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24 Season 2 DVD Scans
By 24 Spoilers , September 12th, 2003
Enjoy these high quality scans from the 24 Season 2 DVD.
Here are all six 24 Season 2 audio commentaries found on the DVD. 24 Season 2 Episode 4 commentary by Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida), Sarah Wynter (Kate Warner), Michelle Forbes (Lynn Kresge): 24 Season 2 Episode 6 commentary by director Jon Cassar, Sarah Clarke (Nina Myers): 24 Season 2 Episode 10 commentary by Penny Johnson… View Article
24 Exposed – 24 Season 2 DVD Special Features
Here's a special feature 24 Exposed found on the 24 Season 2 DVD's. It is by far the lengthiest special feature coming in at two parts both running approximately 45 minutes long. The feature follows the last days of production on 24 Season 2 and features many cast and crew members including director Jon Cassar… View Article
On the Button: Exploding the CTU
On The Button: Exploding the CTU is a special feature found on the 24 Season 2 DVD release. In the video, Stan Blackwell demonstrates how the special effects team exploded CTU.
By 24 Spoilers , September 9th, 2003 · 1 comment
The 24 Season 2 DVD set has 45 extended and deleted scenes from eighteen different episodes. Lake Oswego with Helicopter (Episode 1 "8:00am-9:00am") Street Kid Washes Jack's Window (Episode 1 "8:00am-9:00am") Palmer Talks With Ambassador on Monitor (Episode 1 "8:00am-9:00am") Keith and Palmer Talk on Phone (Episode 1 "8:00am-9:00am") Extended Fight Between Gary and Kim… View Article
24 Season 2 DVD Promo
A brief promo advertising the second season of 24 available at Best Buy. It manages to fit in a lot of Jack Bauer catch phrases in just fifteen seconds – pretty cool!
24 Season 2 Marathon Screening – Photos
"24" Season Two 24-Hour Marathon Screening Sep 08 2003 – "24" Soundstages – Woodland Hills, California United States.
The Cast of 24 Panel at Monte Carlo Television Festival
By 24 Spoilers , July 4th, 2003
During the Monte Carlo Television Festival, World Screen News's editor, Anna Carugati, moderated a panel with the cast of FOX's acclaimed thriller 24, from creators Bob Cochran and Joel Surnow. In the excerpt below, the series' stars discuss the challenges of the show, and the elements that have made it an international hit. For the… View Article
24 Season 2 box set announced, large amount of extras
By 24 Spoilers , June 30th, 2003
Here are some details on the upcoming 24 Season 2 box set. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will once again give viewers the chance to catch up on one of the longest days in Jack Bauer's life. The studio announced over the weekend it is set to release "24: The Complete Second Season" on DVD… View Article
24 Season 2 Finale Promo
By 24 Spoilers , May 13th, 2003 · 5 comments
A special sixty second promo for the 24 Season 2 finale.
Fact and Fiction Mix on 24
LOS ANGELES — An uncanny similarity to current events is seeping evermore into Fox's high-profile drama 24 as the show nears its season finale. The show, starring Kiefer Sutherland, has been developing subplots that remarkably mirror world events — even though most of the script was written well before the world was plunged into war… View Article
24 Season 2 Episode 22 Promo (5:00AM – 6:00AM)
By 24 Spoilers , April 29th, 2003
24 Season 2 Episode 22 Promo (5:00AM – 6:00AM). "You know the players, you know the stakes, and just when it looks like things can't get any worse. It gets even better. 24, the final truth."
Reiko Aylesworth interviewed by TWOP
Television Without Pity has scored an in-depth interview with the wonderful Reiko Aylesworth. She talks all about the second season, dishes on lots of behind the scenes stuff, and much more. Gustave: When I nicknamed you "Bitchelle," I didn't think I'd ever have to talk to you. Reiko Aylesworth: I was actually pretty pleased with… View Article
24 Season 2 Episode 23 Press Release (6:00AM-7:00AM)
JACK ATTEMPTS TO BRING IN THE COMPUTER HACKER, PALMER WANTS TO FIND OUT ALL HE CAN ABOUT PETER KINGSLEY ON '24' MAY 13 ON FOX Jack attempts to deliver the one person who can help to prevent the military attack now close at hand. Meanwhile, Palmer continues the push to prove the country is going… View Article
JACK FINDS THE MAN WHO FORGED CYPRUS RECORDING, TONY PUTS HIS CAREER ON THE LINE TO HELP JACK, PALMER WINS OVER A CRITICAL ALLY ON AN ALL-NEW '24' TUESDAY, MAY 6, ON FOX Jack finds the man who forged the Cyprus Recording, but encounters resistance to bringing him in. Meanwhile, after Chappelle makes a major… View Article
24 Spoilers » 24 Season 2


Sliding Wood Closet Doors , One of the benefits of putting sliding doors from the closet is that it enables us to optimize the space available at a room, since sliding parallel to the walls, do not reduce the practical area of  this room when they are available. In this informative article, for this as well as other benefits we propose to learn just how to make sliding doors in a cupboard. Doing this will let us make an economic cabinet. Are the tools and the material that is essential.
Additionally, bear in mind that to make this work we will need a kit for sliding wood closet doors plus a few pieces of melamine agglomerate. In this opportunity we'll use four tables for each doorway. The first step in the undertaking is to gauge the height of the cabinet and subtract 40 M M in order that the railings enter without problems. We'll have to indicate the lines onto the handle profiles and then cut them on them with the jigsaw and also an metallic blade. In order to prevent scratching on the aluminum plastic can be put by us on the saw's skate.
Another thing will be to assess the width of the pit, divide by 3 which may be the range of sliding wood cupboard doors which we're likely to set and also put in three or four centimeters so the doors float. We might need to insert the panels of melamine agglomerate from the items of marriage as the profiles have cut in H and also the closures to quantify. We will do so with the help of a rubber mallet. Finally we attach the top and lower profiles. The next step will likely be to set the profiles and mend them that the kit itself includes. To introduce them, we'll use the screwdriver using a tip adapted to shape and the size of the screw mind. Drill holes and we'll need to slice on the upper and lower rails. Using the drill and a drill in this case 4, for alloy mm. In order to avoid damaging the dining table when drilling, we will place a martyr under the manuals.


You might've heard, in the days leading up to Redhead Day UK, that we have an exciting announcement to make during the event. We wanted to give our faithful blog followers a sneak peak of what's in store before next week's festivities begin. During our session at 13:45, we're going to give you the inside look at the only way you can follow the HotForGinger pub crawl through the streets of London that evening.
While we can't quite give everything away let's just say that your smartphone will be a little more ginger-flavoured by the time we're done. And no, we're not planning on putting your phone into a curry. Just make sure you tune in to the website and Facebook pages on the day if you can't make it to the daytime event. If not, you'll miss out on the evening's activities!
If you are able to come to the event then make sure to catch some of the excellent activities on show prior to our reveal. You can catch some great personalities and acts like Sheya Lily, Redbeard Beatboxing, and so many more throughout the day! We hope you're all getting as excited as we are for Redhead Day UK this weekend and, especially, our big announcement. See you there!


