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call us: (831) 316-0648

Don’t Buy Blind: Some Things To Consider About Latex Mattresses

At Santa Cruz Natural Mattress, we only sell mattresses made from 100% natural latex, covered in 100% organic cotton. There’s no law making us do this. We could – were we inclined – sell $199 economy specials, or extravagant $10,000 Euro-beds stuffed with horsehair and pixie dust. More to the point, we could display and […]

Beware The Dreaded Back-Buster

A Failing Mattress Can Be Dangerous to Your Health Call it a sag. Call it a hole. Call it a trench or a trough or a gully … or just call it what it really is: trouble. Because that’s what a failing mattress amounts to. If you’ve got a sag in your mattress, you may […]

Do Layer Cakes Really Make Good Beds?

To hear many mattress makers tell it, the only way to make a good mattress is to make it like a layer cake. You know, as in: “We’ve got a layer of this, and a layer of that, and a few more layers besides.”  For example, I’m looking at a website that brags how their […]

What Is Natural Latex?

Natural latex has been used for many centuries. It derives from the rubber tree which is found near the equator in Asia. These trees produce liquid latex for up to 30 years and aren’t harmed in the process of extraction. This material is used in a number of products and as of recently, this includes […]

Why Santa Cruz Natural Mattress?

Santa Cruz Natural Mattress has taken over the mattress market in California with its uniquely designed and created all natural, eco friendly mattresses. Their goal is to replace traditional and mainstream mattresses with green, non-toxic alternatives made from the liquid latex found and harvested from the inside of a rubber tree. With their innovative and […]

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Techcrunch Disrupted by AOL: The end of an era in tech blogging?

The news/rumor that Techcrunch is up for sale quickly made the rounds at the Techcrunch Disrupt conference this afternoon. GigaOm started it with a post that a sale to AOL is close at hand.

I’ve been burned by these kinds of rumors before, I remember when it was rumored that AOL was buying Mashable, but those discussions never led anywhere.

This time, however, I was back stage at the Disrupt conference when the news started making the rounds. I quickly asked staff members about the rumor. They didn’t know anything, they said. OK, maybe this is just a rumor, I thought, but then one offered “but I’ve heard a rumor there are multiple deals being considered.”

Then I noticed that Mike and Heather weren’t anywhere to be found, and people pointed to closed doors and said “they are in there.”

Later, I ran into Heather Harde, CEO of Techcrunch and asked her “can you talk to me about the news?” She answered quickly “nope.”

Even later, at Techcrunch’s dinner, I met Keith Teare, who was one of the guys part of the founding of Techcrunch and is the third owner of Techcrunch. Mike owns a majority share (a large majority, I was told), with Heather owning a healthy share, and Keith owning a far smaller share.

Keith told me he hadn’t heard anything from Mike and Heather yet, but that as a minority shareholder that he would only need to be told when it is time to sign paperwork. As of 10 p.m. that paperwork had not been signed by Keith yet. So, no confirmation on any deal tonight.

Arrington hasn’t answered my queries. I’ve talked with half a dozen of Techcrunch staff and they all say they don’t know what is going on so won’t make any confirmations.

That all said, it sure seems like something is going on and I’m very confident that a sale is in the offing. But is it AOL, like GigaOm reported? Well, GigaOm is usually very accurate on such matters, Om is the best in the business.

I saw Heather later again and she didn’t wave me off the story. Loic Le Meur ran into Arrington at the dinner and he wasn’t waved off either.

Now that the news part of this blog is covered, what will I speculate on?

1. Amount. Jason Calacanis sold to AOL for $25 million. I can’t see Arrington taking less than that and I’m sure he’d love to double, or even, triple that amount to rub it in (Jason, tonight, on his Twitter account, has been making it very clear that the two didn’t split on amicable terms). So, my guess is that the sale would be between $50 million and $75 million.

2. Does Arrington stay or go? My gut told me Arrington would want to get out of the deal as fast as possible, but after talking with a few insiders at dinner who know Mike very well I’m starting to turn my opinion. They told me that Mike would be very attracted to a deal where he could have a significant presence at AOL. Once I started considering this I said “well, if Arrington stays at AOL then AOL sure will be a lot more interesting than it was before.”

3. Techcrunch staff? Sounds like they all split up a small percentage of stock. Did MG Siegler own enough to become a millionaire? Hopefully so, he sure has played a key role in getting Techcrunch to be seen as viable without Arrington. Some of the staff told me quietly that they were worried about what working for AOL would be like and that Techcrunch wouldn’t be the same kind of publication post acquisition. I told them they should look to Engadget for some clues to how AOL deals with content properties it acquires. That’s seemed to have gone pretty well.

4. PR pressures. I doubt PR teams will change their strategies much right away, but over time they might spread stories out to other blogs. Arrington was very strict and wouldn’t run stories if Techcrunch wasn’t given equal access to launch stories. That forced PR teams to think out how they deal with Techcrunch and usually they played Arrington’s game, which brought them a pretty good story/press release flow.

5. News breaks. I’ve watched Arrington close up, spending hours in his hotel room at a VC conference once as he grilled people on the phone to try to get news out of them. That’s a skill that few in the industry have and it’s why he’s been at the top of the Techmeme leaderboard more often and longer than any other journalist/blogger I know.

So, I don’t think this ends Techcrunch, but it certainly will make it just another big brand that doesn’t change that much. With Arrington involved you could always expect some surprises every month and I bet the frequency of surprises goes down over time. How dramatically? Time will tell.

I’ve watched Arrington from the very first day he published (he regularly tells people I was the first blogger to link to Techcrunch) and it’s an organization I’ve always looked up to, even with a little bit of a jealous eye. “If I were smarter or more ambitious, I could have built that,” I remember thinking to myself once in a while. Stupid thinking, I know, because I’ve built an absolutely awesome life and I really don’t want to do the hard work of building a business. Mike has my respect for doing the hard work of building a great brand and team. I don’t know when I’ll see a similar effort, so tonight, my glass is raised to Mike and his team and I’ll be in the front row tomorrow to hear exactly the details of this news.

Then again, I’d love it if Arrington pulled AOL’s CEO up on stage and rips up the contract right in front of him and says “we’re staying independent.” Just the kind of surprise I’d love to see at the Disrupt Conference.

But, tonight, I expect that Mike will, instead, grab the check and head to the bank and with his deposit signature will be putting the final punctuation mark on an incredible story in publishing history. Thanks for all the disruption of the past five years Techcrunch!

21 thoughts on “Techcrunch Disrupted by AOL: The end of an era in tech blogging?

  1. Good for Mike, but eww. No way does he stick around long term. He’s probably making a couple million a year now (on an estimated $10M revenue [1]). Why give up your independence for a lump sum when you’re raking in the cash in a growth business (unless AOL is massively overpaying, which they’re not at your figures)? I’d give him the requisite Calacanis year, especially after he gets a whiff of big-company politics.

  2. As there have been less deals in the Tech Biz world in the past year Techcrunch has again become the story. Do you really think AOL has $50 million to spend?

  3. I wonder now about GigaOm and VentureBeat…Yahoo often matches AOL when it comes to content strategy. So, could one of them be heading to the warm embrace of Yahoo? (That’s total speculation, btw).

  4. Well … If I were Arrington, I’d take the money and become an angel investor. Latest numbers I heard were $30 – $40 million, but who knows what part of that goes to Arrington? He’s quoted somewhere as saying he’d been asked to stay for three years and that nothing would change in what he was allowed to write. But I really think he’s been bitten by the angel bug. Or maybe he’ll take a page out of Paul Graham’s book and start an incubator.

    And yeah, after Sarah Lacy’s “performance” today as “moderator” of the Women in Tech panel, I wouldn’t place any bets on how long she remains at Aol. She’s just not that good a writer to be behaving like a jerk.

  5. Your article made me wonder “What happens to Techcrunch if it becomes part of AOL? what does AOl do with it. That is an interesting question. A main line media powerhouse adopting this subjective vision of the media? or buying an audience? surely we can answer the “who will make it in this era of social media” and who will not? We want to go where we want to go, share our like interests and techcrunch has clearly proven that they provide and powerful and useful source for needed information. Will be interesting to watch. I actually hope it happens just so we can start to get some answers about these things. maybe that explains the interest of a “powerful role within AOL”….

  6. Yep, I lost my faith, when a corporation like AOL puts its finger in something like Techcrunch the future is shown to us, Mike will jump ship faster than planned because corporations like AOL have their agenda and it won’t be in their business-sense to let a business-oriented Tech blog like Techcrunch runs all alone and if other failures are any indiation: Bebo, CNN-Time-Warner, ICQ, AIM and many more… Maybe is next, people from are appearing in CNN so often that I believe Mashable is part of AOL’s Web Properties.

Comments are closed.

