In today's Bitcoin in Brief – Zencash has lost $550,000 in two double-spend transactions following a 51% attack on the network. Developers have taken measures to increase the difficulty of future attacks. The event-ticketing platform Ticketfly is also trying to recover from a hijack. 26 million accounts have been reportedly compromised by a hacker who asked for bitcoin ransom.
The Zencash network has been targeted in a 51% attack on Saturday, June 2. The attacker managed to successfully perform two double-spend transactions while reorganizing the blockchain multiple times and reverting 38 blocks in the longest reorganization.
According to a released statement, the Zencash team received warning of potential attack from a pool operator and took measures to raise the difficulty of future attacks on the network, contacting exchanges to increase confirmation times and recommending a minimum of 100 required confirmations.
The attacker(s) caused the reorganizations of the blockchain between blocks 318165 and 318275. They performed the double-spend attacks in blocks 318204 and 318234 – for 13,000 and 6,600 ZEN, respectively, worth more than $550,000 at current prices.
According to the forensic analysis conducted with the affected exchange, the suspect pool address is znkMXdwwxvPp9jNoSjukAbBHjCShQ8ZaLib and the suspect exchange deposit address is zneDDN3aNebJUnAJ9DoQFys7ZuCKBNRQ115.
At the time of the attack the network's hashrate was 58MSol/s. Developers believe that the attacker has a private mining operation large enough to conduct the attack and/or supplement with rental hash power. Zencash is a proof of work coin based on the equihash algorithm. All equihash-based networks are exposed to possible influx of new equihash power, the team noted.
Ticketfly has been reportedly attacked by a hacker who breached its website last week and demanded a ransom in bitcoin to release it. The event-ticketing platform is still trying to recover from the "cyber incident." "We're working to bring ticketfly.com back up as soon as possible," its team said, notifying users that the site is offline.
In correspondence with Motherboard, the supposed hacker claimed to have warned Ticketfly of a vulnerability that allowed him to take control of its database and website. The hijacker asked for 1 bitcoin (BTC) to explain the issue in details but did not receive a reply. According to the publication, after no ransom was paid, the attacker posted the user data online.
"We have learned that some customer information has been compromised as part of the incident, including names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers of Ticketfly fans," the company admitted without revealing how many accounts have been affected. According the data breach tracking website haveibeenpwned.com, more than 26 million accounts have been compromised, Marketwatch reports.
It's unclear whether any event tickets have been stolen but a number of promoters, clubs and upcoming shows have been affected by the breach. Ticketfly is owned by San-Francisco based Eventbrite, which bought the platform from Pandora Media in a $200 million deal about a year ago.
Avalon Blockchain Inc., formerly known as World Mahjong Ltd., has announced it has reached an agreement with Avalon Life S.A. to unwind the acquisition of crypto mining assets and cryptocurrencies it has previously bought. According to a press release, the two sides have not been able to reach a consensus in regards to the holding, conversion, trading, and arbitrage of the acquired digital currencies.
World Mahjong Limited, a provider of online games and entertainment services, decided to enter the crypto sector through the acquisition of crypto mining abilities and cryptocurrency assets from the mining and community knowledge network Avalon Life SA and Avalon Projects Canada Inc. More than 27,000 ASIC mining machines were purchased, along with a number of Dash, Vivo, and Pura coins.
Earlier this year it was reported that the company had also changed its name to Avalon Blockchain. In its latest statement, however, it said it was unable to execute its proposed business plan involving these crypto assets. Following the agreement with the vendor, Avalon Blockchain will return them to Avalon Life SA and will arrange the cancellation of 120,000,000 common shares that have been issued.
Avalon Projects Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Avalon Blockchain, has completed the offering of 37,154,502 subscription receipts, at a price of $0.50 each. The company now intends to allow subscribers to rescind their subscriptions. All of them will be offered the option and will be entitled to a full refund of all subscription proceeds tendered to the company.


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CTIA 2012: what we learned
By William O'Neal , Nic Vargus published 11 May 12
TechRadar visited the Big Easy to get hands on looks at the latest cell phone technology
For cell phone fans in the US, few shows are as exciting as CTIA Wireless
With CTIA 2012 in the rear-view mirror TechRadar bids a fond farewell to New Orleans. While we were disappointed that some of the major cell phone manufacturers and carriers opted out, we were really pleased to see some awesome handsets like the Droid Incredible 4G LTE and online editor Nic Vargus won't stop talking about how awesome his brand new HTC Evo 4G LTE is (look for his full review of the device in the next couple of days).
While shows like CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and MWC (Mobile World Conference) also highlight what's up and coming in the world of mobile technology, CTIA Wireless has a decidedly U.S.-focus.
CTIA 2012: TechRadar's complete coverage of the show
An all new mobile OS?
We were pleased to get some hands on time with a device running Boot to Gecko, Mozilla's web-based mobile platform and Unnecto impressed us with their Android-based dual-sim Quattro.
Read our hands on Boot to Gekco review
Read our hands on Unnecto Quattro review
Handset manufacturer ZTE sets its sights on the US market
While many in the States have yet to hear about ZTE, the Asian manufacturer is making a major push to move into the US market. At CTIA 2012, the company made several significant announcements, including new partnership deals and a company executive even singing the praises of the Windows Mobile platform.
Read our hands on ZTE Nova 4 V8000 review
Read our hands on ZTE V96 tablet review
Amazon beware, is the new Nook a Kindle killer?
In addition to phones and tablets, Barnes & Noble was present at CTIA 2012 showing off what they hope could be a Kindle Killer: Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight.
Read our hands review of the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight
Unveiling Verizon's Droid Incredible at CTIA 2012
Verizon fired the first major shots of CTIA 2012 by giving us a hands on demonstration of this...incredible... handset.
The LTE capable phone will come with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 4-inch qHD Super LCD display, a 960x540 resolution, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, an 8MP camera, Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC Sense 4.0.
Read our hands Droid Incredible 4G LTE review
HTC goes all in at CTIA 2012
Not to be outdone, HTC had a huge presence at CTIA 2012. While their enormous booth on the show floor highlighted such non-technology-related acts like modern dancers and a guy doing tricks with bubbles, the good folks at HTC gave TechRadar a long and extensive hands on demo of their awesome new HTC Evo 4G LTE.
Read TechRadar's hands on HTC Evo 4G LTE review
Samsung basks in the glory of the Galaxy S3
Fresh off the heals of the wildly successful launch of the Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung was on hand giving folks in the U.S. their first look at this promising new device.
Of course, since our brothers across the pond back in the U.K. already did a hands on review of the Samsung Galaxy S3 last week, those of us here in New Orleans could focus on the company's other offerings.
The Samsung handset that we were most excited to see was the Samsung Focus S2. With nearly all of the bells and whistles as the Nokia Lumia 900. The Samsung Focus S2 is nearly half the price.
Read our hands on Samsung Focus S2 review
No shows at CTIA 2012? Sony absent; BlackBerry, Motorola low-key
While we expected to see handsets from all of the major manufacturers, there have been some rather conspicuous omissions: Sony, BlackBerry and Motorola informed TechRadar before the start of CTIA 2012 that they will not have a presence at the show.
While that proved to be true for Sony, Motorola it seems was content to let their partners show off their latest devices. Like the Droid Incredible 4G LTE.
We had hoped to get a hands on look at the upcoming BlackBerry 10. When TechRadar spotted a BlackBerry rep they informed us that they didn't have any devices here in New Orleans, but rather that the devices are currently in the hands of app developers. Oh well, hope it does seem, springs eternal.
Additionally, Sprint also informed TechRadar that they too wil not have a presence on the show floor.
Accessories galore!
While the major handset manufacturers garner the lion's share of the show's attention, CTIA 2012 is awash with accessories for each and every mobile device you can think of. Of course, while Apple never attends CTIA, that doesn't mean that the company's overwhelming dominance in the mobile space (especially with its iPad) goes ignored.
Aftermarket companies are everywhere here at CTIA 2012 showing off everything from cases for your mobile devices, to headsets and mobile speaker systems.
Hands on: Monster ClarityHD Micro review
Hands on: Kingston Wi-Drive 64GB review
Hands on: The OtterBox Defender for the new iPad and Samsung Galaxy Note review
Hands on: iWow-U review
Hands on: Golla Bags review
TechRadar is in New Orleans throughout the week of May 8 to bring you updated news, hands-on reviews and more. So check back to enjoy all of the shiny new goodness that is CTIA 2012.
William O'Neal
Editor-in-chief (US)
Wil (Twitter, Google+) is a technology editor and journalist who has written for a variety of outlets over the last 16 years, including CNET, Computer Gaming World and Incite. Wil also spent two years as the on-air gadget correspondent on G4TV's live daily show, Attack of the Show. Before joining TechRadar, Wil was the editor-in-chief of @GAMER, The Official Games Magazine of Best Buy.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Tag: Bain Capital
October 22, 2019 October 22, 2019 Bob Lederer RFL Communications, Inc.
