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July 30, 2012, 5:19 pm

Mitt Romney would let wind energy tax credit expire, campaign says

[media-credit name=”AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post” align=”aligncenter” width=”495″][/media-credit]

A worker at Vestas Blades in Windsor

Mitt Romney’s campaign said today the Republican presidential candidate would let the wind production tax credit expire, drawing a clear distinction between Romney and President Barack Obama on an issue that could affect up to 5,000 jobs in Colorado.

Obama supports the tax credit – which is set to expire at the end of this year – and has urged Congress to extend it. The Romney campaign has indicated in the past that he didn’t think “technology-specific incentives” are a good idea, but until today the campaign has not said if Romney would phase out the credit or allow it to expire this year.

This morning, the Obama campaign held a conference call with representatives from Colorado and three other states that are home to some of the largest numbers of wind facilities – Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Those states, like Colorado, just happen to be swing states in the Nov. 6 election.

Former Energy Secretary Federico Pena noted a Columbus Dispatch opinion piece in which Romney referred to Obama’s energy policies as “an imaginary world where government-subsidized windmills and solar panels could power the economy.”

“In our states, windmills aren’t imaginary,” Pena said, adding that Colorado is home to 18 wind energy manufacturing facilities, including the Vestas plant in Pueblo – the largest such facility in the world.

The Romney campaign criticized Obama for the administration’s investments in failed companies like Solyndra, and noted that his 2008 campaign promise to create 5 million green energy jobs hasn’t come close to materializing.

“The President may believe that his economic plan ‘worked’ and that America wants to repeat the experience for another four years, but the facts don’t back that up,” said Ciara Matthews, Colorado communications director for the Romney campaign.

“Mitt Romney believes it is a time for a new approach to ensure our nation’s energy independence. He will allow the wind credit to expire, end the stimulus boondoggles, and create a level playing field on which all sources of energy can compete on their merits. Wind energy will thrive wherever it is economically competitive, and wherever private sector competitors with far more experience than the President believe the investment will produce results.”

Earlier this year, Vestas CEO Ditlev Engel said that if the tax credit is not extended, the company may have to lay off most of its Colorado workers. The company, which has facilities in Brighton and Windsor in addition to Pueblo, employs about 1,700 people here.

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  • PR

    Its not just the subsidies, its the “extra” costs – like coal impacting us to the tune of >200 billion/yr in health bils (look it up) and the very real threat of GHG emmisions etc. Romney wants the market to decide, thats OK, just make absolutely sure the market gets ALL the information it needs not just what you want it to have.

  • Anonymous

    How are the new energy fields and technologies going to scale up without some major help? The Chinese are subsidizing theirs because they’re smart and they can foresee a future need–they’re set to dominate the world, already causing once-promising enterprises like Solyndra to collapse. Meanwhile, we’ve got backward politicians tied to the apron strings of their money “mamas.” They’re bottle-fed which legislation to swallow and which to reject, based on current establishment, set to stifle what’s new in the interest of self-preservation. Maybe we shouldn’t throw public money at companies like Solyndra, but a tax credit as encouragement is just good sense.

  • the only energy mitt the twit believes in supporting is that which supports his oil stocks in Iran. Back to the future with mitt the twit

  • Ben Hoffman

    So Romney is going to raise taxes on people he doesn’t like. Sounds like fascism to me.

    • Refusing to subsidize a business that will never be able to stand on it’s own is not fascism.Crony capitalism like Obama pushes is.

  • Sheff

    We need to go back to the age of when a senator/public office holder is completely talking out their a$%. Then other public officials (or just the public) can challenge them to a nice an legal duel on the national mall. Bet that will make some of them think twice before spitting out pure gibberish.

    The Washingtonian Thunderdome: 2 men enter, 1 bill made of common sense leaves…

  • Most of us like alternatives that would use less oil, but we also need to not excessively favor one energy source in the tax code over another. We have to have lower top tax rates to have our businesses compete successfully in the world economy and create jobs here. To do that we will have to look at some tax provisions that reduce tax revenues, but don’t give our economy much of a boost. All of us should be looking for a way that our tax system could have less deductions and credits and still be fair. In my humble opinion, Romney just wants the chance to find the best balance.

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Testing Snafu at Top School

Given the emphasis that U.S. schools place on testing at all levels, derailments are not uncommon, at the federal, state, and, as was announced this week, at the local level, with an admissions exam to a prestigious public school.

The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology discovered printing errors on the testing booklets given to students hoping to gain entry to the school. About 3,000 students had taken the 8th grade test last weekend. The test is developed by Pearson, which offered its regrets for the foul-up but blamed a third-party contractor, according to the Washington Post. A re-test has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 23. The test is just one of several criteria on which applicants to Thomas Jefferson High are judged, according to the Post, which reports that all the students who took the test on day in question are likely to have to retake it.

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« The Nine Most Terrifying Words in the English Language: "I'm From Big Business, and I'm Here to Help" | Main | Will Union-Led Implementation Rescue the Common Core? »

Teachers Want Accountability From the Top

Over the past decade teachers have grown accustomed to being on the receiving end of "accountability." Our unions have been castigated by corporate leaders and philanthropists for "protecting bad teachers." Bill Gates has pumped billions of dollars into an effort to create airtight accountability systems that use test scores to measure student performance, and data systems to allow the value of each teachers' work to be measured.

But meanwhile, accountability for the corporations themselves has gone out the window.

John Oliver shared this on The Daily Show, one of the few sources of truth in our media, in a segment called Money Boo-Boo:

Shep Smith of Fox News reports:

Some bombshell emails reportedly show how two big credit rating agencies accepted cash in exchange for greenlighting the risky practices that got us into this long mess. One S & P official reportedly emailed "Let's hope we're all wealthy and retired by the time this house of card[s] falters." And another quote: "Lord help our [expletive] scam. This has to be the stupidest place I have worked at."

As John Oliver then points out this is standard business practice. Senator Al Franken's efforts to create a new system that would eliminate this obvious conflict of interest was thrown out in the house and senate, by elected officials beholden to corporate donors.

No accountability for banks and the rating agencies that are supposed to keep them honest. As a result, millions of Americans have lost their homes, and our economy is still reeling.