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Image of Camp Gilwell

Camp Gilwell

Updated: 2014-09-27. Something not right? Please update the information.
Size14 ha (35 acres)
Street Address5200 Duncan Bay Main, Courtenay, BC (Map may be inaccurate)
Nearest townCourtenay, British Columbia
NTS Map92F/11: Forbidden Plateau
Operated byScouts Canada, Cascadia Council
InformationWeb Site; Contact: Email
BookingsSame as above
Tenting sites: Yes
Adirondack shelters: No
Villages: No
Cabins: Yes
Drinking water: Yes
Emergency phone: No
Mobile phone coverage: Yes
Electric vehicle charging: Unknown
Picnic tables: Yes
Cooking shelters: Yes
Appliances in cabins: No
On-site store: No
Shopping nearby: Yes
Showers: No
Indoor washrooms: Yes
Wheelchair washroom: Yes
A wave pool and community pool are within driving distance
Major hiking trails nearby
Strathcona Provincial Park
Hiking trails, formal campfire circle, chapel, archery, mountain bike trail, sports field, canoeable water, canoes available.

Camp Gilwell is located in the Comox Valley along the banks of the Brown's River, close to Strathcona Provincial Park and Mount Washington Ski Resort. The area features snowboarding, downhill, and cross-country ski runs in winter, and hiking and mountain bike trails in the summer.

The camp has four cabins with electrical heating with bunk beds, no mats provided. The camp has a covered picnic shelter with a new fireplace for warmth on those damp days. There are four double outhouses and a wash house with three indoor flush toilets. There is a limited shower facility with a small hot water tank. The camp has a good size sports field, campfire pits, and lots of tenting sites. The campsites were developed and maintained by the local scouting groups, we ask that everyone respect the efforts of so many and try to keep things clean and safe for fellow campers.

For More Information

InformationWeb Site; Contact: Email
BookingsSame as above

Driving Directions

Nearest Other Camps

This information was gathered from reader contributions: use at your own risk.

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Greater Saint Louis Area Council - 2019 Boone Trails OA Chapter Banquet

Event Registration pt 1
How to start a new registration.
Parent Portal - Parents Guide
How parents can update registrations.

2019 Boone Trails OA Chapter Banquet

Event Details

Please join us February 21 at 7 p.m. for the 2019 Boone Trails OA Chapter Banquet.

Please note, check-in begins at 6:30pm.

Dinner and dessert is included.

The cost is $11 per person with online registration and $15 per person at the door.

OA Member Number is required for each member attending the banquet.  Your OA Member Number is the same as your BSA Member ID, which is located on your membership card.  If you have questions or experience issues with registering, please contact

When & Where
Cottleville Knights of Columbus

Thursday 02-21-2019 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM
More Information
Matthew Traum
Boone Trails Chapter Chief
Michael Wienstroer
Boone Trails OA Chapter Advisor
Council Service Center -- MacArthur (W. Pine)
4568 W Pine Blvd
St. Louis, Missouri 63108
Phone: 314-361-0600


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Bay-Lakes Council - National Youth Leader Training: Traditional Course

Event Registration pt 1
How to start a new registration.
Parent Portal - Parents Guide
How parents can update registrations.

National Youth Leader Training: Traditional Course

Event Details

National Youth Leadership Training is an intensive week long Leadership Training Course for Scouts BSA, Venturers, and Explorers who are 14 or 13 years of age or older and have completed 8th Grade by the time of course.  Plus have 1st Class rank and above, and completed introduction to Leadership Skills for Troop/Crews and has been pre-approved by their Unit Leader.

National Youth Leadership Training is a life changing experience for many. While participants will be equipped to provide enthusiastic, and competent leadership for their Troop, or Crew in the context of the Patrol Method, they will also gain leadership skills and experiences which will prove valuable throughout the rest of their lives.
National Youth Leadership Training is set up to represent the life of a Scout Troop in a one month time period. The first three days of the course represent the first three weeks in  a Troop’s calendar, where the Troop plans for a big event.  Patrols later use their skills and knowledge at a camp outpost  towards the end of the week. National Youth Leadership Training is used to improve leadership skills and knowledge that Scouts can take home to improve their Troops.  This is a Leadership Training Course, NOT a Skills Instruction Course!

Held at the Bay-Lakes Council's beautiful Camp Hiawatha, situated deep in the Hiawatha National Forest of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, participants will enjoy an intensive leadership experience where the natural beauty of the Camp, and the NYLT syllabus will make the Scout Handbook come to life.

When & Where
Camp Hiawatha

Sunday 08-04-2019 7:00 AM to
Saturday 08-10-2019 10:00 AM
More Information
Lee Worden
2019 NYLT Course Director
Kevin Corkin
Twin Lakes District Director
Bay-Lakes Council Service Center
2555 Northern Rd.
Appleton, Wisconsin 54914
Phone: (920) 734-5705


text:
ALL Happy Birthday Card Classes 1.0/2.0/3.0/4.0

Scrap of Paradise

Write a review
| Ask a question

Join Kathy to create a variety of 6 cards for any special birthday person! This class is offered once a month for 4 months with different cards each time.

What’s included:
Cardstock and paper for 6 cards
Showcasing different techniques every month

What to bring:
Basic Kit: Ruler, Pencil, Paper Trimmer, Scissors, and Adhesives.
(Sticky Double-Sided Tape, Liquid Glue, Pop Dots)
Bone Folder and Score board

Note: If you don’t want to share class inks, stencils, embossing folder or dies, feel free to bring your own.  They will be available to purchase in the store. Some consumables and/or products may not be in the kit.


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15 Dark Secrets About Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect was an unexpected box office success when it came out in 2012. The movie, which is based on the book Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory by Mickey Rapkin, revitalized the a capella genre in America. The sequel then built on the accomplishments of the original and widened its a capella horizons.

Pitch Perfect 3 was released on December 22nd of this year and will most likely be the final movie in the series. While it is yet to be seen if Pitch Perfect 3 will enjoy the same level of success as its predecessors, the franchise as a whole has revitalized an art form, created millions of fans, and earned hundreds of millions of dollars.

While millions of people have enjoyed the final on-screen product, there are more than a few dark secrets and mysteries behind the scenes. After the movie’s release, cast and crew members came forward with quite a few production stories that were very unexpected.

Whether the cast and crew were enduring freezing cold conditions, creating food fights on-set, being completely unprepared for an audition, or creating a casting call for a porno, there are quite a few things that fans would find interesting.

Here are the 15 Dark Secrets about Pitch Perfect.

Continue scrolling to keep reading

Click the button below to start this article in quick view

Pitch Perfect 3 Brittany Snow Anna Kendrick Anna Camp Hailee Steinfeld Chrissie Fit Hana Mae Lee
Start Now

15 The a Capella Boot Camp

Pitch Perfect 3 Brittany Snow Anna Kendrick Anna Camp Hailee Steinfeld Chrissie Fit Hana Mae Lee
Brittany Snow, Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Hailee Steinfeld, Chrissie Fit, and Hana Mae Lee in Pitch Perfect 3.

When the filmmakers for Pitch Perfect chose the cast for the movie there were a lot of things to consider. Granted, the ability to sing and dance was a major factor, but quite a few actors were picked for their comedic abilities and only a few had prior experience singing a capella.

In order to get everyone on the same page the entire cast was brought to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they handled principal photography. Over the next month, they were put through a rigorous a capella boot camp.

“The hardest part for me was, I think, the singing. A capella is very hard and intricate.” Anna Camp, who played Aubrey, told PopSugar in 2012. “To find your note, and really stand with a group of girls and lock-in is not easy.”

14 The Rebel Wilson/Adam Devine Shower Scene

Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine had a reputation on-set for going on long, improvised tangents that would often leave the crew in stitches. However, on more than one occasion, the pair took it too far.

We asked ‘Is there any way to beef up our love story?’” Adam Devine told Vulture in 2012. “And so we did some improv on the day...Hot shower scenes, really steamy. It was so steamy the camera stopped working.”

“A fun fact about that make-out sequence is that they noticed, after filming it, that my pants were actually a bit see-through,” Rebel Wilson said in a 2015 press conference. Another steamy scene between the actors was left on the cutting room floor for Pitch Perfect 2.

13 The a Capella Pool Battle

The riff-off scene from the first Pitch Perfect movie is one of the most iconic scenes in the series and it was one of the most difficult for the cast and crew. In order for them to shoot a late night a capella battle in an empty swimming pool, they actually had a late night a capella battle in an empty swimming pool.

“Shooting the riff-off scene was not as fun as it looked,” Skylar Astin told Movieviral in 2012. “We were shooting in an actual hollowed out pool that was kind of dingy and dirty, but it looked so good on camera. But those days were kind of tough because there were scenes where there were no places to keep cast chairs or warmer things so we bonded a lot that night.”

12 The Flying Burritos

While shooting the scene in which Fat Amy is hit by a drive-by burrito, Rebel Wilson had to endure shooting the scene multiple times. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one to take one for the team.

The director, Jason Moore, volunteered to be hit first to test if the burrito actually hurt but he was at least given a poncho. When it came time for the scene, it was a cameraman who unexpectedly took a burrito to the face.

