text:
GRAMMY-winning jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant draws a wealth of stylistic influence from Ella Fitzgerald. In fact, the 31-year-old Miami-born, French-raised vocalist is often credited as the successor to Fitzgerald’s musical legacy. So it should come as no surprise that the discovery of a previously unreleased live recording of Ella Fitzgerald from a 1962 performance at Berlin’s Sportpalast would serve as a catalyst for Salvant’s wide-ranging artistic impulses.
While learning of the new live tracks while sheltering at home, Cécile, who is a visual artist as well, embarked on digitally animating Ella’s performance of “Taking A Chance On Love.” The resulting video was released today, September 16, marking the first time she has animated a full-length music video (Salvant is well kown for illustrating album covers for herself and others.) The track is included in the highly anticipated live album, Ella Fitzgerald The Lost Berlin Tapes, set for an October 2nd release on Verve Records. (Pre-order it here: https://amzn.to/3kAoPjZ)
“I am not an animator, and have very little knowledge of the shortcuts necessary, so it took about two months of slow and steady work,” said Salvant in a press release. “Daily adding drawings on my tablet to make the video move so there are easily a thousand frames. Ella was with me along the way, and it became a ritual to hear her sing the song as I drew. The tears turn into dancers! This is how I feel when I hear Ella.” Watch the video via the player below.


HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is perhaps the most popular application protocol used on the Internet (or The WEB).
- HTTP is an asymmetric request-response client-server protocol as illustrated. An HTTP client sends a request message to an HTTP server. The server, in turn, returns a response message. In other words, HTTP is a pull protocol, the client pulls information from the server (instead of server pushes information down to the client).
- HTTP is a stateless protocol. In other words, the current request does not know what has been done in the previous requests.
- HTTP permits negotiating of data type and representation, so as to allow systems to be built independently of the data being transferred.
Whenever you issue a URL from your browser to get a web resource using HTTP, e.g. http://www.example.com/index.html, the browser turns the URL into a request message and sends it to the HTTP server. The HTTP server interprets the request message and returns you an appropriate response message, which is either the resource you requested or an error message. This process is explained stepwise below:
- 1.User issues URL from browser http://host:port/path/file
- 2.Browser sends a request message
- 3.Server maps the URL to a file or program under the document directory
- 4.Server returns a response message
- 5.Browser formats the response and delays
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is used to uniquely identify a resource over the web. URL has the following syntax:
There are 4 parts in a URL:
- 1.Protocol: The application-level protocol used by the client and server, e.g., HTTP, FTP, and telnet.
- 2.Hostname: The DNS domain name (e.g. www.example.com) or IP address (e.g., 22.214.171.124) of the server.
- 3.Port: The TCP port number that the server is listening for incoming requests from the clients.
- 4.Path-and-file-name: The name and location of the requested resource, under the server document base directory.
For example, in the URL,
http://www.example.com/docs/index.html, the communication protocol is HTTP, the hostname is
www.example.com. The port number was not specified in the URL and takes on the default number, which is TCP port 80 for HTTP. The path and file name for the resource to be located is
As mentioned, whenever we enter a URL in the address box of the browser, the browser translates the URL into a request message according to the specified protocol; and sends the request message to the server.
For example, the browser translates the URL
http://www.example.com/docs/index.htmlinto the following request message:
GET /docs/index.html HTTP/1.1
Accept: image/gif, image/jpeg, */*
Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate
User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)
When this request message reaches the server, the server can take either one of these actions:
- 1.The server interprets the request received, maps the request into a file under the server's document directory, and returns the file requested to the client.
- 2.The server interprets the request received, maps the request into a program kept in the server, executes the program, and returns the output of the program to the client.
- 3.The request cannot be satisfied, the server returns an error message.
An example of the HTTP response message is as shown:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:56:53 GMT
Server: Apache/2.2.14 (Win32)
Last-Modified: Sat, 20 Nov 2004 07:16:26 GMT
X-Pad: avoid browser bug
The browser receives the response message, interprets the message and displays the contents of the message on the browser's window according to the media type of the response (as in the Content-Type response header). Common media types include "
application/msword", and "
In its idling state, an HTTP server does nothing but listening to the IP address(es) and port(s) specified in the configuration for the incoming requests. When a request arrives, the server analyzes the message header, applies rules specified in the configuration, and takes the appropriate action. The webmaster's main control over the action of the webserver is via the configuration, which will be dealt with in greater detail in the later sections.
HTTP client and server communicate by sending text messages. The client sends a request message to the server. The server, in turn, returns a response message.
An HTTP message consists of a message header and an optional message body, separated by a blank line, as illustrated below:
HTTP Request Message
HTTP Response Message
The HTTP protocol defines a set of request methods. A client can use one of these request methods to send a request message to an HTTP server. The methods are:
- GET: A client can use the GET request to get a web resource from the server.
- POST: Used to post data up to the web-server.
- PUT: Ask the server to store the data.
- DELETE: Ask the server to delete the data.
The first line of the response message (i.e., the status line) contains the response status code, which is generated by the server to indicate the outcome of the request.
The status code is a 3-digit number:
- 1xx (Informational): Request received, the server is continuing the process.
- 2xx (Success): The request was successfully received, understood, accepted, and serviced.
- 3xx (Redirection): Further action must be taken in order to complete the request.
- 4xx (Client Error): The request contains bad syntax or cannot be understood.
- 5xx (Server Error): The server failed to fulfill an apparently valid request.
You can refer to the following links to know more about the HTTP protocol.


text:
Al-Haq takes the occasion of Land Day to highlight the intrinsic link between land and the exercise of the right to self-determination. Over nearly 40 years of occupation, Israel’s pervasive policies of land expropriation and confiscation, settlement construction and movement restrictions have severely damaged the access of the Palestinian people to their land in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), thereby rendering the meaningful exercise of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination all but impossible.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Annexation Wall encroaches deep into occupied territory, confiscating land and exacerbating movement restrictions. When completed, the Wall will effectively annex 10 percent of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In parallel to the construction of the Annexation Wall, Israel has severely restricted Palestinian access to the Jordan Valley, which comprises some 25 percent of the West Bank.
While no wall has been constructed, a near impenetrable system of permits, checkpoints and closures restrict the movement of goods and people into and out of the Jordan Valley. The ongoing construction of a permanent border-like terminal at Tayasir checkpoint, the main access point to the northern Jordan Valley, is a stark physical manifestation of the intended permanence of these restrictions.
Also, as with elsewhere in the West Bank, Israel has aggressively pursued settlement construction and expansion in the Jordan Valley, resulting in massive confiscation and expropriation of Palestinian land. Some 7,500 settlers live in 26 settlements, alongside some 47,000 Palestinians. These settlements control some 90 percent of the land, to which Palestinians are denied access. Recently, the Israeli government announced its decision to establish a new settlement in the northern Jordan Valley, which it appears will be used to re-settle Israeli settlers removed from the Gaza Strip in August and September of 2005.
As affirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israel is an Occupying Power in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Accordingly, it is bound by the rules of international humanitarian law, which clearly establish Israel’s construction of settlements in the OPT as a flagrant violation of article Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention. It is worth noting that, the “extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly” is deemed to be a grave breach of the Convention.
In addition to constituting clear violations of international humanitarian law, when taken in their totality, Israeli actions and policies in the Jordan Valley clearly indicate an intention to retain control over the area in any future political settlement. Israel’s Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, has referred to the Jordan Valley as “Israel’s eastern border.” Not only would Israel’s retention of the Jordan Valley constitute a further assault on the meaningful exercise of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, but it would also violate of a core principle of the UN Charter: the Article 2(4) prohibition on the acquisition of territory by the use or threat of force.
In respect of the above mentioned violations, under Article 1 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and ensure respect for the for the Convention in all circumstances. Furthermore, by virtue of UN General Assembly resolution 2625 (XXV),
Every State has the duty to promote, through joint and separate action, realization of the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter, …It is therefore with great concern that Al-Haq views recent announcements outlining projects for the development of the Jordan Valley, endorsed and supported by third states. While Al-Haq welcomes initiatives aimed at bolstering the Palestinian economy, these must not be carried out in violation of international law and must not serve to further entrench Israel’s illegal settlements, land confiscation and violation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
While commemorating Land Day, Al-Haq reminds the international community of its obligations under international law with respect to Israel’s sustained violations of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, in particular the right to self-determination. It is only through ending the occupation, in accordance with international law, that these violations can be brought to an end and the rights of the Palestinian people realised. Al-Haq therefore calls upon:

domain: law


text:
Letters I Never Sent - Home Coming (Evansville, IN Concert)
PhilSmeeze: “Me and Brunz talkin in our sleep….again”
ZDF Kultur - Number One - Bruno Mars
Documentary about Bruno Mars that aired on Germany’s ZDF Kultur on October 28th 2013. The interview with Bruno was likely recorded in May 2013. The documentary includes conversations with those who know/have worked with Bruno, his family members, music critics, journalists and psychologists.
Anonymous asked: do you have the finaaly free or others songs lyrics?
Hey, unfortunately I can’t find any. Maybe someone who follows me can help?