Meanwhile, a report last month showed that the largest 155 corporations in the nation paid just 1.8% of their income in state taxes. The average required rate is 6.56%, but corporations have become adept at avoiding their obligations. The amount of money these corporations have saved - about $14 billion a year -- is roughly equal to the amount that has been cut from state education budgets.

No accountability for corporations that shirk their duty as citizens to support public education.

While bad teachers must be removed with as little delay as possible, there seems far less urgency for dealing with the ineffective systems of assessment we are now spending billions on. In Indiana this spring, students found themselves in front of computer screens flashing the word FAIL at them, as McGraw Hill's testing system crashed for two days.

Very little accountability for testing companies responsible for the systems by which the rest of us are held accountable.

Teachers are not against accountability, and we never have been. We hold our students accountable for doing their work. We hold ourselves and our colleagues accountable for making learning happen in our schools. And now it is time to start holding those in power accountable as well.

How about taxation policies and enforcement that result in corporations paying their share of taxes so our schools can receive the resources they need? How about limiting tests to those that are absolutely necessary, and unplugging ourselves from the test driven paradigm?

Perhaps the next time some "reformer" says teachers are "against accountability," we can give them a lesson on where accountability is truly needed.

What do you think? Is it time to flip the script when accountability is discussed?

Continue the dialogue with Anthony on Twitter.

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Given that a reported 9 out of 10 businesses fail, with “no market need,” “ran out of cash” and “got outcompeted” paramount among the reasons why, it begs the question: is there a better, more sure-fire way to realize entrepreneurial success? Does any approach exist that can thwart the gut-wrenching 90% chance of failure? One expert, Today’s Growth Consultant (TGC) founder Ken Courtright, says “yes!” He emphatically asserts the answer is establishing an “authority website.”

Just what exactly is an authority website, who can benefit from one and why does Courtright contend it proffers near guaranteed profitability? I caught up with him to ask these questions and more. Here’s what he had to say.

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At just 34 years old, Dlodlo CEO, Li Gang, is sitting on top of the world—the virtual reality world, that is. Having entrenched his company as global leader in VR technology research and development, this IT-oriented entrepreneur has ushered in a new high-tech era with the launch of the wireless, portable and fashion-forward “Dlodlo VR Glasses.” Billed as the thinnest and lightest immersive Virtual Reality glasses in the world, these glasses represent the latest and greatest in VR technology that are appreciably offered at a bearable consumer price point—$699 per pair.

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The serious risks of sitting

March 6, 2014, 9:43 AM ET

We all know that the perils of being a couch potato–or a desk jockey–include an expanding waistline and back pain. But recent research suggests that too much sitting is linked to major disability after age 60.

He would do well to find a more active hobby.

The study, by researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, is the first to establish that sedentary behavior is its own risk factor for disability, independent of lack of exercise. In other words, it suggests moderate exercise may not be enough to offset the negative effects of too much sitting. It also implies that the benefits of an active retirement extend beyond the satisfaction of checking items off your bucket list.

What, exactly, counts as excessive sitting? Researchers compared participants with similar health and physical activity levels. They found that for those 60 and older, every additional hour a day you spend sitting is linked to a 50% greater risk of being disabled. In other words, if there are two 65-year-old women, one sedentary for 12 hours a day and another sedentary for 13 hours a day, the second one is 50% more likely to be disabled, the study found.

This may sound sound logical–it stands to reason that someone with a disability would be less mobile than someone without one. Because the study examines a snapshot in time, it doesn’t conclude that sedentary behavior causes disability.

Establishing that connection is the next step for researcher Dorothy Dunlop, professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She told Encore she’s working on a follow-up study that follows a group of subjects over time, to determine what sort of behaviors contribute to disability.

Disabled people experience difficulties doing basic activities such as eating, dressing, bathing, getting in and out of bed and walking across a room. Older people with these limitations are much less likely to be able to live independently than their fully functioning peers.

The study looked at 2,286 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who wore accelerometers to assess their levels of physical activity. The study was published last month in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health.

While the study didn’t definitively show that sedentary behavior causes disability, why wait for the proof? Prof. Dunlop shared some tips for squeezing some physical activity into your day: stand when you talk on the phone at work, park in the spot farthest from the store, and walk around the house or office when you get up to take a break.

In addition to these habits, it’s important to exercise. Ideally, you’d make that a regular habit well before reaching retirement age, although experts say it’s never too late to start activity that matches your ability level. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least two hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, such as brisk walking. Those who prefer a vigorous-intensity aerobic workout can get the same benefits from one hour and 15 minutes of an activity like jogging as they would from two-and-half hours of brisk walking.

Research suggests that exercise can help delay the onset of dementia. It also strengthens muscles and improves balance, helping to prevent falls. And exercise can help ease the joint pain of arthritis as well.

To extend your healthy lifespan, it’s important both to exercise and also to limit your couch or desk time.

Also on Encore:

Martha Stewart to boomers: Don’t retire

Report: Alzheimer’s rate falls globally

Studies: Multivitamins don’t help boomers

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About Encore

  • Encore looks at the changing nature of retirement, from new rules and guidelines for financial security to the shifting identities, needs and priorities of people saving for and living in retirement. Our lead blogger is editor Matthew Heimer, and frequent contributors  include editor Amy Hoak, writer Catey Hill, and MarketWatch columnists Elizabeth O’Brien, Robert Powell and Andrea Coombes. Encore also features regular commentary from The Wall Street Journal retirement columnists Glenn Ruffenach and Anne Tergesen and the Director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, Alicia H. Munnell.


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March 4, 2011

Best Body Swap Movies

Total People in Discussion: 17

Freaky1     Today’s Movie List was inspired by another viewing of the “Freaky Friday” remake the other day. As you may recall, this one starred Jamie Lee Curtis and the pre-off-the-rails-into-pantyless- substance-abuse-and-alleged jewel thievery Lindsay Lohan.

    The topic is: Best movies about body swaps, age swaps or other forms of body possession. This turns out to be a surprisingly popular cinematic device, considering the unlikelihood of it actually happening, but I suppose you could say the same thing about indestructible slashers and zombieism.

   Anyway, it wasn’t easy to narrow this field to 10, and I know I left some good ones out. My hope is that you will have some other favorites to throw out there in the Comments.

