite having confirmed with the yard's office that I would be collecting the car. I spied the 107 in a corner and after displaying my frustration and desperation to the customer service woman, she reassured me that the yard manager was on his way having " left early because he hadn't been feeling well."
After debating whether to doze in an adjacent field, the gaffer turned up and there seemed to be a thousand yard stare across the forecourt from him to me and vice versa. Curtailing my anger, I decided the best tact was to be civil as I didn't want to culminate any other problems. His version of events was that his house had been trashed which was why he had to return home so someone had been telling porkies. Nevertheless, the 107 started first time after connecting the negative battery terminal and it seemed to drive well. That horsey theme continued inside with what looked like a field of hay and mud that had made its way within covering the carpet, brewing a miasma of mule. Luckily there were three bars worth of fuel which I added to with another thirty five pounds worth to brim the tank. Eventually arriving three hours later 'oop north, only one bar had only been displaced and I discovered that the clever semi-automatic gearbox will change down if your pedal is to the metal to generate extra momentum. So, a good buy then? Well yes, but some people don't realise that this car shares the same engine and gearbox as the Toyota Aygo and Citroen C1. With stickers patiently peeled off and a valet to rid aroma of horse, the 107 was sent to an auction house but didn't reach its reserve of £1350 so I have had it to replace the driver's side wing myself and am debating whether to re-MOT it for a better chance of sale. A 2006 Toyota Aygo three door automatic sold for £1470 so the 107 should go for £2000, all things being relative.
Words and photos are copyright of Sotiris Vassiliou
All Articles, The Measly Miser's Penny Puncher
« Sporty Jazz !
A newer Jazz! »


text:
Functional capacity and residual functional capacity and their utility in measuring work capacity
E. Abdel-Moty, David A Fishbain, T. M. Khalil, S. Sadek, R. Cutler, R. S. Rosomoff, H. L. Rosomoff
Objective: The pain physician is often asked to establish the medical impairment of the chronic pain patient (CPP) and from that determination ascertain the work capacity of the CPP. Functional capacity (FC) testing has recently been introduced as a more objective and accurate way of facilitating the determination of work capacity. However, there are conceptual problems with the measurement of FC. These will be reviewed and the relationship of FC to residual functional capacity (RFC) will be determined. Finally, a method for measuring RFC in a job-specific manner will be suggested. Data Sources: The literature in reference to the measurement of medical impairment, FC, and RFC was reviewed. Study Selection: Studies appropriate to the objective of this review were selected for inclusion. Conclusions: The FC and RFC are poorly defined. Lack of definition has interfered with design of appropriate test batteries specific to work capacity. To circumvent this problem a job- specific RFC measurement method is suggested. This method is based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.
Clinical Journal of Pain
Functional Residual Capacity
Information Storage and Retrieval
Abdel-Moty, E., Fishbain, D. A., Khalil, T. M., Sadek, S., Cutler, R., Rosomoff, R. S., & Rosomoff, H. L. (1993). Functional capacity and residual functional capacity and their utility in measuring work capacity. Clinical Journal of Pain, 9(3), 168-173.
Functional capacity and residual functional capacity and their utility in measuring work capacity. / Abdel-Moty, E.; Fishbain, David A; Khalil, T. M.; Sadek, S.; Cutler, R.; Rosomoff, R. S.; Rosomoff, H. L.
In: Clinical Journal of Pain, Vol. 9, No. 3, 01.01.1993, p. 168-173.
Abdel-Moty, E, Fishbain, DA, Khalil, TM, Sadek, S, Cutler, R, Rosomoff, RS & Rosomoff, HL 1993, 'Functional capacity and residual functional capacity and their utility in measuring work capacity', Clinical Journal of Pain, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 168-173.
Abdel-Moty E, Fishbain DA, Khalil TM, Sadek S, Cutler R, Rosomoff RS et al. Functional capacity and residual functional capacity and their utility in measuring work capacity. Clinical Journal of Pain. 1993 Jan 1;9(3):168-173.
Abdel-Moty, E. ; Fishbain, David A ; Khalil, T. M. ; Sadek, S. ; Cutler, R. ; Rosomoff, R. S. ; Rosomoff, H. L. / Functional capacity and residual functional capacity and their utility in measuring work capacity. In: Clinical Journal of Pain. 1993 ; Vol. 9, No. 3. pp. 168-173.
@article{8108f09461b94201ad9e2845e682dc3c,
title = "Functional capacity and residual functional capacity and their utility in measuring work capacity",
abstract = "Objective: The pain physician is often asked to establish the medical impairment of the chronic pain patient (CPP) and from that determination ascertain the work capacity of the CPP. Functional capacity (FC) testing has recently been introduced as a more objective and accurate way of facilitating the determination of work capacity. However, there are conceptual problems with the measurement of FC. These will be reviewed and the relationship of FC to residual functional capacity (RFC) will be determined. Finally, a method for measuring RFC in a job-specific manner will be suggested. Data Sources: The literature in reference to the measurement of medical impairment, FC, and RFC was reviewed. Study Selection: Studies appropriate to the objective of this review were selected for inclusion. Conclusions: The FC and RFC are poorly defined. Lack of definition has interfered with design of appropriate test batteries specific to work capacity. To circumvent this problem a job- specific RFC measurement method is suggested. This method is based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.",
author = "E. Abdel-Moty and Fishbain, {David A} and Khalil, {T. M.} and S. Sadek and R. Cutler and Rosomoff, {R. S.} and Rosomoff, {H. L.}",
journal = "Clinical Journal of Pain",
T1 - Functional capacity and residual functional capacity and their utility in measuring work capacity
AU - Abdel-Moty, E.
AU - Fishbain, David A
AU - Khalil, T. M.
AU - Sadek, S.
AU - Cutler, R.
AU - Rosomoff, R. S.
AU - Rosomoff, H. L.
N2 - Objective: The pain physician is often asked to establish the medical impairment of the chronic pain patient (CPP) and from that determination ascertain the work capacity of the CPP. Functional capacity (FC) testing has recently been introduced as a more objective and accurate way of facilitating the determination of work capacity. However, there are conceptual problems with the measurement of FC. These will be reviewed and the relationship of FC to residual functional capacity (RFC) will be determined. Finally, a method for measuring RFC in a job-specific manner will be suggested. Data Sources: The literature in reference to the measurement of medical impairment, FC, and RFC was reviewed. Study Selection: Studies appropriate to the objective of this review were selected for inclusion. Conclusions: The FC and RFC are poorly defined. Lack of definition has interfered with design of appropriate test batteries specific to work capacity. To circumvent this problem a job- specific RFC measurement method is suggested. This method is based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.
AB - Objective: The pain physician is often asked to establish the medical impairment of the chronic pain patient (CPP) and from that determination ascertain the work capacity of the CPP. Functional capacity (FC) testing has recently been introduced as a more objective and accurate way of facilitating the determination of work capacity. However, there are conceptual problems with the measurement of FC. These will be reviewed and the relationship of FC to residual functional capacity (RFC) will be determined. Finally, a method for measuring RFC in a job-specific manner will be suggested. Data Sources: The literature in reference to the measurement of medical impairment, FC, and RFC was reviewed. Study Selection: Studies appropriate to the objective of this review were selected for inclusion. Conclusions: The FC and RFC are poorly defined. Lack of definition has interfered with design of appropriate test batteries specific to work capacity. To circumvent this problem a job- specific RFC measurement method is suggested. This method is based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.
JO - Clinical Journal of Pain
JF - Clinical Journal of Pain