domain: artistic


text:
Very great Idea, amazing execution. I bought a subscription to my brother as well. I really appretiate the use of the 80/20 principle in getting a book's core content. Of course some books i blinked into I exed and found bullshit, but i was very happy that i didn't have to spend time and money to figure out that I don't like a book that sounds good. And 95% of the content is really useful to get ideas from to make your life better and to feed your curiosity about things you don't necessery want to become an expert in, but you are interested. Also can give huge ideas about which books you really want to read in full. I wish there were translations to other languages.
Collection of meaningless cliches Do you want to read summaries of life coaching books, that has nothing more to say anyway, than a few cliches in bullet points? From authors who could tell you the "real" secrets of life? Then this is for you! The UI and audio is nice though.
We all love a little clarity, right? Now, it’s more straightforward to download audio you’re excited about! Just tap the download icon. Now, when you’re somewhere that the internet isn’t (like the plane, or under the sea, or deep space), you can filter for offline listening so you’ll find only the audio you’ve already downloaded. Happy listening!

domain: literature


text:
Tycoon Percussion Master Fantasy Tiger Series Requinto Drum with Single stand is a product from a well-known instrumental house of Congas, Tycoon Percussion. The drum has a tiger skin inspired pattern with a 30-inch height/rise. The design is well constructed to achieve clear sounds along with teeming tones. It has easy manipulation settings for different desirable notes and pitch.
Table of Contents
Twining to its other products, the Tycoon Percussion Master Fantasy Tiger Series Requinto with Single Stand is also made from manually selected Siam Oak wood. With the stave barrel like shape and akin texture of tiger sheath, both circular ends are well framed with steel. Both circular ends are well framed with steel. The drumhead is made with superior quality water buffalo skin. The upper head has a steel framing with 3/8 diameter and the hoops are reinforced with side plates and backing plates, giving it a sturdy finish. Whereas the mirrored look given through multiple layers of high gloss lacquer finish and eye catchy graphics makes it a fancy glimpse.
Features And Specifications
Though the Tycoon Percussion Master Fantasy Tiger Series Requinto with Single Stand not only has a specification to produce clearer slap and bass sound. Here are some key points about the distinctive features of the product-
- The height is appropriate for drummers to play while seating.
- Stroke sound is better than other drums in the similar price range.
- Full bass tone projection is better for live performances.
- Premium quality of construction material ensures durability.
- Fine tuning options ease different muffling styles.
- The product accompanies a requinto which can be used for tuning Latin rock, Songo, Afro-Cuban Jazz and a few other music forms.
How Does It Fare?
The Tycoon Percussion supplies an excellent range of drums with various features. The Master Fantasy Tiger Series Requinto with Single Stand comes with stunning features. The best part is its precision over note production as it even helps a learner and its muffling options favour performers. The product promises a durable company and a good exploit. Also, the design given to it stands a class apart. Precisely, it can be considered a good fare at all levels of critical evaluation.
Value For Money
The Tycoon Percussion 10 Inch Master Fantasy Tiger Series Requinto with Single Stand is available at a reasonable price on Amazon. However, it qualifies for free shipping at all portals and is one of the best quinto drums in the market. The delivery package includes the drum, one requinto, single stand, lug lube and a tuning wrench. Plus, the accessories that come along with the product makes it a better deal than other.
Don’t Miss Out to Check the Following Quinto Drums:

domain: design


text:
Shadow Brokers seem to have Equation Group goods (but their broken English really looks like a put-on). Speculation about attribution of NSA compromise. Unwanted emails to dot-gov addresses amount to denial-of-service?
Consensus at week's end is that NSA was indeed compromised. Cisco and Fortinet are already patching zero-days included in the code released by the Shadow Brokers, and Juniper Networks is investigating apparently exploitable flaws in its own software. Fugitive leaker Edward Snowden is among many who believe Russian intelligence services are behind the compromise—Immunity's CTO David Aitel, for one, told Passcode he thinks the Shadow Brokers' release is a cyberdeterrent move aimed at dissuading US retaliation for Russian hacks of US political organizations.
What does not, however, point to Russian involvement is the bizarrely fractured English the Shadow Brokers use in their auction communiqués. No observers have found any plausible non-native English syntax that matches the Brokers' prose. Rather, it reads like something thrown together by a screenwriter.
Other speculation continues to center on the possibility that disgruntled or compromised insiders were responsible for the leak. Those adhering to this theory point to aspects of the leaked files they think would be inaccessible to anyone lacking physical access to NSA facilities.
Malicious insiders have been problematic elsewhere. Studies show companies uneasy about their ability to detect and manage insider threats, and the arrest of a Sage employee at Heathrow Airport on charges of stealing customer data gives point to such concerns.
Brian Krebs reports that unwanted emails are flooding the in-boxes of users with dot-gov addresses. The emails, mostly newsletters, amount, some are saying, to a denial-of-service operation. The problem is beginning to manifest itself outside the dot-gov domain.
Today's issue includes events affecting Canada, China, Germany, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States.
A note to our readers, especially those of you interested in art and design--"STEM to STEAM," as they call it: the CyberWire is partnering with Maryland Art Place to sponsor a competition for an original work of art on the theme "creating connections." You can read about the competition in NY Arts Magazine. A full prospectus may be found here.
The CyberWire's regular daily Podcast will be out later this afternoon, with interviews, educational tips, and more on the stories of the day. Today we'll hear from Jonathan Katz, representing our partners at the University of Maryland. He'll talk about reverse engineering encryption. Our guest is Delta Risk's Chris Fogle, who'll share perspective on board responsibility for cyber security. (As always, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider giving it an iTunes review.)
Cyber Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
Security Experts Agree: The NSA Was Hacked (Technology Review) Analysis of the software tools made available by the Shadow Brokers suggests that they’re the real deal
The NSA Hack: Who Did It and Why? (Bloomberg via Yahoo! Finance) When Edward Snowden disclosed surveillance secrets from the U.S. National Security Agency in 2013, it was a clear case of whodunit, a mystery that was solved when the former NSA contractor gave an interview to The Guardian newspaper from his Hong Kong hotel room. This week’s leak of high-tech hacking tools, however, is less straight forward
Russia emerges as prime suspect in apparent NSA hack (Christian Science Monitor Passcode) A previously unknown group dumped a cache of hacking tools on the web that appear to be from the National Security Agency. Now, cybersecurity experts say Moscow is once again behind a cyberattack on the US
Snowden Claims Russia is Behind NSA Hack (Infosecurity Magazine) Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has claimed that the Kremlin is most likely behind the recent cyber-attack on what is thought to be an NSA C&C server, and is using the data as leverage against a possible retaliation for the state-sponsored campaign against the Democrat party
Here's why the NSA won't release a 'smoking gun' implicating Russia in these major hacks (Business Insider) Was Russia behind the massive hack of the Democratic National Committee, or the latest breach of what appears to be the NSA's elite hacking unit?
The NSA Data Leakers Might Be Faking Their Awful English To Deceive Us (Motherboard) Nobody knows who’s hiding behind the moniker of The Shadow Brokers, the mysterious group who earlier this week dumped a slew of hacking tools belonging to the NSA. Is it the Russian government? Is it actually a disgruntled rogue NSA insider?
Those Hacked NSA Malware Names Are Funny, But Don't Laugh Too Hard (Fortune) This isn’t some new Bond film—this is actually happening
Cisco, Juniper and Fortinet Investigate Zero-Day Claims (Infosecurity Magazine) Cisco, Fortinet and Juniper Networks have confirmed that they are investigating reports of zero-days in their products
Opinion: NSA hack reveals flaws in White House zero-day process (Christian Science Monitor Passcode) A potentially damaging hacking tool revealed in the apparent National Security Agency breach includes a zero-day vulnerability – or previously unknown security hole – in Cisco software. The government should have already disclosed that flaw
The NSA Has a New Disclosure Policy: Getting Hacked (Foreign Policy) Software vulnerabilities are the NSA’s best weapons, Silicon Valley’s worst nightmare, and a new target for hackers
How intelligence agencies undermine our computer security (Crikey) Our intelligence agencies are supposed to keep us safe -- so why do they deliberately keep IT security flaws secret from users?
The Clinton Foundation fear donation data stolen after suspected hack (International Business Times) Officials spotted 'indications' it was compromised by 'spearphishing' tactics
Utah congressman sees possible Russian cyberattack on U.S. elections (Deseret News) A Utah congressman sees the possibility for Russian computer hackers to disrupt the U.S. presidential election in November
WikiLeaks postings of Turkish emails included active links to malware (SC Magazine) WikiLeaks' practice of delivering unfiltered information to its readers backfired after a researcher discovered that its collection of leaked Turkish government emails contained over 300 active links to malware files hosted on the controversial site
Massive Email Bombs Target .Gov Addresses (KrebsOnSecurity) Over the weekend, unknown assailants launched a massive cyber attack aimed at flooding targeted dot-gov (.gov) email inboxes with subscription requests to thousands of email lists. According to experts, the attack — designed to render the targeted inboxes useless for a period of time — was successful largely thanks to the staggering number of email newsletters that don’t take the basic step of validating new signup request
Retooled Locky Ransomware Pummels Healthcare Sector (BankInfo Security) Attackers increasingly favor ransomware over banking Trojans, FireEye says
Locky Targets Hospitals In Massive Wave Of Ransomware Attacks (Threatpost) A massive Locky ransomware campaign spotted this month targets primarily the healthcare sector and is delivered in phishing campaigns. The payload, researchers at FireEye said, is dropped via .DOCM attachments, which are macro-enabled Office 2007 Word documents
A Mysterious Message Is Warning Bitcoiners About a ‘State Sponsored’ Attack (Motherboard) The next version of Bitcoin Core, one of the most popular bitcoin wallets in existence, might be replaced with a malicious version courtesy of government-backed hackers, a warning on Bitcoin.org, the site that hosts downloads for Core, states
Compromising Linux virtual machines via FFS Rowhammer attack (Help Net Security) A group of Dutch researchers have demonstrated a variant of the Rowhammer attack that can be used to successfully compromise Linux virtual machines on cloud servers
Malware Infected All Eddie Bauer Stores in U.S., Canada (KrebsOnSecurity) Clothing store chain Eddie Bauer said today it has detected and removed malicious software from point-of-sale systems at all of its 350+ stores in North America, and that credit and debit cards used at those stores during the first six months of 2016 may have been compromised in the breach. The acknowledgement comes nearly six weeks after KrebsOnSecurity first notified the clothier about a possible intrusion at stores nationwide
Former CEO Claims Swift Was Slow to Address Threats (Infosecurity Magazine) The under fire Swift banking messaging network took its eye off the ball in failing to prioritize cybersecurity over the past decade, especially when it came to its smaller members, according to a former CEO
SWIFT banking execs admit to ignoring security before hacks (Tech Target) The SWIFT banking system had a number of high profile hacks earlier this year and execs are now admitting that they ignored security issues until it was too late
3 Takeaways From The HEI Hotels And Oracle MICROS Breaches (Dark Reading) Attacks another reminder of the fragility of the US payment system
Microsoft is secretly stealing your data, says security expert (What Mobile) Top security expert for Plixer has discovered that Microsoft is secretly stealing data from its Windows 10 users
EFF Blasts Microsoft Over ‘Malicious’ Windows 10 Rollout Tactics (Threatpost) The Electronic Frontier Foundation is blasting Microsoft for its “malicious” and “annoying” tactics when it comes to prodding Windows users to update their operating system to Windows 10
Dating Sites Hit By Luring Attacks from TOR (Infosecurity Magazine) An increase in luring attacks targeting dating sites via the TOR network has been uncovered
IPhone hackers pick wrong target — a UW expert (Waterloo Region Record) On-screen taunt gives encryption specialist time to thwart attack
Beware; Hackers targeting Pokemon Go Users with Smishing Scam (HackRead) Pokemon GO game inspiring one scam after another — after malware and RAT infected apps here comes Pokemon GO smishing (SMS phishing) scam
Security Patches, Mitigations, and Software Updates
GPG Patches 18-Year-Old Libgcrypt RNG Bug (Threatpost) New versions of Libgcrypt and Gnu Privacy Guard (GnuPG or GPG) released on Wednesday include security fixes for vulnerabilities discovered in the mixing functions of the Libgcrypt random number generator
The state of security? No one cares about a breach (Help Net Security) In an election year, everyone asks the question about whether or not you are better off than you were four years ago. There are many ways to answer such a question, and various people make arguments from various angles and data points
Check Point Research Shows Drop in Traditional Malware, Rise in Mobile Malware (Yahoo! Finance) Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. ( NASDAQ : CHKP ) today revealed the number of active malware families decreased by 5 percent, as the company disclosed the most prevalent malware families attacking organizations' networks in the month
Banking customers hesitant to use mobile features due to security concerns (Help Net Security) Banking customers are hesitant to use mobile features due to fraud and security concerns, according to Kaspersky Lab and IDC Financial Insights. Their findings show that of those not using mobile banking at all today (36 percent), 74 percent cited security as the major reason, which could slow the overall adoption of mobile banking services during a time where mobile device usage is exploding
Report: Mid-market companies grow more comfortable with cloud security risks (ZDNet) A Deloitte survey shows that security risks are no longer the leading concern influencing cloud adoption
Legacy security hinders productivity, Okta says (IT Pro Portal) Most organisations genuinely believe offering the best technology results in better business productivity. However, the ‘traditional on-premise security mindsets’ are in the way
Is security enabling or compromising productivity? (Help Net Security) While most organizations fundamentally believe connecting people to the best technology is vital to business productivity, many struggle to achieve agility due to traditional on-premise security mindsets, according to an Okta survey of 300 IT and security professionals
Attacker's Playbook Top 5 Is High On Passwords, Low On Malware (Dark Reading) Report: Penetration testers' five most reliable methods of compromising targets include four different ways to use stolen credentials, but zero ways to exploit software
As Industry 4.0 Marches on, the Manufacturing Sector Must be Better Prepared for Cyber-Attacks (Infosecurity Magazine) The idea of factories full of driverless forklifts and collaborating robot workers was once the stuff of pure science fiction, but has now become the common reality for smart factories around the world. The futuristic new order of things was demonstrated at this years’ Hannover Messe, the leading international trade fair for industrial technology
Should Enterprise Security Software Be under Warranty? (eSecurity Planet) Should enterprise security software offer warranties, much as consumer products and services do?
Cloud security market in the retail sector expected to grow (Help Net Security) The global cloud security market in the retail sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of close to 21% until 2020, according to Technavio
NEC Acquires Brazil-Based IT Security Business Arcon (ACN Newswire) NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced that NEC Latin America concluded an acquisition agreement for Brazil-based IT Security business Arcon Informatica S.A. (Arcon) as part of reinforcing IT Services in the region
Wipro invests $1.5 mn in Israeli cybersecurity company (The Hindu) India’s third largest software services provider Wipro has invested $1.5 million to acquire minority stake in Tel Aviv based cyber security platform provider Insights Cyber Intelligence Limited
Rakuten buys struggling bitcoin startup Bitnet to create a ‘blockchain research lab’ (TechCrunch) Rakuten has confirmed that it has acquired the assets of Bitnet, a bitcoin wallet startup it invested in, which will be used to create a ‘bitcoin lab’ for the Japanese retail giant
U.S. Grants ZTE Another Extension of Trade-Sanctions Relief (Wall Street Journal) Company allegedly violated rules restricting exports of U.S. tech goods to Iran
Government of Canada Selects Fortinet to Secure Its Information Technology Infrastructure (Yahoo! Finance) Andy Travers, senior vice president, sales USA and Canada, Fortinet: "Fortinet has a long-standing history of working with the Canadian market"