Don't miss Ourania Kay's fashion show on the 6th of January in Politeia, a suburb of Athens. See for the details this announcement. Check her latest collection by clicking here.
Athens Xclusive Designers Week set its dates!
Happy 2012! With good health, love and joy!


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#transparency
wrap manifesto
the main elevation
From the main avenue, the green façade of the building can be seen, blending in with the vegetation of the urban landscape. The walkway linking the top of the hill becomes the roof of the ground floor, which extends to form an entrance canopy.
cubic fractal museum
connecting riads
the boulevard view
From the broad boulevard, the building presents a resounding and iconic image. The silhouette is reminiscent of the archetype of the gabled-roofed house, providing an exciting play of scales.
Ivy foundation
The entrance has a waiting room that connects to the workshop area. The interior design is bright and combines translucent glass partitions with simple coloured furniture.
Shoreditch hotel
the hotel room
The hotel is designed for young people looking for an urban experience. The industrial-style interior design combines concrete, metal and wood to create a minimalist and functional atmosphere.
house of arts
the floor plan layouts
Plans of the House of Arts, showing the central hall of the auditorium, the theatre, the film library, the reading rooms and the library. The skin of the building forms waves and envelops the floor slabs with louvres.
fragmented house
the front yard
The main façade of this contemporary style detached house has large windows and a cantilevered body overlooking the garden where the swimming pool and a gazebo are located. The ground floor has a porch in front of the dining room and kitchen.
Burke house
the street view
The ground floor of this residential building includes retail units facing the boulevard, and townhouses on the side facing the urban park. From the welcoming access to the inner block, courtyard, you can see the abundance of this hidden oasis.
spliced towers
The office towers are wrapped in a curtain wall of modular parts. The façade cladding combines strips of wood, stone and glass of different widths.
market eight
the construction detail
This three-dimensional construction detail shows the building's construction system and the functioning of the façade. The waffle slabs allow for large overhangs, while the tempered glass louvres adapt to the curves around the perimeter.
nest shelters
The rotation of the tower finishes on a top floor fully aligned with the urban grid. The square shape of each floorplate becomes a straight and slender figure, crowned by the sign of the telecommunications company.
the main entrance
From the main entrance, you can see the symbolic shape of the volume of the house, which resembles a series of overlapping boxes. A generous corridor leads to the main entrance hall, which is enclosed by a natural stone wall at the front.
From the entrance hall to the auditorium, the upper floor can be accessed via an elegant staircase suspended by steel cables. The foyer is a large and luminous space with a view of the vertical garden that covers the party wall of the nearby building.
the external elevations
The exterior elevations show a unique pattern formed by the long balconies and the sliding panels that protect them from the sun.
the balconies detail
The balconies, protected by perforated wooden panels, have a subtle and sophisticated design. These protective screens filter the sunlight and project the whimsical geometric richness of the lattice into the interior.
The image of the mall at night is dynamic, colourful and vibrant. The pink glass louvres are oriented in opposite directions on each floor, creating an interesting glare and reflection effect.
Xu Beihong foundation
the physical model
The methacrylate model allows the interior of the building to be observed as if it were an X-ray. This transparent, laser-cut three-dimensional piece shows the stairs and the inner courtyard of the building.
hospital in the forest
the typical room
The hospital rooms are designed to ensure the well-being and health of patients. The rooms are separated by a courtyard with greenery that provides privacy and natural lighting.
The façade of this public building is made of coloured glass louvres. The floor slabs on each floor are free-form and form balconies and overhangs.
wavescape pavilion
From inside the offices, the arabesque motifs of the louvres can be seen. The brass metal mesh is compressed into the glass when this is in a semi-molten state. It becomes a decorative and strengthening component of the glass fins.
The building is situated close to a steep slope, so the new extension also serves as a pedestrian bridge connecting the upper street with the main avenue. This secondary public access is linked to the access to the multi-purpose hall.
the site model
The building completes an urban block in an area bordering the historic centre and a busy ring road.
The physical model of the project shows the majestic massing of the residential complex, the permeability of the façade and the generosity of the urban courtyards.
the view from the marina
The themed pavilion for the World Expo floats on the sea and is connected to the quay via a gangway. The floating façade of horizontal slats creates a moiré effect as it moves with the waves.
The dining room is strategically placed between the living room and the kitchen, protected from view from the entrance by a free-standing wall. The dining room enjoys views of the garden through a glass door that leads out onto the porch.
the illusion of weightless architecture
High-tech advancements in structural engineering give birth to the reality of intricate architectural designs. Building typologies now exceed what was once compromised because of traditional methods. The advent of Information Age will continuously break ground for the optimisation of structural systems. As innovations surge, the potential for growth in the industry provides more opportunities.
The model of the building, which is made out of methacrylate, shows the concept of the architectural work: the House of Arts is made up of different capsules between round-shaped planes.
When night falls the transparent quality of the facade turns the tower into a lantern of the city's landscape. The vertical slats become translucent and provide privacy to the interior.
performing arts complex
the cafeteria
The cafeteria of the performing arts centre is enclosed by an undulating façade made of twisted wooden slats that form a dynamic and protective envelope.
elemental complex
the view from the courtyard
The hexagonal configuration of the residential complex gives rise to pedestrianised public squares with commercial premises on the ground floor.
The interior is a luminous and diaphanous space. The white ceiling and the polished concrete floor give a feeling of spaciousness.
Flows of people, personnel and goods are very important in shopping centres. The Market Eight consists of a striking semi-transparent façade and a series of interlocking slabs that make it easy to find your way around the building.
the concept model
The concept of the residential complex follows a hexagonal pattern that branches out to occupy the plot, freeing up a generous proportion of public space.
the exhibition hall
The exhibition hall of the House of Arts is a double-height space enclosed by the same coloured glass louvres that surround the building.
the office space
The work area on the upper floor has the best views of the house. Linked to the patio and the rear garden, the office is a quiet space with a sober and unique design.
The main entrance to the shopping centre is located in one of the larger courtyards. This public space serves as a plaza for events and visually articulates the different levels of the building.
Pedraza house
the kitchen and the courtyard
The timeless design of the kitchen is based on the warmth of the wood and the simplicity of the white surfaces. The furniture is modular and functional with large oak drawers.
the louvered facade
The institutional image of an office building does not have to be cold and intimidating. The headquarters of the Cluj Regional Council brings a welcoming, friendly and domestic design that represents an environmentally friendly building that is close to its community.
the unfolded elevation
The iconic silhouette of the building is clearly visible in the unfolding elevation. The continuity of the volumes contrasts with the different character of the exterior and interior facades.
the north elevation
The master bedroom of the house opens to the north with a large opening of sliding doors. The vertical rotating wooden slats function as a shutter, controlling the lighting and privacy of the space.
the concept diagram
The building has a garden terrace which is accessed via a spiral ramp. Beneath the secondary pavilions is a floating garden around which the façade floats.
The central core of the tower and the ring of columns around it allow the rotation of the floor slabs. This suggestive movement, gradually decreasing towards the top, is well appreciated from the street level, where the building leaves space for a public plaza.
the view from the seaside
From the seashore, the circular modules of the pavilion are enveloped in a translucent skin formed by the horizontal slats floating in the sea.
The diagram shows the different uses of the new building extension modules and the unifying treatment applied to the façade. The result is a more compact and symbolic volume with an improved institutional and intuitive access control.
the birdview
The buildings occupy the plot in a hexagonal pattern. The hotel towers and offices are located in the north, while the urban density descends towards the south.
The pavilion occupies a central position in the bay in front of the thematic exhibition site. From the pavilion's terrace, you can see the marina, the quay and the breakwater.
the main facade
The building facade conveys in a simple and elegant gesture the interior layout and the control of natural light, privacy and views. The concrete slabs create a continuous enclosure carefully protected by the glass and the wooden slats.
the elevation and the cross section
The refurbishment of the existing building consists of the optimisation of the interior spaces, an extension and the installation of a new envelope that unifies the image of the complex, providing an institutional and contemporary appearance.
the south courtyard
The large block courtyards are pedestrian areas with abundant vegetation. The gardens have fountains and tropical trees, giving the perception of a fresh oasis in the heart of the residential compound.
the rear facade
Market Eight is a free-form, undulating building that encloses courtyards between its curves. The façade is a permeable envelope formed by coloured glass louvres. The landscape design surrounding the building continues this organic language.
the urban facade
The facade towards the boulevard has a series of balconies protected by sliding panels. These wooden shutters have a Moroccan tracery design that suggests a traditional reference to the contemporary design of the building.
the interior view
The interior of the pavilion has a large central column supporting the fungiform roof. Around the circular hall, there is a raised walkway that connects the different pavilions and allows a view of the sea through the façade.
the cross sections
The sections show the changing position of the pavilion façade depending on the tide. The skin enveloping this building on stilts floats on the surface of the sea.
woven stand
the cross and longitudinal section
The sections show the fungiform roof structure, the floating façade and the interior walkways and ramps connecting the interior of the pavilions and the roof.
The tower is the tallest building of this diplomatic district of Khartoum, the slender figure is seen from the main avenue, and the twisted facade is a distinctive feature that symbolised the essence of Zain's brand.
The facade towards the garden is an iconic element of the building. Its unique elevation expresses the function of the interior spaces, and the view of the courtyard adds depth to the structure.
The cardboard model represents the extension of the house and the new jacuzzi pavilion in relation to the structure of the existing house.
The top view of the architectural model reveals the relationship between the different buildings comprising the project: the existing house, the extension, the landscape design and the spa pavilion.
The façade system proposed for the building functions as a double skin that provides a homogeneous appearance, it regulates ventilation and the incidence of sunlight on the curtain wall behind and introduces greenery on each level creating a vertical garden.
the office towers
The four office towers have a façade clad in wood, natural stone and glass. The composition forms a pattern of irregular vertical lines in shades of brown and ochre.
the promenade towards the marina
The undulating concrete roofs and meandering walls of wooden slats characterise the pavilions that make up the building. The pedestrian walkways leading to the marina are landscaped with lush bamboo shrubs.
cuña house
the view from the garden
The double-height living room space opens onto the outdoor garden through a large sliding glass door that allows you to enjoy the serene view of the landscape.
The building envelope is made of sun-shading structures. On one side the protruding slab edges, cladded with prefabricated GRC pieces, cast shadows against the glazing. The glass louvres offer an additional layer of protection.
zurbarán clinic
K house
the rear garden
The living room has views towards the west, to capture the sunset light. A large window with curved glass opens to the rear garden, which has a comfortable space to gather around the fire.
Due to the rotation of the typical floor of the building, the elevation shows a significant variation in width. The turning movement of the floors does not affect the central core and the vertical structure.
The main entrance to the house is hidden behind a natural stone wall which provides privacy to the dining room. The living room overlooks the front garden through a large window that can be opened with sliding doors.
the workshop area
In the central part of the premises is the workshop area, which has a low unit of pink lacquered wood and a shelving unit built into the wall.
the view from the river
The different levels of the shopping centre stand out as horizontal lines on the colourful façade of the building. The escalators connecting the different floors on the outside contribute to the organic and dynamic image of the building.
The architectural solar glass is protected with sun glades for an optimised daylight and energy control. The glazed shades are made of laminated glass with a metal frit.
The project model shows the relationship of the buildings to the landscape. The office towers have a free orientation while the residential blocks seek southern light and are oriented on a north-south axis.
The inner courtyard articulates the space planning of the house while infusing perfectly with the countryside surrounding the property. It provides intimacy to the bedroom, abundant natural light to the living room and depth to the staircase.
The external facade of the tower is defined by a series of horizontal slabs. Prefabricated pieces of GRC cover the edges, carefully positioned to cover the part exposed of the floor below due to the rotation of the storeys. Between them, a series of vertical louvres protect the glazing against the sun.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