    Here we go:

1. The Exorcist – Amazingly scary and a real shocker when it came out.

2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers – I’ll opt for the original, although the remake was pretty good, too.

3. The Shining – Considered a horror classic, although I thought Jack Nicholson seemed kind of looney from the start, which spoiled the whole possessed-by-the-hotel idea.

4. Being John Malkovich – Inspired strangeness about a portal into the actor’s brain.

5. Big – My favorite of all the age-switch movies, mostly because Tom Hanks was so good.

6. Ghostbusters – Excellent Bill Murray comedy included the entertaining Freaky2 possession of Sigourney Weaver.

7. Identity – (Spoiler alert) One serial killer sort of possesses the bodies of all the individuals who gather in one small town. Stylish suspense.

8. Heaven Can Wait – Charming romantic comedy about a football player whose life is prematurely snatched away and the quest to find him another body.

9. Freaky Friday – I liked the remake, which was funny and ultimately heartwarming.

10. 13 Going on 30 – This is kind of “Big Light,” but I do like Jennifer Garner and it’s a pretty good chick flick.

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I'm fond of "All of Me," with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin laugh-out-load funny.

"Laugh out load" sounds really gross. "Laugh out loud" was what I intended.

Laugh Out Load is better, I think. "All of Me" definitely was on my radar, along with one action movie that I'll let someone else mention. Steve Martin was terrific portraying what it was like to have Lily Tomlin controlling him.

Great list. Loved Big and Freaky Friday. Now put Edwina back in bowl!

I'd also put in "Prelude to a Kiss" with Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin ...

Action movie - Face/Off?

Face/Off is the one I was thinking of. I never saw "Prelude to a Kiss."

Check it out ... I think you'd like it ... Face/Off was great !!!

I vote for Starman, 1980's Jeff Bridges/Karen Allen roadtrip film where an alien assumes the form of a dead house painter from Wisconsin, kidnaps the widow, and drives to Arizona to rendezvous with his UFO ride home. The stars develop a predictable attraction for each other, but know their cross species love can never be.

Starman is an excellent one I didn't think of. Gene R., I'll put Prelude to a Kiss on our queue.

Speaking of movies, I have a major gripe. I rented "Inception", but missed much of the plot due to the wide variation in sound levels between the quiet dialog and the really loud action sequences. Instead of making the movie exciting, the very percussive explosions actually detracted from my enjoyment. I was continually jolted back and forth from Leo DiCaprio's dreams to my living room reality as I fumbled for the volume control on the TV remote. This fluctuation in sound volume also occurs in the theaters, is just as annoying, and there is no way to adjust the sound. The result - I don't go much anymore.

The sound engineers love playing with these new technologies, but like Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park, "your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."

Anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?

I noticed that also. Luckily, I'm so accustomed to working the remote that I just kept adjusting it as we went along. By the way, you could argue that Inception fits this category if you stretch a little, in which case I would have it high on the list.

Heaven Can Wait was based on an earlier movie just as good, but I cannot remember the title. Was it "There Goes Mr. Jordan"?

Close DON. It was Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Starred Robert Montgomery and Claude Raines. Enjoyed it even more than the remake.

I liked James Gleason as Pops in Here Comes Mr. Jordon..He also played Sylvester the cabbie in The Bishops Wife..and I think he might have made reference to Mr. Jordan in that film. I, too, liked the original. Most of the good ones are covered already, but how about Michael Keaton in Jack Frost...and although it never happened..poor Wilbur and the Frankenstein Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein.

The Fly..the original..although only a partial body swap.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was one of my favorites.

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January 23, 2010
Posted by John J. Moser at 01:33:00 AM on January 23, 2010

Bazilian 2 Eric Bazilian, frontman for the popular 1980s Philadelphia roots-rock band The Hooters, says a recent burst of songwriting inspiration sent him listening to “The Optimist,” his debut solo album released on an independent label nine years ago.

What he heard, Bazilian says – that after a decade “The Optimist” was still a complete, accurate and honest picture of who he is – prompted him to give the disc a second chance.

So tonight Bazilian will play the disc in its entirety at a show at Sellersville Theater 1894. He’ll be backed by Hooters drummer David Uosikkinen and singer/songwriter/engineer/producer Cliff Hillis on bass.

Bazilian released “The Optimist” during a hiatus for The Hooters, whose debut album, “Nervous Night,” went double platinum, who had the hits “All You Zombies,” “Day By Day,” “And We Danced” and “Where Do the Children Go?”and opened the Live Aid concert in Philly in 1985.

He released a second solo disc, “A Very Dull Boy,” in 2002, and wrote for other artists. But in recent years, he’s busied himself with a resurgence of The Hooters that saw the band release its first album of new studio music in 14 years with 2007’s “Time Stand Still,” do several touring stints, and release a new live album, “Both Sides Live,” in 2008.

Bazilian discussed the upcoming show and the future of his solo project and The Hooters in a recent telephone call from his home in Philly:

You’re going to be performing your 2000 solo disc “The Optimist” in its entirety. What else will be in the show?

“Well, if you just take ‘The Optimist’ from start to finish, including the hidden track as an encore, with talking and tuning, you’re looking at 90 minutes right there. The album’s about an hour long, and other stuff happens. But it’s funny you ask that, because I’ve written two songs in the past two days that kind of sound like the same guy that brought you ‘The Optimist.’ So if I can prevail upon my other musicians to learn yet two more bizarre songs, I think I’ll add them.”

Speaking of which, I read on your blog that you said you’re doing massive amounts of songwriting. What kind of projects are they for? Are you looking at another solo disc?

“You know, I am. This whole run of solo shows and ‘Optimist Live’ thing started, oddly enough on Sept. 9 – it was the day The Beatles remasters came out. And for some reason, instead of running out and buying those – ‘cause you know what? Nothing’s going to sound better than my original vinyl, with all the clicks and pops – for some reason I sat down and I listened to ‘The Optimist’ straight through. And I had a ‘what-was-I-thinking’ moment with that. Because I don’t know if it’s just me, but I have that album and I was kind of overwhelmed by its completeness, and the fact that that’s really kind of who I am. And that record – that’s the most honest work I’ve ever done. Every song on that record, I can point at something that’s happened. Every one of those stories is true. And that’s what real songwriting is.”