text:
Q: Why is my insert command not changing the database? im performing an insert sql command in c# program using oledb methods as the code down will show.
the action is performed and it even shows me a message I've put there to indicate if it worked or not but when i open the database manually the data i inserted using the code don't appear
im using c# and Acess as database
the tables in the database of type
time = time/date
header = text
importance = int
body = text
as for the variables in the code all string but im using a datetimepicker to allow the user to choose the date by picking instead of typing it
OleDbConnection conn1 = new OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source = Database.accdb");
conn1.Open();
string sql = "INSERT INTO notes ([time], [Header], [importance], [body])" + "VALUES ('" + dateTimePicker1.Value + "', '" + textBox1.Text + "','" + int.Parse(comboBox1.Text) + "','" + textBox2.Text + "');";
OleDbCommand cmd2 = new OleDbCommand(sql, conn1);
try
{
    OleDbDataReader rd2 = cmd2.ExecuteReader();
    conn1.Close();
    MessageBox.Show("Added");
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
    MessageBox.Show(ex.ToString());
}
this.Close();

A: Problem1 : You are calling ExecuteReader() method while Inserting Data into Database.
Solution1 : You need to use ExecuteNonQuery() method to execute INSERT,UPDATE or DELETE commands.
Replace This :
OleDbDataReader rd2 = cmd2.ExecuteReader();

With This:
cmd2.ExecuteNonQuery();

Problem 2: you are assigning the DateTime value into time column as string. if the string format is not supported by time column then INSERT operation will not be successfull.
Solution 2:
so i would suggest you to use Parameterised queries for following two reasons:

*

*mainly parameterised queries prevent SQL Injection Attacks to happen.

*parameterised queries will send the parameters with proper datatypes.