One case-in-point is museum labeling. The offending labels often fall into one of four categories. 1.) The text is too small. 2.) The text is lacking in contrast (differences in value between the subject and the background). 3.) The text and/or symbols do not accurately state the information intended for the reader. 4.) The labels themselves are improperly placed for the reader: too low; too far from the art; too little light; or under glass too far from the visitors. If you will forgive a generalization, art museums are the worst offenders. It seems as though many curators strive to provide text that defies readability. I have actually had curators tell me that they wished they could hang the art without any labels. Ironically, this would work excellently if each piece of art had an accompanying number corresponding to an entry in a wireless application or a catalogue (An excellent example of the later labeling technique is the recent exhibit of works by Peter Paul Rubens in the Prado Museum, Madrid, with an extensive catalogue). But that's not what they meant.
Maps are another example. No matter how well designed maps are, it's a fact that many people just have a hard time using them. The non-linear tracking required to read a map, and the variety of symbols and colors used are major causes for this confusion. It does not help the hapless user, therefore, when map text suffers from some of the same design flaws as signage mentioned above. And when the map is a You-Are-Here installation and is orientated differently from the physical space it's in; or does not provide an indicator of the reader's location on the map . . . the people who installed the map might just as well have saved their money.
Retail signage probably has the most examples of unreadable text. While some chain and franchise establishments suffer from signage that is all too clear and blatant; many other signs are too small, lacking in contrast, or ill-placed to be seen under any circumstances. Added to that, some retailers exercise their own personal aesthetic, and install signs on which the content is too "artistic" to be readable. And when signs are carved and the letters gilded, no matter the contrast between text and background, forget trying to read the sign when light reflects off the content.
On the other side of this subject are those instances in which a great deal of effort has been expended to make text as readable as possible. The typeface coming into the most common usage on United States Department of Transportation highway signs, for example, is called Clear View Highway. After extensive testing of several fonts and font varieties, it has been recognized as the most readable under highway driving conditions. Other tests have proven that the most visible text/background combination for a backlit sign is bright yellow and black. This combination has been successfully employed in signage installations in major airports all over the world.
What's my point? Take pity on the poor reader. Use large and simple content in high contrast with its background. Make the content logical, and relevant to the user within the context of the use.
Design Elements and Principles. Throughout history, design has held significant meaning for the practitioners and audiences of its time. This meaning has been achieved through the pieces (elements) and tenets or parameters (principles) used in design. Some design elements are permanent, based on shared human traits such as biology or culture. Shelters, for example, have always protected humans from the elements, no matter the shelters' shapes, sizes, or materials. Some design elements are ephemeral, tied to a society, period, technology, location, or individual requirements. Shelters in Eastern Asia and Western Europe looked markedly different from one another for millennia, for example, until transportation and communication shrank the globe and people started appreciating and adapting one another's architectural aesthetics. Design principles tend to be universal for most uses, processes, or circumstances.
The following are some elements used in design to achieve specific goals, in alphabetical order.
Balance (including intentional imbalance): Visual symmetry or asymmetry.
Color: Combinations, compliments, contrasts, families, hues, saturations.
Contrast: The readable and recognizable differences between elements.
Direction: Implied or stated by shapes spaces or placement of shapes in spaces.
Function: How a design, its operation, and people using it relate to one another.
Importance: achieved by size, placement, shape, color, etc.
Level of detail: low for general use; high for specific or sophisticated use.
Movement: Implied or stated by shapes or placement of shapes.
Perspective: Relative distance and three-dimensional space.
Sequence of operation: achieved by size, placement, shape, color, text, etc.
Shape: An object or color with a distinctive look.
Size: Implied by relating elements to one another.
Space: Foreground, middle ground, and distance implied by sizes, placement of elements, and other properties such as contrast and color saturation.
Texture: Surface quality and/or variability.
Universality: A design's approachability and use by the most diverse group possible.
Value: The amount of light or dark.
Dennis O'Brien. Composition for Illustrators (a Handout for Rhode Island School of Design's Continuing Education Department class: Illustration Overview). 2009.
The following are some principles used in the development of designs, in alphabetical order.
Circulation: Understanding of use-flow around an object or through a space.
Clarity: Legibility: visual contrast, figure-ground relationship, and hierarchical structure; functionality, transparency, and emphasis or de-emphasis.
Cleanliness: Lack of clutter, simplicity, organization.
Clues: Operation apparent in the visual and tactile details.
Cognition: Processing of information; recognizing, understanding and subsequently acting.
Cohesion: Harmony, unity, parts working together to form a whole.
Combining: Grouping information into limited units; chunking.
Comfort: Psychologically and physically easy to understand and use. Ergonomics.
Communication: Intrinsic telegraphing of function; transparency.
Community: Sense of inclusion for people with widely varying needs, goals, abilities, and limitations; universality.
Completeness: Everything necessary must be present and available.
Composition: Layout; proximity or distance of elements, as required; proportion, harmony.
Concept: A general idea or notion; a mental image.
Conciseness: Nothing extraneous; simpler is better.
Conservation: Public information, awareness, prevention, maintenance, sustainability, environmentally responsible.
Consistency: Usage of elements identical throughout any project or program.
Conspicuousness: Variety of elements and placement to make use obvious.
Content: Elements, ingredients, material, subject matter, substance, theme.
Context: Background, circumstances, environment, parameters, relevance, situation.
Control: Evaluation, correction, and updating; prototyping as necessary.
Conventions: Adherence to commonly agreed upon guides or rules.
Creativity: Pretty, innovative, arresting, interesting, aesthetically pleasing.
Dennis O'Brien. Wayfinding and Signage, in Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science. 2009. London, Taylor & Francis. (updated). See also: William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler. Universal Principles of Design. 2003. Gloucester, MA, Rockport.