Bazilian Optimist It’s cool that all these years later, it still holds up for you, as well.

“It does in some ways more than ever. So that was the impetus for this. And what happened was, when I finished it, by the time I finished it I was tired and I was kind of on to the next thing. I was working on a bunch of other projects. So I just threw it out there and I figured, ‘This is a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to my door.’ That’s why I called the label Mousetrap Records.

"Well, maybe it was a better mousetrap, but the world did not beat a path to my door, and I just figured, ‘OK, it’s not that good.’  And I didn’t really try. So 10 years later, the record’s as good as it was then and part of me didn’t really feel like I wanted to make another record.

“But on Tuesday,  I sat down with an electric guitar and a crunchy little amp and I started playing, and all of a sudden there was a song. And then yesterday, the same thing happened. So I think there’s another record that’s ready to be made [Laughs].” (Continued)

ERIC BAZILIAN PRESENTS ‘THE OPTIMIST’ LIVE, with John Lilley Project, 8 p.m. today, Sellersville Theater 1894, Main and Temple streets, Sellersville. Tickets $21.50 and $33; 215-257-5808 www.st94.com. Online: www.ericbazilian.com, www.myspace.com/ericbazilian

Bazilian1 That would be cool. If you need any affirmation, believe me, sales and popularity, as far as from my viewpoint, is not the measure of whether something’s successful or not.

“You know, it’s really not. And it’s funny, because most of the music that’s really gotten me excited in the last couple of years has been totally obscure things. There’s one record in particular by a band called The Action – I think it was recorded in 1967. It was an English band that George Martin signed to his own label and they had had a couple of hits of soul covers.

"But this record was a real album. It was a kind of psychedelic, crunchy guitar record. And apparently, what they ended up releasing just in the last few years were the demos. They never actually went in and did the record for real. And you can tell; it’s just mono, it’s rough, stuff’s out of tune. But it just slays me.”

So after Sellersville, do you expect to put more shows together later?

“Yeah. You know, it’s such a hard ball to get rolling. And I’m so spoiled by The Hooters production. We got out there, we’ve got techs. I basically walk up on stage, somebody hands me a guitar, and I do the show. These shows, it’s a lot of work. And it’s a lot of work for free, basically. And it’s a lot to ask of these other musicians to do, ‘cause it’s a lot of time and effort involved in learning these songs. But I definitely, definitely need to do more shows after these.”

I saw that David U.’s going to be playing with you, and at Sellersville as least, that John Lilley’s actually going to be opening the show.

“Yeah, how ‘bout that?”

Hooters1 So you guys are going to go out as a half-group.

“Another thing that sort of sparked this was David was over here at my studio and we decided to just go downstairs into my loud room, and just play guitar and drums. And all of a sudden I started playing songs from ‘The Optimist,’ and he was the one who said, ‘Hey, let’s go out and do some gigs like this.’

“So my original plan was to do the Record Collector as just guitar and drums – a White Stripes-y kind of a thing. But on Monday night we rehearsed and halfway through I think, ‘God, I wish we had a bass player.’  And David said, ‘Yeah, I kind of do, too.’ So I got on the phone, I called Cliff Hillis, who is a great, great singer/songwriter/engineer/producer – he also guitar techs for me in the U.S., when he’s available – but he engineers a lot in my studio. So I called him up and, bless his heart – he was already on line to do Sellersville. So he came over last night, we learned the whole album. And let me tell you – this isn’t like learning a Rolling Stones record. These bass parts are written in stone. All of it is. When you listen to it, I wonder who actually did that record sometimes, ‘cause it’s really sophisticated; it’s crazy. If you actually sit down and analyze it, there’s crazy time stuff, crazy tonal stuff. But it’s gotta be that way.”

Looking out into the future a little bit more, do you see another Hooters album?

“Definitely. We’re working hard on that. I’m not getting a lot of sleep these days.”

I saw that you put out the “Both Sides Live” album in the U.S. now. What was the impetus behind doing that as an album? Just a fans’ thing?

“Yeah, pretty much, you know. It was a document. It was a document of what our live show’s like now. And then we had the idea to do the Secret Sessions. When we’re in Germany, we’re often called upon to do unplugged shows at radio stations. And there’s a whole other life in that – that’s really a gas to do.”

A couple of things off subject a little bit: How cool was it for The Hooters to play the national anthem at Phillies playoff game?

“Oh, oh , oh. Peak life experience. You know what the best thing about it was? We nailed it. I tell you what, that’s a hard thing to do. We’ve done the anthem a bunch of times and it’s ranged from utter chaos to questionably OK. But this time, we nailed it.”

And how about the opportunity to play one of the last shows at the Spectrum last October?

“That was great. That was a great night. The band was really on and the whole vibe, with all the returnees, it was great. It was a little overwhelming because there were a lot of people there that I wanted to spend the whole evening with and I just didn’t get a chance to.”

What other projects are you working on right now?

“I’m traveling to L.A. a lot and writing with everybody in the world out there. Just trying to keep my head open and keep things fresh – get inspired. I also did some amazing music in Sweden, where we live – we live up in the north. We did one show there that was another peak life experience. It was with four musicians, all of whom were just spectacular. I’ve never met a bad musician in Sweden. But this particular group was just amazing. And then to add to the equation, we had a woman named Lill-Babs. She is maybe the Peggy Lee, or maybe the Doris Day of Sweden. She’s, I think, 73 years old. She did four of her songs with us, and it was riveting.”

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Hollarin' with a Hooter: Eric Bazilian talks about solos shows, band's future
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if I remember correctly, Joan Baez opened the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia followed by the Hooters. The Hooters were one of my favorite bands back then. I worked the show for Electric Factory Concerts and had a back stage pass for the show.

Posted By: Bert Grosman | Jan 24, 2010 11:01:37 AM

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John J. MoserJOHN J. MOSER has been around long enough to have seen the original Ramones in a small club in New Jersey, U2 from the fourth row of a theater and Bob Dylan's born-again tours. But he also has the number for All-American Rejects' Nick Wheeler on his cell phone, wrote the first story ever done on Jack's Mannequin and hung out in Wiz Khalifa's hotel room.