Kantar's Future Could Be Up In The Air Again in 2023 / RBDR
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Today on RBDR: You and the rest of the research world may have thought Bain Capital's acquisition of 60% of Kantar was the end of the drama around the sale of one of the world's biggest and most important research organizations. However, for a minimum of three years, executives at Kantar will go about their jobs not knowing who its owners may be in 2023.
Wall Street Analyst Projects Kantar Research's Future / RBDR
Today on RBDR: Short-term expectations for Kantar Research under 60% ownership by Bain Capital are projected by a Wall Street analyst from Huber Research Partners, LLC, Managing Director Douglas Arthur.
July 18, 2019 Bob Lederer RFL Communications, Inc.
What Does Its Acquisition by Bain Capital Mean For Kantar / RBDR
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Today on RBDR: What's next for Kantar–its role and competitiveness in the market research industry–following acquisition of 60% of the business by Bain Capital from WPP?
July 8, 2019 July 8, 2019 Bob Lederer RFL Communications, Inc.
The Plan to Sell Kantar to Bain Capital / RBDR
Today on RBDR: What is the thinking behind WPP's announcement that it has entered into negotiations to sell a majority stake in Kantar Research to Bain Capital? RBDR takes a look.
April 25, 2019 Bob Lederer RFL Communications, Inc.
Sir Martin Sorrell Interested in "Parts" of Kantar / RBDR
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Today on RBDR: As WPP continues to search for a potential buyer for Kantar, private equity firms are said to be circling the business, and a new prospect is mulling a move, though with much uncertainty about whether its plans and those of WPP are at all possible


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Love and Punishment, Wendy Harmer
The heroine of Love and Punishment, written by comedian-turned-author Wendy Harmer, is an everygirl called Francie – a normal, not overly-ambitious, somewhat mousy agony aunt columnist, who is dumped by her long-term boyfriend Nick, an aspiring actor. Having supported him for years and ready to bear his child, Francie is devastated when he takes up with cougar Poppy Sommerville-Smith, the doyenne of Australian film and theatre. Pushed to the wall, Francie finally breaks out and takes revenge – a breathtakingly nasty piece of revenge.
Love and Punishment is a humorous book that is easy to read and has a refreshing approach to chicklit – rather than the usual empty-headed love story with impossibly attractive characters, this realistically frazzled heroine is seriously pissed off and needs to learn how to deal with this huge impact point in her life. There are no obvious goodies and baddies, just people trying to live life, find love and make their way in the world.
Although at times Harmer's writing slips into 'telling not showing' (a flaw for many first-time writers), Love and Punishment is an enjoyable quick read, and Francie's journey is both humorously and poignantly developed. Recommended reading for people who enjoy a bit of quality chicklit.
Categories book review, chicklit, fiction
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is the work of first time author Susanna Clarke, and appears to have caused quite a stir in the world of fantasy fiction since its publication. A behemoth at 800 pages, this novel would have benefited from tighter editing of its lumbering footnotes and meandering episodic forays that don't contribute towards the main plot.
The story, however, is intelligently told and well written: a parallel magical history of England during the 1800s and the revival of English magic by two of its foremost practitioners of the day, the book's namesakes, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. There are touches of the usual fantasy elements of prophecy and fate, but it's not so much about magic and its technical aspects as it is about these two men and their all-consuming desire to learn and re-introduce magic into the English realm. But where fantasy heroes often have redeeming characteristics, these two are not particularly likable, and are kept from the reader at an arm's distance by Clarke's writing, which makes it difficult to really get into the book. Mr Norrell, in particular, is a character who is genuinely hate-worthy. His insecurity, pride, jealousy and narrow-mindedness are maddening.
Where the book really loses out is its lack of focus and forward movement. It moves laterally so often and for so long that it's one of those books that are easy to put down and not pick up again. But that would be a mistake, because the ending is extremely intense (unlike so much of the book) and enjoyable. The climax comes very suddenly right at the very end, with an emotional connection that most of the earlier part of the book fails to achieve. It still leaves a few questions unanswered, but it is a good reward for having gotten so far and read so much.
Overall, it was a good read, a great effort for a first-time author (although fairly damning for its editor) but would have been twice as good if it had been half as long.
Categories book review, fantasy
District 9, movie review
Unlike every other big alien movie, the aliens in District 9 do not target New York or any other city in America - instead it has landed over Johannesburg, South Africa, and the aliens are not a destructive force of superbeings. Something has gone wrong, the ship cannot return to its home, and the one million-strong malnourished, dirty aliens are rescued/herded into an area (District 9) which quickly becomes a slum. Fascination turns to impatience and anger and the humans, led by the MNU (Multi-National Unity), are now on a mission to drive the 'prawns', as they are derisively called, out of the city and into a designated area set up much like a concentration camp.
The central storyline follows Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley), as he leads the MNU team into the slum to serve eviction notices to the aliens. Director Niell Blomkamp (a South African who based the film on elements of his childhood experience during the apartheid) begins the movie as a documentary with the shaky hand-held camera affect, but evolves it seamlessly into movie-mode as a tragedy envelopes Wikus and takes him beyond his limits.
District 9 is didactic in its racial commentary through its portrayal of the very worst of human nature in its dealings with the aliens, but it's done in a way that's fresh, real and very confronting. As Wikus' story unfolds (I won't give away the crux of the story), we see a man - an ordinary man - pushed to his extreme limits in every manner possible. With every new assault, with every push to break him down, we begin to see true humanity emerge.
This movie is absolutely gripping and, in my books, absolutely brilliant. And not just for its portrayal of racial division, but just as a movie. As my 14 year old nephew said afterwards, 'How good was that? I think there was some sort of politics going on in there, but I don't really care. Did you see those heads explode? Those alien guns were awesome.'
Interesting facts:
Neill Blomkamp was set to direct the movie version of Halo before it fell through.
Apparently Peter Jackson and his wife bankrolled much of District 9 themselves to get it started.
Never heard of Sharlto Copley before? That's because he's a high school friend of Neill Blomkamp's who had never acted before. I find that unbelievable because he did such an amazing job as Wikus.
The slum used to film District 9 were real slums in South Africa, and many of the inhabitants were still in the process of being evacuated into better housing by the government when they started filming.
All the aliens (except the carcasses in the MNU test lab) were CGI - an amazing job once you've seen the movie. And more kudos to the actors for a brilliant job.
Okay, enough proselytising - go out and see it if you haven't already.
Categories action, movie review
La's Orchestra Saves the World, Alexander McCall Smith
My love of Alexander McCall Smith is tempted to rate this novel higher than I otherwise might, but I must be honest. It's lovely and gentle and slow but not a riveting read.
The central character is La (short for Lavender), a British woman who finds her life upturned when her husband leaves her for another woman. Not the type to hold a grudge, she moves to a cottage in the countryside and begins to contribute her small part towards the war effort - one of her endeavours being to start a village orchestra. Based on the title of the book, I'm led to believe that McCall Smith may have meant the theme to be about the power music, but I didn't really get that sense as a reader. The orchestra (and the war itself) seemed rather incidental to the central storyline... and I use the word 'storyline' very loosely because there really isn't much of one. She ponders, she meanders, she wonders and thinks, and while it's all very lovely, it isn't exactly the stuff of literary genius.
The saving grace of the novel is the slight romance between La and Feliks, a 'Pole' displaced by the war and now working for the British Army. It's not hot and steamy by any means, but very adult and genteel, much like the rest of the book.
Categories book review, fiction
The Ugly Truth, movie review
Posted by lea at 10:23 AM 1 comments Links to this post
With a better script, this could've been a smarter movie. As it is, it relies heavily on the good looks of the two leads, the funny but misogynistic and shallow comments of Gerard Butler's character and Katherine Heigl's ability to embarrass herself. In short, it gives you exactly what you could expect and nothing more.
There are some very funny moments, like Katherine Heigl hanging upside down from a tree, but the plot is like something out of a sweet dreams book (does Kiss Me Creep ring a bell for anyone else?) extracted for an older audience with the addition of some crude humour – although when that crude humour is delivered by Gerard Butler, you can't help but be charmed by the smarm. The Ugly Truth tries so hard to be a funny movie that the attempt to bring in some depth towards the end flounders entirely and becomes psych 101 cliché. Anyway, who's going to believe that someone who looks like Katherine Heigl is a loser at attracting guys?
But it is a funny movie – the audience laughed a LOT during the showing I was at – and a particularly good date movie for its feelgood factor and gender-balanced humour.
Categories movie review, romance
G.I. Joe, movie review
G.I. Joe had one redeeming factor: it increased my endorphin levels. I couldn't stop laughing at the terrible dialogue, hokey plot, lame accents and one-dimensional characters. At one point, the evil geniuses (genii?) are two bald, burnt men hobbling away by foot – yeah, scar-ee. You couldn't help but feel sorry for Dennis Quaid, who is lumped with a few clichès and a pretty thin hapless part in his role as the head of the Joes – supposedly an elite fighting squad, who somehow manage to stay one step behind the villains all the way through the movie, despite their fancy gadgets and high tech weaponry. Channing Tatum does a credible brooding job as Duke, the central character and one of the newest Joe recruits, but Sienna Miller... what's with the catwalk strut all the way through the movie? Is she normally that bad an actor or was she simply embarrassed to be part of this film? Marlon Wayans gets a few laughs in his black-sidekick role, but it doesn't come near the calibre of Chris Rock, who perfected this part a long time ago.