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Posts Tagged: Botnets
Infected WordPress Sites Are Attacking Other WordPress Sites
"WordPress sites are being targeted in a series of attacks tied to a 20,000 botnet-strong army of infected WordPress websites. Behind the WordPress-on-WordPress assault is a widespread brute-force password attack leveraged through a Russian proxy provider and targeting a developer application prog...
Twitter botnets are becoming more sophisticated
"Twitter bots are becoming more sophisticated, at the same time that Trump administration officials are warning of an ongoing Russian disinformation campaign fueled by automated social media accounts. A wave of Twitter accounts are spoofing celebrity profiles, engaging in fraud and using verified ...
Feds lead biggest botnet takedown ever, end massive clickjack fraud
By AlexOlesker
Cyber Security, FedCyber Wire
The botnet takedown announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice was the biggest in history, according to a security company that worked with authorities to identify the alleged criminals. Dubbed "DNS Changer," the collection of compromised computers numbered over four million m...
Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney General's Office Win National Cybersecurity Innovation Award
Cyber Security, FedCyber Wire, Incidents, Responses
The SANS Institute announced today that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney General's Office have won the 2011 U.S. National Cybersecurity Innovation Award for their innovative techniques in cyber law enforcement using the computer virus' own command and control sy...
A look at the DHS' Cybersecurity & Privacy Conference Series
Every year, the Privacy Office of DHS presents a speaker series of outside experts. This year, they will focus on Cybersecurity and Privacy, with the first event kicking off today (26 July at 10AM). These events are open to all federal workers (employees and contractors) and qualify for continuing e...
Rustock is half the size it was in March thanks to the Microsoft led Operation b107
via ITPro The Rustock botnet is now less than half the size it was in March, thanks to the Microsoft led takedown in that month. The giant spamming botnet was dealt a serious blow when Operation b107 severed the connection between Rustock's command and control structure and hundreds of thousan...
Botnet takedowns reduce spam by 90%, but more action needed
via Extreme Tech According to a report just published by Symantec, the global volume of spam has dropped by as much as 90% over the past year – from as many as 225 billion messages per day to as few as 25 billion. While part of the drop-off has to do with a shift in […]...
FBI set to kill secret-stealing Russian 'botnet'
via Computer Crime Research Center The FBI might be asking your permission soon to reach into your computer and rip something out. And you don't know it's there. In a first for US law enforcement efforts to make the Internet more secure, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has seized con...


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Home/Headlines/Boeing the latest company joining the list of companies to cancel the vaccine mandate for their workers
Boeing the latest company joining the list of companies to cancel the vaccine mandate for their workers
Cindy Carey Send an email December 18, 2021
Most of the vaccine mandates for workers that many companies implemented or were just to implement were canceled recently and the latest to join on this list is Boeing.
While some decided not to fully implement the vaccine mandates for their employees because of staffing shortage, Boeing decided to cancel the previously announced vaccine mandate after reviewing a recent U.S. District Court ruling that halted enforcement of President Joe Biden's vaccine requirement for federal contractors, or at least that's what the company said.
Their decision was announced late Friday.
Boeing spokesperson Libba Holland released the following statement from the company:
We are committed to maintaining a safe working environment for our employees, and advancing the health and safety of our global workforce. As such, we continue to encourage our employees to get vaccinated and get a booster if they have not done so. Meanwhile, after careful review, Boeing has suspended its vaccination requirement in line with a federal court's decision prohibiting enforcement of the federal contractor executive order and a number of state laws. As we have throughout the pandemic, we will continue to monitor and follow federal, state and local requirements.
According to Boeing, the initial announcement for the vaccine mandate came mid-October when the company announced all of their 140,000 employees should get fully vaccinated. Nearly 57,000 of the workers were based in Washington.
The South Carolina Department of Commerce estimated Boeing South Carolina employs 7,500 workers.
People slam President Joe Biden once again as he struggles to properly pronounce the name of our country in his recent public speech
This is how to avoid shipping delays for cyber Monday, experts advise
Group of White students and at least one teacher used racial slurs, the N-word and physically attacked Black students while at school, lawsuit
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The pressure from the public and parents might result with DHEC to issue a mask requirement in South Carolina schools, but they don't have the authority to enforce it
Roper St. Francis Healthcare mailing notices to 92K patients regarding recent cyber privacy incident
Hero South Carolina firefighter ran and walked 100 miles in two days in full firefighter gear to raise money for the Travis Manion Foundation
I-526 improvement project will affect at least 80 homes and businesses in the area, SCDOT looking for alternatives


