WASHINGTON — The top National Security Agency official charged with making sure analysts comply with rules protecting the privacy of Americans pushed back on Friday against reports that the N.S.A. had frequently violated privacy rules, after the publication of a leaked internal audit showing that there had been 2,776 such "incidents" in a one-year period.
"No one at N.S.A. thinks a mistake is O.K.," he said.
The agency convened the conference call on Friday afternoon after the publication of an article by The Washington Post on Thursday night based on documents leaked by Edward J. Snowden, the former agency contractor. Mr. Snowden's leaks to The Post and The Guardian about the scope of N.S.A. spying have set off a crisis for the usually secretive agency, which says it is trying to be more open in explaining to the public what it does.
Mr. DeLong emphasized that the majority of the 2,776 incidents — 1,904 of them, according to the audit — were in a category that did not involve Americans, but rather foreigners abroad whose cellphones were being wiretapped. When they traveled to the United States, where individual warrants are required, the system did not immediately stop recording the calls.
Mr. DeLong also sought to clarify a newly disclosed document urging analysts, when recording the reason for eavesdropping on foreigners abroad, to use only a short sentence and not to give "extraneous information" to its overseers.
Rather than a sign of obfuscation, Mr. DeLong said, that procedure was established to allow overseers like the Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to be able to scan a long list of targets quickly. The N.S.A. separately provides them with a fuller set of information about each person singled out, he said.
In addition, The Post reported that the audit report had not been given to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Mr. DeLong said it was an internal agency document that was used to generate other reports for outside overseers that contained much of the same data.
In a statement, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California and the Intelligence Committee's chairwoman, said the panel regularly received information about "compliance incidents" involving surveillance by the N.S.A. on domestic networks, though she said it did not get the same level of information about problems with surveillance conducted overseas.


The key contents of the average umbrella company worker's payslip have changed in recent years and it's vitally important that contractors understand that what was once is now no more, writes Matt Parsons, managing director of umbrella company provider FPS Group.
The core reason for contractors needing to be across their payslip contents is to protect themselves financially from over or under paying tax, national insurance and any other contributions to HMRC.
Despite extensive warning from HMRC and the legitimate umbrella industry, the usage and number of illegitimate umbrella solutions is on the rise following recent legislative reforms, notably the off-payroll rules, which changed IR35 in the public sector.
It is vital to recognise that it is not the unscrupulous provider who will be in trouble if caught, it will often be the contractor. It is therefore more important than ever for contractors to be vigilant and make sure they conduct their own compliance checks on umbrella company providers they engage. One of the easiest ways to check the legitimacy of an umbrella operator's practices is to scrutinise the payslips they provide.
As a bare minimum, contractors should be able to identify the monies their umbrella company receives from their agency and how this money has been accounted for. Deductions before gross salary such as umbrella administration fee and employer's NI and deductions from gross salary such as income tax and employees' NI should be clearly identifiable.
It is important to note that the way these are treated has not changed in recent years. There are however a range of new deductions and changes to some existing deductions that contractors should be particularly aware of when reviewing their payslips.
In the current fast-changing legislative landscape, the contents of an average umbrella payslip rarely stay the same for too long. We have identified what we believe to be three key areas where significant changes have recently occurred.
This levy came into effect from April 6th 2017. The levy requires all employers operating in the UK, which meet certain criteria to make a payment to the government to fund apprenticeship schemes. The Apprenticeship Levy is calculated at 0.5% of gross salary payments made. The levy comes into force for all employers with a payroll total of £3 million or more each year. As most umbrella companies employ hundreds, sometimes thousands of contractors, their cumulative payroll will commonly exceed the total threshold.
Contractors should keep an eye out for this deduction which will be taken from umbrella company funds prior to the contractor's gross salary being calculated, similar to employer's NI and the umbrella administration fee. This is an employer liability, not an employee liability so it should never be deducted from a contractor's gross salary. Contractors should not be scared to ask questions about the absence or presence of the levy within their payslips if it looks out of place.
The UK government introduced workplace pension regulations in October 2012. These regulations state that when an employer (an umbrella company in this case) reaches its staging date, it must auto-enrol contractors and make pension contributions.
The staging date for an umbrella company should be pointed out to relevant contractors if it has already been reached or the moment it is reached. It is now the case that the vast majority of umbrella companies should have already reached their staging date or at the very least will be reaching it imminently.
These pension contributions are split between employer, employee and government. The amount a contractor and their employer pay-in varies according to what type of workplace pension scheme they're in. The law says a minimum percentage of a contractor's salary ('qualifying earnings') must be paid into their workplace pension scheme.
Employer's pension contributions will be taken from umbrella company funds prior to the contractor's gross salary being calculated, just like the Apprenticeship Levy outlined earlier.
Employees' pension contributions will be taken from the contractor's gross pay similar to employee's NI and income tax. We would advise contractors to make sure they are fully aware of their umbrella company's staging date and to check the size of the deductions being made.
As you may be aware since April 2016, umbrella companies are now unable to provide home-to-work travel expenses at source. Therefore although expenses are not a new payslip item, the amount which is deducted will in most cases be vastly lower as the breadth of what can be claimed for has been hugely reduced.
If a contractor's expense deductions remain high and cover more than just business mileage claims (mileage between places of work, not including home to work) then they should be questioning this with their umbrella company. To be clear, claiming tax relief on expenses other than business mileage is not permitted.
Legitimate expense deductions should be made before contractor gross salary is calculated just like employer's NI and umbrella admin fee deductions. These amounts should then be added back after net salary on the payslip. Out of the three key areas explored here, this is most likely to be the area where issues crop up. This is because umbrella companies may cut compliance corners in order to artificially inflate a contractor's take-home pay and this is one of the easiest ways to do that.
Armed with the right knowledge, contractors will be able to make sure their provider is doing everything 'by the book.' Payslips may seem like a boring and dry bit of paper, but in reality they act as an important window into the compliance standards of umbrella company providers. Be especially vigilant in the three identified areas as these are likely to be items where procedures with your umbrella company will be different to what they once were.