US bike giant Trek selects Darktrace (Business Weekly) US company Trek Bicycle Corporation has opted to defend its critical information with innovative, self-learning technology from cyber security specialist Darktrace in Cambridge
Products, Services, and Solutions
Forcepoint to help Singapore companies prevent insider threats (MIS Asia) Forcepoint - a global cybersecurity provider - has launched SureView Insider Threat to help Singapore companies accelerate their efforts to prevent insider threats
Twitter’s Anti-Abuse Filter Is Finally Available to All (Motherboard) In my seven years on Twitter, about four of them active, I have been subjected to sexism, racism, threatening language, and cyberstalking. And I’m hardly an exception to what millions of users experience while trying to have an otherwise delightful and informative day. But for almost a decade, Twitter has refused to get involved in any sort of meaningful way
Technologies, Techniques, and Standards
Voting Machines Are a Mess—But the Feds Have a (Kinda) Plan (Wired) America's voting machines are a patchwork of systems spread across thousands of districts, with widely varying degrees of accountability. It’s a mess. One that the Department of Homeland Security has finally committed to helping clean up
Security Against Election Hacking - Part 1: Software Independence (CircleID) There's been a lot of discussion of whether the November 2016 U.S. election can be hacked. Should the U.S. Government designate all the states' and counties' election computers as "critical cyber infrastructure" and prioritize the "cyberdefense" of these systems? Will it make any difference to activate those buzzwords with less than 3 months until the election?
Security Against Election Hacking - Part 2: Cyberoffense Is Not the Best Cyberdefense! (CircleID) State and county election officials across the country employ thousands of computers in election administration, most of them are connected (from time to time) to the internet (or exchange data cartridges with machines that are connected). In my previous post I explained how we must audit elections independently of the computers, so we can trust the results even if the computers are hacked
Researchers pinpoint best times for delivering security messages (Help Net Security) When is the best time to deliver a security message?
Deutsche Cyber-Sicherheitsorganisation unterstützt Unternehmen bei Abwehr von Gefahren aus dem Netz (Presseportal) Am Mittwoch haben sechzehn namhafte deutsche Unternehmen den wachsenden Bedrohungen für die Cybersicherheit der Wirtschaft den Kampf angesagt
The Case for Managed Security Monitoring (IBM Security Intelligence) Given all the challenges facing security professionals, as well as ever-present compliance mandates, security monitoring is a must. It certainly starts with log aggregation and security information and event management (SIEM), although many organizations are looking to leverage advanced security analytics, either built into their SIEM or using third-party technology, for better and faster detection
China's Quantum Satellite Might Be a Step Back for Communication Security (Caixin Online) Quantum communication makes it easier for hackers to prevent effective information sharing because they can destroy a message by simply eavesdropping on it
Access governance holds the security line (Help Net Security) We must continue to hold the line, and we are, in this war on information security. We must continue to find our stride and take steps forward in regard to technology advancement especially as related to identity and access governance solutions
Data Classification For the Masses (SANS Internet Storm Center) Data classification isn’t a brand new topic. For a long time, international organizations or military are doing "data classification". It can be defined as: "A set of processes and tools to help the organization to know what data are used, how they are protected and what access levels are implemented"
Design and Innovation
Using Cybernetics to Tell the Security Story (InfoRisk Today) CISO Sam Lodhi explains how new models can get board's attention
Research and Development
Netskope nabs another patent for CASB technology (TechTarget) Netskope recently obtained a second cloud security patent for its CASB platform, one that could prove extremely beneficial in an increasingly competitive cloud security market that puts a premium on intellectual property
Massachusetts Invests Millions in Cybersecurity (Infosecurity Magazine) Massachusetts has announced a $5 million grant for cybersecurity that will be used to bolster cyber-research and the computing technology used by the University of Massachusetts
Legislation, Policy, and Regulation
Turkey fury over Islamism claims in leaked German report (BBC) The Turkish government has reacted angrily to a leaked German government document that suggested Turkey has become a platform for Islamist groups
Cardin: Cybersecurity still top priority, needs more attention (FCW) The ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said cybersecurity remains one of the top priorities for his state
DOD Unveils Bold Road Map to Modify IT and Cybersecurity Approaches (SIGNAL) New document lays out plans for department-wide operating system, use of CACs, data center consolidation and migration to cloud services
Army acquisition official: Cyber, EW pose enterprise challenges (C4ISRNET) The ability to work through cyber or electronic warfare attacks is dependent upon two factors: understanding systems and categorizing what’s most critical
Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement
Twitter says it shuttered 235k accounts linked to terrorism in 6 months (Ars Technica) There is no "magic algorithm" for identifying extremist content, company says
Twitter Says It Suspended 360,000 Suspected Terrorist Accounts in a Year (Wired) Twitter is still actively combating terrorism on its platform, and it wants you to know so. Really and truly, the company says, it is making progress
Public Summary Report: Wireless Penetration Test of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Data Centers (Office of Inspector General US Department of Health and Human Services) We performed a wireless penetration test of select Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Data Centers and facilities to determine whether CMS's security controls over its wireless networks were effective
OIG Report Finds Vulnerabilities in Medicaid Services Agency (Threatpost) Vulnerabilities exist in systems that belong to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a federal agency that’s part of the United States’ Department of Health and Human Services. If exploited the bugs could result in the disclosure of personally identifiable information and the “disruption of critical operations,” a government watchdog warned this week
Hillary Clinton Told F.B.I. Colin Powell Advised Her to Use Private Email (New York Times) Pressed by the F.B.I. about her email practices at the State Department, Hillary Clinton told investigators that former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell had advised her to use a personal email account
Emails show Trump advisers waged covert influence campaign on behalf of Ukrainian leaders (Chicago Tribune) A firm run by Donald Trump's campaign chairman directly orchestrated a covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine's ruling political party, attempting to sway American public opinion in favor of the country's pro-Russian government, emails obtained by The Associated Press show. Paul Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates, never disclosed their work as foreign agents as required under federal law.
For a complete running list of events, please visit the Event Tracker.
Newly Noted Events
Cyber Physical Systems Summit (Newport News, Virginia, USA, Sep 20 - 22, 2016) On September 20-22, 2016 the Commonwealth will be hosting a Cyber and Physical Systems Summit. The three day event will consist of roundtable discussions, plenary and panel presentations across the intersection of cyber and three vectors – Autonomy, Physical Systems (Mfg), and Critical Infrastructure. Participants in the Summit will engage in conversations surrounding challenges, opportunities, threats, and the associated policy and budgetary implications.
Insider Threat Program Development Training (Washington, DC, USA, Mar 29 - 30, 2016) Insider Threat Defense announced it will hold a training class on Insider Threat Program Development (National Insider Threat Policy-NISPOM Conforming Change 2) on March 29-30, 2016, in Washington, DC. For a limited time the training is being offered at a discounted rate of $795. The training is comprehensive and provides students with the knowledge and resources to develop and implement a robust Insider Threat Program. Insider Threat Defense has trained a substantial number of organizations and has become the "Go To Company" for Insider Threat Program Development Training
SANS Alaska 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA, Aug 22 - 27, 2016) SANS is bringing our renowned security training to Alaska! Join us in August for a week of hands-on training and compelling bonus sessions while taking in breathtaking views and experiencing the great Alaskan wilderness. SANS Alaska will feature two hands-on, immersion-style security training courses taught by real-world practitioners August 22-27, 2016 in Anchorage.
CISO New Jersey (Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, Aug 23, 2016) With newspaper headlines covering the latest data breaches, cloud computing security questions going unanswered and hackers developing more sophisticated attacks, the IT department has a growing responsibility to protect customer and company data. The CISO Summit brings together C-level IT security executives, industry analysts and solution providers to discuss challenges and best practices in a relaxed, yet focused business setting. Agenda sessions include panel discussions, think tanks, analyst Q&A sessions and much more.
Cyber Jobs Fair (San Antonio, Texas, USA, Aug 23, 2016) Held in conjunction with the Second Annual CyberTexas Conference, the Cyber Jobs Fair is open to anyone with cyber security education or experience. A security clearance is not required. Booz Allen Hamilton, Digital Hands, IPSecure, Inc., ISHPI, L-3 - West, Lockheed Martin, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, MacAulay-Brown, Inc., STG, Inc., and Tensley Consulting, Inc. will be among the employers attending.
CyberTexas (San Antonio, Texas, USA, Aug 23 - 24, 2016) CyberTexas was established to provide expanded access to security developments and resources located in Texas; provide an ongoing platform for the education and skill development of cyber professionals & job creation; build strong relationships with other U.S. and International geographies focused on cyber ecosystem development; bring national and international resources to the region to showcase Texas-based cyber assets; identify and encourage business opportunities within and outside of Texas; and create long-term value for the cyber security ecosystem of San Antonio and the State of Texas.
Chicago Cyber Security Summit (Chicago, Illinois, USA, Aug 25, 2016) The Cyber Security Summit is an exclusive conference series connects C-Suite & Senior Executives who are responsible for protecting their companies’ critical infrastructures with innovative solution providers and renowned information security experts. This educational and informational forum will focus on educating attendees on how to best protect highly vulnerable business applications and critical infrastructure. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the nation’s leading solution providers and discover the latest products and services for enterprise cyber defense.
Air Force Information Technology and Cyberpower Conference 2016 (Montgomery, Alabama, USA, Aug 29 - 31, 2016) America is faced with a national emergency in cyberspace. US national security, economic vitality, financial stability and foreign policy are being eroded. Increasingly prevalent and severe malicious cyber activities are being directed against the DOD, USG, Private-Sector, Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource operators, Academia and Civil Society. USG industrial-aged thought, processes, and organizational relationship are not fostering “success” against decentralized, digital-age threat actors. An information-age solution is needed. Private-public dialogue is integral to building a new paradigm in which digital platforms are secure, and the nation is defended in a domain. Building bridges between government and the private sector is essential for victory. This conference will promote a national dialogue between the US Air Force, commercial businesses, academia and civil society to generate “whole of nation” strategies and processes aimed at overcoming challenges and ambiguities of an increasingly digital world.
CISO Toronto (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Aug 30, 2016) A data breach is not only a PR nightmare, but cause for customers to turn to competitors, exposing sensitive company information and racking up fines from industry regulators. In order for organizations to operate smoothly, CISOs and IT security executives need to be ahead of the hackers, and kept abreast of the latest IT security topics and trends.
ISAO SO Public Forum (Tysons, Virginia, USA, Aug 31 - Sep 1, 2016) This public forum is the last opportunity to meet face-to-face and participate in conversations that will shape the first set of standards and guidelines to be published in September! Speakers will include leaders from multiple industry sectors, government and academia. The meeting will feature topics including: an in-depth public discussion of ISAO 100-1: Guidelines for Establishing an ISAO and ISAO 600-1: Government Relations, Programs, and Services; the State of the Ecosystem from the ISAO SO: “Where We Are and Where We’re Going” and “How We’ll Get There”; a special meeting of emerging ISAOs, and panel discussions from industry experts and thought leaders on ISAO Services and Capabilities, and Building an ISAO.
cybergamut Technical Tuesday: Quantifying Cyber Attacks: To Optimize and Assess your Defense by Jason Syversen of Siege Technologies (Elkridge, Maryland, USA, Sep 6, 2016) cybergamut Technical Tuesday is for cyber professionals to exchange innovative ideas and discuss technical issues of mutual interest. We’ll have a Technical Tuesday event on 6 September 2016 (1600 – 1730 East Coast Time). This talk describes the challenges of quantifying offensive and defensive capabilities and posture. This is not an IT-oriented metrics-talk about measuring the firewall rules or number of incidents last year. Instead, you’ll hear about new military-backed research on how to quantify the effectiveness of attacks, predict outcomes and measure defensive strength, as well as the future of data-driven security technologies.