I was supposed to throw a burrito at Rebel, and he said to aim for him, thinking I wouldn't hit him.” Adam Devine told Vulture in 2012. “I pegged him right in the face. [Laughs.] That's why that scene is slightly out of focus.”

11 Anna Kendrick Sang Live On-Set

Anna Kendrick Pitch Perfect

For the vast majority of musicals, actors record their songs in a sound studio and then lip sync when performing on camera. This is true for the majority of the production on the first Pitch Perfect. However, for scenes when Anna Kendrick would be singing on her own, she insisted on singing live on-set.

One of the things I was really insistent on was that whenever I’m singing alone in the movie, I’m singing live on set,” Kendrick told Collider in 2012. “Because I think something is a little bit lost in the recording studio, and frankly I’m just not good in the recording studio like I don’t know how to do that.  I think I’m just, I’m used to singing in front of people and singing in a recording booth was a little isolating and sterile.”

10 Pitch Perfect 2 Was Shockingly Successful

Pitch Perfect 3 loses Elizabeth Banks as director

The first Pitch Perfect was a pretty big success. Despite being shot with the relatively small budget of $17 million, it managed to rake in a domestic box office of over $65 million. While this isn’t as much as most major Hollywood franchises, a three-fold return on your investment is something that any studio executive would be happy with.

The success of the first movie, however, would be completely eclipsed by the box office returns of Pitch Perfect 2. Universal Studios gave the second movie a budget of $29 million. While this is still below the Hollywood average, it's significantly more than the first movie.

The money put into the project was doubled almost immediately when Pitch Perfect 2 debuted to a $69 million opening weekend, which was more than the first movie made in the entire time it was in theaters. The sequel would go on to earn over $184 million in its domestic box office run.

9 Some of the Songs Were Too Difficult

Pitch Perfect 2

Despite a cast of incredibly talented actors and a rigorous month-long a capella boot camp, there were some songs that had to be left out of the movie because no one was able to sing them.

“Sometimes we find that there’s no one we think is going to vocally knock it out of the park,” Elizabeth Banks explained in a 2015 interview with Time magazine. “We are always thinking about what is going to show off our stars. That was a big concern. Of course, we want to set up everyone to win—we don’t want anyone to be challenged.”

There were quite a few songs cut from the Pitch Perfect movies. The screenwriter, Kay Cannon, originally put 17 songs in the riff-off scene but had to cut it down to eight to prevent the film from going over budget.

8 There Were More Categories on the Riff-Off Wheel

The original riff-off scene only went through two categories, but the filmmakers had prepared for a lot more. In total, there were 13 different categories that appeared on the riff-off wheel and some of them were pretty outrageous. These other categories included; "Black Michael Jackson," "White Michael Jackson," "TV Theme Songs," and "'80s country duo The Judds."

The riff-off scene was repeated in Pitch Perfect 2 to include four categories, "Songs About Butts," "Country Love," "I Dated John Mayer," and "'90s Hip Hop Jams."

The original wheel had even more categories and the actors would have gone back and forth multiple times, but unfortunately the scenes were cut from the final cut of the film. It's safe to say some of these would have been a joy to see performed by the cast.

7 The Green Bay Packers Actually Sang Themselves

One of the funniest and least expected cameos in Pitch Perfect 2 was an appearance by members of the Green Bay Packers at the riff-off contest. What’s even more unexpected is the fact that the Packers did their own singing for the movie.

“It was a piece of cake,” Josh Sitton, an offensive lineman who appeared in the movie, said to “We were definitely fish out of water at first. Then we kind of got into our groove, and it turned out to be pretty good.”

Not everyone was a fan of the cameo as the screenwriter Kay Cannon, a committed fan to the Packer’s rival the Chicago Bears, didn’t like the idea. “My dad passed away while I was writing the sequel,” Cannon told Vanity Fair in 2015. “I was like, ‘my dad is rolling in his grave right now if the Green Bay Packers are in it.’”

6 The Fake Adult Film

There was a weird comical moment in the scene where Bumper tells the rest of the Trebles that he’s leaving to be a backup singer for John Mayer. When he walked into the living room there are seven Treble members sitting in a hot tub together. It got even weirder, as they were all watching a fake adult film that was made specifically for the movie.

“My favorite thing, frankly, was, I directed a porno for the background of a scene in a frat house,” Elizabeth Banks, who ended up directing Pitch Perfect 2, told Jimmy Kimmel in 2012. “It was the craziest casting call I’ve ever been a part of. There was no one else to direct it. It felt really skeezy to be like, ‘Hey Baton Rouge ladies, come on down to the Crown Plaza Baton Rouge in your underwear and let me film you.”

5 The Cup Song Almost Wasn't In The Movie

Cups (When I’m Gone) was the most iconic song to come out of the first Pitch Perfect movie, but it wasn’t originally in the script.

"We were going to (have Beca) do "I’m a Little Teapot" in her audition sequence, something just snarky and not taking it seriously,” Elizabeth Banks told USAToday in preparation for Pitch Perfect 3. “And then we thought, let's just do Cups."

"It was something that I learned to do seeing a link on Reddit, and because I’m a huge loser and a nerd, I was like, 'Oh, I’m definitely going to teach myself how to do that!',” Kendrick said. “And then when I was meeting about the movie, I was like, 'This is a thing I can do,' and they wanted to put it in the movie."

4 Ester Dean Wrote a Song For Rihanna

During the riff-off scene in the first Pitch Perfect, the groups have to riff on songs about getting down and dirty. This leads to two of the Bellas, Cynthia Rose and Stacie, to start the category by singing Rihanna’s "S&M." This was an ironic pick sinceEster Dean, who plays Cynthia Rose, was the person who actually wrote the original song for Rihanna.

Despite being an established music artist and appearing in a few animated movies, Dean had never been in a live action movie.

“The lady at casting was like, ‘Oh, there’s a movie and I think you’d be great for it,’” Dean told Complex in 2012. “So I went and did the audition, and I think three to four days after they called me back and said I had it. A week later, I had to fly to Baton Rouge.”

3 Amy Poehler Came Up With Fat Amy

Amy Poehler Wet Hot American Summer Ten Years Later

Pitch Perfect screenwriter Kay Cannon may not be a household name, but she has an impressive resumé. She spent five years working with Tina Fey on 30 Rock and is good friends with Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler. In fact, it was Poehler who gave her the idea to name a character Fat Amy.

“The name Fat Amy came from when my friend Amy Poehler was pregnant,” said Cannon in a 2012 interview with Collider. “I said, ‘How are you feeling?’ She’s really petite and was like, ‘I wasn’t able to tell anybody. I wasn’t feeling good. I was tired. I just felt like fat Amy.’ I was like, ‘I think somebody should call themselves Fat Amy, so that other people can’t make fun of them.’ That’s how that came about.”

2 The Fake Vomit Was Made of Real Food

By far the grossest scene in Pitch Perfect is Aubrey’s second vomit scene. While she pukes in an earlier scene, it's when the Bellas are fighting that she doesn’t hold back. The scene looks gross on camera, but it was even worse to shoot. The props team for the movie used pineapple juice, tomato juice, and chicken noodle soup to create a realistic texture.

“When I read it in the script, I was like, ‘I have to be the girl that gets this part because I want to barf all over everybody,’” said Anna Camp in a 2012 interview with Collider.

“It was crazy!  They had a hose hooked up on the side of my face, and then they had a hose hooked up underneath my chin, and there was a stunt guy with a button.  It was so powerful, and I was so scared.”

1 Adam Devine Improvised His Audition

Bumper (Adam Devine) with the Tone Hangers in 'Pitch Perfect 2'

When Beca auditions for the Bellas she didn't know she needed to have a song prepared. While this was a planned part of the movie, the same thing happened to Adam Devine in real life, as he didn’t know what movie he was auditioning for.

"I thought it was a baseball movie, and so I didn’t realize that there was singing involved," Devine said in a 2012 interview with E! News. "When I got there and there were all these handsome dudes singing I was like, ‘oh I’m in trouble’.

They asked me to sing a song and I was like, 'I'm not really a singer,' and they told me, 'You have to sing a song.' So I sang, 'Whatever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy or the evening TV,' which is the Full House theme song, so I don't know how I got the role."

Do you have a favorite dark secret about Pitch Perfect? Let us know in the comments!

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Pixar's Coco Gets A New Poster; Trailer #3 Arrives Tomorrow

Disney/Pixar has unveiled a fresh poster for Coco that showcases the different sides of lead character Miguel's family in the animated film. The movie follows young aspiring musician Miguel on a journey through the Land of the Dead, all while celebrating the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos, aka. the Day of the Dead. A brand-new theatrical trailer for Coco will be arriving this week too, per an official announcement from Disney/Pixar.

Dividing fans attention between the living and the dead, this Coco poster features Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), Miguel's Abuelita (Renee Victor) and the skeleton Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), among other key players (both living and dead) in the story. The film features an entirely Latino voice cast, in addition to a Latino co-writer/director in Adrian Molina (a longtime Pixar artist making his directing debut), and has taken special care to address the traditions of the Day of the Dead holiday. While this isn't the first film to tackle sharing the traditions of this holiday (see also The Book of Life), it's good to see multiple stories told about this important celebration at last.