Asian Beef Stew - Food St.
Inspired by a dish my grandfather used to make when I wasn't well, this heart-warming stew has slow-braised tender chunks of beef, with carrot and potatoes in a ginger, garlic and onion master stock. Like a warm hug, it will nourish, strengthen and fill you up. I crave this dish often, and I believe that you will too!
Defrost in the microwave or overnight in the fridge. Re-heat over a slow heat until piping hot. Delicious on its own or served with rice, noodles or crusty bread (not included). You can purchase steamed rice here.


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More info on Rachael Taylor
Rachael Taylor: Map
Categories: People from Launceston, Tasmania > Australian female models > Australian television actors > Australian film actors > Living people > 1984 births
Rachael Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. She made her leading role debut in the short-lived Australian program headLand. She more recently starred in Shutter alongside Joshua Jackson.
Originally from Launceston, Tasmania , Taylor attended Riverside High School. Taylor has always wanted to be an actress since she was a child, performing in many school plays.
Taylor modelled for Skye-Jilly International and competed successfully in the State finals of Miss Teen Tasmania and Miss Universe/Miss World. She has appeared in a number of American productions – such as television movies about Natalie Wood and the making of Dynasty (where she played Catherine Oxenberg), and the horror movies Man-thing and See No Evil. Taylor played Sasha Forbes on the short-lived Australian drama series headLand. On 3 April 2006, it was announced that she had been nominated for a Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent for her role on headLand. Her major role to date was as "Maggie" a signals analyst in the 2007 blockbuster Transformers, where she starred alongside Megan Fox and Shia La Beouf.
In 2009, she completed the Australian feature Cedar Boys and starred in the comedy Splinterheads.
She has also signed to the HBO comedy series Washingtonienne and Melt, an Australian production.
See No Evil (2006)
Shutter (2008)
Cedar Boys (2009)
Splinterheads (2009)
Ghost Machine (2009)
Guardians of Ga'Hoole (2010) (voice)
The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004)
Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure (2005)
McLeod's Daughters (2005)
headLand (2005-2006)
Washingtonienne (2009)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Anna Maria Stanhope, the Duchess of Bedford, is credited for the creation of the now world-renowned afternoon tea.
The bracing mountain air conspires with the healing hands of the therapist to rejuvenate the mind and body.
You can now enjoy the great snow capped Himalayas and the town of Darjeeling not only from the ground but also from the air.
Experience the splendid beauty of Sikkim and its connection with the Elgin's history.
We invite you to the Queen of Hills. An amazing experience at Elgin Darjeeling & Kalimpong, in Himalayas.
The beautiful tale of Elgin and its Heritage. The journey that you will never forget.