2016 Intelligence & National Security Summit (Washington, DC, USA, Sep 7 - 8, 2016) Third annual unclassified summit hosted by AFCEA International and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA). There are five plenary sessions and nine breakout sessions related to cybersecurity, policy, and enduring strategic issues
Annual Privacy Forum 2016 (Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany, Sep 7 - 8, 2016) In the light of the upcoming data protection regulation and the European digital agenda, DG CONNECT, ENISA and, Goethe University Frankfurt is organizing APF 2016. In the light of the upcoming data protection regulation and the European digital agenda, DG CONNECT, ENISA and, Goethe University Frankfurt is organizing APF 2016.
SecureWorld Cincinnati (Sharonville, Ohio, USA, Sep 8, 2016) Join your fellow security professionals for affordable, high-quality cybersecurity training and education. Earn 6-12 CPE credits through 30+ educational elements learning from nationally recognized industry leaders. Attend featured keynotes, panel discussions & breakout sessions all while networking with local peers
Borderless Cyber Europe (Brussels, Belgium, Sep 8 - 9, 2016) Join CIOs, CISOs and cyber threat intelligence experts from industry, government and CSIRTs worldwide to share experiences, strategies, tactics and practices that will improve your state of preparedness and more effectively protect your business against cyber threats. You will learn how to build communities of practice between C-level professionals and IT security practitioners, access the latest cyber threat information sharing and get actionable experiences from real-world use cases.
SANS Network Security 2016 (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA , Sep 10 - 16, 2016) We are pleased to invite you and your colleagues to attend SANS Network Security 2016 at the magnificent Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, on September 10-19. SANS Network Security is your annual networking opportunity! SANS will bring you the best in network security training, certification, and up-to-the-minute research on the most important topics in the industry today.
Business Insurance Cyber Risk Summit 2016 (San Francisco, California, USA, Sep 11 - 12, 2016) The Business Insurance Cyber Risk Summit provides risk management professionals and chief information security officers with the practical information and tools needed to combat the latest cyber risks that threaten their organizations. The day-long conference will explore cyber exposures, regulations, governance and insurance coverage. Risk managers and CISOs will learn how to adapt proven risk management strategies to their current cybersecurity environments, how to better communicate with their information security teams, and how to effectively convey risks, exposures and coverage options to their corporate boards and the C suite.
(ISC)² Security Congress (Orlando, Florida, USA, Sep 12 - 15, 2016) (ISC)² Security Congress offers attendees over 90 education sessions, designed to transcend all industry sectors, focus on current and emerging issues, best practices, and challenges facing cybersecurity leaders. As cyber threats and attacks continue to rise, the goal of (ISC)² Security Congress is to advance security leaders by arming them with the knowledge, tools, and expertise to protect their organizations.
7th Annual Billington Cybersecurity Summit (Washington, DC, USA, Sep 13, 2016) Join over 600 senior-level attendees, more than 50 distinguished speakers, and over 40 prestigious sponsors and exhibitors at the 7th Annual Billington CyberSecurity Summit, the leading Fall forum on cybersecurity in the Nation’s Capital, on September 13 in Washington, D.C. at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Keynotes Include NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers and top U.K. and Israeli Cyber Leaders.
CISO GAS (Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, Sep 13, 2016) A data breach is not only a PR nightmare, but cause for customers to turn to competitors, exposing sensitive company information and racking up fines from industry regulators. CISOs and IT security executives must always have this in mind, as well as a host of other evolving concerns, from curbing Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) risk to controlling vulnerable social media data. In order for today's leading enterprises to operate smoothly, information security must be ahead of the hackers and kept abreast of the latest IT security topics and trends. The CISO Summit will bring together C-level IT security executives, industry analysts and solution providers to discuss challenges and best practices in a relaxed, yet focused business setting. Agenda sessions include engaging Keynote Presentations, Thought Leadership sessions, CISO Think Tanks, Analyst Q&As and much more
Tarleton State University Cyber Security Summit 2016 (Dallas, Texas, USA, Sep 13, 2016) Cyber Security for the Board and the C-Suite: "What You Need to Know." Cyber Security experts will discuss corporate cyber-attacks and legal practitioners will discuss strategies to help companies comply with the increasingly complex data security laws. Data privacy and security experts will discuss practical solutions to current problems.
Insider Threat Program Development Training For NISPOM CC 2 with Legal Guidance (Germantown, Maryland, USA, Sep 14 - 15, 2016) Insider Threat Program Development Training for NISPOM CC 2 (Germantown, Maryland, September 14 - 15, 2016) Insider Threat Defense will hold a two-day training class on Insider Threat Program Development (NISPOM Conforming Change 2). For a limited time the training is being offered at a discounted rate of $795 (normally $1395). The training is comprehensive and provides students with the knowledge and resources to develop and implement a robust Insider Threat Program. The training will include "Legal Considerations & Guidance For Insider Threat Programs" (Privacy Concerns, User Activity Monitoring, Investigations, Etc.) - Provided By Co-Instructor Insider Threat Law - Licensed Attorney. Insider Threat Defense has trained over 400 organizations and has become the "leader-go to company" for insider threat program development training.
SecureWorld Detroit (Dearborn, Michigan, USA , Sep 14 - 15, 2016) Join your fellow security professionals for affordable, high-quality cybersecurity training and education. Earn 12-16 CPE credits through 60+ educational elements learning from nationally recognized industry leaders. Attend featured keynotes, panel discussions & breakout sessions all while networking with local peers
Insider Threat Program Development Training for NISPOM CC 2 (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, Sep 19 - 20, 2016) Insider Threat Defense will hold a two-day training class on Insider Threat Program Development (NISPOM Conforming Change 2). For a limited time the training is being offered at a discounted rate of $795 (normally $1395). The training is comprehensive and provides students with the knowledge and resources to develop and implement a robust insider threat program. Insider Threat Defense has trained over 350+ organizations and has become the "leader-go to company " for insider threat program development training.
4th ETSI/IQC Workshop on Quantum-Safe Cryptography (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Sep 19 - 21, 2016) This three-day workshop brings together diverse players in the quantum-safe cybersecurity community to facilitate the knowledge exchange and collaboration required to transition cyber infrastructures and business practices to make them safe in an era with quantum computers. Attendees and presenters will include leaders from the fields of post-quantum (quantum resistant) cryptography, quantum key distribution (QKD), theoretical and commercial integration of cryptography and security tools, first-adopters of quantum-safe tools from industry and government, and members of standards bodies. Anyone interested in joining the growing community that is working to mitigate the quantum risk and creating quantum safe cryptosystems for the future should attend this workshop.
hardwear.io Security Conference (The Hague, the Netherlands, Sep 20 - 23, 2016) hardwear.io Security Conference is a platform for hardware and security community where researchers showcase and discuss their innovative research on attacking and defending hardware. The objective of the conference revolves around four key concerns in hardware, firmware and related protocols i.e. backdoors, exploits, trust and attacks (BETA). hardwear.io is seeking innovative research on hardware security. If you have done interesting research on attacks or mitigation on any Hardware and want to showcase it to the security community, just submit your research paper.
3rd Annual Senior Executive Cyber Security Conference: Navigating Today's Cyber Security Terrain (Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Sep 21, 2016) The Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute and COMPASS Cyber Security are hosting the 3rd Annual Senior Executive Cyber Security Conference on Wednesday, September 21, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., on the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University. Hear from industry leaders on cyber security best practices and trends that will help you better secure your organization's data. This year's agenda examines the current cyber security landscape, threats, and challenges ahead for organizations and how senior leaders can work towards "shifting their data to being safe and secure."
New York Cyber Security Summit (New York, New York, USA, Sep 21, 2016) The Cyber Security Summit is an exclusive conference series connects C-Suite & Senior Executives who are responsible for protecting their companies’ critical infrastructures with innovative solution providers and renowned information security experts. This educational and informational forum will focus on educating attendees on how to best protect highly vulnerable business applications and critical infrastructure. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the nation’s leading solution providers and discover the latest products and services for enterprise cyber defense.
Gigaom Change 2016 Leader's Summit (Austin, Texas, USA, Sep 21 - 23, 2016) Over an immersive 2.5 days, we will explore the current state-of-the-art technologies, how these are transforming industry, and why this all matters. You’ll emerge with a greater understanding of the exponential technological changes occurring around us, and the confidence to accelerate tangible next steps. Gigaom Change is designed to empower businesses of today to thrive in a world of tomorrow. Gigaom Change will focus on the seven most disruptive enterprise technologies that are widely known but little understood: Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Robotics, Nanotechnology, Cybersecurity, 3-D Printing, and Human-Machine Interface.
NYIT Annual Cybersecurity Conference (New York, New York, USA, Sep 22, 2016) Presented by NYIT School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, this conference brings together cyber experts from academia, business, and government to address: Cyber Defense Against Attacks–How Industry Is Addressing Evolving Threats; Information Currency and Blockchain Vulnerability; Cyber Physical Systems, Cyber Infrastructure, and the Internet of Things; Government Agencies' Strategies for Securing Cyberspace; Cyber Risks of Smart Transportation; and Accelerating Cyber Education and Career Paths.
Cyber Security: How to Identify Risk and Act (Frankenmuth, Michigan, USA, Sep 26, 2016) Join us on 9/26/2016 for the PMI-MTC's annual project management PDD focusing on "Cyber Security: How to Identify Risk and Act." Earn 7 PDUs during the interactive sessions with well-known information security and project management experts. Featuring a keynote speaker from the FBI Detroit Cyber Task Force. Also featuring speakers from the Dow Chemical Company, UHY LLP, Ally Financial, CBI, and more.
CYBERSEC (Kraków, Poland, Sep 26 - 27, 2016) The CYBERSEC forum is the first of its kind in Poland and one of just a few regular public policy conferences in Europe devoted to the strategic issues of cyberspace and cybersecurity.The goal of the CYBERSEC conference is the formulation of practical recommendations that aim to increase resilience to cyber threats within specific economic sectors, states, and the EU as a whole.
Third Annual Women in Cyber Security Reception (Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Sep 27, 2016) The CyberWire is pleased to present the 3rd Annual Women in Cyber Security Reception in cooperation with our partner the Cybersecurity Association of Maryland (CAMI) on Tuesday, September 27, 2016, in Baltimore, MD - See more at: https://thecyberwire.com/events/s/3rd-annual-women-in-cyber-security-reception.html#sthash.Kgzd4dXp.dpuf
IP EXPO Nordic 2016 (Stockholm, Sweden, Sep 27 - 28, 2016) IP EXPO Nordic is part of Europe’s number ONE enterprise IT event series, designed for those looking to find out how the latest IT innovations can drive business growth and competitiveness. The event showcases brand new exclusive content and senior-level insights from across the industry, as well as unveiling the latest developments in IT. It covers everything you need to run a successful enterprise or organisation. Arrive with challenges, leave with solutions. IP EXPO Nordic 2016 incorporates six IT events under one roof – Cloud, Cyber Security, Networks and Infrastructure, Data Analytics, DevOps and Open Source. This year’s event will be the most comprehensive business-enhancing experience for those across the IT industry, including IT managers, CTOs, CDOs, network and storage engineers, CISOs, data analysts, developers and communications specialists.
SecureWorld Dallas (Plano, Texas, USA , Sep 27 - 28, 2016) Join your fellow security professionals for affordable, high-quality cybersecurity training and education. Earn 12-16 CPE credits through 60+ educational elements learning from nationally recognized industry leaders. Attend featured keynotes, panel discussions & breakout sessions all while networking with local peers