Questions (spoiler alert):
Why was the US buying the nanomite weapons in the first place, knowing that they're so destructive that the rest of the movie is made up of trying to stop the bad guys from using it?
Why do weapons need to be 'weaponised'?
How is it possible that so many ppl on the two opposing 'elite fighting teams' have random ties to one another?
If the Baroness is suddenly meant to overcome her mind-control device at the end when she suddenly recognises and remembers her previous life with Duke, then why, at the beginning when they cross paths, does she say, 'you of all people should know'?
Why the hell would her younger brother suddenly turn into an evil genius after one bomb blast?
Why are the martial arts flashbacks set in Japan, but the kid (Storm Shadow as child) speaks Korean?
Doesn't a white ninja suit defeat the purpose of being a ninja in the first place (to be unseen)?
As much as I like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who the hell cast him as the evil mastermind? He still looks like a 12 year old.
Rating: Go watch it if you need a laugh, but if you want a good tight action film, look elsewhere.
The Miracle at Speedy Motors
"Fat lady: you watch out! And you too, the one with the big glasses."
Wise, traditionally-built Mma Ramotse and her high achieving assistant Mma Makutsi begin receiving threatening letters at their agency. Who could be behind them? And why? This mystery is one of several sub-plots in this wonderfully warm ninth instalment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall-Smith.
I've already written several reviews about this series, including In the Company of Cheerful Ladies, The Kalahari Typing School for Men and Tears of the Giraffe, so I won't bore you with another panegyric of what a wonderful writer McCall Smith is and how lovely and touching his books are. Suffice to say it's a quick and easy read that leaves an impression on the reader about the beauty and expanse of Botswana and its people. Mma Ramotwe is a wonderful literary creation - may the series live long and prosper.
Categories book review, feel-good
La's Orchestra Saves the World, Alexander McCall S...


CHARLEVOIX - An independent assessment of the Charlevoix County Commission on Aging (CCCOA), based on a survey of 1,570 of the more than 6,000 seniors in the county, finds the agency is seriously understaffed, poorly trained and unresponsive to the people it is intended to serve.
Summaries of the report, prepared by Community Services Network of Michigan, were presented to the county board of commissioners at the end of Wednesday's meeting. Board chair Shirley Roloff told the board that if they had questions about the report, they could raise them at a future meeting with the CCCOA board.
Connie Saltonstall, the only CCCOA board member to attend Wednesday's meeting, cautioned the county board that they had not received the complete report.
The new report, undertaken at the request of the CCCOA board by the Community Services Network of Michigan, finds that the agency is seriously short-staffed in both administrative and direct care areas, and that staff needs more training and better supervision.
In a list of key findings, the report also said there are only 7 or 8 full-time equivalent direct care workers to serve the county's 6,000 seniors, which comprise 21 percent of the county's population.
"Of the 6,000 seniors, 2,174 are older than 75 and 632 are over the age of 85. The Alzeimer's Association reports that 18 percent of people between 75 and 84, and 50 percent of those over 85, have some type of dementia, which means they and their caregivers need services and assistance," the report says.
It also concludes that the senior population and general public do not know about CCCOA services.
"Too few homebound seniors receive services due to short staffing, poor intake process, an inability to meet eligibility requirements and lack of transportation," it said.
It said that although there were "shining stars" of good work done by the CCCOA, "for the most part there was knowledge by the board of directors about these areas of concern, in particular, the large fund balance, the strained relationship with one of the senior centers and the idea there might be need for more service."
And, it said, "there was minimal pre-discussion by staff or board about dissatisfaction with the level and quality of services. Therefore, the very poor rating of client satisfaction report was distressing news."
"The CCCOA has an opportunity to increase the level of service, implement new programs and services, or realign the way in which services are delivered after considering the voices of the seniors and other service providers who participated in this important project.
"This document will service as a planning tool so the CCCOA board of directors will be able to make informed decisions about the program they offer."
In a press release CCCOA director Sue Bergmann briefly restated the findings of the assessment and said short-term and long-term "action plans" to respond to the findings are being developed and will be made public when they are completed.
The county voted to establish a senior citizen millage in 2000, which was renewed in 2004 and will be up for renewal in 2008. County equalization director Tom Wolf said county taxpayers will be assessed .3853 mills this winter for the millage, which is expected to raise $765,482.
The CCCOA board of directors, which is responsible to the county board of commissioners, has been the fiduciary of senior millage funds since 2000. It is responsible for the Boyne Area Senior Center, the East Jordan Senior Center, the Charlevoix County Adult Day Care Center and services on Beaver Island.
The CCCOA also provides services for dementia, congregate and home-delivered meals, home-making services, medication management, personal care, foot care, respite care, lawn care and snow removal.
The CCCOA acts as the fiduciary only for the Charlevoix Senior Center, which has a separate contract for $158,000 in services for 2007/08 year with the agency.
The CCCOA budget for the 2006/07 year ending Sept. 30 has projected revenues of $1,082,238. As of Sept. 7, $273,437 had not been spent. As of Aug. 31, the CCCOA fund balance was $2.31 million, which includes $1.58 million in the investment accounts.


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Legally-On-The-Go™
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Visa Priority Dates Explained
8.22.17 In: Advisory Articles
Priority dates are crucial before an immigrant visa is approved.
A. Introduction
Understanding priority dates and how they affect one's immigration case is perplexing for many and is one of the most common question(s) for our legal team. At Musinguzi Law, we always start by clarifying that there are visa priority dates which reflect statutory limits to the number of foreign nationals and/or immigrants who may be granted U.S permanent residency (commonly known as, "Green Cards") under all employment-based and most family-based categories. Every time a visa applicant files an application as an intending immigrant, the date the application is received typically becomes the visa applicant's priority date. Such an intending immigrant is basically applying for permanent residency in the U.S or green card. For these types of green card cases, priority dates are used to determine when a foreign national is eligible to file an adjustment-of-status application (form I-485). Priority dates also determine the timing for obtaining an immigrant visa through consular processing (CP). Thus, the concept of a priority date is extremely important for the vast majority of those pursuing or considering U.S. permanent residency. Please note the difference between Permanent Residency and Naturalization or becoming a U.S citizen which is discussed elsewhere on our blog. As usual, questions and comments are welcome at the end of this article.
B. Establishing the Priority Dates
The priority date in an employment-based (EB) green card case requiring a PERM labor certification is the officially acknowledged date that the case is filed with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). If the EB case is filed in a category that does not require a labor certification, then the priority date assigned is the date that the immigrant petition most commonly filed with Form I-140, is properly filed with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
In a family-based (FB) case, the priority date is assigned based on the date that the petition for alien relative (form I-130) is properly filed with the USCIS. Note, however, that if an immediate relative – that is the spouse, parent, or minor child of a U.S. citizen – files the FB case, the priority dates is generally not important. This category is not subject to visa backlogs and, therefore, such a case can move forward without waiting for a visa number to become available.
C. Why Priority Dates are Important
A foreign national applying for permanent residence from within the United States determines when s/he is able to file for the form I-485 based upon dates published monthly in the U.S. Department of State (DOS) "visa bulletin" chart. The dates listed in the visa bulletin are known as cutoff dates. These cutoff dates must be compared to an individual's priority date to determine whether s/he may file form I-485, obtain approval of the I-485, or obtain an immigrant visa using Consular Processing (CP).
D. Exceptions to the Rule
There are certain types of cases for which priority dates are not relevant. For instance, if a foreign national is sponsored for an FB case as an immediate relative, there are always visa numbers available. Immediate relatives are: spouses, parents and minor children (under 21) of U.S. citizens which means they have no statutory limits or caps and as such their visa applications should process faster than the other categories.
E. Changes to Chart System after October 2015
The DOS introduced a new system for applying priority dates since the October 2015 Visa Bulletin. The visa bulletin now provides charts with separate sets of cutoff dates in both the EB and FB categories. One chart is designated as 'final action' (FA). The dates in this chart indicate when a green card or immigrant visa actually may be approved for an applicant.
The second chart is designated as 'dates for filing' (DF). For consular processing cases, these dates indicate "…when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center." Each month, the USCIS indicates on its website whether the DF dates can also be used as a basis for filing an I-485 application. Under this system, specified applicants are permitted to file their respective I-485s well in advance of green cards actually being available to them.
F. Annual Quotas and Other Limitations
As indicated above, the reason for the visa bulletin cutoff date system is that, by law, there are annual limits on the number of foreign nationals who can become U.S. permanent residents under most immigrant visa categories. The quota is controlled by the use of visa numbers, and allocated between the EB and FB green card categories.
Both the EB and FB categories contain subcategories, known as preferences. The visa number quota is allocated further between the various preference categories, such as employment-based, first preference (EB1), employment-based, second preference (EB2), and employment-based, third preference (EB3).
Complicating matters further, there are per-country limits that cap the percentage of visa numbers that can be given to individuals from each country annually. This means that every country, no matter how large or small, is given the same maximum percentage allocation of the worldwide quota. Note that these per-country limits typically are based on country of birth, not country of citizenship.