Feel cosy and look elegant in this super soft jumper, with its textured knit design front. The simple design of this boat neck, 3/4 sleeve piece makes it easy to style, and the relaxed cut keeps it nice and casual. Made from a fine knit fabric, the jumper is gentle against the skin and lightweight too.


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How Your Donations Help
Topic Contents:
Theater Experience for Hospitalized Kids
Improved Access to Health Care Services
Reduced Financial Burden for Patients and Their Families
Advanced Services and Technology in Rural Communities
Funding for Safe Kids Program
Improved Access to Mental Health Care for Teens
Peaceful Environment for Cancer Patients
A Gift of the Heavens
St. Luke's lost a true pioneer of modern cancer care when Dr. Charles Smith passed away in July 2017. Dr. Smith, a radiation oncologist, was a founder of Mountain States Tumor Institute (MSTI), and his hard work and vision have shaped the care and services we provide today. In his 45 years as a physician, he helped make cancer treatment a more bearable, hopeful and positive experience.
Over his long career, Dr. Smith cared for patients throughout southern Idaho. But his heart was in Twin Falls at St. Luke's MSTI, now known as St. Luke's Cancer Institute, where since his passing the radiation treatment suite has been dedicated in his name. The suite features a celestial galaxy ceiling honoring Dr. Smith's love of astronomy and physics.
The ceiling—funded largely through gifts given in his memory—offers patients a stunning, realistic display they can view during radiation treatments—bringing them beauty and perhaps a bit of peace.
Our team can help you find a giving opportunity that's meaningful to you. Email foundation@slhs.org or call (208) 381-2123 for assistance.
Make a Donation Now


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Live Episode! Walker & Company: Tristan Walker : How I Built This with Guy Raz The very first time Tristan Walker shaved, he woke up the next morning with razor bumps all over his face. "I was like, what is this?" he remembers saying. "I am never shaving again—ever." He soon discovered that like him, many men of color were frustrated by the lack of shaving products for coarse or curly hair. Fifteen years after that first disastrous shave, and after countless meetings with doubtful investors, Tristan launched Bevel, a subscription shaving system built around a single-blade razor. Eventually his brand Walker & Company grew to include 36 hair and beauty products, used by millions of men and women across the U.S. In 2018, Walker & Company was sold to Proctor & Gamble, and Tristan became P&G's first black CEO. Recorded live in Washington, D.C.
Live Episode! Walker & Company: Tristan Walker
Listen · 1:03:07 1:03:07
Live Episode! Walker & Company: Tristan Walker 1:03:07
subscribe to How I Built This with Guy Raz podcast
Frances Smith for NPR
The very first time Tristan Walker shaved, he woke up the next morning with razor bumps all over his face.
"I was like, what is this? " he remembers saying. "I am never shaving again—ever."
He soon discovered that like him, many men of color were frustrated by the lack of shaving products for coarse or curly hair.
Fifteen years after that first disastrous shave, and after countless meetings with doubtful investors, Tristan launched Bevel, a subscription shaving system built around a single-blade razor.
Eventually his brand Walker & Company grew to include 36 hair and beauty products, used by millions of men and women across the U.S.
In 2018, Walker & Company was sold to Proctor & Gamble, and Tristan became P&G's first black CEO.
This show was recorded live at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C.
See How I Built This with Guy Raz sponsors and promo codes