domain: news


ISLAMABAD: The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are joining hands to launch a project for provision of skill-based training to the people in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) that are being set up along the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route.
“Initially, under the project training will be started in Rashakai and Gilgit-Baltistan Industrial Zones while later its scope will be extended to all other SEZs,” AIOU Vice Chancellor, Dr Ziaul Qayyum told APP in an exclusive interview.
Under the said project, the VC said, the varsity has designed specific course for the local people to get them trained keeping in view the requirements of the industrial zones so that they could easily find relevant jobs and get benefit from the multi-billion CPEC project.
He expressed the hope that this would be a sustainable model to engage local people, adding the university was already in process of designing courses in this regard.
To a question about skill-based education, the VC said that it was basic mandate of the varsity since its establishment to provide skill-based education to the people.
The university had devised special courses in computer, tractor repairing, poultry and farming to provide technical training to the people and help them earn respectable livelihood.
He said even the university arranged courses in tailoring and embroidery with private partnership to train girls in Gitgat Baltistan region.
To a question the AIOU VC told APP that the university was providing education to all irrespective of their age, gender or social status. He said, there no age bar on acquiring education from AIOU, adding free education was being provided to transgender community, jail inmates and children of martyrs while concession was also being provided to orphans and poor students.
He said the university was also going to further extend education programme being provided to jail inmates. In this regard, he said that he has already hold meetings with IGs Prisoners so that education could also be provided to those children who were in jails with their mothers.
Regarding faculty development programme, the VC said 45 members would be sent abroad for Ph.D on university expenses while Human Resource and administrative training would also be given to the staff.
He said admission process was also divided into phases for conveniences of the students and papers were also being sent to other regional offices randomly for marking to reduce burden on main campus. The university has also introduced a concept of smarts classrooms in areas where internet facilities were not available, he added.


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Chef Francesco at http://www.makeitraw.com
Raw Chef Francesco and his amazing Raw Choco-Coco Milkshake recipe
Raw and living foods lifestyle. Recipe demos by Chef Francesco
More stuff from “Make it Raw”
Heads up: the shoutbox will be retiring soon. It’s tired of working, and can’t wait to relax. You can still send a message to the channel owner, though!
Channels are a simple, beautiful way to showcase and watch videos. Browse more Channels.

domain: food


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A few years ago, the origins of all animals seemed very simple. Sponges lacked a nervous system, which placed them at the very root of the animal family tree. They did, however, have specialized collar cells, which looked a lot like choanoflagellates, single-celled creatures that are thought to be closely related to animals. Some choanoflagellate species get together in colonies, making it seem like just a short hop between them and sponges.
But the picture always had some awkward pieces, such as the Trichoplax. It's an odd, disk-shaped animal that can move in response to light but appears to lack any nerve cells (Trichoplax also has all the genes needed for sex, but has only ever been observed dividing into halves or thirds). Now, researchers have sequenced the genome of another creature that caused problems for the simple picture—the comb jelly—and the results redraw our picture of the origin of animals.
Comb jellies (technically ctenophores) are a group of species that share a number of unusual features. As their name implies, they are gelatinous much like jellyfish. But many of the species lack tentacles, and none of them have anything like the stinging cells that make jellyfish a notable swimming hazard. Instead, ctenophores have cells that stick to their prey. Most also propel themselves through the water through the rhythmic motion of hair-like projections called cilia, which run in a set of lines down the animal's body.
Despite some of those differences, the presence of a diffuse, brain-free network of nerve cells (called a nerve net) on both the ctenophores and jellyfish was enough to cause many researchers to put them in as sister branches on the animal family tree, concluding that the nervous system must have originated after they split off from sponges. However, the ctenophores also have three distinct layers of cells and two openings into their gut cavity—features shared with bilateral animals like us. So, other researchers have argued for a sister-grouping with bilaterals.
In fact, the paper describing the new genome has a chart with no fewer than six potential trees, all of which place the origin of animals in a different place in relationship to current species.
To clarify matters, researchers took to the waters near the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and obtained a ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi. Conveniently, these animals are hermaphrodites, so it was able to mate with itself; the authors took its offspring and turned them into DNA, which was then sequenced to produce the genome. All told, Mnemiopsis has over 16,500 genes—6,000 fewer than we do but a few thousand more than the fruit fly Drosophila carries.
The analysis of the sequence is pretty clear: there is no way that ctenophores are closely related to bilaterals or jellyfish (or any other cnidarians, the group that contains jellyfish). Analysis of the sequence itself suggested that the ctenophores actually form the earliest branch after the origin of the animals, but researchers can't completely rule out grouping them with sponges. However, a separate analysis based on when genes originated or were lost clearly separates the two, placing ctenophores as the oldest branch. (This analysis was apparently computationally intense; the authors note they gave up on some of their Bayesian work after having let it run for over 200 days.)
What does this say about what the original animals looked like? For one, they almost certainly had a nervous system. Not only do ctenophores have nerves, but they have many of the same genes used to build a nervous system and keep it functioning. Many of those same genes are present in sponges, suggesting that these animals almost certainly lost the ability to make nerves somewhere in their evolutionary past. Meanwhile, the bilaterians elaborated the nervous system by adding dopamine signaling; all the genes for that are missing from Mnemiopsis.
In contrast, the earliest animal ancestor may not have been so muscular. As noted above, ctenophores have a third layer of cells (called a mesoderm) that goes on to produce muscles. But it lacks most of the genes bilaterals used to make muscle cells, suggesting that the comb jellies do so via a completely distinct process. This form of muscle formation seems to have evolved twice within the animal family tree.
The search for genes involved in development also shows that Mnemiopsis completely lacks three of the seven types of signaling networks that control the origin of complex tissues in bilaterians. Thus, a great deal of evolutionary innovation went on after the bilaterals split off from the rest of the animals.
The new genome sticks a knife in the back of a nice, simple model, one in which animals evolved by steadily adding complexity to a simple ancestor. But in doing so, it provides a much clearer picture of what that ancestor probably looked like.

domain: biology


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This course will discuss the three basic types of high-frequency ventilation including their indications for use, ventilator settings, effects on the patient, complications and weaning methods. Specific patient care and assessment criteria for the child on HFV will also be discussed.
- Explain the goal of high-frequency ventilation (HFV) in the neonatal and pediatric patient.
- Describe three types of HFV techniques including the indications of use, ventilator settings and values to monitor for each type.
- Describe patient care and assessment criteria for the patient on HFV.
- Identify complications of high-frequency ventilation.
- Discuss patient assessment indicators for weaning the patient off of high-frequency ventilation devices.
- Patient scenario knowledge checks throughout the course
- Printable job aids for just-in-time training
- Engaging images and learner interactions
- Released in June 2017.
- Approved for 1.0 CNE contact hours.
- Approved for 1.0 CRCE contact hours.
- Length of course is 60 minutes.
- Appropriate for clinicians working in the NICU/PICU, Graduate Nurses, Residents, Educators, and Respiratory Therapists
- Part of our Advanced PICU library.
Children's Hospital Association is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
NOTE: This course is only available to staff at PLS Participating Hospitals through their Learning Management Systems. If you are interested, please check with your organization’s learning staff or contact Patty Kohn to learn more.

domain: medical


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Bio: Howard Tonkin has created a unique sound, blending catchy pop hooks with futuristic loop based electronic music, that defies categorization. Tonkin’s powerful male vocals are reminiscent of the new wave/new romantic British invasion of the 1980’s. Howard has a brand new album out entitled; "Perso... See Full BioMore Info
Watch the 2nd episode with Howard Tonkin as the musical guest on "Mama Knows Best" which airs October 14th. Howard had a fantastic time in the studio performing two live tracks which one can see starting @ midnight on global internet and on a few channels!!!!
"Personal Apocalypse 2011 Tour" come see Howard Tonkin LIVE in Boston!!!
Howard Tonkin is hitting "47 Central" for the 2nd evening to join singer DiSanto. Howard is bringing a few fun tracks to keep the party going along with DiSanto!
Come see Howard Tonkin live as part of his "Personal Apocalypse 2011" tour! Howard will be giving away signed copies of his album and doing a "Meet & Greet" with fans!!!
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10/2/2015 -- House bill (H.R.3681) introduced to extend and expand the Medicaid Emergency Psychiatric Demonstration Project
10/1/2015 -- Mental health/substance use organization letter (including NAPHS) to House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders on need for action on meaningful mental health reform
9/29/2015 -- NAPHS release: "NAPHS Applauds Passage of Senate Legislation (S.599) To Extend and Expand the Medicaid Emergency Psychiatric Demonstration Project"
10/2/15 -- SENATE PASSES NAPHS-BACKED LEGISLATION TO EXTEND AND EXPAND THE MEDICAID EMERGENCY PSYCHIATRIC DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.
►As of May 2015:
The Facility Guidelines Institute is new publisher for the Design Guide for the Built Environment of Behavioral Health Facilities.