Jodi DuckettJODI DUCKETT: As The Morning Call's assistant features editor responsible for entertainment, she spends a lot of time surveying the music landscape and sizing up the Valley's festivals and club scene. She's no expert, but enjoys it all — especially artists who resonated in her younger years, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Tracy Chapman, Santana and Joni Mitchell.

Kathy Lauer-WilliamsKATHY LAUER-WILLIAMS enjoys all types of music, from roots rock and folk to classical and opera. Music has been a constant backdrop to her life since she first sat on the steps listening to her mother’s Broadway LPs when she was 2. Since becoming a mother herself, she has become well-versed on the growing genre of kindie rock and, with her son in tow, can boast she has seen a majority of the current kid’s performers from Dan Zanes to They Might Be Giants.

Stephanie SigafoosSTEPHANIE SIGAFOOS: A Jersey native raised in Northeast PA, she was reared in a house littered with 8-tracks, 45s and cassette tapes of The Beatles, Elvis, Meatloaf and Billy Joel. She also grew up on the sounds of Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and can be found traversing the countryside in search of the sounds of a steel guitar. A fan of today's 'new country,' she digs mainstream/country-pop crossovers like Lady Antebellum and Sugarland and other artists that illustrate the genre's diversity.

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Celebrity Photos: Paris Hilton, Amar’e Stoudemire, Jude Law, Gillian Anderson

AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski

Paris Hilton does Poland

Who doesn’t want Paris Hilton at the grand opening of their new mall in Poland?

Also featured today: Amar’e Stoudemire proves that athletes look good in sweaters; Jude Law at the opening night of the London Fim Festival; and Gillian Anderson looks hot on the red carpet.

Check out these photos and more, click here

Celebrity Photos: Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Anne Hathaway, Anton Yelchin

AP Photo/Matt Sayles

What is Kim Kardashian wearing?

Kim Kardashian and the rest of her family was out on the red carpet for the Kardashian Kollection Launch Party. Why do people want to dress like the Kardashians?

Also featured today: Paris Hilton hasn’t been thrown out of the Philippines, yet; Anne Hathaway on the “Today” show; and Anton Yelchin takes on a vampire in “Fright Night” re-make.

Check out these photos and more, click here

Celebrity Photos: Paris Hilton, Olivia Munn, Brad Pitt, Kelly Rowland

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Is Paris Hilton on minute 15?

Paris Hilton heads to the Philippines to announce a partnership with a resort development company. Seriously, who wants Paris’ stamp of approval on their vacation home?

Also featured today: Olivia Munn at the premiere of “Our Idiot Brother;” Brad Pitt shooting “World War Z” in Glasgow; and Kelly Rowland in London.

Check out these photos and more, click here

Celebrity Photos: Kristen Dunst, Paris Hilton, Uma Thurman, Kiera Chaplin, Conan O’Brien, George Lopez

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Kirsten Dunst vs. Paris Hilton, who’s sexier?

Kirsten Dunst is clearly the winner against Paris Hilton.

Also featured today: Uma Thurman looking fantastic in red at Cannes; Kiera Chaplin blows kisses to the paparazzi; and Conan O’Brien hangs with George Lopez at the TBS/TNT Network Upfront event.

Check out these photos and more, click here

Celebrity Photos: David Beckham, Jeremy Piven, Rob Pattinson, Paris Hilton, Jon Hamm

Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

Are David Beckham and Jeremy Piven BFFs?

David Beckham and Jeremy Piven would be perfect for a remake of the “Odd Couple.”

Also featured today: Rob Pattinson looking unkempt at the German premiere of “Water For Elephants;” Paris Hilton mugging for the camera as usual at US Weekly’s Annual Hot Hollywood Style Issue event; and Jon Hamm enjoying a Lakers game.

Check out these photos and more, click here

Celebrity Photos: Marisa Tomei, Kim Kardashian, Keanu Reeves, Justin Bieber, Paris Hilton

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

Marisa Tomei Vs. Kim Kardashian, who’s hotter?

Marisa Tomei just doesn’t age. We can’t say the same for Kim Kardashian, just look at her mom.

Also featured today: Keanu Reeves has perfected the homeless look; Justin Bieber looks bored as hell at the photo call in Spain; and Paris Hilton goes to an Oxygen event.

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Celebrity Photos: Paris Hilton, Usher, Hilary Duff, Rod Stewart

Roman Stoeppler/Getty Images

Paris Hilton goes to Germany … can they keep her?

Paris Hilton is pimping her new wine brand, it’s called “Rich Prosecco.” Yeah, we kid you not.

Also featured today: Usher does his best Blade imitation during a London concert; Hilary Duff joins the parade of stars turned authors for her new book “elixir;” and Rod Stewart should no longer dress himself. The is the worst blazer ever.

Check out these photos and more, click here

Celebrity Photos: Hayden Panettiere, Milla Jovovich, Teresa Scanlan, Paris Hilton

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Did Hayden Panettiere show the most skin at the Golden Globes?

Huh … no doubt.

Also featured today: Milla Jovovich shows classy in a beautiful gold gown; Miss American 2011 Teresa Scanlan drops by “Fox & Friends;” and who the heck invited Paris Hilton to a Golden Globes after party? We hate the way she poses for photos.

Check out these photos and more, click here

Celebrity Photos: Paris Hilton, Matt Damon, Seth McFarlane, Minka Kelly

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Who would hire Paris Hilton to host their birthday party?

Paris Hilton what do you bring to the table of our society? What do you do with yourself all day since you lack a job? And how do you have clue on how to host a party?

Also featured today: Matt Damon looking more like a dad by the minute; Seth McFarlane celebrates having the best job in TV; and Minka Kelly steaming up the red carpet for a screening of “Country Strong.”

Check out these photos and more, click here

Celebrity Photos: Pamela Anderson, Mark Ruffalo, Marisa Tomei, Paris Hilton

AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool

Pamela Anderson shows off her sexy Indian dance moves

Pamela Anderson is a wacky celebrity. She poses nude for PETA, shows off some skin for Shakespeare and now she’s a guest on the Indian reality television show “Big Boss.” Boy, does she get around!