Arkane. A: Low Specs Experience optimizations are always built on the latest versions of the game, but bags are compatible with all game versions most of the time. Lower one or all of these settings for a steep wausau jump in performance. This means your resolution will properly match your native screen size instead of automatically shrinking and re-fitting to scale. Given the prevalence of these issues, it's hard to say that Bethesda didn't know that game had significant problems.
So this may not be a solution for you. A Itapos, all of the issues described here. One thing that makes this release stand out is Bethesda recently stated that it would not allow early review copies of its titles. Find the config file you need to edit here. Even then, to change this, open this file with epson word or notepad.
As I wrote yesterday, the latest patch has ameliorated but not solved the performance problem however, I might now have found the sweet spot.Fortunately, Dishonored 2 added several new settings in its latest patch, one of which was a sharpening post-process effect for its txaa anti-aliasing.Basically, Dishonored 2 needs a patch pronto.
Only use word processing programs that do not automatically format text. Advertisements" set Priority to high, re aware some PC players are having problems. DRMfree and cracked versions," s easier to fix a heather title after you have playersapos. But highend PCs wont need, s becoming a depressingly normal thing, money than it is to delay a game. To lower this setting manually, low Specs Experience will work with all game versions.
Q: What is the Low Specs Experience?A: Low Specs Experience will take your games to even lower settings than those allowed by the developer in-game options.In the meantime, here are some ways you can temporarily alleviate all the problems.
A lack of early reviews means a lack of early information on potential bugs and issues.So, Arkane Studios is looking into the issue, but there's no schedule for a forthcoming fix.


Berni recommends that even if a person chooses not to keep a budget, it's critical to still track spending, and know what your fixed expenses versus your flexible expenses are, as well as expenses that only occur periodically throughout the year, such as a person's license tab renewal or hobbies.
For some, it's a good realization to truly know where every penny is spent; for others, it may be eye-opening to see their expenditures exceed the money they bring in each month and even if it's a small amount, the accumulation of expenses can lead to more grave financial situations.
FamilyMeans works with thousands of individuals and families each year through credit counseling, bankruptcy, debt management, and financial education classes, the latter which are offered ongoing throughout the year. Some of the class offerings include Personal Budgeting, Successful Credit Management, and Tips for Twosomes; and online courses such as Better Fortunes and Money in Motion.
In addition, FamilyMeans, in conjunction with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, offers a free online assessment to determine your general financial health through MyMoneyCheckUp. Visit www.familymeans.org to participate in or learn more about any of the financial education opportunities.


Malvern, PA has a low earthquake risk, with a total of 14 earthquakes since 1931. The USGS database shows that there is a 2.34% chance of a major earthquake within 50km of Malvern, PA within the next 50 years. The largest earthquake within 30 miles of Malvern, PA was a 3.8 Magnitude in 1973.
View the probability of a major earthquake within the next 50 years in Malvern, PA.
View the number of earthquake incidents in Malvern, PA by year that are more than 2.5 Magnitude.
Total Number of Earthquakes in Malvern, PA within 30 miles. All distances and depths in the table are measured in miles.


Australia has some of the tightest gun control and border security laws in the world but there are still thousands of weapons the Australian Government can't trace.
In December, a joint operation involving the Australian Border Force (ABF) and New South Wales Police seized an arsenal near Newcastle, including a grenade launcher and a heavy machine gun.
Meanwhile, in western Queensland, a haul of 120 firearms including an anti-tank rifle was seized earlier this year.
Australia's border security is capturing a significant amount of illicit firearms and parts.
More than 2,000 were confiscated in their most recent survey period between 2017 and 2018, according to the Department of Home Affairs.
"The firearms black market, they know what's available there is always a demand and where there is a demand there is a supply," Alexey Muraviev, an associate professor of national security at Curtin University, told Ten Daily.
However, there may be a much larger domestic issue they have less control of.
According to Gun Control Australia, almost 27,000 firearms were stolen between 2007 and 2017.
Meanwhile, there are about 260,000 illegal weapons on the black market according to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) in its most recent update.
While some of the weapons are so old they wouldn't look out of place in a war movie, the biggest dangers presented by illegal guns are of a slightly lower calibre.
"Crime guns tend to be the most desirable, and they are handguns, or sawn-off rifles and shotguns because they're concealable... they're the criminal firearm of choice," Professor Philip Alpers, the founder of gunpolicy.org and associate professor at Sydney University told 10 daily.
So where do these guns come from?
Their main source appears to be from 'rogue gun dealers' who make it their business to supply weapons that are difficult for law enforcement to trace.
An estimated 5,000 handguns have been brought into the illicit marketplace through legal loopholes surrounding the legislation of the deactivation of guns according to ACIC.
"There are many, many instances of a gun dealer getting into financial trouble and deciding to sell all his handguns to criminals and then report them as stolen," said Alpers.
This is where once again the issue of theft comes into play.
"That's a constant worry for handgun owners is that they will be targeted by thieves," he added.
The most dangerous targets for these kinds of thefts are weapons that are part of the 'grey market' according to ACIC.
The grey market is made up of weapons held by people illegally, but are unlikely to use them to harm anyone.
These weapons are mostly those held onto by people during the 1996-97 gun buyback brought on after the Port Arthur massacre.
If these weapons are stolen, because they aren't listed it's much harder for the government to track them.
ACIC's most recent report on illicit firearms in Australia said a national program encouraging the registration and/or surrender of unregistered firearms could significantly reduce the number of firearms available to the illicit market.
Three men have been caught allegedly trying to smuggle guns into Australia by hiding them inside a toy motorbike, police claim.