Related: Coco's Skeletons Were 'Huge Challenge' For Pixar

You can check out the new poster for Coco (along with confirmation of the trailer dropping online on Wednesday, September 13), below:

Check out the all new poster for #PixarCoco. ? Tune in tomorrow at 9am PST for the brand-new trailer!

— Disney•Pixar's Coco (@pixarcoco) September 12, 2017

With soon-to-be-three U.S. trailers under its belt as well as multiple posters, fans have a pretty good idea of just what to expect from Coco, Miguel and the world that Pixar has created around Coco's protagonist. The importance of representation of the Latino community can't be understated and sharing more stories about their traditions is essential. Pixar has also been working closely with cultural consultants on Coco, to further ensure that the movie and its tie-in toys, books, games, and other licensed properties that are on the way, are respectful in their design.

Dia de los Muertos is essentially a religious holiday with important traditions that go back centuries. These stories must be treated with care and respect. However, everything from the use of cultural consultants to the entirely Latino cast as well as a Latino co-director, seems to suggest that Coco will do right by this very important holiday. With more and more stories being told about different cultures, care is essential. It's wonderful, however, to know that such stories are now being shared with an even-wider audience thanks to the storytellers at Pixar.

Source: Disney/Pixar

Key Release Dates
  • Coco (2017) release date: Nov 22, 2017
Ellen Page and Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt Responds to Ellen Page's Criticisms of His Church

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At least three people were killed after a stampede broke out on Saturday in Bihar’s Begusarai district during religious celebrations at Simaria Ghat, ANI reported. More than 10 people are reported to be injured in the incident.

However, Superintendent of Police (Begusarai) Aditya Kumar said the victims had died of suffocation while walking in crowd in a narrow lane. “The victims, all women, were more than 80 years old and were apparently very weak,” Kumar told Hindustan Times. “It appears they died of suffocation after being stuck on a narrow lane that was being used by a large number of pilgrims for going to and returning from the ghat.”

Sadar Deputy Superintendent of Police Mithilesh Kumar told PTI that they are investigating the cause behind the tragedy.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced Rs 4 lakh in compensation for the families of those who lost their lives in the incident, ANI reported. He also asked authorities to provide free medical care to the injured.

Thousands of pilgrims had gathered at Simaria Ghat to take a holy dip in Ganga on the occasion of Kartik Purnima. Meanwhile, devotees in large numbers thronged the ghats in Haridwar and Varanasi on Saturday on the occasion.


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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Response to Joe Patrice's post on criminal defense lawyers

As SDFLA blog readers know, I do not use this forum as a place to discuss my cases.  I use this blog as a place to cover news in this District and other court news that I find interesting.  Every now and then there is an exception, and this is one of those times.

Joe Patrice at Above The Law had this post where he compared me and other criminal defense lawyers to the Trump administration’s attack on the media as fake news.  In a case that I am handling, the prosecution has come up with various theories which we do not believe have any support in the facts.  One such theory was that my client was paying for the defense of an indicted defendant.  Even though this is demonstrably false and even though the prosecutor never asked us if this was true, the prosecution filed a motion setting out this false theory.  I described the motion (and the prosecution in general) as based on “alternative facts.”

Based on this quote, Patrice then compared me and criminal defense lawyers to Trump’s attack on the media as “fake news”:

Today we grieve in solidarity with the victims of Sweden while the official organs of American government ask that we kindly get over our hangups and just accept the simulation they prefer. It’s how we do things around here now.
Which is not dissimilar to the role criminal defense attorneys routinely play. When you think about it, asking reasonable people to accept all sorts of ludicrous alternative theories in the spirit of creating that shadow of a doubt is a time-honored tradition. … Because defense attorneys are definitely respecting the tricks and tactics of the administration.

But he’s got the analogy backwards. Our Founders created a system with a robust bill of rights so that the media and lawyers could act as a check on the executive branch. Criminal defense lawyers are the cornerstone of our criminal justice system, just as a free press is the cornerstone of our democracy.  The media must be permitted to call out the executive branch when it is less than fully transparent and accurate.  So too must the criminal defense lawyer call out the executive when it fails to prove its allegations.

Patrice's thinking -- that criminal defense lawyers are out there using tricks to subvert the truth -- has led to all sorts of problems in our system: innocent people being forced to plead guilty, prosecutors holding back evidence (see, e.g., Ted Stevens), and so on.  One study says that 10,000 innocent people are convicted each year.

Forcing the government to back up what it says with actual proof instead of baseless statements isn’t a “trick” or “tactic.”  This isn’t a defense lawyer “flipping th[e] script” as Patrice describes it.  It is exactly the script that our Constitution dictates and one that I and other criminal defense lawyers are proud to carry out.

Anonymous said...

There is nothing with another party covering legal fees, so long as they are informed in writing, the client too, and everybody signs, that the lawyers duty is to his client. Period. This is particularly true with family members, or friends, even though they may also be a target.

Fuck Joe pa

Anonymous said...

Get 'em. Well done.

Anonymous said...

"The major explanations of adversary trial are that its purpose is truth finding; that it leads to fair decisions; that it protects the people from oppression or potential oppression by government; that, as a stalemate system, it is conducive to bargaining; and that finally it is a process designed to produce publicly acceptable conclusions which project substantive legal norms, whether or not those conclusions are grounded in true facts.
The most common view of the purpose of the adversary system is that in matters relating to human, as opposed to scientific, affairs it is the best truth-finding system we can devise. This view is based
on claims that "truth is best discovered by powerful statements on both sides of a question."The simplest formulation of this view assumes that the principal issue of an adversary trial is to discover "what happened," that is, historical fact, and that a competitive contest over what happened is the best way to accomplish this goal. This view is easy to debunk as an unequivocal explanation of an adversary criminal trial. Aside from trial lawyers and perhaps judges, both of whom have economic and ideological investments in the system, it is doubtful that many people think that an adversary contest is the best way to discover what actually happened. Neither scientists, engineers, historians nor scholars from any other discipline use bi-polar adversary trials to determine facts." Spring 1987
On the Theory of American Adversary Criminal Trial
Gary Goodpaster

Bob Becerra said...

I always find it interesting when someone singles out criminal defense lawyers for coming up "with ludicrous alternative theories" when civil defense lawyers do the exact same when trying to have a jury exonerate their corporate client of liability. The implication is that there is something untoward and unclean about the criminal defense lawyer, while the civil defense lawyer enjoys the toast of the town and politicians at the local country club.

Joe Patrice said...

As the author of the original post, I'd say this raises a lot of good points, and I mostly agree. That said, here's a little more color on what I was trying to say.

I don’t think the media analogy is apt, because the media’s role should be to promote truth while the defense role is to protect people from the awesome power of the government to punish. And to that end it’s not the obligation of the defense to prove what really happened — just that the government failed to prove what did. For that reason, I don't think serving as a watchdog against government overreach and being a "purveyor of doubt" are mutually exclusive. And I definitely don't think the latter is "bad" when it comes to criminal justice.

To use a famous (but perhaps unduly polarizing) example of the O.J. trial strategy, the team put most of its resources in undermining the credibility of the cops and DNA evidence. I don’t think that’s a bad thing really. It’s what the Constitution dictates. But it just seems to me that political figures, primarily on the right, are divorcing this strategy from the courtroom context and deploying the “don’t trust the witness” and “you can’t know what really happened that night” tropes to everything.

Finally, when I say “flipping the script” I meant that I assume prosecutors will generally try to cast defense lawyers as trafficking in “alternative facts” whenever the defense strategy is focused on building a “couldn’t it also have happened this way?” narrative. I'm a little worried that the baggage of the alternative facts trend in society at large could cause more jurors to be more skeptical of defense narratives, but maybe it'll help them lose the unswerving faith they might have in a narrative coming from the government. So that could be a positive outcome.

Anyway that's what I was trying to get at and using the backdrop of this case as a jumping off point. It's not that I'm anti-defense -- indeed I spent 7 years in white-collar defense and my portfolio at Above the Law is positively riddled with stories of prosecutorial misconduct -- it's just that I see parallels and an inappropriate hijacking of the process into a political space it was never intended to serve.

So that's my two cents on the subject.

Anonymous said...

I know it's only February but I think this guy Patrice already has sewn up the DB of the year award.

Anonymous said...

Did you try many cases? Why no more comments on atl?

Anonymous said...