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We have always been passionate about feeding people and giving them the nutrition their body needs. That’s why it’s heartbreaking to learn that within our community, 1 in 4 children live in a food-insecure household.
This means 25% of North Texas children are not guaranteed 3 meals a day, much less the nutrition their growing bodies need to stay healthy. Additionally, hunger greatly impacts children’s ability to succeed academically. For these reasons and countless more, hunger is a serious problem in DFW.
Since 2008, September has been recognized as Hunger Action Month – a time for us all to gather together in the fight against hunger. Throughout Hunger Action Month, people strive to end hunger in their neighborhoods, towns and cities and work to provide relief for the 48 million people who live with daily food insecurity.
Because the problem of hunger is so vast, it can be difficult to know where to start. Thankfully there are many simple ways you can participate in Hunger Action Month. Don’t miss this chance to love your neighbor!
- Raise awareness by posting on social media, texting friends or involving your coworkers and family.
- Educate your kids on food insecurity.
- Host a canned food drive for your local food bank.
- Volunteer at a local food bank, such as North Texas Food Bank’s Community Pantry, School Pantry or Distribution Center. (For a full list of volunteer opportunities with the North Texas Food Bank, visit https://www.ntfb.org/volunteer).
- Participate in events that benefit local food banks, like Harvest or the food drive at the State Fair.
- Donate or gather funds for organizations fighting hunger, like Rise Against Hunger
- Increase opportunities for urban food production and brush up on your gardening skills with groups like the Dallas Coalition for Hunger Solutions or Bonton Farms.
- Start training for Gear Up To End Hunger, a bike race for the cause.
Tarrant Area Food Bank has also made a really great list of ways you can help with this cause all month long. Some of the activities include eating at certain restaurants that donate the proceeds of a meal. Get their full list of events and ways to participate here.
One of the ways that we’ll be helping fight hunger, is by participating in the Empty Bowls event like we did last year. It’s on October 18 and we’ll be serving Thai Vegan Green Vegetable Curry over Sesame Basmati Rice.
Together, we can end hunger. Every donated meal or hour of your time has the potential to make a huge difference in our community. Thank you for participating in Hunger Action Month!


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Photo via Blackstreet/Facebook
R&B group Blackstreet will be hosting a free outdoor show
this weekend in Orlando, a performance that will undoubtedly attract the honeys like a magnet.
Known for their 1996 hit "No Diggity," the group will be performing this Saturday, June 11, in front of Orlando City Hall located at 400 S. Orange Ave.
Blackstreet is expected to perform at 8:30 p.m., however gates open at 4 p.m.
VIP tickets are still available here

domain: entertainment


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I’m such an optimist when it comes to meal planning. I start every week with the best of intentions, picking up a ton of fresh produce. Tomatoes and avocados go quickly around here, being tossed with pesto or mashed into guacamole or served on toast. Greens go with fried eggs or are made into a huge salad with any odds and ends I have in the fridge. But no matter what I do, something gets forgotten.
Last week, it was nearly a pound of carrots and a few zucchini. I made some into hash browns (recipe coming soon!), but I can only eat so many of those in a week. Instead of letting good produce sit in the fridge for another day or two, I turned to my go-to Zucchini Bread recipe.
In addition to being delicious, these Carrot-Zucchini Muffins are a little more nutritious than your average breakfast pastry. For one, they’re made with shredded carrots and zucchini–there’s a full 1/4 cup of vegetables in every serving!
The batter can certainly be made with only all-purpose flour, but I like to use half whole wheat flour here. Where using all whole wheat flour has the potential to make things dry and crumbly if not handled properly, using it in a 50/50 ratio with all-purpose keeps everything nice and soft. The resulting muffins have a nutty whole grain flavor and fluffy interiors–the best of both worlds.
Carrot-Zucchini Muffins are pretty low in sugar, coming in at less than a tablespoon per serving. While adding a few more tablespoons of sugar could certainly amp up the flavor, 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg basically do the same thing without adding to the calorie count.
If you’re looking to get some extra vegetables into your family this summer, this is one easy way to do it. These muffins have all that carrot and zucchini, a bit of whole grain, and with such minimal sugar, seconds are encouraged. Also, they freeze like a dream–just pop a frozen muffin in the microwave for 45 seconds or so. Served alongside a glass of Cold Brew, eating your vegetables has never been so delicious.
makes 12 standard Muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil (I use canola)
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots, not packed (about 3 medium carrots)
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini, not packed (about 2 medium zucchini)
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners, or grease well. Set aside.
In a medium-large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oil and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla. Whisk in dry ingredients in two installments, mixing just until combined. Fold in shredded carrots and zucchini. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Tap full pan on the counter five times to release any large air bubbles.
Bake 5 minutes before reducing the heat to 350F for another 12-14 minutes. Muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to five.
To freeze, place cooled muffins on a baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours. Transfer to a labeled freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to three months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight or microwave for 45 seconds-1 minute.


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Modern/Sci-fi Role-Playing Story Driven with Classic Turn-Based Action
Discover the true nature of "Vidya" a technology introduced to Gaia by an unknown cause
Level up your characters, acquire equipment, gain new "Vidya" skills, while exploring the world
Designed to be a modern day RPG...
THIS WAS MOVED TO "COMPLETED PROJECTS" AND THIS PAGE IS NO LONGER SUPPORTED!
Still in the alpha stages! The demo is just to get the general idea, of where the story is heading.
It took longer than announced because I decided to transfer the whole game to RPG Maker MV, but here it is !
Warning : this game evokes religions in a philosophical perspective.
Theory of Everything
You start with Isaac, a young physicist who begins to build a theory of...
Why do we tell these stories?
I am sure, in this environment in this community, that I am not alone, when I say that I have an urge to tell something, to mostly faceless audience.
But what's the point? Do we need a reason? I often find myself sitting, pondering not the actual...
Theory of Everything allows the player to travel through the history of science. Your mind will be split between four characters...
Isaac is a physicist. He wants to create a theory of everything, which would be able to explain any phenomenon in the universe. But he's...
The game is for ages 13 and up,
so please be aware about the game contents below:
• Infrequent use of strong language.
See (only as reference): ESRB Ratings Guide.
Opening Video, including Credit:
(opening song by Mashiro Ayano)
Not updated yet.
Credit in the...
I have been enjoying a game on my iPhone, called Wonderbox. It is just a little game where you create adventures, share them, whilst also being able to play others. It's a bit zelda-esque. I have started some youtube for those, gonna start with RPG maker things soon as well. So if you wish to see, do check it out
I've figured out how to reasonably tall-ify chibi sprites on my editor. I like that making tall sprites gives me control on expressing how tall characters seem on the field relative to each other as well as better differentiate adult sprites from child sprites.

domain: hobby


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IN MIAMI, THE PERAZZO LAW FIRM SERVES ACCIDENT CLAIMS INVOLVING RECKLESS DRIVING
Suffered injury, damages, or losses as a result of a reckless motorist in Miami? The best law firm in Miami puts your interests first following a reckless driving accident. In Miami, the Perazzo Law Firm strives to provide the best possible legal representation to victims of reckless drivers. A reckless driver can inflict injury upon pedestrians, bike riders, and other motorists every time they take to the wheel. In Miami, reckless driving accidents happen regularly, and the Perazzo Law Firm aims to fully satisfy its reckless driving victims by dedicating and using all possible resources to obtain the just compensation reckless driving victims deserve for personal injuries, damages, and losses.
In Miami, the Perazzo Law Firm offers ZERO-OUT-OF-POCKET costs to its personal injury clients and a FREE initial consultation to accident victims, friends, or relatives.
Contact the Perazzo Law Firm ONLINE or CALL: 786-LAWS-411 or 888-PERAZZO
THE PERAZZO LAW FIRM - DEDICATED TO PUTTING YOUR INTERESTS FIRST, ALWAYS!
RECKLESS DRIVING ACCIDENTS
Reckless or negligent driving can be described as operating a motor vehicle carelessly or without regard for the safety of other motorists, bike riders, joggers, or pedestrians as well as the property of other individuals. In Miami, an accident that results from reckless driving can be attributable to factors such as:
Most of the factors listed above may almost always have the driver of the vehicle at fault since ultimately that motorist is in control of the vehicle which impacted or caused an accident which led to personal injury, property damage, losses or even wrongful death. Most often a reckless driving accident will require an investigation through police reports and eye witness testimony. Also, reckless driving accidents will result in an insurance claim as insurance providers will need to cover the injuries, damages, or losses to victims. Depending on what type of insurance policy the motorist at fault carries, a personal injury lawyer will be able to lessen the financial burden brought on by a insurance claim for compensation due to negligence or wrongdoing while operating a motor vehicle. The legal support of an experienced personal injury lawyer is fundamental to the success of an accident and insurance claim, both as a victim or the responsible party.
RECKLESS DRIVING INSURANCE CLAIMS
In Miami, reckless driving accidents and the insurance claims that follow depend on the extent of injury, damage, or losses to those involved in the accident. The type of insurance coverage a policy holder has on the vehicle responsible for the reckless driving accident, such as street racing or drunk driving, will determine how a personal injury attorney will the case as each reckless driving accident can be different. An experienced car accident attorney like the Perazzo Law Firm will apply all possible resources and carry out an extensive inquiry as to the what caused the accident and how it happened, as well as to assess the injuries and damages to third parties. The insurance providers of each of the parties involved may also come into play and that is why it is important to have an experienced and professional lawyer on your side to fight for your best interests.