As a result of these limits, individuals born in countries with large populations and high rates of U.S. immigration, such as India, China, Mexico, the Philippines, and more recently the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, often experience longer wait times for visa numbers than individuals from countries with less demands for immigrant visas.
G. Analyzing Priority Dates on the Visa Bulletin
The FA chart dates listed for both the EB and FB categories indicate which I-485 or immigrant visa cases may be approved in a given month. If the visa bulletin chart states "C" for a given category and country, that indicates that the numbers are current in the particular category for the country of chargeability. This means that there are enough visa numbers for anyone with an approved petition in this category to either receive an immigrant visa or obtain approval of her/his pending I-485 application.
If the demand for visa numbers exceeds the available supply, the visa bulletin FA chart indicates this with a date (called a cutoff date). If the priority date of a particular case is before the cutoff date, then the otherwise qualified foreign national is eligible to receive a green card or immigrant visa during that particular month. The FA cutoff dates can also be used as a basis for filing an I-485.
In months when the USCIS indicates that the DF chart may be used for adjustment-of-status purposes, then an I-485 can be filed if the case is in a category listed as "C" for current, or if the case has a priority date earlier than the corresponding DF cutoff date. The USCIS may not approve the I-485, however, unless and until the cutoff date in the FA chart moves past the priority date for that case. Further, in months when the DF chart is not designated for use, I-485 filings can only be submitted if the priority date is earlier than the cutoff date in the (less favorable) FA date chart.
H. Dual Use of the Term "Current"
Note that the term current technically only applies to a category listed as "C" in the visa bulletin. However, the term also is commonly used to simply indicate that a person has a case with a priority date that is earlier than the cutoff date.
I. Visa Bulletin Issued in Advance
It is always important to take note of the month for which the chart is issued. The visa bulletin is released a few weeks in advance of the month of its validity. If, for example, a given priority date is not current for September, but shows as being available in the October Visa Bulletin, then the foreign national typically will be able to file the I-485 any date between October 1st and October 31st. In this example, if the I-485 application reaches the USCIS before October 1st, either the case will be rejected by the USCIS mailroom or, if it is processed, the I-485 will be denied when the mistake is finally discovered.
J. Retrogression
A question often asked of attorneys at the Musinguzi Law Group: What happens if the priority dates retrogress (i.e. move back) after my I-485 is filed? The same concept applies to cases filed based upon the DF chart dates, many of which are not current under the FA chart.
The USCIS reviews all filed I-485 applications, whether or not the priority date is current. The USCIS can issue a request for evidence (RFE), notice of intent to deny (NOID), or a denial, even if the priority date is not current. If the case is proper and complete, the USCIS will pre-adjudicate the case and place it on hold, awaiting the visa number availability. It is fairly common for the USCIS to issue an RFE for updated information and documentation on a case that has remained on hold for an extended period.
K. Incidental Benefits of Filing the I-485 Adjustment of Status
Even though the USCIS is unable to approve an I-485 until the priority date is current under the FA chart, the I-485 applicant is eligible to request important benefits that arise from this filing. These benefits include an unrestricted employment authorization document (EAD) and advance parole ("travel document").
Additionally, EB applicants become eligible for American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act (AC21) job portability once their I-485 applications have been pending with the USCIS for at least 180 days. This allows the green card case to continue to approval based upon a qualified new job offer in the same / similar job classification as the original green card job offer.
L. Conclusion
It should be clear that visa numbers and the visa bulletin are extremely important in the green card process. One must have a basic understanding of the meaning and function of priority dates and the visa bulletin in order to make a number of important decisions. Information about the visa bulletin, including any reliable predictions and other developments, is always shared with you on www.MusinguziLaw.com . Some cases may not need a lawyer however, consulting a competent immigration lawyer is always advisable. You can schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys.
Copyright © 2017, MUSINGUZI LAW GROUP. All Rights Reserved
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A general view of The Royal Portrush Course, Portrush.
Unprecedented demand for tickets to The 148th Open at Royal Portrush has led to all four Championship days being completely sold out.
In anticipation of high demand, championship organisers The R&A moved to an all-ticket model for 2019 but the surge in ticket sales has surpassed all expectations.
Fans wishing to book their place at Royal Portrush next year still have time to visit TheOpen.com to purchase the remaining tickets for the four practice days taking place from July 14-17.
Prices start from as little as £15 for adults while youth tickets for those aged 16-24 begin at £10. Children under the age of 16 can attend the championship for free, if they are accompanied by an adult and have a ticket, under The Open's 'Kids Go Free' programme.
Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director, Championships at The R&A, said: "It is clear from the record-breaking ticket sales that golf fans are looking forward to the long-awaited return of The Open to Northern Ireland.
"We knew there would be great demand but it has been even higher than we expected," he added.


Pioneer Gulf FZE is one of the most powerful automotive entertainment companies, serving clients in various countries such as UAE, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kenya, Jordan, Pakistan, Mauritius, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Kazakhstan. We remain passionate about creating an unbeatable entertainment experience to our customers. Pioneer Gulf FZE provides the best car audio and video system, subwoofers, amplifiers and car accessories in Middle East & Africa.


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or accent an area or thing. These bulbs known as accent lights. But usually, to conserve space, most lights can be multi-functional and found in all 3 ways mentioned above.
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, and styles. The main thing to consider when choosing a floor light is where you want to put it, the kind of light it'll provide, and the amount of space it will require up.
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until MON 3:00 AM EST, Monmouth County
Crash survivor: Don't drink, sleep on flight
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - A Nepali travel agent who survived a plane crash earlier this week says passengers should not drink during flights and refrain from sleeping during landing and takeoff.
Dayaram Tamrakar said Friday from his hospital bed that he was able to get up from his seat, break down the emergency door and help other passengers because he was alert.
Tamrakar was among the 22 of the 71 people who survived Monday's Dhaka-Kathmandu plane crash.
He was among the group of men who broke the emergency door survivors then used to escape before the plane was engulfed by fire.
The Dhaka-based US-Bangla Airways flight was carrying 67 passengers and four crew members.
Police: 2 adults, 1 child killed in shooting at North Carolina shopping center


The third myPOS Store officially opened on 29th May welcoming micro, small and medium-sized businesses to become part of the world of smart payments.
By opening a store in the capital of Bulgaria, myPOS creates a raft of opportunities for SMEs which are the engine of the Bulgarian economy but are often undeserved and neglected by banks and traditional financial services.
Until recently, the Bulgarian businesses considered accepting card payments a burden or an expensive service. The main reason for that stemmed from the prohibitive fees, lengthy procedures and binding contracts with the banks.
Luckily, myPOS disrupted the market, creating a more favorable payment landscape for the Bulgarian SMEs and plenty of opportunities for growth.
With the opening of the new physical location in Sofia, we are even closer to the businesses and give them the opportunity to experience the myPOS payment terminals and solutions in-person. In the store, business owners can get familiar with the services that myPOS offers and get advice and support from our team.
So, we welcome anyone who wants to grow their businesses by harnessing the power technology and card payments, to stop by the Sofia Store located on Blvd. James Boucher 76A, Hill Tower.
We at myPOS are gearing up for opening the next chapter with more physical stores – in Paris, Barcelona, Milan and more. Stay tuned!
This entry was posted in Product News and tagged Bulgaria, myPOS Store, Sofia, store. Bookmark the permalink.


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Stars of Sci Fi
Posted on June 11, 2010 by Sue Vazakas
Two science fiction authors born in June changed the entire genre.
In 1938, John W. Campbell took over the editorship of Astounding Science Fiction.
Known as the "father of modern science fiction," Campbell transformed the magazine into a place for strong stories about the future of science and technology and how those changes might affect human beings.
The magazine, whose title Campbell changed to Analog in 1960, was the home of most of the important sci fi authors including Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Theodore Sturgeon, and A.E. van Vogt. Campbell served as editor until his death in 1971.
Octavia Butler, an African-American woman, knew that women and people of color had a place in science fiction, and because there weren't any at the time, she wrote some in. I'll never forget being introduced to Lilith (and the few other surviving human beings) in my now well-thumbed copy of Dawn.
Her stunning work has won the Hugo and the Nebula awards, and in 1995 she was awarded a MacArthur grant. Pasadena City College, of which she is an alumna, has a biography as well as descriptions of her work.
The library has seven of her novels and story collections, and she also appears on a video about opportunities and obstacles for African-American writers. She died four years ago after a fall, far too young at the age of 58.
Professor Emeritus Allen Grossman wins Bollingen Prize in Poetry
National African-American History Month
A Sad Farewell to Scientific American
Looking for Something Good to Read?
One thought on "Stars of Sci Fi"
Hi, I was unaware of Ms. Butler's death. This is important, though unwelcome news to me. I have enjoyed her works and I am sad to know that there will be no more. Thank you.


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Last week, after months of anticipation our shipment finally arrived in Indonesia! Once the boxes had cleared customs in Bali (read: once we had paid a 'fee' for the release of our boxes), they were brought over here to Sumbawa via Lombok and were due to arrive at our door sometime on Thursday. Unfortunately (and unsurprisingly) there were some mechanical issues with the truck that the boxes were on, which meant that a change of truck was necessary and the delivery was rescheduled to lunchtime Friday.