DOM plagiarized kellyanne ... BAD!


text:
StyleSheet: Entertaining Essentials

Impressive events rely on similar rules,

Sean Drakes gathers the fundamentals

Hosting a gathering of colleagues and clients doesn’t have to be a painstaking task.  By following a few simple rules you can reduce angst and have an impressive soiree.  Creating an atmosphere where guests feel comfortable eating, drinking and socializing is the goal.  Food should be easy to ingest, drinks should be premium brands and your theme should be consistent throughout the soiree.  Thoughtful planning is the first step to a successful event.  Juan Montier, a licensed architect and founder of Montier Designs says, proportion, style, scale and lighting are “critical to the three facets of entertaining: food, flora, and décor.”THEME DEFINES AMBIANCE. Theme of your soiree should be distinctive from the front door to the powder room.  A tapas themed soiree “allows guests to sample food from around the world,” offers celebrity chef Juan Montier, who has served as personal chef for the legendary Diana Ross and copped 2nd place on a cooking challenge on The View TV show.  Try tapas such as doro wat from Ethiopia, curry seafood from India, or beef bourguignonne from France.  Build the décor with aqua, lime, and lemon-colored square clay plates; accessorize with tall, thick red, orange, and aqua candles in hurricane lamps and tan glazed clay pots and serve drinks in thick glass tumblers.

USE THE RIGHT LIGHT. Lighting is a significant component, offers Montier.  “Establish three levels of lighting: indirect lighting using floor cans, mid-level lighting with lamps and candles so guests who are sitting get a sparkle, and highlights from above so your food presentation glistens.”

LEAN MENU OFFERS MORE. Serving small bites is a big trend in entertaining: Frenching grilled ribs, lamb chops, and chicken drumettes or using skewers for a Wild West-themed barbecue. “Offer a flight of wine (a tasting of three or four varieties), also do this with your desserts.  This lets your guests experience a full range of flavors and not feel guilty.”  Communal tables are a popular trend, but they have to be accessible.  Be sure not to set communal tables so that guests have to raise their leg to sit as with a bench.  Smaller tables (30″ to 36″ wide) allow for a comfortable exchange of conversation.  Larger tables tend to isolate those who are not actually sitting next to someone.

Hire support staff for when you entertain more than eight guests, suggests Montier who manages catering for gala events for the National Black Arts Festival and 100 Black Men of America.  “As the host, you improve the experience by being present with your guests—especially if entertaining executives.  Remember that you are doing this to enhance relationships.” For inspiration, check out Jung Lee’s amazing creations .

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Google Docs Dying for a Checkup

The Register reported today that Google Docs disappeared in the cloud computing stratosphere, leaving users hoping for a house call from the Google guys. No word yet on the outage on the official Google Docs blog.

Cade Metz noted that Google’s Docs and Spreadsheets disappeared today for close to an hour, proving that the world’s largest search engine is a long way from perfecting the art of online business applications.

Metz said many businesses paid good money to look at this screen, which appeared from about 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at least to customers in Silicon Valley.

The Register quoted a less-than-thrilled Google Apps Premiere customer, San Francisco-based open source outfit MuleSource. The company pays Google for the use of Docs and Spreadsheets, and it describes the experience as a game of chance.

“As businesses look to move their systems and applications into cloud-based services, we expect them to work minimally as well as if we ran them ourselves,” Mule Source CEO Dave Rosenberg tells us. “With Google Apps, we are at the point of taking bets to see if the services will actually be up.”

We’re not sure the phrase “When clouds die” is part of the official Google server error message.

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2018 SERP changes impact SEO


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TN 1 (01-05)

SI 00530.120 SSI Redeterminations

NOTE: On April 1, 2009, SSA changed its policy of not paying fleeing felons. Follow the instructions below only for felony warrants with offense codes 4901, 4902, or 4999. Follow the Martinez settlement instructions in GN 02613.860GN 02613.885 for all other felony warrant codes.

On May 9, 2011, SSA changed its policy and no longer suspends or denies benefits or payments based solely on a probation or parole violation warrant (i.e., warrants with offense codes 5011, 5012, 8101, 8102, or 9999 or “Blank” and an offense charge symbol of “probation or parole violation”). Follow the Clark Court Order instructions in GN 02615.100GN 02615.190 for all probation or parole violation warrants.

We will make additional changes to this section, as necessary, in the future.

A. Policy

Questions about an SSI recipient’s fugitive status are included in all redeterminations initiated on or after October 23, 2000 that are conducted by face-to-face interview, telephone, and mail. During the redetermination interview, a recipient must answer questions about whether or not he or she has been accused or convicted of a crime, or an attempt to commit a crime, which is a felony, or in jurisdictions that do not define crimes as felonies, is punishable by death or imprisonment for a term exceeding 1 year regardless of the actual sentence imposed under the laws of the place from which the person flees. Also beginning on October 23, 2000, each recipient responding to a redetermination interview must answer questions about whether or not he or she is subject to a condition of parole or probation under Federal or State law. The questions will apply to the entire redetermination review period. If one of these questions is answered “yes,” more information is required. (See SI 00530.140A.3. and SI 00530.140A.4.)

EXCEPTION: This requirement does not apply to low-error profile (LEP) redeterminations processed in the Wilkes-Barre, PA data operations center (DOC). However, if a DOC-initiated LEP redetermination is transferred to a FO for development, fugitive questions must be documented on the revised SSA-8202 (refer to SI 02305.802) or revised SSA-8203 (refer to SI 02305.807).

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
SI 00530.120 - SSI Redeterminations - 06/06/2013
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How To Recogize You Have A Systems Problem

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To determine whether you do have a system problem, you need to perform three tests. These tests will show if delays and cost overruns are arising for one or two reasons. The first could be because the components of the product don’t interface with each other as a system. This is analogous to putting together a child’s bike. If the parts in the box don’t fit, then you won’t have something that looks like a bike. The second could be due to incomplete requirements that went into building the components, which would result in a system not functioning as expected. In the bike example, even if the parts do fit, the bike may not work as intended. For instance, the bike doesn’t stop properly because the brakes don’t have proper contact with the wheels.


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The Talking Point #28: Should he stay or should he go now?

(Title Image: BBC Wales)

There’s no doubt that Carwyn Jones had given us plenty of warning as to when he intends to stand down as First Minister and – while it was predictable, though not openly spoken of – when he intends to stand down as AM for Bridgend too (in 2021).

While I suspect his suggestion there was “no unfinished business” in office was a joke at the media and opposition’s expense – I doubt he’s that blinkered – the relatively lengthy timetable of his departure has presented some problems.

By the looks of it, Carwyn is going to copy his predecessor and leave in December with his successor taking over in January 2019. The Welsh branch of Labour is also yet to discuss how his successor will be elected, with September mooted as a possible date for a decision.

As it’s going to be a while until that decision’s made, the internal row over whether one member, one vote (OMOV) or the current electoral college will be used threatens to drag on for several months. That would generate the sort of kinetic energy that could turn it into a deeper and nastier rift, when Labour in Wales have historically kept a tight lid on internal dissent (unlike Plaid Cymru).

Things haven’t been helped by Mike Hedges AM’s (Lab, Swansea East) recent suggestion that Carwyn’s successor as First Minister should make the final decision on whether to give the go-ahead to the M4 Newport bypass – with the findings of the public inquiry due to be published in the autumn. The First Minister has insisted he will make the decision – and as long as he’s in office you would expect that to be the case.

Mike is almost certain to remain in the Mark Drakeford camp, with the Finance Secretary – and only declared leadership candidate to date – recently expressing an open mind on whether to go ahead with the £1.4billion project. The official line from the Welsh Government has often been in favour, but it’s obviously dropping hints to the “green/sustainability” wing of the party that, if he were First Minister, Mark Drakeford might (but not necessariyl would) consider ditching it. To do that he would need to become First Minister by September.

This has played into the Conservatives’ hands, who are now portraying the First Minister as a “lame duck”, whose authority when it comes to making big decisions has waned since his announcement. They’re calling for the First Minister to go now. Although nobody in Plaid Cymru has said anything (AFAIK), I assume they wouldn’t mind an early contest either.

It’s probably nothing more than mischief-making, but at one level it would make some sense.

If the First Minister announced he would quit as Labour leader in Wales at the end of the 2017-18 Assembly session on July 23rd, it would give potential leadership candidates a few weeks to gather support, enable a short and snappy 6-8 week leadership campaign over the summer recess (where it’s unlikely there’ll be any other political story) and the new First Minister could take office when the Assembly returns on September 17th.

That might suit Mark Drakeford because he’s the only candidate at the moment who could guarantee the right number of AMs to support his bid. Other potential candidates are still holding their cards close to their chest and would be caught by surprise if the leadership election starts in July rather than October/November. It would force some scrambling and deals in dark corridors, but I’m sure Labour would be able to put up another 2 candidates at least.

It would, however, almost certainly mean the election being held under the current electoral college. In that context, an early contest might appeal to those in the professional/managerial stream of the party who perhaps have more support amongst the unions and politicians that grassroots members.

Either way, I suspect everyone has jumped the gun – but politics loathes a vacuum.

  • 6


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When a Muslim met a Jew (the X-rated edition)

A tale about elections, erections, infosec and awareness.

By Eh’den Biber

Last week I had a conversation with an extremely intelligent man, who is also holding a passport of a country who is Muslim. A country which don’t have a diplomatic relationship with the country I was born in, Israel.