Over at the Ohio Supercomputer Center, Kevin Wohlever writes that OSC's new AweSim initiative has a mission to provide Ohio's small and mid-sized manufacturers with the tools they need to leverage simulation-driven design.
We decided to name our effort "AweSim" because a sense of awe is one of the emotions that often accompany the "Aha! moment," a specific point in time when a student, professor, researcher, inventor or engineer unlocks the key to a challenging question or situation. Sim, short for simulation, is the means by which OSC helps clients achieve those inspirational moments of awe. This effort is one more way that OSC has provided new and innovative ways to support the evolving needs of academic researchers and industrial partners. It complements our web-based toolkit, OSC OnDemand, as another way to remove barriers for clients using high performance computing systems.


text:
Edgewater's new wave
A new Target store goes up on West 20th Avenue.
A mural along West 25th Avenue recalls the sailboat regattas held on Sloan's Lake at the turn of the century.
An updated sign lets drivers know they're not in Highland anymore.
By Special to The Denver Post and Jan Thomas
PUBLISHED: April 27, 2007 at 3:06 p.m. | UPDATED: May 7, 2016 at 9:24 p.m.
Buy a house in Edgewater, and you'll receive a personal letter from the mayor when you move in.
Make plans to replace your tiny, World War II era home with a duplex, triplex or mini-mansion, and you'll not only wind up in the city clerk's office for a quick lesson on how things are done, but you may be on the receiving end of a petition signed by residents not so keen on your redevelopment ideas.
Such are the burgeoning conflicts in Edgewater, a little urban city with untapped potential and enormous dreams.
Located on the west side of Sloan's Lake, encompassing approximately one square mile and home to about 5,000 residents, Edgewater has done much to shake off a less-than-savory history that includes a prominent presence by the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1900s. These days, businesses are moving to the town in record numbers, as are bargain-hunting homebuyers thrilled by prices thousands less than in neighboring Highland.
Mayor Ronalda Goodner said the influx of new blood makes this a good time to live in Edgewater. "Our homebuyers are younger, and that brings a different ambiance to the neighborhood," Goodner said.
Still, home prices have yet to catch fire, and the total number of homes sold decreased in 2006.
Edgewater's median home price was $179,500 in the fourth quarter of 2006, according to real estate data provider Trulia.com. That was $39,000 less than the national median calculated by the National Association of Realtors for the same period.
Just 15 homes were sold in Edgewater in the fourth quarter of 2006, down from 32 in the fourth quarter of 2005.
Bridget Slevin, a Realtor for Coldwell Banker, said the lag is due to Edgewater's older, unrenovated housing stock.
"I think people look to Edgewater because of the potential of getting a better value than they would in Denver northwest," she said. "The price, at least for the past couple of years, seemed to drop $20,000 or $30,000 just by going across Sheridan."
"But in the limited number of showings I've had there, I also feel that it's still in that up-and-coming stage. There's a lot of work that needs to be done," Slevin said.
Since new-home buyers often use renovation as a barometer of an area's stability, Edgewater is often disadvantaged.
"Edgewater isn't all that big. There are some really cute, beautiful homes, but some of the homes haven't gotten that renovation yet," Slevin said. "People who are good at fixing and flipping may see opportunities, but people who want to live there may want to wait to see what others do. You're taking a chance sometimes."
Proactive about growth
Part of that risk stems from longtime residents' aversion to bulldozing older homes to build mini-mansions or multi-unit residences.
"We don't mind a house being built, but we resent them starting to build duplexes and triplexes," said Pauline York, a 50-year Edgewater resident. "You have to understand, some of these houses are on one lot. They have to be really careful about how they build because there's very little room for parking."
Mayor Goodner considers such concerns part of the city's "growing pains."
"We have a pretty good planning and zoning department. The clerk's office will talk with them and explain the process," Goodner said. "We're putting together a packet so people know in advance what they're looking at."
Other issues, such as increased traffic, and fire and police citizen-to-public servant ratios are being examined as well. That proactive attitude helped Edgewater retain popular, long-term businesses like the Edgewater Inn and helped the city draw new ones. A Target is scheduled to open in October.
"The city of Edgewater is embracing developers that want to come here and do commercial projects," said Charlie Woolley, president of St. Charles Town Co. "We've had nothing but the best cooperation and a very speedy approval process."
St. Charles Town Co. plans to spend about $10 million to convert the Bingo Connection and two adjacent properties at 20th and Sheridan into Sloan's Lakefront Market, a 30,000-square- foot restaurant and retail development. The site is expected to open late this year.
Woolley isn't concerned about the national housing slump impacting Edgewater or his retail development.
"I think the people who have suffered the most from the housing slowdown are the new-home builders in suburban markets, not the in-fill builders," Woolley said. "We've been seeing a lot of movement to the city both from young professionals and from empty nesters for a long time. I think urban locations are more favored right now."
Woolley also believes Edgewater's housing market is primed to pick up steam.
"You see a lot of diverse, older stock that makes it affordable, and there are also some newer, multi-family complexes and a lot of rental apartments," he said. "To me, that's what makes an urban area interesting – a diversity of housing for all income types."
Average listing price (4/12-4/18/07): $212,656
Average price/square foot (fourth quarter 2006): $165
Median household income: $35,023
Median family income: $40,426
Median value of owner-occupied housing units: $132,700
Schools: Edgewater Elementary, Lumberg Elementary, Jefferson High School
Parks: Citizens Park, Rose Gardens Memorial Park
Source: Trulia.com
Jan Thomas
Business |
Owner of defunct Vail construction company faces manslaughter charge in trench collapse


text:
The Priory
A timber framed hall house, dating to around 1500, with original arched doorways, and 17th and 18th century alterations. The upper floor of the building retains original 16th century wall painting, and a 16th or 17th century copper alloy bowl was found inside a chimney, perhaps to ward off evil spirits.
TM08NE
BANHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK
Now divided into three houses; The Priory, Priory Cottage and Priory End. Said to have been a manor house. Timber framed, circa 1500, centre section with hall and services and original upper floor containing wall painting. Eastern section is at least part of this date. In 17th century western section added or rebuilt, and centre altered. Brick coating in 18th and 19th centuries.
17th/18th century vessels found in fireplace, jetton found, see drawing in the Illustration Library (S2).
See details in file.
E. Rose, (NLA) 2 December 2000.
Further examination showed that the western end is basically original, a very large parlour cell; like the rest it was altered in the 17th century and reduced in length in the 18th century when the north west wing was added.
See further report in file, (S1).
E. Rose (NLA), 3 August 2001.
HALL HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
TIMBER FRAMED HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
TIMBER FRAMED BUILDING (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
TIMBER FRAMED HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
WALL PAINTING (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
BOWL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
TOKEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
--- Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Post-Medieval. Banham.
<S2> Illustration: Unknown. Unknown. Drawing of a post-medieval vessel.. Card. Unknown.
Parish Summary: Banham (Parish Summary)


text:
Q: Table as an argument of a PostgreSQL function I'm trying to pass a table as an argument in a PostgreSQL function, and I can't find the right keyword (what should be instead of table in my code) in the first line :
CREATE FUNCTION test.fcttest(table)
RETURNS SETOF test.out_table
AS $$
    INSERT INTO test.out_table /* obviously, the schema for this table is what it should be, an int column for A.id and a varchar(30) column for A.another_field */
        SELECT A.id, A.another_field
        FROM $1 A;
    SELECT A.id, A.another_field
        FROM $1 A;
$$
LANGUAGE SQL;