As much as I was looking forward to this delivery, I found the timing rather inconvenient as Friday is also the day that my Pembantu (maid), Lenny comes up here from Maluk and works her magic inside this jungalow. Lenny and I can communicate on a very basic level, but comprehension of whatever one of us is saying usually relies heavily on the slow repetition and exaggerated gesticulation of the other.
Lenny starts early in the morning and is usually finished by lunch time, but knowing there was still a chance that 25 boxes would arrive at the door before she left, (thus requiring some sort of potentially awkward explanation) I was almost hoping that there would be a further delay to the shipment so as to avoid this complication. I wasn't surprised though, when on Friday morning as I was sitting outside on the verandah trying to keep out of Lenny's way, a pink truck drove in and began reversing up to the door. It wasn't even 9am.
Three non-English speaking Indonesians jumped out of the truck, handed me a list and began piling boxes up all around me. I noticed that none of the original boxes (that I had particularly chosen for their sturdiness) had arrived, but instead some poor excuse for boxes – many of which were wet and had already broken open, were being unloaded.
I felt my heart sink further as I scanned the list detailing the contents of the boxes and I realised that the boxes that I had taken so much care in packing, itemising and labelling had most likely been up-ended on the floor somewhere and the contents 'repacked' into these unlabelled boxes in no particular order. The most obvious problem with this was that about a third of the boxes that left Australia actually belonged to one of Barry's colleagues, Glenn. Glenn had packed his shipment just as carefully, but now it appeared that our two separate shipments had been clumsily combined into one.
As I reluctantly signed off on the paperwork and started opening boxes to inspect the damage, Lenny emerged from the house, her eyes wide. I began attempting to explain in the most simple English – "Boxes from Australia, this my job – not yours". I tried several variations of this 'you carry on with the housework, and let me sort this mess out in my own time' message, but apparently it was to no effect. Lenny could barely contain her excitement. She started ripping open boxes, one after the other – tearing away layers of paper and spreading the contents of the boxes all over the floor.
As I mentioned, Lenny lives in the developing village of Maluk, she has 3 young children and she earns roughly the equivalent of $2/hour. With every box Lenny opened, came the questions "What dis?" or "What dis for?", and it wasn't long before I was questioning the necessity of almost everything that was unpacked. A duster with replacement heads – "Coot", (cute) she said, as I demonstrated it's use. "Berry coot". Yes I thought, a novelty – not a necessity. Cute indeed. Lenny unwrapped my steam mop and looked at me questioningly. "Mop" I said.
"Mop?" "Already have!" she informed me, referring to the primitive, shaggy mop she wrings out over a bucket by hand. I sighed, and resigned myself to the fact that I would probably be steam mopping my own floors.
I returned to the boxes, and unpacked a mattress topper that I had (thankfully) been advised to bring to add a layer of padding to the hard surface that we call our bed. I began to explain that I wanted it on the bed, on top of the mattress. "Already mattress?" she said, confused.
"Yes, there's already a mattress, but it's hard, this one softer". Hearing my own words, I began to feel increasingly uncomfortable and I couldn't help but wonder what kind of mattress Lenny sleeps on. Maybe she doesn't even know what it's like to sleep on a mattress. What is her 'bed', and how many of her family are piled onto that 'bed'?
I tried to push aside my feelings of guilt, but this was difficult as we seemed to be continuing to unpack more boxes that also contained items I already had in the house. The main reason for this was that I didn't receive a whole lot of accurate information about what exactly would be here when we got here, and I was told if I used it a lot, to pack it. So I packed some appliances – a kettle, a mixer, a blender/food processor, all of which it turned out were here already. Even so, I was glad for the arrival of some quality appliances, as the ones we had been issued with here each produced either an unsavoury burning smell, varying loud and unhealthy sounds, or a combination of both upon use.
"You know muffins?" I asked.
"I make muffins for you", "Next time", I said. Her face lit up in an excited smile.
Sometimes I wish I could do more. I wish I could pay her more. I wish I could help her, them – all of them. There is so much poverty here, it seems so hopeless and it's easy to feel helpless. We're going to get involved in some fundraising and charity work in the near future, maybe we can't make a huge difference but we can try. In the meantime though, I plan to put my newly arrived baking supplies to good use, and turn out a batch of muffins for Lenny and her family. It's not much, but I hope that the gesture will help her to see that I am more than the spoilt, soft bed loving, hoarder of electrical appliances she currently thinks I am.
Our first jungle date night turned out to be somewhat less than romantic, but seeing as we're stuck on this tropical island together (and we kind of like each other), we decided that the very next night would be all about second chances.
In the late afternoon, we hopped into our car (which thankfully is still in working order at this point), and headed off in a different direction to the place of the previous night's adventure. This time we took a steep, windy road up towards a village called Sekongkang. Not far along this road we came to Yoyo's hotel. We'd been to Yoyo's once before in the dark for a work function, so we knew that the food was good but we had no idea just how spectacular the beach was here! We arrived just as the sun was sinking towards the ocean, and the light was changing from that warm golden yellow to beautiful shades of pink and orange.
Barry had sprayed insect repellent onto his hairy legs, and didn't want to add sand into the mix so he chose to watch from a distance as I went and had a solo date with the shoreline. I could have spent hours completely absorbed in admiring all of the stones, coral and shells that covered the beach, but I could sense Barry's growing restlessness and I knew that my time was limited. I collected some stones and coral in my handbag, (much to his amusement) and then we went and ordered pizza at the restaurant. We sat beside the ocean watching the sun disappear, and then the lights of all the little fishing boats that filled the water without delay. We did get a bit disoriented as we attempted to leave Yoyo's and make our way home (ok so we may have got lost in the carpark), but as far as date nights go – this one checked all the boxes. Now I know you've probably just scrolled straight to the pictures, (no offence taken) so I'm just gonna go right ahead and shhhh now. I think the photos can speak for themselves! Oh, wait just one more thing… Believe in second chances!
For the last 6 weeks we have been getting around this little island town solely on foot. (No pun intended.) Getting licences, like everything – is a process that takes time. A few weeks ago we made the journey to the police station at a village called Taliwang to get our Indonesian licences. We were told in advance that whether we got a licence or not would depend on the amount we paid the men behind the desk at the station. We were advised to have the money ready in an envelope, and once we were at the police station, to hand it over and ask no questions. We took this advice, paid our 'skin taxes' which were the equivalent of 100 AUD, and sat down to wait beside a sign that ironically read "Stop Korupsi". As you may have guessed, that would translate to "Stop Corruption". Thankfully, we must have handed over enough money, because we left the police station a few hours later with licences in hand. Sadly, getting Indonesian licences didn't help much with our transport situation as we still weren't licensed to drive inside the gates here at townsite. Out of necessity, Barry was first to go through that procedure – undergoing a mine specific theory test followed by a practical examination. Unfortunately for Barry, the theory test was written in Bahasa, and required 100% for a pass. After a few failed attempts at picking out key words he was familiar with and trying to fill in the blanks, the examiner took him by the wrist and guided his hand to the correct answers. Thankfully, such helpful intervention wasn't required when he undertook the practical test!
On Friday Barry came home from work all licensed up, and we would have been all ready to go places except that we were still without wheels. Our assigned car was getting serviced on Friday, and we were told that it would be dropped off at our house on Saturday. I could barely contain myself at the thought of getting out of townsite and spending a day snorkelling, swimming, and having food and drinks delivered to us on the beach.
Saturday dawned, and after a leisurely start we made our way downstairs and opened our front door, expecting the chariot to await. No sign of it. Lunch time came – still no car. We sat around all afternoon waiting, jumping up and going to the window every time we heard a car outside – but still nothing. Barry was still adamant that the car would turn up, and we would be able to go out for dinner. As the sun set though, my hope faded – I was getting hungry and all of my comments seemed to be oozing with sarcasm. I didn't want to eat because I knew the moment I filled my stomach and destroyed my appetite, the car would pull up outside.
I held out for another hour, until every last bit of hope was extinguished before I went to the kitchen buttered myself a slice of bread. I sat on the floor eating my bread sandwich, completely bummed. As I finished last mouthful, I said to Barry 'You know the car will be here any minute now that I've eaten that'. Approximately 2 minutes later, the car pulled up. We decided that it wasn't too late to turn things around, and we called it a date. Hopping into our not so shiny and new vehicle, we noted the absence of 'new car smell', and took a moment to refresh ourselves on all of the driving rules that exist within townsite. The rules inside the gates seem to be somewhat overcompensating for the lack of traffic order in general outside of the gates. You have to beep the horn 3 times before you reverse, twice before you go forward, the speed limit in the school zones is 20km/hr, and 30k/hr in the rest of town. At the gate you have to stop the vehicle, turn off the engine and put the handbrake on. While the car is searched by security, (we're still not quite sure what for) your ID badge is scanned and you're quizzed on where you're off to.