The Arab-Israeli conflict reminds me a very smart Jewish which can be paraphrased more or less to “Wise people shut the fuck up”. Obviously wisdom is way far ahead of me, but in the meanwhile, it’s a great story.

So we talked. About Israel, and his country, and it was very interesting because he was surprised that I grew in a semi-atheist environment (Oh, Tel-Aviv, you have wonderful sides). I was surprised because I’m not used to a dialogue about the subject that does not end up in stereotypes. It’s been a while since I talked about the subject, mainly because of the fact I got tired of hearing how the Jews control the world. I want to remind ANYONE who still think so to stop reading and look at the other side of the appliance they are using to read this. It’s China who owns the world.

I will come over and personally kill you if you said “there is nothing on the other side, I printed it on paper”. If you spent paper on this you need to be hospitalized, or examined. Unless it’s a toilet paper, and in that case, why don’t you switch to something a bit softer, like… politics.

The US elections are coming towards us, and this time we know when the iceberg will hit our Titanic and we all enjoy the freak show until we will wake up from the nightmare – only to discover we are still in it. Well, most of us know when the ship will hit the berg, Donald seems to have a bit of a problem with dates and little-kittens, and Hillary seems to have amnesia when it comes to proper transparency and honesty. I reminds me an old joke, and I dedicate it to Donald. Kids (or anyone with a decent sense of sensitivity), I really ask you to stop now.

Donald, can I continue? What are you saying? all the pussies are gone? OK, if you say so.

Donald Trump is traveling in a business trip to the middle of Siberia. It’s late, he is on the train, in his room, about to go to sleep, when he suddenly hears a strong knock on the door. He opens the door and surprised to see Putin. “With Vaseline or without Vaseline”? Asks Putin. “what?” says Donald, but Putin don’t wait. He pushed Trump, takes of his trousers, rapes him , and leaves.

Donald is in shock, trying to figure out what has happened. Perhaps Putin afraid because he heard what a winner Donald is with girls. It must be it. He press the alarm button and he hears a knock on the door. He opens it, and instead of the train manager he sees Putin again “With Vaseline or without Vaseline?” asks Putin. “Putin, what are you doing? I am the best, I am going to make you pay for it like I’m about to make Mexico pay for the wall” says Donald. Alas, Putin is almost as outraged by the words as the Mexicans and this time he rapes him for half an hour. It is way past midnight, Donald is lying in his room, destroyed, with a very sore behind-hole, and with his last effort he calls Melania. The second she answers the door is broken to pieces and Putin is there again, shouting “for the last time, With Vaseline or without Vaseline?”. “with, with Vaseline, say the conquered Trump. “Vaseline”, says Putin, “Come here, Donald wants to £u^k him as well”. Lights out.

The moral of the story? In life, like in the joke, lack of awareness means it is going to get worse, regardless what/who we choose. And yes, That was a horrible, horrible joke, but not as bad as the two candidates we have right now  🙂

Porn is like politics – both provides a fake acting by professionals, in order to satisfy an unbalanced, disturb inner world of the viewers, driven by their past traumas.  Both provides temporary satisfaction but do not address the root cause of the suffering.

Most people vote in accordance to their personal experience of the environment they were exposed to. It is long and complicated story, and it is our story, or as we like to call it – “me”. The story we tell ourselves on why we are choosing things, the story that, as I already wrote in my previous article, is just a story our pre-frontal cortex is naming up especially to us. Our decision making is very much a result of a parliamentarian vote that occurs in our brain, while billions of neurons establish a unique state which we perceive as … something only we can. It is true to colors, to sexual preference and to the nominees we have when we are being given the right to vote, if ever.

So we are blinded by our story, and we carry our blindness everywhere we go, including, and in many times, especially, when we go to work. Think about it for a second – when you join an organization do you do so by totally assimilating yourself into the story of the organization? If you do so, without doubt, without questioning, you are a slave to the environment you are in. Many people use critical thinking, a school of thoughts that started around 500 B.C. by the Greek, to use reason. Reason requires a state of meta-cognition, of thinking about thinking, of reviewing the situation not from within the situation, making assumption and testing them. Again, most people will think they implement critical thinking, but I can assure you, most are trapped in their inner-mental-maze, and inject in the result their own judgment, their own perceptions, beliefs, stories.

This fairytale is in the heart of the problem we have in information security. Well, obviously we don’t have a problem, we are all going to die soon, but in the meanwhile, until the sun will expand just before it will die and take earth with it, in the meanwhile let’s pretend we have a problem (Thank you Gary Johnson).

When it comes to information security our inability to grasp the state of the others is in the root of our failure. The board understand information security almost as much as the Arabs understand the Israelis and information security don’t understand the board almost as much as Israeli understand the Arabs. Please, darling ones, feel free to exchange sides in the metaphor above, because we are all the same. I can hear you say “how dare you compare us to the Israelis, who violate international treaties and occupy the Palestinians”, or “how dare you compare us to the Arabs, with their brutal mass killings”. As I said before, way up there at the beginning of the article – it is SO easy to get drawn to statements, to make a big farce. The lack of openness any side is showing is just a sign of fear to face an inner perspective of the narrative it construct.

Here is one statement we heard for years: “Information Technology/Security fails because their leaders don’t know how to speak the board language. To succeed, we must learn to speak the board language”. Yes, I’m that old. But think about it – as data becomes an important, critical element of our economy (hello Google/Facebook/Uber) – wouldn’t it been better for the board have studied our language as well? Perhaps it is time to have an open discussion with the board about it? After all, If the mountain didn’t came to Mohamed, Mohamed came to the mountain.

What about us? Oh, dear friends, beloved infosec crowd – seriously guys, for years we been complaining that the board refuse to listen to us, but now we end up refusing to listen to those of us who been saying that awareness is more important than technology because our organizations are critically depends on humans? Oh, if I will hear one more time that someone wants to patch me I will punch him. Very kindly, full of compassion punch.

You, who read this article, are not Human. Yes, google robot, I am talking to you, but also to all you “humans” out there. We are are all just partial human. We have a huge population of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms that literally share our body space, and defines our perception of reality in ways we still don’t grasp. It is called micro-biome, an ecological community. For years we ignored it, and only today we start to realize that our health both mental and physical is critically driven by these creatures which most of us don’t really listen to or live in harmony with. Perhaps before we start to speak about information security awareness training it is time to help our customers have a better sense of themselves. Without an inner sense of acknowledgement to the wonder we all experience there is little lack we will be able to bring any sense of “awareness” to technology which most humans barely understand.

Have a beautiful day

(C) All rights reserved to the one, 2016.

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Home > Hypnotherapy Blog > Does it help to Scream

serene action does it help to scream

We’ve all reached the point at which we could scream.  It is quite common to hear someone under pressure or dismayed say, ‘It makes me want to scream.’  However, does it help to scream or is this a myth?

The term Catharsis relates to the idea of cleansing, coming from Greek origins; ‘Kathartikós’ meaning fit for cleansing.  Aristotle took the opinion that human being benefited from a process of cleansing; Catharsis.  Thinking that screaming or crying provided a way to let out the stress or upset.  The mechanics of his construct are a little vague, even suggesting that witnessing other people unburden themselves could have a useful effect on the watcher.

With limited knowledge, this does make sense.  If the benefit of watching others unburden themselves feels a little far-fetched, then certainly draining yourself of bad feelings appears to have merit.  There are a few examples of how unburdening oneself feels good.

  • Vomiting may not be nice but the relief often soon follows
  • Having a good scream can relieve tension
  • Sexual tension can be distracting without relief
  • An upset stomach, you get the idea

If you think in physical terms the idea of making space for ‘good stuff’ by emptying out some ‘bad stuff’ makes sense.

With regard to observing others experience catharsis; I wonder whether this is akin to the German term:

“pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune”

So does it help to Scream

It rather depends on what you were trying to achieve in both the immediate and the future.  You will have lived a charmed life not to have been tested to the point of screaming.  In fact, an overly charmed life could mean you hit the screaming point sooner; not used to things going against you.

For most people at the point of boiling over a scream feels good, as you vent your pressure valve.  The reality is that the relief is generally short-lived, and  I have yet to see a traffic jam that magically disappears with a scream.

Of course, if you can feel the pressure building and have the luxury of a little logical thought a scream is preferable to some other behaviours.

It’s not only Screaming

What makes one person feel like screaming can have another getting physical,  I have seen touchscreen computers ‘tapped’ hard enough to crack the screen.  As a hotel manager, I arrived in the kitchen just soon enough to stop the chef smashing our entire crockery inventory.  Sounds over the top, but in fairness, a waiter had called for the wrong main course to be plated, so perfectly reasonable!

While in Japan a hotel in Tokyo launched ‘crying rooms’ where guests could have private space to, let it all out.  Dallas, Texas is home to the Anger Rooms where clients can pay to smash stuff up to relieve stress.  It gets quite bespoke with options to have specific items available for smashing with hammers, baseball bats or another item of your choice.