Or maybe it just can't work like this ? If so, how should I do it ?
(Also, I guess there might also be SQL injection related issues with my function, but please ignore them for now, it's for a prototype in a secure environment so I don't have to worry about it for the moment. Or if you do address it, please do so in a separate part of your answer so I can understand what adresses what :) ).
Thanks.

A: You can not pass a table as such as a parameter, only the name of the table:
CREATE FUNCTION test.fcttest(tbl text) RETURNS SETOF test.out_table AS $$
BEGIN
  EXECUTE format('INSERT INTO test.out_table '
                   'SELECT id, another_field FROM %I', tbl);
  RETURN QUERY EXECUTE format('SELECT id, another_field FROM %I', tbl);
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;

When passing a table name you need to execute a dynamic command. You can only do this in a plpgsql function. The use of the format() function with the %I modifier protects against SQL injection. The rows are returned using the RETURN NEXT QUERY phrase, again with a dynamic command.
Note that this logic both inserts a set of records into table test.out_table and then returns the same set of records. Not sure if that is what you really want.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: How can one sort data in r based on a condition being met and time ordering? If I have the below dataset:
df<-data.frame(ID = c(1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2),
           x = c("no","yes","no","no","no","yes", "no"),
           y= c(1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4))

ID
x
y

1
no
1

1
yes
2

1
no
3

1
no
4

2
no
1

2
no
2

2
yes
3

2
no
4

ID is an identifier, x tells us whether or not a condition has been met, and y is a time order unique to each ID (though in a real data set it would probably be a date). How can I remove rows where the condition was not met but keep rows where the condition was met, or the event occurred after the condition was met?
A final result should look like this:

ID
x
y

1
yes
2

1
no
3

1
no
4

2
yes
3

2
no
4

A: A base R option using ave + subset
subset(
  df,
  ave(x == "yes", ID, FUN = cumsum) > 0
)

gives
  ID   x y
2  1 yes 2
3  1  no 3
4  1  no 4
7  2 yes 3
8  2  no 4

A data.table option following the same idea as above is
> setDT(df)[, .SD[cumsum(x == "yes") > 0], ID]
   ID   x y
1:  1 yes 2
2:  1  no 3
3:  1  no 4
4:  2 yes 3
5:  2  no 4

A: Create a logical expression with cumsum on the 'x' value of 'yes' after grouping by 'ID'
library(dplyr)
df %>%
   group_by(ID) %>%
   filter(cumsum(x == 'yes') >0) %>%
   ungroup

-output
# A tibble: 5 x 3
#     ID x         y
#  <dbl> <chr> <dbl>
#1     1 yes       2
#2     1 no        3
#3     1 no        4
#4     2 yes       3
#5     2 no        4

A: You can use match to get the index of first 'yes' for each ID and use it in filter or slice.
library(dplyr)

df %>%
  group_by(ID) %>%
  filter(row_number() >= match('yes', x)) %>%
  ungroup

With slice :
df %>%
  group_by(ID) %>%
  slice(match('yes', x):n()) %>%
  ungroup