We decided we were going to The Tropical, which is a surfing resort just down the road. We've been to The Tropical on a few occasions, and even spent a night there in the 'honeymoon suite' before we were able to move into our house. If you read up on some of the reviews of The Tropical on Tripadvisor you will get a bit of an entertaining insight into the way things 'work' around there. The resort is run by Australian surfers, and it draws a particular calibre of suntanned, shoeless, board carrying guests. On this night in particular, it appeared that several of these matted haired guests were intoxicated which only added to their charm.
Things started off so well for us – we ordered our meals, and sat there sipping lime juice while we watched the torchlights of all the little fishing boats out on the water. Our spring rolls arrived, and we'd just begun sampling them when there was a HUGE explosion that sent Bazil diving for cover and left me sitting motionless, frozen to the spot. Whilst I had a somewhat delayed reaction and appeared to be calm on the surface, I believe I may have nearly wet myself.
It turned out that one of the surfers in his intoxicated wisdom, had decided to kick off a fireworks display on the beach. Clearly lacking any sort of pyrotechnical skills, the surfer narrowly avoided having his long bleached blonde hair spontaneously restyled and recoloured. Having attracted the attention of his buddies, the surfer returned to the sand with (to my dismay), a whole armful of fireworks. I watched with growing anxiety as one after the other, the rockets failed to launch and they exploded randomly in all directions, shooting across the grass and sending the surfers staggering drunkenly out of harm's way. Barry tried to assure me that it was all ok, and I replied, 'It's all good until one comes flying towards us and we can't get out of the way." He dismissed my dramatic statement, and of course the very next rocket came straight towards us, exploding just metres away.
At this point, our meals were brought out but my stomach was in knots and I found eating to be out of the question. As I watched the surfers stumbling around launching fireworks at each other, all the while getting close and closer to our table I couldn't help but feel we were getting our own private viewing of a tropical island inspired version of "Dumb and Dumber". When one of the surfers decided to hide behind a pole right beside me I turned to him and said through gritted teeth "Could you please move away please. To put it nicely. Please." When my overuse of the word please had no effect, I picked up my plate and went and sat with my back to the world at the bar. I figured hair would grow back, but a disfigured face would not. Barry joined me, and we ate the rest of our meals in a silence that was punctuated only by the occasional bang behind us. We were glad to drive off into the darkness, watched only by the inquisitive gazes of several cows grazing beside the road. Concluding that the night was still young, we decided to take a bit of a detour off of the gravel road that lead home, onto a bitumen road that appeared to run parallel to the coastline. Barry thought he'd see how the car responded to some downward pressure applied to the accelerator. As soon as the speedometer reluctantly crept up over 50km/hr however, several components of the vehicle broke into a chorus of unhealthy sounds that suggested that the car wasn't built for any sort of speed.
Concerned that a breakdown was imminent, and not wanting to spend a night stranded in an Indonesian jungle, we decided that it just wasn't our night and we headed home. If you're following our adventure on Facebook, you will know that this story doesn't really end here! Check back here tomorrow for the rest of the story!
I have to begin this post by thanking you for all the comments, emails and Facebook messages that followed my last post! It can be a lonely existence over here, and when I hear from you – (whoever you are, and wherever you are) it aIways makes me feel a little bit less isolated! I had actually endured a week or more of technical issues while I was trying to get that post up, and at one point I actually lost my website entirely. After a whole day of fiddling around behind the scenes trying to get it all working again (and only succeeding in making things worse), I was ready to throw my hands up in the air and never return to write another word.
Over the years of our marriage, Barry has affectionally christened me with additional middle names that are usually inspired by the existence of some of my more predominant (yet apparently undesirable) personality traits. One of these names happens to be 'Stubbo' which I've been informed is short for 'Stubborn'. It slots in there between 'Sarco' and 'Pesso'. While that streak of 'Stubbo' often comes up on the undesirable list, I maintain that some of my greatest achievements have been a direct result of my unwillingness to be beaten, and this was very much the case in the last week when it has been me, Deanna Sarco Stubbo Pesso Pamenter against all things technical.
My last few posts have been rather wordy, and I thought it was time to break up all of the words with some more photos. I seem to have a lot of photos taken from inside a moving vehicle, and while they're not always fantastic photos they do give you a good idea of our surroundings. These were all taken fairly close to home, mostly in and around a village called "Maluk". Maluk is the closest thing we have to civilisation over here, but don't get me wrong – it definitely doesn't fall into or even close to the 'civilised' category. I love visiting the colourful village however, and when we're there I'm always hopeful that we'll take a wrong turn and get lost in the backstreets as we have done a few times already – as they say, "getting lost is not a waste of time'!
I often find myself wishing I'd had a little more information back when I was packing my suitcase in preparation for this move. When we packed up, it was with the knowledge that our shipment would arrive here at the same time that we arrived, or a short while later. It's now been almost 6 weeks, and that shipment is still in transit somewhere between Australia and this jungle island.
The point is, if I had known then what I know now, the contents of the suitcases that came with us would be possibly have be a lot different. Less clothes, more freezer bags – that kind of thing. Less shoes, more cinnamon. Some vanilla beans. My joggers. A copy of The Yellow Pages. Yes, The Yellow Pages. I never imagined I would find myself wishing I had packed a hardcopy, full sized version of a seemingly useless phonebook either. Funnily enough though, as I sat down for the first time at our dining table for a meal, it became quite apparent that a 4 inch thick phone book would have found a very useful place under my backside.
I'm not sure who crafted our dining table/chairs, but evidence suggests that it may have been a person with a somewhat elongated torso. We all know that etiquette requires us to lift our food up to our face. Upon sitting down to my first meal here however, I found myself in a situation where the my food was already at my face. I could quite easy rest my chin on the side of the plate. Whilst this made for fairly convenient dining, the dining room table is also doubling as my desk and I found that typing on my keyboard with my hands right under my nose was a little more than distracting.
I tried various combinations of pillows and cushions until I had a "Princesss and the Pea" situation going on right here in my kitchen. It wasn't ideal, and knowing it was no long term solution we decided that we would need to go in search of an adjustable office chair. Now normally, this wouldn't be something you would write home about. However, the days of a convenient and uneventful 5 minute drive to Officeworks are very much over. Now, even the most seemingly straightforward of tasks can bring about an adventure of sorts and I always write some notes along the way.
At the mercy of the elements, make way across ocean to North of Lombok on ferry. Trip times vary depending on the mood of the ocean, but it usually takes 1.5 – 2 hours.
Arrive at Lombok. Locate driver, or rather – be located by driver as you're the only foreign looking person in the vicinity. Learn driver's name is Adi.
Shake head – whether in amusement or embarrassment, you're not sure.
Begin across land journey from north side of Lombok to west, a good trip takes 2 hours. Observe all manner of eye opening happenings along the roadside.
Just when you think you have seen it all – something makes you look twice, and you think to yourself 'that must be it, really – nothing can surprise me anymore'. 5 minutes up the road, to your surprise, you are surprised again.
Get lulled into semi consciousness by weaving traffic and constant beep beep beeeeeep.
Zone in and out of eyebrow raising conversations between Barry and Adi.
Marriages in Lombok… Boy kidnaps girl, takes her away for a night… If her parents don't find her, girl must marry boy… Many men have multiple wives, I hear the driver explaining. "One night one wife, one night another wife, next night another wife, one night free." Busy man. Too many wives. Too much work.
Return to full consciousness as car pulls up abruptly at a fuel station.
Adi returns and we drive off.
Wonder if you really just heard that.
Sigh in resignation as traffic comes to a standstill all too soon.
In short, weddings = traffic jam. Weddings involve the bride and groom and a huge colourful, noisy procession of people singing, dancing, yelling and drumming their way down the road at snails pace. Apparently Saturday afternoon is a popular time slot to exchange wedding vows.
Eventually arrive at hotel. Note that the sun has very much gone down.
Navigate way to shopping mall.
Stepping out onto a road full of cars, trucks, horses, scooters and other assorted methods of transport all weaving in and out and around each other, is an exhilarating experience in the broad daylight when you know where you're going. In the dark, where depth perception is challenged and you're in unfamiliar territory – crossing a road can be a whole new level of exciting.
And a great source of amusement to the locals apparently.
Miraculously arrive at mall unscathed, and somewhat humoured by the whole ordeal.
Walk up, down and around three levels of shops before finally locating one singular office chair. Note that the days of being spoilt for choice are also very much over. Sit down deflated on a pile of floor mats as you make the realisation that the only choice of chair is going to be way too big to get in the vehicle taking you back to the ferry.
Reluctantly return to hotel but feel your spirits lift as you notice a sign in the foyer advertising that the spa is open until "11 midnight." Ring up and book hot stone massage. Visit spa, and meet the tiny lady who you expect will provide you with 90 minutes of hot stone bliss. Note absence of hot stones. Endure 90 minutes of torture at the hands and feet of tiny lady. Tiny lady, big pain. Emerge from spa limping and holding back tears.
Shower and crawl into bed. Lie awake listening to unusually loud drip inside wall. Pile clothes and pillows over head. Toss and turn. Whack the offending wall. Concede when the 4am call to prayer begins (right outside your room), that there may not be any sleep.