Also featured today: Marisa Tomei might be a super fox, but lime green jumpsuits are a no-no; Mark Ruffalo continues to prove beards are babe magnets;” and Paris Hilton shows support for the magazine that made her famous, “Us Weekly.”

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Monthly Archives: February 2006

Now it’s not even safe when turned off.

Time was when we used to say “the only secure computer is one that has been turned off and unplugged”.

According to New Scientist, that’s not even safe any more:

Even for the crazy world of quantum mechanics, this one is twisted. A quantum computer program has produced an answer without actually running.”

What next, we have one that works when it’s unplugged, too?

Security Advisory for Non-security Patch.

Microsoft’s latest security advisory has me tickled color=#ffc0cb.

I can only guess that it is assumed by most people that any update to Internet Explorer must be a security fix, because this is an advisory to indicate that the patch to Internet Explorer is _not_ security related.

Long story short, Microsoft was found to be in breach of a patent – a patent for what sounds like a totally ridiculous and obvious process – and can no longer allow active content that executes automatically on page load.  This update changes the behaviour of Internet Explorer such that you have to activate (in most cases, by clicking on its location) the active content.

My recommendation – Eolas won the lawsuit against Microsoft, not against you.  Microsoft has to release this update, but you don’t have to install it.  Don’t.

Think of it as the "janitor" account.

While I was at Microsoft, every so often the question would arise “how can we do more to prevent users from running all the time as administrator?”

There’s something sexy and powerful about being “administrator”.  Suggest taking administrator access away from someone who has it now – say, a developer, or a small business’ financial officer (thanks, Quickbooks!), or a home user (thanks, Turbotax! – by the people who brought you Quickbooks) – and you’ll get thrown the look of an alcoholic who’s just realised that you’ve figured out where he’s stashed his hooch.

Okay, so undeniably, there is power in that account – and that’s the main reason why you should spend as little time with that power as possible.  “Power corrupts”, remember, and in this case, the thing most likely to get corrupted, by that power being constantly “on”, is the important data you use to run your business.

In Vista and Longhorn, this has been significantly addressed by use of UAP / UAC / LUA or whatever it’s called this morning.

For some reason, nobody ever took up my suggestion, which was brought on by the observation that my kid thinks the guy with power at his school is the janitor.  He has the keys to every classroom, he knows where the secret tunnels are, and how to open up the locked cabinets with the electricity in them.  To those of us beyond secondary education (high school), the janitor is somewhat less cool – without him, the school couldn’t function, but we wouldn’t like to do his job unless it was absolutely necessary that we do so.

So, I think that we should rename “administrator” to “janitor”, at least in our minds, if not in our systems.

This highlights that administrator access should only be used when you need to work on the ‘plumbing’ of the system.  It’s not really the power-house, and the secret areas to which it has the keys are only the boiler-rooms and fuse-boxes of your system.

Where’s the harm in being administrator all the time?  It’s like leaving all those locked cabinets open, for any old virus to abuse as it pretends to be you; it’s like spending time in the boiler room, where you could drop your bottle of cheap whisky and set off a fire that burns down the whole school.

Okay, enough with the analogy, here’s some real reasons why.  If you run as administrator, a virus or trojan that you run (and you will run one, one day) will be allowed to destroy not just your immediate files, but the entire system on which you depend, or worse, install extra components that can be used to attack others, or to filch off your private information.  If you run as administrator, you will accidentally type a command that deletes an important system setting or another user’s important files.

Do I run as administrator?  No.  In my job I run as a Restricted User.  Not even “Power User” (another bad term that equates to “administrator”).  I spend my day as a Security Engineer, and Developer, in Restricted User mode, because I don’t trust that I can detect every virus or trojan, or that I can control my actions sufficiently well not to do something disastrous.  At times, it sucks, because there are programs I can’t run (but there are usually alternatives), and features I can’t access (but I can often open them up with appropriate tools and settings).  I still can’t debug as easily in Visual Studio .NET 2003 (but the 2005 version fixes this).

There will always be “Elevation of Privilege” attacks, sure, but the answer is not to give up on separation of privilege completely.  It’s tricky to right code to use least privilege, because you constantly have to think “what access do I have to this object, and what access do I need?”  Again, that’s no excuse for doing the wrong thing.  Any time you see a company whose software insists on unnecessarily running as administrator, think to yourself “I’m running a tool that is written by people who haven’t learned anything new since at least 1995”.

Peer-to-peer server dies; expect more spyware.

Raids close file-sharing server” says the BBC headline, on a story covering the closure of a major site in the eDonkey peer-to-peer “file sharing” network.  Okay, so we know that “file sharing” is generally a pseudonym for “we want to watch movies or listen to music, but we don’t want to pay anyone for the privilege, but we’ll find ways to claim that it isn’t really theft”, and so obviously this is a “good thing” from the view of content providers.

[I’m a content provider – I develop software, I write documentation, even this blog is copyrighted text, by virtue of the fact that I wrote it.]

However, from the point of view of system administrators, I predict this may lead to an increase in the spyware load on your systems.

Seems bizarre, right, that I am suggesting that spyware goes up when a p2p site goes down?  You’d think that would interrupt the flow of spyware through infected files.  Here’s my reasoning:

The average user of eDonkey has been using it for some time, and has got to the point where he/she subliminally knows what is safe content, and he/she has a version of eDonkey that might not be current and up-to-date, but is ‘good enough’.

That’s a stable system – you’ve already managed any spyware that may have come with the distribution of eDonkey, and the user has essentially educated themselves to not introduce more into the system.

Now, the system is made unstable – the server that was being used for the p2p sharing is no longer accessible, and the user panics trying to find another server.  Maybe they can’t find one, or maybe the server they find won’t accept their old version of eDonkey.  The user may go and download a new p2p program, with new attached spyware, and new servers to download from.  In addition to what comes with whatever new p2p program they download, they’ll also find that the users of this new p2p program and new server behave in different ways – requiring that the user re-learn how to intuit spyware’s presence in the files they are downloading.

This isn’t an argument for leaving p2p file-servers up, it’s an argument that you need to expect a spike in spyware, plan for it, and protect yourselves.

Coincidentally, Microsoft recently released Beta 2 of their anti-spyware product named “Windows Defender” just a few days ago.  Unlike anti-virus programs, you generally need more than one anti-spyware product on your system, so I’ll also recommend Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy (be careful of programs with “Spy” in the name – many of them are spyware masquerading as spyware-removal – Spybot Search & Destroy is not such a rogue program, though).