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text:
Army Cutbacks Add Pressure to Military Housing Bonds, Communities
Government, Market Conditions
Local communities that enjoyed stability from nearby military installations after the 2008 recession are facing the reality that those bases are not immune from Congressional austerity measures designed to shrink federal government.
With the U.S. Army's announcement of plans to reduce the ranks by 40,000 soldiers, or about 8% of the active force, local leaders last week began to assess the impact on individual posts. About 17,000 civilian jobs will also be eliminated over the next three years.
For the bond industry, the most immediate concern is likely to focus on taxable bonds used to finance privatized military housing since 1997. Today there are 205,000 privatized military housing units, mostly apartments and townhouses but also single-family homes.
Ratings analysts said they are studying the issue, with reports on the credit impact possible later in the week. Generally, however, ratings have held up through the federal budget sequester, government shutdown and threats of another round of base closures. On a $115 million Ft. Carson, Colo., housing project whose A1 rating was updated last week by Moody's Investors Service, the outlook remained positive after the force reductions.
"The small troop cut recently announced for Fort Carson — 365 soldiers by 2017 — is unlikely in and of itself to significantly impact occupancy level or the current debt rating," Moody's analyst David Teicher told NMN sister publication The Bond Buyer.
The biggest cuts targeted the largest bases, with Ft. Benning, Ga., losing 3,402, Ft. Hood, Texas, dropping 3,350, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, shedding 2,631, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., eliminating 1,251, and Ft. Bliss, Texas, down 1,219. Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, will trim 1,214. No other U.S. post will lose 1,000 or more, though more than 30 are affected.
"These were very difficult decisions to make as all of our installations and their communities offer tremendous value to our Army and the nation," said Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, Army deputy chief of staff. "In the end, we had to make decisions based on a number of strategic factors, to include readiness impacts, mission command and cost."
The force reductions are designed to shrink the Army from its current 490,000 soldiers to 450,000 by the end of fiscal year 2018. However, with sequestration measures in place from the 2011 Budget Control Act, the ranks could fall as low as 420,000, officials said.
"Budget constraints are forcing us to reduce the total Army," Anderson acknowledged. The Army expects savings of $7 billion over four years, with more funding available to modernize its ground vehicle and helicopter fleets.
Also looming are prospects of a sixth Base Realignment and Closure round that would consolidate forces across all branches of the military, leaving a number of bases closed.
U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said July 9 that other members of House, including Republicans, were easing their resistance to another round of BRAC in 2017.
"The hostility, the notion that this was completely unacceptable, which existed about a year ago is not there anymore amongst my fellow members is the way I would put it," Smith told reporters.
The Association of Defense Communities that represents the interests of stakeholders around military bases has gone on record as supporting another round of BRAC. Five previous BRACs, including the last in 2005, have closed numerous bases while expanding others.
"We're not in the least concerned about a BRAC," said Lt. Gen. Pete Taylor (retired), former commander of Ft. Hood and now chairman of the Heart of Texas Defense Alliance. "We're advocating for a BRAC all the time. It's the only way Ft. Hood can grow."
While Ft. Bliss near El Paso is the world's largest Army post in area, Ft. Hood is the largest in Texas in terms of personnel with 39,000. Even with the planned 8.5% reduction, the post will continue to dominate the economy of Central Texas between Waco and Austin.
Ft. Hood delivered an economic impact of $25.3 billion in Texas during fiscal 2011, according to the Texas Comptroller's Office. More than 68,000 jobs were directly attributed to Ft. Hood operations in fiscal 2011, up from about 67,000 jobs in fiscal 2007. Employees at Fort Hood consist of active duty military, federal civilian workers, contract personnel and Killeen Independent School District workers.
Even during military downsizing, the economy of Bell, Coryell and other counties affected by Ft. Hood have continued to grow, said Taylor, whose organization is participating in a study of what is prompting the growth.
"I cannot tell you where it's coming from," Taylor said. "I can tell you where it's not coming from — it's not coming from Ft. Hood."
To protect their bases from closure in 2005, state and local governments passed bond issues to improve infrastructure outside the gates or to buy and remove buildings that were encroaching on the perimeter.
The Texas Legislature this year added $30 million for infrastructure improvements around its military bases.
"Texas has invested nearly $2 billion since 2005 in roads and infrastructure to aid in the deployment of soldiers and supplies and improve access to our installations," Gov. Greg Abbott wrote in a July 10 letter to National Commission on the Future of the Army.
The letter, coming after the announcement of the Army reductions, was submitted to the Commission that met for two days in Ft. Hood's adjoining city of Killeen.
"The community support for troops stationed in Texas is unrivaled by any other state," Abbott's letter said. "Low costs of living, affordable off-base housing, and state-funded support to military families and retirees make Texas the gold standard in supporting our nation's warfighters; active, guard and reserve. I encourage you to closely consider these factors as the commission develops its recommendations on the future of the Army."
After a tour of bases around the country, the commission will report its findings to President Obama and to Congressional defense committees no later than Feb. 1, 2016.
On the bases themselves, the reduction in ranks may increase risks for holders of bonds used to finance privatized housing, experts note.
Privatizing military housing began in 1997, under the theory that private developers could build and maintain base housing more efficiently than the military. Today there are 205,000 privatized military housing units, mostly apartments and townhouses but also single-family homes.
In addition to fewer troops, the military housing is facing a reduction in the Base Allowance for Housing that took effect this year. Previously, the BAH covered 100% of the housing cost, but under the new provisions, that falls to 99%. The latest reductions were the first since 2005.
"The cuts to the growth in Basic Allowance for Housing rates are unlikely to have an immediate impact on taxable military housing bonds at their current levels," Fitch Ratings noted in January. "However, if the U.S. Department of Defense continues cuts in coming years, Fitch Ratings expects that changes in the demand dynamics for privatized military housing transactions could potentially affect those projects' bottom lines and their debt-service coverage levels over time."
Moody's Investors Service on July 9 affirmed its A1 rating and stable positive outlook on $115 million of taxable housing revenue bonds issued in 1999 for housing at Ft. Carson, Colo., in Colorado Springs. The outlook was revised to positive in 2014 and remained there, despite cuts in the BAH, force reductions and sequester.
Officials in Colorado Springs expressed relief when the post took a comparatively small hit of 365 troops in the latest cuts.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said the announcement "reflects positively on the case Colorado Springs has made on behalf of Ft. Carson."
"However, we have to remain vigilant as there will likely be another round of proposed reductions next year and we must continue to make the case for maintaining troops levels here in the future," he added.
In the 2005 BRAC, Ft. Carson added a brigade combat team from Ft. Hood and played a key role in the Iraqi Freedom combat.
Occupancy of the 3,368-unit Ft. Carson housing development has fallen to the mid-80% range this year from 95% in 2013. But Moody's analysts attribute that mostly to deployments and competition from nearby private housing projects as well as military housing at other nearby military installations.
The project manager Balfour Beatty Communities has taken 114 units out of circulation for demolition and reconstruction, analysts note. The new development is to be financed with a $37.8 million equity contribution from the Army.
Even with the reduced occupancy rate, the revenue bonds that mature in 2029 enjoy strong coverage of three times debt service, according to analysts.
To fill vacant units, the Ft. Carson development has allowed retirees and civilian employees to sign leases. Complexes at other military bases have taken similar measures.
In rating housing bonds, analysts take special note of the essentiality of the base and its ease of replacement. Some, like Ft. Huachuca, in southern Arizona are considered safe from significant cuts or closures.
"We believe it would be inefficient and cost prohibitive for the Army to replicate the operations performed at Fort Huachuca elsewhere, Standard & Poor's analyst Adam Cray wrote in a January report.
The base was minimally affected by the 2005 BRAC, which ranked Ft. Huachuca 21st out of a total of 97 bases.
In San Antonio, one of the most military-dependent big cities in the nation, Ft. Sam Houston dodged a bullet with the loss of only 329 soldiers in the latest round of cuts. The Army post is part of Joint Base San Antonio, which includes Randolph and Lackland Air Force bases.
The government sector employs 17.8% of the Alamo City's workforce, largely due to the military presence. Joint Base San Antonio, the Department of Defense's largest joint base, remains the largest employer in the region. The number of employees has risen by nearly 20,000 since 2011.
San Antonio benefited from the Base Realignment and Closure in 2005, gaining $3.4 billion in construction that provided an $8.3 billion economic impact. The BRAC also resulted in the consolidation of five military education training programs from across the country at the joint base and the creation of the military's largest inpatient health care facility.
"While the city is regarded as a winner from the last realignment, future cuts in federal or military spending could present challenges," Moody's analyst Adebola Kushimo warned.
Fort Sam Houston LP, a single-purpose entity whose members are affiliates of Lincoln Property Co. and the Department of the Army, previously issued debt to replace 925 Army family housing units in San Antonio. Unit tenants pay rent based on the Department of Defense's BAH rate for San Antonio, in accordance with their pay grade. Planned construction for all new and renovated units is complete, and 925 new and renovated units are currently online.
During the 2005 BRAC, the Defense Department's medical joint cross service group ranked FSH sixth out of 223 bases in terms of military value. The JCSG recommended forming a joint enlisted medical training program for all FSH services, resulting in a projected net gain of 7,648 military and 1,624 civilian personnel at FSH.
Standard & Poor's analyst Raymond Kim maintained a stable outlook of the Ft. Sam Houston housing project's AA rating, citing strong debt service coverage, solid management and low competition.
"Ongoing governmental subsidies, other support, and oversight generally limit volatility, with the overall importance of the service delivered limiting the potential for negative government intervention," Kim said.
http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/secondary/army-cutbacks-add-pressure-to-military-housing-bonds-communities-1055978-1.html?zkPrintable=true


The Garre Council of Elders has castigated incumbent Mandera County Governor Ali Roba, industrialization Cabinet secretary Aden Mohamed and two Members of Parliament; Mohamed Maalim Mohamud (Mandera West) and Shaaban Ali Isaack (Lafey), for misleading President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Jubilee Party regarding Mandera County.
Senator Billow Kerrow disclosed that the trio have defied the will of the elders to step down and therefore cannot deliver any votes to the president.
He also implicated Deputy President William Ruto and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in the 'misguided scheme' to force Governor Ali Roba on the people of Mandera.
The veteran politician accused NIS of soliciting false information regarding Governor Roba and his allies' popularity on the ground and relying the same to the president.
In the 2013 General Election, Mandera County voted overwhelmingly for the Jubilee government, with 98 Percent of the votes cast.
Kerrow attributed the massive support to a unanimous decision by the elders to support the ruling coalition, adding that all the elders nominees for various posts won the seats.
He warned the president against following the counsel of his deputy and Governor Roba saying Roba and his team can barely marshal 10 per cent of the voters.
"If William Ruto wants the President to win in 2017 election, he must abandon his interferences in Mandera County politics," said Kerrow.
According to Senator Billow Kerrow, the elders will in two weeks time announce their preferred political party and also develop a list of suitable candidates for various posts after considering all submissions from the people.
Senator Billow Kerrow is set to retire from active politics as the elders have settled on Hassan Osman to represent them in the Senate.
Hassan Noor is the elders' favourite candidate to replace Governor Ali Roba.
Garre Council of Elders from Mandera County met on Monday, February 27, to chart their political path in preparations for the August polls.
The meeting held in Nairobi that brought together the elders, political leaders, and residents of Mandera County provided a consultative forum to appoint suitable candiadte they would support in the forthcoming elections.
Garre Clan of the Somali Community is famously known for negotiated democracy in elective politics.