Doze off in early hours of morning, but wake unrested a short time later to an equally irritable husband displaying unmistakable signs of a developing 'manflu'. Note that shopping is most definitely out of the question.
Call Adi and ask if he knows 'computer chair'. Adi knows. Arrange to visit a furniture shop on way back to ferry.
Arrive at shop, see a potentially suitable chair in the distance and jump out of car, excitement mounting. Get stopped at the door and informed 'we finished'. Closing apparently.
Drive to next furniture shop, tentatively walk inside and see not one, not two, but THREE office chairs! Realise that logistically only one chair is an option, and claim it immediately. Hand over what seems like a large sum of cash, and kick yourself for appearing so obviously interested and committed to buying.
Return to car, squeeze chair in and begin the 2 hour trip back to the ferry. Note that while Saturday was wedding day, Sunday appears to be funeral day and it seems that funeral processions have a similar effect on the flow of traffic as weddings.
Sprawl across back seat and catch up on some sleep. Return to the present on arrival at the ferry and see that it's pouring rain. Board ferry getting rather wet in the process, and settle in for another nap. Wonder how the knees of the lady behind you could possibly be digging into your back, when your knees are 30cm from the seat in front of you. Consider making the move to the vacant seat behind her, to give her some knee prodding action of her own.
Receive information mid journey that there will be nobody present to drive you home when you disembark. Spend rest of trip arranging another driver.
We did eventually make it home with our new chair. (In case you were wondering). As we were walking back up the jetty towards home, wheeling a computer chair and trying to ignore all of the sideways glances in our direction, we both agreed that we wouldn't be going anywhere off of this island anytime soon. A while ago we were talking about getting some new lounge chairs, but interestingly enough – the ones we have seem to be a whole lot more comfortable since our return from the office chair purchasing mission. Go figure.
Remote island baking has it's challenges. I feel like I could almost leave this post at that, but unless you've had to make something out of nothing, using a whole lot of not much you mightn't really understand just what kind of challenges are faced in the jungle kitchen. A week ago, Valentine's Day was looming and for one reason and another I found myself somewhat underprepared. I had also managed to pick up some nasty illness that left me sneezing, coughing and running to the toilet at the same time. As you can imagine it wasn't a pleasant combination, and even if I had been living right beside a 6 floor shopping mall there was no way I was leaving the house to go looking for some commercialised token of my undying love.
Thankfully we don't really do Valentine's Day, as far as 'buying' goes. I'm usually the recipient of a handwritten, humorous poem, and I like to reciprocate the gesture by putting myself in charge of making something in the kitchen that I wouldn't usually consent to making on the basis that it has no nutritional value whatsoever. Our shipment still hasn't left Australia, so I'm working with a few bits and pieces in the kitchen that were issued to us on arrival. This doesn't include things like cup measures, a rolling pin, baking paper, kitchen scales and other items obviously deemed unnecessary or too extravagant for this jungle existence.
So Valentine's Day came along, and I stood staring into the drawer that I call my 'pantry' very much aware that whatever I ended up making was going to require some serious improvisation. I found some wholemeal flour (that smelled a bit stale), and thought maybe I'd have a go at making some shortcrust pastry. I had butter, salt, and ice cubes in the freezer so the only problem was the absence of any sort of weighing/measuring equipment. I did some of my best guesstimation work and put everything in the tiny 2 cup capacity food processor we were given. The burning motor smell that ensued made me wish I didn't bother getting it dirty. Instead I went back to basics, using a grater to grate the butter up, and rubbing it in with my hands, all old fashioned like.
I had some frozen strawberries, cornflour and sugar, and I even had a couple of limes in the fridge that I'd picked up on a whim the week before, so I experimented over the stove until I had a thick strawberry pie filling. I was halfway through my pie filling experiments when there was a knock at the door and once again I had a group of non English speaking Indonesians here for company – this time to connect my broadband. That's a story for another day, but their presence in general and their questionable work methods really added to the air of incompetence I already had going on in the kitchen.
I didn't have a rolling pin so I employed the use of two cutting boards, sandwiching the pastry between them to flatten it out as much as I could before substituting the absent rolling pin for a roll of cling wrap. Having no baking paper was always going to be a challenge. I decided to make a couple of mini pies and trial various non-stick baking methods, hoping that I would have one undamaged pie to show for my efforts in the end. I can tell you that using a Scanpan (which I brought with me in my suitcase), as a baking tray is not a good idea.
It took the better part of a day, and Barry arrived home from work in the middle of proceedings which wasn't my plan – but eventually I was able to present him with one mostly intact,'rustic looking', heart-shaped, strawberry pie/tart. I've made prettier things, that's for sure – but 'pretty' doesn't seem to matter so much anymore. It's not so much 'look what I made, doesn't it look good', but more 'look, I managed to make something and I believe it to be edible!' An oversupply of very ripe bananas forced me into experimenting further in the baking department, and yesterday I somehow turned out the most delicious banana cake/bread/loaf I've ever made. The only problem is, I wasn't able to weigh or measure any of the ingredients, so I will probably never be able to repeat the process again!
I'm finding it a lot easier to keep our Facebook page up to date than this blog, especially when we're on the move and/or have unreliable internet connection (which is more often than I'd like!). I'm not going to stop blogging here, but I just wanted to let you know that the 10 Kilograms Facebook page is public and I think you can still view it and see what we've been up to over here in the jungle even if you don't have a Facebook account!
I'm a bit behind, and it might take a few posts to catch up but here's what's been happening. Last weekend we flew to Singapore for a couple of nights, and I finally got my visa. (Insert sigh of relief followed by fist pump + victory dance here!) Once all of the business was taken care of, my focus was on our extensive shopping list. Barry's focus was on getting through the shopping trips.
I don't have kids, but when it comes to shopping with this guy, I imagine it would be something similar to shopping with a tired, cranky and resistant toddler. It feels like we're always on the verge of a tanty. At the very mention of the word 'shop' his bottom lip drops, his eyes go all round and fill with despair, and I have to put on a gentle, soothing voice (that I reserve especially for shopping) so as not to further encourage a public a meltdown with the help from my sharp tongue and it's potentially inconvenient timing. It's a rather delicate situation. Thankfully, (for both of us) we knocked most of our list over with one trip to Ikea! I love Ikea because it's big enough that I can hide briefly in a laundry or kitchen display, and subsequently lose my trolley pushing companion for a little while. This means I can go through my list and collect things without the constant sense of unease I have when I can hear him unenthusiastically dragging his feet along behind me. Our shipment still hasn't left Australia, so we did a lot of shopping for household essentials – things like freezer bags, oven mitts, cup measures, clothes hangers and other random items. Things that you wouldn't know you needed until you're stuck on an island without them!
On the way back to Sumbawa we spent a night in Seminyak, Bali where our main objective was to locate and purchase an Esky/Ice Box and fill it with meat! (I also had a secret side objective which was to find an art shop and stock up on supplies!). As expected, it was quite a mission to find something that resembled an Esky but we did eventually manage to find a 'Marina Cooler' that was big enough to make future meat runs worthwhile, but at the same time small enough that we could do these future meat runs on the seaplane. (Within our 10kg weight limit.) We filled the box to the brim with assorted cuts of (very pricey) Australian lamb and beef, and had it frozen overnight at our hotel. The next day after we'd had a super healthy breakfast and stocked up on things like non-toxic mosquito repellent from Down to Earth Bali, we made our way to the airport once again. A (delayed) plane flight, a road trip and a ferry trip later – we arrived back at our house and were very relieved to open our ice box and find that all of the meat was still cold. 'Successful shopping trip' has taken on a whole new meaning!
I'm not much of a morning person, takes me a while to feel human in the mornings. A couple of days ago I had just sat up in bed and started to talk myself into busting a move when out of nowhere there was a loud knock on the door, followed by muffled voices and lots of shuffling around on the verandah downstairs. Just the day before, I had been given a heads up about the frequent and unannounced visits from the maintenance team but I had thought maybe they would give a girl a bit of time to settle in before imposing. Apparently not.
At first I froze, a bit unsure of what to do and I thought that maybe if I was quiet enough they might just go away and I could calmly go about my waking up process. Instead, there was another louder knock and I realised that if it was in fact the maintenance team, they could quite possibly have a set of keys to the house. In an instant I was wide awake! I flung off the bed covers and began kicking my pyjamas off of one leg, hopped over to the mirror on the other leg and attempted to restrain my matted bed hair with one hand all the while reaching for some clothes with any available limb.
I quickly tiptoed downstairs clearing my throat on the way, and made my way to the door. I rubbed my eyes, blinked like an owl a few times before opening the door and greeting my visitors with the most high pitched and pleasant 'good morning' my sleepy vocal cords could produce. There were three men dressed in their high vis orange uniforms, sitting in various positions around the verandah. One of them got up and came to the door. "Ah hello mam, we come to check plugs." I invited my three visitors inside, and for an awkward moment paced backwards and forwards, unsure whether I should spring back upstairs to brush my hair and make myself and our bedroom more presentable, or if I should pick the pile of dirty clothes up off the living room floor.