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|The Allegory of Prudence|
When was the last time you stopped yourself from saying something you believed to be true for fear of being punished or criticized for saying it?
If you live in America, it probably hasn’t been long. That’s not just a talking point about political correctness. It’s the central problem with our national conversation, the main reason our debates are so stilted and useless. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t have the words to describe it. You can’t even think about it clearly.People sometimes argue about whether abstractions like "liberty" and "equality" have improved in the United States recently. Some probably think they have. "Hey, we have freer access to no-fault divorce, abortion and pornography than at any time in human history! Homosexual marriage! Rainbows! Legalized drugs!" But concrete questions like Carlson's reveal the truth. We need to devise more like these; we need to press ourselves actively to understand our true condition:
Do you speak without fear? No? Then you, my friend, are not living in a free country. Does the government control more of your life than it did your grandparents' lives? Then, you, my dear, are less free. Do we honor what is honorable and reward what is meritorious? No? Then, we are not just. Is it harder to live in godly estate as man and woman and raise children in the fear of the Lord? Then, we are not well ordered.Carlson is too optimistic, however, in implying that we could fix our problems if we could speak about them. When the U.S. ends, I doubt the reasons will include that Americans couldn't publicly discuss the sickness destroying the nation. Everyone already knows enough about the basic reasons for our decline. There is no more citadel, less outer walls. The banner no longer flies. We don't have to talk about why exactly we lost asabiyyah and for what we abandoned our Rock. Our laws are too many, too confused: too lax or too severe. We have lost the inner political precept of unity, respect and participation. The difficulty is not knowing that we have lost ourselves; it is admitting it to ourselves.
Here's an analogy. The way to live an individually virtuous life is not to pretend that death and sickness are not real. Universal psychology teaches that recognizing the inevitability of death sharpens understanding. In realizing what little we have left and soon will lose, we gain a stronger sense of proportion and value for what remains. Ethical and political reflection are both improved by considering action in the face of the shortness and vulnerability of individual and corporate life. Most importantly, we cannot turn fully to God until we say with Job: "If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness, if I say to corruption, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My mother' or 'My sister,' where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?" 17:13-15. Why do we lack the wisdom and repentance that comes from acknowledging death? The problem is not a lack of conversation and depiction about death. The problem is facing the inevitability of death.

domain: psychology


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Yes, it is a half-century. My Blog #50. As I am writing this , am wondering what could be a meaningful post for that last run. Will it be a boundary or a sixer which brings me to my half-century. Or is that one ball which is going to get me out somewhere preparing itself in the hands of the bowler ? I do not know and am happy that i do not know.
For all these 49 blogs , readers on ST have shared their valuable comments and actually these comments are what motivated and inspired me to write and share more. So , first of all , thanks for the inspiring comments.
My first blog was on Krishna Janmashtami in Aug this year.www.speakingtree.in/dw0gp- qjwckr8ngbv3m6fpvhhj/blog/The-- Birth-of-the-Lord. I then followed that with salutations to my Guru.
Some of my writings are in poetry and some in prose. I have tried a sequel of three parts with my story of a "Lonely Man". I have shared what i heard from the "Speaking Tree" and also "Song of the Nightingale". I tried a combination of Prose with Poetry with my blog "Thoughts of a River" which also had the theme of environmental awareness. www.speakingtree.in/dw0gpqjwck- r8ngbv3m6fpvhhj/blog/Thoughts-- of-a-River
One more environment friendly article was called "Switch Off Something".
I have spent some smiling times sharing few jokes. I have written a poem about a "Wise Old Man" and another one on "Where to Find Time". My musings on "You will Never come out of it Alive" and "25 simple tips for a great living" had more views , thanks for our moderators on Speaking Tree to have picked them. I have written a story about "Laboratories of the Soul" with permission to use the term from a co-seeker. I came through the "Doors of the Human Body" and wrote about a place "Where clouds meet you in your room". I wondered with Rama in "Case of the Sinking Stone" and wrote a "Recipe for finding you".
I questioned myself "Who am I ?" and "Why Blog? ". One of the private message from young reader touched a deep chord. It just made my resolve stronger to write more useful blogs.
Of course , i donot want to give a hyper link to each of my blogs here as they are easily available at www.speakingtree.in/dw0gpqjwck- r8ngbv3m6fpvhhj/blogs. I dont want this to end up as meta-blog.
Once again , "Vandanegalu", "Dhanyawaad","Shukriyaa", "Meherbaani", "Rumba Nandri", "Dhanyavaadalu", "Gracies" , "Merci" and "Thank you".
This is the most meaningful one-run to make my half-century.


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10,000 fans gather for 6 Korean bands
The popular Korean wave, or “hallyu,” of Korean dramas may be on thin ice but the hallyu of K-pop is well alive.
Six Korean singers (Shin Hye-seong, Jun Jin, Wheesung, Tei, SG Wannabe, Super Junior-Happy) held the joint concert entitled “3rd K-POP Super Live” in Tokyo last Jan. 31.
The singers talked with the audience in Korean and Japanese and the viewers cheered passionately with glowsticks and signs when their favorite singers came to the stage. Despite the lack of any fancy stage setting or special effects, audience members stood up and cheered from the very first song.
The most spectacular response was for Sin Hye-seong and Jeon Jin, members of the Korean idol group Sinhwa, who command a large fan base in Japan. Japanese fans spent the night at the hotel lobby where the two singers stayed and cheered their performance waving luminous orange-lit glowsticks.
Jeon, who performed the concert’s closing, showcased powerful dance and ballad numbers including “Wa” and “Love Doesn’t Come” throughout the show. He said, “If Japanese fan support for Korean singers continues, we can continuously visit Japan to perform.” He also earned applause when he promised to learn more Japanese.
Sin took to the stage with a band and sang his hits “Awaken,” “Because It’s You” and “Same Thought.” He said, “I recently shot the second mini album music video for my third album in Sapporo and will visit Japan again with new songs.”
Meanwhile, Super Junior-Happy opened the day’s concert. After delivering greetings in Japanese, they sang “Cooking Cooking!,” “Sunny” and “Pajama Party.”
Tei and SG Wannabe, who have already held solo concerts in Japan and boast a solid fan following, featured their signature powerful vocals. Tei showcased his hits “A Miracle-like Story” and “Love leaves its scent” as well as displayed superb stage manners and fluent Japanese.
Many audience members sang along with SG Wannabe’s “Timeless” and “Partner for Life” in Korean.
Korean and Japanese entertainment business officials at the concert said the event was meaningful in that it showed that K-POP can revive the hallyu boom, which started because of Korean dramas and is said to be losing steam.


Data obscurity is data that exists in a state of being unknown, unintelligible, and opaque. With obscurity comes the loss of trust in the data, its under-utilization, and lack of value that is required to make informed business decisions.
A single record of truth for your business decisioning needs doesn’t have to be elusive; nor the broken promise of your Data Officer or CIO who committed to deliver the trusted information you expect – without obscurity.
From frequent company moves to ownership changes resulting from mergers and acquisitions, to even seemingly benign shifts in the normal course of operations, a vast array of events eventually lead to customer data becoming more obscure. The accurate and timely reflection of these changes can vary greatly across the organization’s line of business applications.
Removing data obscurity is further complicated by classic Big Data challenges that create an unwieldy variety, velocity, and volume of information moving around your enterprise. For example, your marketing team’s data challenges when performing customer segmentation analysis can likely be traced back to your organization’s multiple, siloed CRM, marketing automation, and other data storage systems, each of which has its own way of organizing and using data. Customer data is a painful example of data that is prone to obscurity. The sheer weight and speed of data input to your organization from sales interactions and marketing campaigns can be overwhelming. Poor data governance further clouds the lens by which you view your data.
Each root cause of data obscurity supports a strong business case for data clarity that hinges on a data quality foundation built with processes, governance, and active oversight. Whether for informed customer 360 analysis, market segmentation, supply chain risk mitigation, or vendor stability monitoring, data clarity is fundamental for effective enterprise data management.
There are many paths to take as you begin your journey to data clarity. It starts with a simple but mission-critical process of identity resolution: a process to match your customers to a trusted, structured data source and assignment of a unique, persistent identifier for each company you do business with.
Identity resolution always begins with another data “v”: verification – and more and more enterprises are looking to pre-mastered, pre-verified referential third-party data to confirm business partner identities. Your data stewards, the people who gather, analyze, and curate your data, play a vital role in preparing your source data for identity resolution, governing the valuable frame of reference for your decision making.
Fortunately, there is a spectrum of solutions that can bring you closer to your data clarity goals. These can range from the ideal of an enterprise-wide master data management platform and the data stewardship practices that enable it, to more tactical, scalable ‘start small’ data stewardship practices and automation services that enable more timely identity resolution.
The data quality solution provided by one of Dun & Bradstreet’s newest partner solutions – Matchbook Services – is an example of a 'start-small-and-grow' approach to address the data quality needs and challenges many organizations face. By matching your data to Dun & Bradstreet’s pre-mastered commercial content on over hundreds of millions of businesses globally, you can master your business records based on confidence criteria you define.
It’s no surprise that data quality remains a key aspiration and critical need for organizations. But achieving and maintaining data quality requires processes, governance, and active oversight. The combination of trusted third-party pre-mastered data with the tools and technology that best fit your organization will set you on the right path.
Obscurity squashed, clarity achieved.
Learn more about how Dun & Bradstreet and Matchbook have partnered to help companies master their business entity data in a strikingly simple way.