Digital suite room is open but please be advised that a work team may disrupt your time in the room to perform some necessary structural work. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The Upper Darkroom is now Open. No Curators On Duty until the week of January 7th, 2019.


text:
Scientists Transplant Organ from Animal Cells Created in Laboratory
Edinburgh, U.K. - Scientific researchers have grown a completely functional organ from laboratory-developed cells in a living animal for the very first time. Scientists transplanted a fully functional thymus -- an important organ that supplies the body with immunity cells. Left: Specialised thymus cells were developed from an entirely distinct cell type utilizing a laboratory technique called re-programming. Right: The cells were transplanted onto a mouse kidney to create an organised and functional mini-thymus within a living creature.
The ability for researchers to grow replacement organs in the laboratory took a dramatic turn this week when scientists at the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh announced the completion of a new study. For the first time, scientists have been successful at creating a fully functional thymus gland from stem cells transplanted from a living animal, and cultivated in vitro.
Researchers focused on the thymus gland because of its proximity to the heart and its ability to produce immune cells known as T cells, which are only produced in the thymus, and yet critical for safeguarding against disease and infection. They hope, with further study, this milestone could open the path to new treatments for people with a weakened or compromised immune system.
Scientists removed cells called fibroblasts from a mouse embryo and then completely reformed them using a technique we've discussed previously, called "reprogramming," (For more information, see also, Cell Therapy Future Perspectives).
During this process, they observed the cells change shape to look like thymus cells, which were also functionally capable of producing T cells in the lab. Researchers then mixed these reprogrammed cells with other thymus cell types and then transplanted them into a mouse. Eventually, the cells formed what researchers were hoping for, a replacement organ with the same function and sophistication as a healthy, adult thymus.
This is a milestone in 21st century medicine, marking the first time scientists have created an entire living organ from cells created outside of the body. Doctors are already able to treat patients with thymus disorders with transplantation or infusions of extra immune cells shortly after birth. The issue is that both methods are restricted by a lack of donors and problems with organ rejection.
Such techniques may benefit patients in cell therapy by offering a way to match T cells to their donors. It could benefit bone marrow transplant patients, by way of speeding up how quickly the immune system rebuilds after transplant. This discovery also offers hope to those born with genetic ailments that prevent the thymus from growing properly. And since clinicians say that the thymus is the first organ to breakdown over time, many older folks can be helped to improve their quality of life.
With more time, research, and refinement in their experiments, they say that this discovery and their process of reprogramming cells could form the the foundation of a thymus transplant treatment plan for people with a weakend immune system.
Professor Clare Blackburn from the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, who led the research, said: "Our research represents an important step towards the goal of generating a clinically useful artificial thymus in the lab."
Dr Rob Buckle, Head of Regenerative Medicine at the MRC, said: "This is an exciting study but much more work will be needed before this process can be reproduced in a safe and tightly controlled way suitable for use in humans."
This study was published Monday in the journal Nature Cell Biology.
Excerpts of the above story are based on information provided by University of Edinburgh.
[1] Nicholas Bredenkamp, Svetlana Ulyanchenko, Kathy Emma O'Neill, Nancy Ruth Manley, Harsh Jayesh Vaidya, Catherine Clare Blackburn. An organized and functional thymus generated from FOXN1-reprogrammed fibroblasts. Nature Cell Biology, 2014; DOI: 10.1038/ncb3023
Tags: embryonic stem cells, pluripotent stem cells, cell therapy, cellular reprogramming methods, first laboratory grown organ, thymus gland stem cells, A.G. Scientific Inc, regenerative medicine & reliable biotech suppliers


I am quite an admirer of George H.W. Bush (1924-2018), and think of him fondly on the news of his death. I always liked Bush, but when I was younger I was not overly enthusiastic about his leadership. As time has progressed, my appreciation and respect for him as a leader continued to increase, until he has developed in my mind – for too many reasons to put in this post – as one of my favorite historical leaders.
He produced cooperation. He was strong against tyranny. He was compassionate towards the disadvantaged. He was very human and very American.
Thirty years ago, Bush stated "We need a kinder and gentler nation." We needed that cultural challenge then, and it still calls to those who will listen today.


text:
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Eco Bears
Extreme Billiards
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Qing and Pang are the most memorable Chinese pair skaters to have entered into figure-skating competition; they were like twins and could read each other flawlessly, making their performance exceptional. The two are actually celebrated heroes. Pang started skating when she was 6 years old and originally competed on her own; she was later paired up with another skater called Tong and together they ruled the world of figure skating for more than a decade. This is why they are celebrated in China since it takes a lot of dedication to remain at the top of such a delicate sport for such a long time. Although many rumors flowed that their great performance was hinged upon a romantic engagement, it was not until 2011 that the two admitted publicly to the affair; Tong proposed to Pang on the ice after a show in Shanghai. This is a free online Zuma game in which you have to exhibit the same kind of coordination with the player that you are partnering with. You have to keep the balls from getting to the end of the path so you do not get shut out of the game. Shoot to make a set of three or more similar balls in order to remove them from the game. The balls will be moving at a fine clique and you have to be very fast when shooting the balls; accuracy is also crucial since you do not want to ruin the potential sets and chains in the game. You have to be as perfect as the Chinese skating champions; you have to work as one body, even if you are two different people. When you shoot a ball, your partner should be able to short another to a different part of the chain so you complement each other's efforts. This is when you show that you can coordinate well and become winners.
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In free online Zuma games, one would never have thought that there would ever be a multiplayer game. Playing on your own against the computer was a challenge in itself; so how much harder would it get when you played with, or against, another person. When you look at the History of the name Qing and Pang, you will realize that it is the name given to a pair of Chinese skaters. You may wonder why it is significant in this case; skating as a pair requires a lot of coordination. You need to anticipate the movement of your partner from simple bodily prompts. Basically, the pair has to operate seamlessly as a single unit. When you apply it to free online Zuma games, it means that the two players in the multiplayer game must work together effectively and beat the enemy. If one person does not do as is required, then the whole mission becomes a failure. This is a great game which you can enjoy with a friend or a sibling. See how well you can work together as a team and beat the invading balls; keep the balls from getting to the end of the path and you will have both won.
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