Making more sense of service SDDL

Thanks to Dana Epp’s blog for drawing my attention to Microsoft’s rather easier-to-read explanation of SDDL as it applies to services in the KB article “Best practices and guidance for writers of service discretionary access control lists“.

Oh, and of course, thanks to Microsoft for explaining it all.  I’m sure I’m not the only service author or administrator that has been confused by the SDDL output from “sc sdshow”.  Now, if only we could get some tools that would allow us to surf through DACL-space…  I’m brainstorming for ideas, but haven’t yet had any that I can put into code.

The really scary part about DACLs, of course, is that anyone can create a new secured object, and define what the various bit-fields of the ACE mean… there’s no good way to enforce documentation of security flags, and (as we’ve seen here) few tools or documentation already existing that help you interpret even the system-enforced security object DACLs.

Sometimes it’s good to be a foreigner

Every now and again, I go looking to foreign versions of various web sites – mostly, because of my own background, I go to UK sites (because that’s where I grew up), or US sites (because that’s where I live now).

Here’s a UK gem that US developers aren’t aware of: – MSDN Nuggets – a 10-15 minute exposition on a developer topic, for people who are too short for time to make it through an entire one-hour webcast (and I’ve met very few developers who can sit still for a whole hour).

Then there’s the sites where I don’t even read the language – but in the case of Microsoft’s Japanese Security pages, you don’t have to!  [Wouldn’t it be nice if the English Security notices included such a simple demonstration of how an attack can proceed?]

Of course, for the most part, the feeling is the other way around – the US sites get all the best offers, the new features, etc, etc, but occasionally local ingenuity allows you to get something useful from a site outside the US.

Broaden your horizons – there’s a whole world of information out there, and it’s all as close as your desk!

SDDL – easier to read, except when it’s not.

SDDL was introduced by Microsoft in Windows 2000, as a counter to the difficulty developers had in writing (and administrators had in reading) Security Descriptors, and specifically the Access Control Lists that come with them.

The recent advisory about service security settings (the title says “possible vulnerability” – as far as I’m concerned, it’s definite – I’ve exploited it on a couple of our own machines in XP SP1) led me to check on some other services, particularly the one that I make and sell.

My service turned out to be alright, and then a friend emailed me to ask about our favourite target: Quickbooks.  The new Quickbooks 2006 includes a system service.  I got Susan to list the SD on the service:

 C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>sc sdshow QuickBooksDB

Wow – that’s confusing, isn’t it?  Okay, let’s deconstruct it – “D:” at the start indicates it’s a “Discretionary ACL” or “DACL” – this is a list of things that users / groups can / cannot do.  The “S:” towards the end is for a “SACL” – “System ACL”, which lists what gets logged.

Let’s look at a sample DACL Access Control Entry (ACE):

The “A” means “Allow” – this ACE lists what the user is allowed to do.  The “SY” means that the user being described is the local system.

The rights in the middle are made up of selections of pairs of letters:

So, that explains it, right?  Well, not exactly – what does it mean to “Create Child” on a service?  To “List Child” on a service?

After a lot of looking, I find that there really isn’t any sensible meaning to those.  The trick is to ignore those names.  Instead, think of the pairs of letters as representing numbers:

CC is listed as being equivalent to SDDL_CREATE_CHILD, or ADS_RIGHT_DS_CREATE_CHILD – and that last name has the value ‘1’ in the header file IADS.H.

Oh yes, you have to have the Platform SDK or other source of Windows Include Files to figure this out.

Then you go to the header file WinSvc.h, and find that SERVICE_QUERY_CONFIG is a right, and has the value 1.

To help you, I did the work and came up with:

CC – SERVICE_QUERY_CONFIG – ask the SCM for the service’s current configuration
LC – SERVICE_QUERY_STATUS – ask the SCM for the service’s current status
SW – SERVICE_ENUMERATE_DEPENDENTS – list dependent services
RP – SERVICE_START – start the service
WP – SERVICE_STOP – stop the service
DT – SERVICE_PAUSE_CONTINUE – pause / continue the service
LO – SERVICE_INTERROGATE – ask the service its current status
CR – SERVICE_USER_DEFINED_CONTROL – send a service control defined by the service’s authors
RC – READ_CONTROL – read the security descriptor on this service.

SDDL turns out to be absolutely no use whatever in figuring any of this out, and I couldn’t find a tool on Microsoft’s site that adequately lists service rights in such a way that an admin might understand them.  Maybe I’m just not looking in the right place – if you know of any, please let me know!

Is it any wonder that there’s a difficulty with service writers and administrators incorrectly setting access rights?  How do you guys configure security descriptors on objects like services?

"Windows Access Control Demystified" – demystified.

There’s been a little fuss raised in security research circles about a paper by Sudhakar Govindavajhala and Andrew Appel, titled “Windows Access Control Demystified“.

From looking at what it does, the paper quoted is actually surprisingly simple – but there is brilliance in the decision to attack the problem (who would guess it was a tractable problem?) and make it so simple in the first place.

Sudhakar & Appel use Prolog – an old, old, old AI language – to document simple logical predicates and conclusions, such as “if group G can access a resource R, and user U is a member of G, then U can access R”, which is really easily expressed in Prolog.  The real goodies are conditions like “if U is compromised, and U can write to R, and user V can execute R, then V is compromised”.  Then he just lets Prolog go off and do its thing.

Prolog’s “thing” is to take such a list of conditions, and a few starting axioms (the two obvious ones Sudhakar uses are “user Guest is compromised”, and “a Restricted User is compromised”), and infer conclusions such as “Local System account is compromised”, or “Administrator account is compromised”.

Embarrassing fact: that’s nothing surprising – we’re all well aware that there are likely to be numerous routes to compromise hanging around in most systems.  These are called “privilege escalation attacks”, and they are why good administrators pay attention to what their users do even after they have restricted them as to what they may do.

The joy of Prolog is that it tells you how it got to its answer.  For instance, in the case of yesterday’s Microsoft Security Advisory 914457, it’ll tell you that if the Restricted User is compromised, the Local System is compromised because the SSDP service can be configured by any Restricted User to run any executable under any account.