Suggestion : while checking for the command execution status you need to read the return value of the ExecuteNonQuery() method.because it returns the total number of rows inserted into table after command execution. so you can read it and display success message only when the count returned is greater than zero.
Complete Code:
    int status=0;
    OleDbConnection conn1 = new OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source = Database.accdb");
    conn1.Open();
    string sql = "INSERT INTO notes ([time], [Header], [importance], [body]) " + "VALUES (?,?,?,?);";
    OleDbCommand cmd2 = new OleDbCommand(sql, conn1);
    cmd2.Parameters.AddWithValue("@time",dateTimePicker1.Value);
    cmd2.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Header",textBox1.Text);
    cmd2.Parameters.AddWithValue("@importance",int.Parse(comboBox1.Text) );
    cmd2.Parameters.AddWithValue("@body",textBox2.Text);
    try
    {
       status=cmd2.ExecuteNonQuery();
       conn1.Close();
       if(status>0)
       MessageBox.Show("INSERT Command Executed Successfully!");
       else
       MessageBox.Show("INSERT Command Failed!");
    }
    catch(Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBox.Show(ex.ToString());
    }
    this.Close();

A: You need to use the ExecuteNonQuery to execute the insert query on the database.
cmd2.ExecuteNonQuery();

ExecuteReader used when you want to retrieve the data from database like in SELECT query.
Also please use parameterized query to avoid Sql Injection
string sql = "INSERT INTO notes ([time], [Header], [importance], [body]) VALUES (@time, @header, @importance, @body);";

cmd2.Parameters.AddWithValue("@time", Convert.ToDateTime(dateTimePicker1.Value));
cmd2.Parameters.AddWithValue("@header", textBox1.Text);
cmd2.Parameters.AddWithValue("@importance", Convert.ToInt32(comboBox1.Text));
cmd2.Parameters.AddWithValue("@body", textBox2.Text);

cmd2.ExecuteNonQuery();

A: am not really a c-sharp programmer but you actually shouldn't assign cmd.executeReader() to a variable I think you should just write the command on that line so it executes

A: try something like this hope it helps
OleDbConnection conn1 = new OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source = Database.accdb");
        conn1.Open();
        string sql = "INSERT INTO notes ([time], [Header], [importance], [body]) " + "VALUES (?,?,?,?);";
        OleDbCommand cmd2 = new OleDbCommand(sql, conn1);
        cmd2.CommandType = CommandType.Text;
        cmd2.Parameters.Add("@time", OleDbType.Date).Value = DateTime.Parse(dateTimePicker1.Value);
        cmd2.Parameters.Add("@Header", OleDbType.VarChar).Value = textBox1.Text;
        cmd2.Parameters.Add("@importance", OleDbType.Integer).Value = int.Parse(comboBox1.Text);
        cmd2.Parameters.Add("@body", OleDbType.VarChar).Value = textBox2.Text;
        try
        {
            status = cmd2.ExecuteNonQuery();
            conn1.Close();
            if (status > 0)
                MessageBox.Show("INSERT Command Executed Successfully!");
            else
                MessageBox.Show("INSERT Command Failed!");
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            MessageBox.Show(ex.ToString());
        }
        this.Close();

A: you can't use cmd2.ExecuteReader to insert the record into database you have to use cmd2.ExcuteNonQuery(); to perform operation such as INSERT UPDATE OR DELETE.
OleDbConnection conn1 = new OleDbConnection("Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source = Database.accdb");
      conn1.Open();
    string sql = "INSERT INTO notes ([time], [Header], [importance], [body]) VALUES ('" + dateTimePicker1.Value + "', '" + textBox1.Text + "','" + int.Parse(comboBox1.Text) + "','" + textBox2.Text + "');";
    OleDbCommand cmd2 = new OleDbCommand(sql, conn1);
    try
    {
       cmd2.ExecuteNonQuery();

        MessageBox.Show("Added");
    }
    catch(Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBox.Show(ex.ToString());
    }
    finally
    {
    conn1.Close();
    }


My nickname is Action Jackson.
I went to Aiea High.
My hat size is 8.
My sister is Nicole, 31.
My beautiful mom is Dottie and my pops is Armond.
My favorite place to skate near home is A'ala Park.
My favorite place to skate in the world is The Streets.
I ride for FITTED, APB and Lakai.
My favorite skater of all-time is Sean Payne.
I listen to anything from Prince to Weezy to Journey.
I like to watch Family Guy.
I'm a FITTED Skateboarding Team fan.
When I'm not skating I like to fish.
My career goal is to own a handy man business.
I represent for Hawai'i by doing what I do best: skateboarding.
Family, friends, all my sponsors: APB, FITTED, Lakai and God.