I ended up doing neither, instead I slid down into the chair behind my computer at the kitchen table, and watched inconspicuously as they went about their business. I'm not exactly sure what that business was, but they went and hovered around each electrical appliance for a time and in the process of doing so, they noticed our new water dispenser and kettle on the bench. 'You mind if we change plug?' I reluctantly agreed to let them change the plugs, as we really needed those plugs changed. I didn't really 'mind' as such, however it was becoming increasingly apparent that my bladder was unimpressed about it's needs being overlooked in my rush to answer the door.
For some time my visitors happily sat at on the floor in the doorway going about their changing of plugs, humming away to themselves completely oblivious to my growing paranoia about malaria carrying mosquitos coming through the open door. After some time I came up with a plan of action that I thought would result in the front door being closed. I got up and gathered up the pile of dirty clothes from the living room floor and excused myself, stepped through their plug changing gathering and into the laundry. I put a load of washing into the machine, and returned back into the house purposefully shutting the door behind me. I smiled to myself, feeling as though one crisis was averted. No sooner had I sat back down at my computer though, you know it – the door was open again.
Time ticked on by, nobody seemed to be in a hurry and as the second hour passed I began to wonder if my address was the only one they had intended to visit for the day. Realising that I might have company for some time, I figured I may as well capitalise on their presence and I decided to start pointing out a few of the electrical problems we'd noticed since moving in. Knowing the language barrier would potentially be an issue, I decided to start with a basic one: the flashing light in our bedroom. There are actually about five lights in our house that flash while they're switched off. Not a problem in the daytime, but at night I had become increasingly frustrated by the intermittent flashing from the lightbulbs, especially the one over our bed.
I approached the only man who had spoken a little bit of English to me and tried my luck.
Man in orange: Blank stare.
Man in orange: Turns the light on.
Man in orange: "Light working".
Man in orange: "Light working mam".
Man in orange: "Mam, what is the problem".
So, true to his word mid afternoon there was another knock on the door, and my hard hat wearing visitors descended on the house once more. They were carrying with them a step ladder, boxes of lightbulbs and this time they had another man in a yellow shirt with them. This newcomer seemed to have a little more English, so against my better judgement I explained the flashing light situation all over again. After much looking, pointing and nodding it seemed like we were about to make some progress. I left them upstairs and retreated back to the kitchen table. After a a few minutes the sounds of laughter floated down the stairs, and it gradually increased in volume and intensity until eventually the laughs were punctuated by uncontrollable snorts. I was feeling more than a little awkward about the whole situation, and more inspired than ever to get my Indonesian language lessons underway.
Eventually they presumably stopped rolling around on the floor wetting themselves at my expense, pulled themselves together and emerged – plodding down the stairs looking decidedly straight faced.
As soon as they exited and I heard the car drive away I made my way dubiously up the stairs and stood watching the light for a few seconds. Sure enough, the flashing continues. It's a little bit frustrating that they can't understand me and I can't understand them, but I'm finding the most frustrating part of this language barrier is that they pretend they do understand when they clearly don't! Last night we took things into our own hands and removed the lightbulb before bed – problem solved!
As much as I love to travel and explore, I have to confess that I am probably more of a homebody than an intrepid spirit. I love home and the feeling of returning home after a trip away. I love being on my own at home and I could happily pass days, even weeks without leaving home! I love decorating, cooking, gardening, creating and I tend to make it my mission in life to turn wherever I'm living from 'house' into 'home'.
When I signed up for this adventure I knew that I would be spending a lot of time at home. I also knew that my happiness here would depend on how liveable I found my little island hut to be.Up until 3 days ago I hadn't seen the house we would be living in before, all I knew was that we were moving into a 2 bedroom apartment style house so I was a little nervous about the introductions. I was more than relieved to walk up the front stairs and feel that sense of 'home'. The 'D' at the front door, made me feel all the more welcome! There is nothing fancy about this house, it's very basic and there are patch up jobs everywhere but I'm pretty sure we will be happy to call it home for a couple of years. Let me take you on a quick tour. At the front you can see we have a nice verandah, complete with a table and some chairs. I will be investing in some citronella candles before we hang out there however. Off to the left of the verandah is a little laundry room, it has a washing machine, dryer and a mop and broom.
As you step inside the house, you find yourself in the living room. I think we can all agree that those lounge chairs have to go. They're fairly well used.. dirty and stained. It's a bit of a first world problem, but we've put in an unofficial work order to have them replaced, so fingers crossed a team of Indonesians turn up here one day with new chairs. Not likely, but we're hoping. In the meantime they have been covered with spare sheets, and a recycled sari throw.
If you carry on walking through there past the dining table, you will see the kitchen. I was very happy to see that we've been given a brand new oven/stove, and we've also been issued some brand new appliances – a toaster, blender, mixer and a rice cooker. We have a very basic set of everything in the cupboards/drawers but I am very much looking forward to the day our shipment arrives and I can unpack some decent knives, some tea towels, freezer bags and some plastic containers! Upstairs we've been lucky to find ourselves with 2 bedrooms. House allocation here works on a points system, and usually 2 bedrooms are reserved for couples with children. We have a king single bed in the spare room, and a king bed in the main bedroom.
I have already commenced my homemaking sequence in this room by doing a quick upholstery job on the bedhead, and adding my own custom made bedding (thanks mum!).
I will spare you the details of the bathroom, it's not very pretty. The main bathroom is upstairs, and there's also a toilet downstairs. They could both use quite a makeover, but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to improve that situation! Closing the door is my temporary solution!
Today was a logistically (and somewhat linguistically) challenging day. (To put it nicely). The abbreviation LIT was introduced to our vocabulary by circumstance, and I think it will be here to stay. LIT = Lost In Translation. LIT came in quite handy when we had to subtly communicate to each other that there had possibly been a breakdown in communication. Additionally, we found that "Lost In Transit" was also a pretty good fit after our luggage disappeared off of the radar at one point this afternoon.
We set off in the very early hours this morning to Changi airport in Singapore, hoping that by this evening our travels would have eventually lead us from Singapore to Sumbawa via Denpasar and Lombok. Unfortunately for us, being a little too punctual at Changi meant that little ole' mate at the check-in counter (in his wisdom), got a bit confused with our itinerary and inadvertently printed out a pile of boarding passes that sent us off on a Tour de Indonesia. It's a long story involving timezone calculation errors, flights that didn't quite connect properly, 90kg of temporarily misplaced baggage, blank stares, frantic jibber jabber and lots of pointing/waving of arms. I don't have the capacity to relay the sequence of events on in their entirety just yet, but I will just concludeby stating the obvious – we are not yet at Sumbawa.
One LIT incident after another meant we weren't able to get to the ferry this afternoon soinstead we have been checked in to the Novotel at Lombok. It's not where we're supposed to be sleeping, but I can think of worse places to land! We've taken some time out on the beach to process the events of the day, watched a beautiful sunset through the palm trees, and enjoyed a 3 course candlelit dinner. The 5 star treatment here probably isn't really helping to ease us into our new reality, but I'll take it!
We're starting out early again in the morning, and we're off to the ferry first thing so with any luck we will reach our destination at some point tomorrow!


Indonesian authorities in Bali have ordered an evacuation of the area surrounding the Mount Agung volcano due to a potential eruption.
The state of alert has been raised to its highest level by The National Board for Disaster Management and Bali Ngurah Rai International airport has been closed.
We will be in touch with any clients that might be affected.


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Hi there, I think I have exactly the same problem as you, with the same configuration. Did you find how to fix it since your post?
I had a similar question last year that I asked during a Club Cubase Google Hangout. When you select a VST Instrument from the Rack, the Add Instrument Track dialog opens and you have the option to select an instrument from a general list, or if you click the Browse button, you can drill down to specific instruments and presets by name. Choosing the latter will place the name of the preset/voice onto the track that gets created and will also appear in the Inspector. However, if you choose another preset later on, the track keeps the name of the previous preset/voice that was there before.
I've noticed a change as well.
In the past, if Sonic was set to accept program changes (I.E. GM Mode) in the 'Options Tab', the "instrument" cell in a track inspector would cause a pop up menu with 128 choices.
These days I just get Media Bay if I click on this cell, and while my Program Choice loads in Halion to the proper channel and all, the cell remains 'blank' after making a choice.
Same for Halion 5. I used to get a pop-up with the first 128 Halion Presets in the 'Program Tree", but something has changed here and I'm not sure what caused it. Maybe one of the service updates to Cubase?
I use cubase pro 8.5 and Halion sonic 2. I'm on a win10 platform. Everything was going fine until last week. I recently did the cubase pro update 8.5.30 but I cannot be sure there is a link, here. The problem started when I got a ''vst library not found'' in Halion. I am not a pro but I muddled my way out of this. Halion now detects all 3924 vst instruments, I can select categories of instruments and I can see the number of instruments decrease as I refine my selection. But I cannot see any of the actual instruments in the display below. I can see the outline of blank rows but they contain no text.
Of course, I cannot select them so I am dead in the water.
I uninstalled Halion Sonic 2 and reinstalled it: no change.
I keep rescanning the disk: it finds everything but I still cannot see or select them.
Win 10 platform, Cubase Pro 8.5, Halion Sonic 3 and Focusright interface.