At times computer printers and fax machines were the most requested items to smash; I think anyone who has worked in an office can relate to that.

What happens when you Scream

In short quite a lot, as a useful strategy, not quite so much.  It is reasonable to view anger as a pressure building up inside, venting this can make us more comfortable.  However little (probably nothing) changes about the problem at hand, your reasoning becomes impaired and you teach yourself that screaming, or your action of choice is a good strategy.  This makes it even more likely that you will follow this route again.

Studies conducted by  Brad Bushman – Social Psychologist at Iowa State University showed that people who have a belief in Catharsis are more likely to seek it out as a way to release stress and reduce anger.  This is just a small finding from a large scale experiment and does not do Bushman justice for his excellent research.

When the road rage descends or your ears pick up displeasing information, venting the pressure will likely feel good; without having any useful effect on the situation.  And next time you will need a bigger scream for the same pleasure reward; the treadmill keeps getting faster.  While you may be able to scream louder and with more conviction if you choose another behaviour you could become more dangerous and destructive.

Hypnotherapy and alternatives

Hypnotherapy can be used as a route to build better strategies for dealing with life’s irritations.  Here are some examples:

  • Undo unhelpful strategies and replace with preferred ones
  • Create quiet space for regular unwinding
  • Create ‘Anchors’ both manual and automatic
  • Apply balanced reasoning
  • Question how you want to respond

In answer to the questions, ‘does it help to scream?’ I would suggest, yes in the immediate providing it is an occasional reaction.  For more regular irritations it makes sense for mental and physical health to build better strategies.  Perhaps the prominent points to remember are that screaming or other cathartic behaviours, impair judgement for several minutes afterwards.  And the law of diminishing returns comes in to play, you need a bigger ‘dose’ of scream for the same relief.

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text:
Is there ever a legitimate reason for the SMTP “MAIL FROM:” field to not match the “From:” field in the DATA section of a message, besides mailing lists?

From https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1750194/smtp-why-does-email-needs-envelope-and-what-does-the-envelope-mean:

“But, to continue your snail mail metaphor, most professional letters will contain the sender's and recipient's addresses printed on the letter itself. Those addresses are not necessary for the postman, but are instead a courtesy to the recipient. So it's sensible that email would work the same way.”

The problem with this line of logic lies here: “courtesy to the recipient”. Including the “From:” address in an email via SMTP is not a courtesy; it is required if the recipient is to be able to send a reply.

From: How to limit the From header to match MAIL FROM in postfix?:

“But if you really want to ensure From: and MAIL FROM then you have to apply header_checks so that Return-Path: matches From:”

What are the implications of doing this? Mailing lists would obviously be a problem. Are there any other legitimate uses of differing “MAIL FROM:” and “From:” header information?

There are many reasons why the Header and Envelope From addresses may not match. Most concern automated processes sending mail, where delivery issues need to be reported to an address that is not representative of who sent the mail, or who it was sent on behalf of, or who should be replied to. Mailing lists as you've pointed out are a good example.

The main reason why a message sent from a user's mail client might have differing from addresses is forwarded mail. The mail content should then be reasonably faithful to the original, but in case of delivery errors, those should be reported to the user who forwarded the email, not the original sender.

Besides the SMTP header, There are a variety of MIME headers that various programs use to try to distinguish between the original sender, and intermediate sender, and/or the preferred address to report errors to.Eg Reply-To, Sender, Originally-From, Errors-To, etc, etc, Each with different sematics. Some of these have standards support, while many more do not, but may be in use anyway. The way various mail programs behave in practice varies considerably.

Whether a manner of addressing mail is advisable is a different matter from whether it is "legitimate" as you ask. If you're considering legitimacy here in terms of something like policy for handling potential spam, then no, I don't think you'll be able to make a simple distinction in this way.

Have a think though about DKIM signing of email, and SPF authentication of mail servers for email domains. If you're sending much mail, it may be important to be able to authenticate your mail in these ways, and that may have implications for the addressing of mail From headers, as you can only authenticate mail related to domains for which you have authority.

Extended on request:

A MIME 'Reply-To' header directs a MUA (Mail User Agent, usually a person's mail client) to send replies to a different address, instead of the MIME 'From' address. This is not used by an MTA (Mail Transport Agent) for things like errors.

Usually an MTA would use the SMTP Envelope 'MAIL From' address to send errors to. IT can be overriden with a MIME 'Errors-To' header, which is an MTA instruction. Not all MTAs will honor it, so it's an inferior mechanism to setting the SMTP Envelope address, but there are many circumstances where it may be possible to set MIME Headers in a message, but not the SMTP Envelope From address. Eg software running in a shared hosting environment may find itself in this situation.

'Sender' is much more ambiguous as an instruction to software agents, but indicates who or what sent the email where that is distinct from the From address which is more like who the mail was sent on behalf of. Eg when you fill out an on-line mail-your-politician form, it would be very appropriate for the resulting email to use your mail in the From header, but have a Sender address related to the organisation who set up the form.

'Originally-From' is used by some MUA software when forwarding mail, with the forwarder's address being used for the 'From' header. Other MUAs will Leave the From address alone, and use a 'Resent-From' header. Whether MUAs recieving these various headers emails interpret the headers usefully, or even display them is quite variable. When replying to a mail that has been forwarded to you, who should the reply go to by default? Maybe best to set that 'Reply-To' header?

The behavior of MUAs is variable, aand poorly defined, although it does seem to be improving over time. By contrast, the semantics of the Envelope are much more defined. There's typically been a strong position that MTAs should never concern themselves with the MIME headers, but as MTAs are increasingly held responsible for mail content (eg see SPF and the emerging DMARC standards), there's pressure for the clarity of that position to be degraded. Long-standing mechanisms like Errors-To have also conflicted with the notion of MTAs not looking at header content, which is part of why those mechanisms have always been inconsistently applied. Philosophies of software authors vary.

You might find it useful to look over http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4021#section-2 , but remember that the actual practices of the multitude of mail software out there varies in ways which are not necessarily standards blessed.

It's fine to try to come up with a clear philosophy of how you think mail should be used, but don't expect that everyone else will do things how you think they should.

  • I still have time to award this bounty and am interested in additional scenarios such that would require the use of the headers: ` Reply-To, Sender, Originally-From, Errors-To` – random65537 Aug 20 '13 at 21:15
  • Thank you for the additions. I'm hoping to get a clear understanding of what the MTA expected behaviors are, vs what they are implemented as. Also, you may be interested in this q: I just posted on Sec.StackExchange regarding email whitelisting (akin to BATV) security.stackexchange.com/q/41008/396 – random65537 Aug 21 '13 at 18:30
  • 1
    +1, why only 4 votes? – Pacerier Jul 23 '14 at 8:07

Automated processing is a big reason. You want to be able to send any bounces/autoreplies/errors to be processed separately, otherwise those messages disappear, or get ignored, or some poor sap has to dig through them. Yes, adding an X- header for processing is possible, but a lot of the time bounces/etc. won't include the original email or only a mangled portion of it and you won't be able to get the source.

For example, say someone signs up on your website, and you send them an email saying thanks for signing up. Your MAILFROM and From might look like this:

MAIL FROM: <user-signup-123123123@bounces.example.com>
From: Website X <noreply@example.com>

This way, the user sees the "friendly from" in the mail client. But if the user doesn't exist, their MTA will send the bounce message to:

and an automated process can easily pull the userid (the 123123123 part) and the part of the system that created the bounce(the -signup- part) from the header and easily delete/mark that user as disabled.

The mail from: in the smtp conversation is designed to be the place where bounces will go The From: header in the message body is used to display to the recipient and as the reply address if the Reply-to: header isn't set.

Emails which shouldn't generate a bounce should set the empty sender in the envelope, for instance a return receipt will usually have: mail from:<> with the user's name in the from: header.

Another situation is where a mail server is using BATV to reject faked bounces. The mail from: will be in the form prvs=tag-value=mailbox@example.com.