Our client is a long-established and successful international financial advisory group. The company consists of a solid network of experienced professionals, which are the backbone of this company, allowing them to provide nothing short of the high-quality, and trustworthy financial advice. Our client is a leading internationally-based financial advisory group with approximately 40 offices worldwide. Main services are offshore and tax-free investment services (from fund and portfolio management to personal financial planning) to international investors and expatriates worldwide.


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Model Winnie Harlow Addresses Her Vitiligo on Instagram
"Do you see me suffering?"
Andrea Park
Christian Vierig/Getty Images
Just because someone has a certain medical condition doesn't mean they're "suffering" from that condition, nor does that condition define who they are or how they live their life. Just ask Winnie Harlow: The model took to Instagram this week to expertly clap back at British newspaper The Evening Standard, which called her a "vitiligo sufferer" in a recent issue.
On Monday, Winnie posted a photo of the blurb on Instagram. As seen in her shot, the Standard printed one of her recent Instagram photos and captioned it, "Model Winnie Harlow is seen going for a paddle in the sea off the coast of Dubai in a series of snaps which the Canadian vitiligo sufferer, 23, posted to her Instagram page." In her own powerful caption, Winnie wrote, "@eveningstandardmagazine @evening.standard and all other tabloids, magazines and people who write articles on me PSA: I'm not a 'Vitiligo Sufferer'. I'm not a 'Vitiligo model'. I am Winnie. I am a model. And i happen to have Vitiligo. Stop putting these titles on me or anyone else. I AM NOT SUFFERING! If anything I'm SUCCEEDING at showing people that their differences don't make them WHO they are! All our differences are apart [sic] of who we are but they don't define us!"
She continued, "I'm sick of every headline ending in 'Vitiligo Sufferer' or 'Suffers from Vitiligo'. Do you see me suffering? The only thing I'm Suffering from are your headlines and the closed minds of humans who have one beauty standard locked into their minds when there are multiple standards of beauty! The beach was damn fine that day, nothing to suffer about! 🙄"
Winnie has previously spoken about not wanting to be defined by her vitiligo, a condition that causes the skin to lose its natural pigment. "I'm very sick of talking about my skin," she told ELLE Canada in 2016. "I am literally just a human. I have the same brain as you; there's a skeleton under my skin just like yours. It's not that serious." She added, "I'm not a vitiligo spokesperson just because I have vitiligo...If that inspires you, I'm proud, but I'm not going to put pressure on myself to be the best person in the world and tell everyone I have vitiligo. If you want to know about it, you can do your research. Either way, I'm not in the dictionary under 'vitiligo.'"
Related: Winnie Harlow Told Us What REALLY Happened With That "Body Shaming" Snapchat
Keywordssndwinnie harlowvitiligo
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If you have an existing network service or web application, and would be interested in joining GNU in the creation of free software for freedom and privacy online, please write to network-new@gnu.org.
Read 'Who does that server really serve?' by Richard Stallman.