  • I think I remember seeing a X-header for returns and NDRs. Do you know when and how this is used? – random65537 Aug 14 '13 at 10:07
  • X-headers were originally added as a means of MUAs and/or MTAs to put custom metadata and are not specified in any standards, although some do become defacto standards. You might be thinking of multipart/report mime type defined in rfc 6522 which was defined to help software classify messages which are bounced automatically. These will still be sent with an empty envelope in mail from: – Richard Salts Aug 14 '13 at 10:53

Unless I'm not reading my headers or the question correctly, emails from my BlackBerry are sent from the BlackBerry server and basically none of the fields match. Small percentage of users, I realize. I have been looking at this recently in evaluating my mail server. Below is an anonymized email sent from my BlackBerry to my Gmail account:

Delivered-To: recipientusername@gmail.com
Received: by with SMTP id q10csp217364igb;
        Wed, 14 Aug 2013 00:18:53 -0700 (PDT)
X-Received: by with SMTP id g20mr4290552icl.10.1376464731205;
        Wed, 14 Aug 2013 00:18:51 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path: <SRS0=BQ46+U=R3=example.com=senderusername@srs.bis6.us.blackberry.com>
Received: from smtp08.bis6.us.blackberry.com (smtp08.bis6.us.blackberry.com. [])
        by mx.google.com with ESMTP id lq6si7427361icb.102.2013.
        for <recipientusername@gmail.com>;
        Wed, 14 Aug 2013 00:18:51 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of SRS0=BQ46+U=R3=example.com=senderusername@srs.bis6.us.blackberry.com designates as permitted sender) client-ip=;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com;
       spf=pass (google.com: domain of SRS0=BQ46+U=R3=example.com=senderusername@srs.bis6.us.blackberry.com designates as permitted sender) smtp.mail=SRS0=BQ46+U=R3=example.com=senderusername@srs.bis6.us.blackberry.com
Received: from b15.c8.bise6.blackberry ([])
    by srs.bis6.us.blackberry.com (8.13.7 TEAMON/8.13.7) with ESMTP id r7E7InfH019786
    for <recipientusername@gmail.com>; Wed, 14 Aug 2013 07:18:49 GMT
Received: from (cmp2.c8.bise6.blackberry [])
    by b15.c8.bise6.blackberry (8.13.7 TEAMON/8.13.7) with ESMTP id r7E7IlCt013236
    for <recipientusername@gmail.com>; Wed, 14 Aug 2013 07:18:47 GMT
X-rim-org-msg-ref-id: 587275596
Message-ID: <587275596-1376464726-cardhu_decombobulator_blackberry.rim.net-631052459-@b17.c8.bise6.blackberry>
Reply-To: senderusername@example.com
X-Priority: Normal
Sensitivity: Normal
Importance: Normal
Subject: Test
To: "Recipient Name" <recipientusername@gmail.com>
From: senderusername@example.com
Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 07:18:45 +0000
Content-Type: text/plain
MIME-Version: 1.0

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
  • There is an excellent reason for this - SPF rewriting. If BlackBerry wasn't doing this than you would get a lot more SPF failures sending from your device. – MikeyB Aug 20 '13 at 1:14
  • True, but that's because BlackBerry doesn't use my server for sending. – Paul Aug 20 '13 at 1:56

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text:
Paid servises

You can add money to your account using WebMoney

1. The cost for priority display in the 'independents' section is 2 dollars per day. Money is subtracted every hour. For example: If you turn on priority display at 00:03, our account will only have priority status at 01:01.

2. Posting in the 'Escort agencies” section costs 20 dollars per month, if you pay for 30 days up front.

3. Paid profiles will be shown first (above other profiles), regardless of whether they are confirmed or not. After paid accounts have been shown, all other profiles will be shown. Automated updating of profile positions will occur every 15 minutes. Users will see different profiles on their computers, but paid accounts will be shown first.

4. Priority display costs different amounts at different times of the day, but adds up to 2 dollars per day:

From 11:00 to 19:00 - $ xxxxx per hour

From 18:00 to 22:00 - $ xxxxx per hour

From 22:00 to 02:00 - $ xxxxx per hour

From 02:00 to 06:00 - $ xxxxx per hour

From 06:00 to 11:00 - $ xxxxx per hour

Sizes and costs of banners:

200 by 100, or 200 by 200 pixels, and up to 150 kilobytes in size.

Banners are posted on the right side of the page.

5. Posting a 200x100 banner costes 100 dollars for 30 days. If your banner's height is more than 100 pixels then the price will be automatically increased. For example – if a banner is 200x150 pixels then the price will be multiplied by 1.5. This means that the 100 dollars cost will increase to 150 dollars per 30 days.

6. Posting a profile in the Gallery costs 1 dollar.

When you turn on the 'Activate paid display' function, the ad you have chosen will be updated and will move up every hour. This service costs 1,2 dollars per day.  Ads will be updated an hour after activating the Paid Display function.

The cost of a banner will depend on the section it is posted in and on its height.

Standard banner dimensions are 100 pixels in height and 200 pixels in width. In the “Freelancers” section costs $100 for 30 days. In the other sections it costs $40 for 30 days. If the height of the banner is increased, the price is increased according to the following formula-

Price for the section is multiplied by the height coefficient. The coefficient for a banner with a height of 100 pixels is 1. For a banner with a height of 150 pixels, the coefficient is 1.5.

For a single one-time payment of 1000 or more dollars you will receive an extra 15% on your account. This means that if you make a payment of 1000 dollars you will receive 1150 dollars on your account's balance.

All bonuses are paid out within 24 hours of payment!


text:
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text:
One of Amazon's HQ2 candidates looks like a clear frontrunner

Myles Udland
Markets Reporter

On Thursday, Amazon (AMZN) was the day’s biggest business story after the company released a list of the 20 cities still in play to house its second headquarters, dubbed “HQ2.”

This location is not meant to replace its original Seattle headquarters, but serve as a second headquarters equal in size and scope to the Seattle home base. Amazon has said it will hire 50,000 workers for this location.

And most notably, Amazon’s list included three locations in the greater DC metro area — Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, Maryland, and Northern Virginia.

And that two of these are not cities, but regions, shows that while the retail giant has clearly made this bidding process for its next headquarters an exercise in trying to extract the most generous tax breaks from municipalities, in a perfect world Amazon would plant “HQ2” in the nation’s capital. Washington is where Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wants to be.

As demographer Lyman Stone noted on Twitter on Thursday, this list makes clear that Amazon’s initial criteria — which included access to international airports with daily flights to NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, and D.C. — appears to be heavily weighted towards access to D.C.

One city stood out in Amazon’s list of finalists for its new headquarters — Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

And while the company had also highlighted its desire to be in a metro of over 1 million people, with colleges nearby to provide tech talent, a “stable and business-friendly environment,” not all of these criteria were created equal.

It’s also not surprising that so many of the finalist cities are concentrated in the eastern part of the continent, with several of the finalists within a 90-minute flight of Washington, D.C. — Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Newark, New Jersey, New York City, Boston, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Toronto. Even at the outset of this process, it would’ve been a surprise to see Amazon double down on the West Coast.

Additionally, Bezos’ connections to D.C. cannot be ignored — Bezos owns The Washington Post through his personal investment fund, and Bezos also bought a 27,000 square foot property in the city last year

But it should also not come as a total surprise that Amazon, one of the company’s most-often targeted by President Donald Trump, is looking towards the nation’s capital as a place to solidify its presence. Like all major companies, Amazon has a significant lobbying presence in D.C., but looking out to the next ten or twenty years of the relationship between U.S. policymakers and businesses, it seems likely the cozy relationship the tech sector has enjoyed with government changes. At least in some form.

And while Facebook (FB) and Google (GOOGL) have both taken criticism from lawmakers for their role in spreading misinformation during the 2016 presidential election, Amazon’s size and questions about whether some of its business practices are anti-competitive and bad for consumers are not likely to go away in years to come.

The relationship between companies and sectors and the government will ebb and flow over time. But as Amazon takes an even more central role in selling American consumers goods, and ventures into potentially more lucrative spaces like pharmaceuticals, the government isn’t likely to ignore the power the company enjoys.

And being more closely embedded in a city which, right now, has no major corporate identity would seem to be the kind of forward-thinking idea that CEO Jeff Bezos has favored since founding the company, and which has helped make him the richest man in the world.

Myles Udland is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @MylesUdland

Read more from Myles here:


text:
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Window Air Conditioner

Reviewing: Hitachi Window Air Conditioner  |  Rating:
By Ben Rose on
Badge: Author | Level: 2 | Furniture & Appliances Expertise:

People strive from hot summers and they started using air conditioners. Hitachi is one among the leading air conditioner manufacturer. They produce both window air conditioners as well as split air conditioners. The company manufactures air conditioners of various size depending on the size of the room. They vary in terms of tons. Its starts from half tonne and end at two tonne. The size of the room is the only factor that has to be considered while fitting an air conditioner.

The efficiecy of the hitachi window air conditioner was pretty good. The power consumption was affordable by people of all categories. In the previous ages air conditioner was in the slab of luxury living. But now it has come under to the category of normal living. The perforance of these air conditioners was good. But when it comes to noise pollution it was very high. The company has to take certain steps to reduce this noise pollution to increase its demand in the market. As a whole hitachi window air conditioners stands at a good ranking position.


text:
Courtesy of
Courtesy of

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Courtesy of All-Ett
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Courtesy of All-Ett Wallets
Courtesy of All-Ett Wallets

And for those vintage sport crazed fans, shoes…shoes…shoes! Today’s desire for vintage and throwback kicks is on the rise; from celebs to fashion forward trend setters, everyone seems to be stepping in to these flashy and clean looks. Whatever your fashion interest may be, rule of thumb…be true to you and the express your flare fashionably and always with confidence and pride.

By Sadie Robertson

Written by Sherryn Daniel

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sharing the Details (formerly Sherryn Daniel’s Blog), a comprehensive Gala and red carpet blog that provides the true sparkle with the D.C philanthropic and glamour scene.

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