Most of the task of creating the input to Prolog can be done automatically, by analysing the system’s current configuration and generating lists of access privileges to system objects.

I hope that this tool – or something like it – will initially be used by Microsoft to help lock down their systems, and later be used by application developers to help lock down their own application installs; eventually, it would be nice to find it in place in businesses, where system administrators would use it (among others) to keep track of their security exposure as they change configurations.

Sadly, I predict that it will be used at greater speed by hackers and crackers in order to find and exploit vulnerabilities.

Expect a rash of security advisories from Microsoft and third-party software developers, and a number of viruses that use these privilege-escalation exploits along with standard social engineering to attempt to gain access to your systems.

However, it is important to note that this tool does not discover points of entry – it assumes that you already have some access to the system, either as Guest, or as a Restricted User.

The best way to keep these elevation of privilege attacks from being a bother to you is to not grant any privilege to people you can’t in some way trust.

The information in this paper cannot be used to create a worm, because it does not document or examine the points of entry into a system.  As with all security tools, even if you fixed all the problems it reported, you couldn’t say that your system is secure, because the tool is only as good as the data it gets – and that data is going to be incomplete.  Tools alone cannot secure a system.

AOL, Yahoo introduce "pay to spam" service.

Okay, so that’s not exactly what they call it, but really, what else are we supposed to read into this announcement?

New Service Would Charge E-mail Senders

[Note, that’s Yahoo’s web site, so it might be a teensy-bit biased on the story.]

Here’s a quote:

“[Yahoo and AOL] plan to introduce a service that would charge senders a fee to route their e-mail directly to a user’s mailbox without first passing through junk mail filters”

Uh, yeah, that sounds like “sell access to their users’ inboxes to spammers”, in any other language.

How much is your spam-free inbox worth?

“The fees, which would range from 1/4 cent to 1 cent per e-mail” – kinda cheap, compared to junk snail mail.

Maybe they could spin the service a little more for us?  Yes, the sentence continues: “are the latest attempts by the companies to weed out unsolicited ads, commonly called spam, and identity-theft scams. In exchange for paying, e-mail senders will be guaranteed their messages won’t be filtered and will bear a seal alerting recipients they’re legitimate.”

Let me get this straight… if I’m one of your customers, you’re going to sell access to my inbox, to anyone who has my address, allowing them to bypass the spam filters that would normally have kept them out of it, and this is to “weed out … spam”?

How exactly does that work?

Sounds crazy to me.

Thank goodness I control my own spam filters, and I’m not a customer of either Yahoo’s or AOL’s.

A final quote from the article:

“AOL and Yahoo would get a cut of the fees charged by Goodmail.”

So, that’s alright, then.

Update: The BBC’s news web site has an article at that suggests that this will reduce spam by making it too expensive to spam.  If the filters currently in place aren’t already stopping spam, how will this change?  And if I’m a bona-fide company whose legitimate mail to willing recipients gets caught in Yahoo / AOL’s spam filters, do I have to pay to get my mail to my customers?  Where’s the incentive for AOL / Yahoo to make their spam filters accurate, since they are going to “get a cut of the fees”?

Sometimes it’s hard to be a developer…

I’ve spent a while adding new features to my FTP client, and you’ll get to see some of that in a month or two, when it all comes together as a release.

One of the latest is “drag and drop” – and I went searching for advice on how to do the drag and drop from “virtual folders” – i.e. when the files don’t exist locally until you actually do the drop.  So you can’t do the easy method of passing a file location to the drop target.  I found a great document that perfectly describes what I need to do:

“Handling Shell Data Transfers”

Great, clear, simple advice (simple, if you’re a developer) on how to do drag and drop – and it serves a second purpose, that of cut/copy and paste.

So, I get the drag and drop working, and then I go to look at the cut/copy and paste, and add the few lines of extra code needed.

It doesn’t work.

I realise quickly that the following lines are the problem:

7. When the paste is complete, the target calls the IDataObject::SetData method with the CFSTR_PASTESUCCEEDED format set to DROPEFFECT_MOVE.

8. When the source’s IDataObject::SetData method is called with the CFSTR_PASTESUCCEEDED format set to DROPEFFECT_MOVE, it must check to see if it also received the CFSTR_PERFORMEDDROPEFFECT format set to DROPEFFECT_MOVE. If both formats are sent by the target, the source will have to delete the data. If only the CFSTR_PASTESUCCEEDED format is received, the source can simply remove the data from its display. If the transfer fails, the source updates the display to its original appearance.

No matter how much I try, I can’t get CFSTR_PASTESUCCEEDED into my SetData method.  I get the CFSTR_PERFORMEDDROPEFFECT format, so I know I’m setting it up correctly, but I get no CFSTR_PASTESUCCEEDED.

Days of trying different code, different ways of triggering the paste, go by, and I finally realise that there is no CFSTR_PASTESUCCEEDED coming from Windows Explorer – and since this is the de-facto drop target, that’s exactly the model that is going to be followed by every other drop target I’m going to meet.

I’d really love to tell Microsoft about this, and get the documentation fixed.  This used to be dead easy – I’d click on the “SDK Feedback” button, and send an email.

No “SDK Feedback” button any more.

Why not?  Where did it go?

What’s in its place?  Nothing terribly useful – a link to a web page that I can fill in.

Can I attach a file of source code to demonstrate this?

Can I italicise words that are important?

Does the web page offer any extra capabilities that can’t be done in an email?

So, why did this happen?  Beats me.

I finally decided to give up and ignore CFSTR_PASTESUCCEEDED entirely.  It seems superfluous.  I do find it thoroughly irritating that my time is wasted once again, because I tried to follow specific documentation that turned out not just to be wrong, but to have unnecessary, and incorrect, extra detail.  This isn’t the first time (the last time was when I was following documentation on how to close SSL connections), and I doubt that it will be the last.


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Version of Thunderbird and Firefox got security fixes

Mozilla released updates to its Thunderbird and Firefox programs.  The new version fixes security issues and some others:

Note:  Firefox 2.0 is the newest version.  Support for v1.5 is until April 24, 2007.  Users are encouraged to upgrade to v2.0 of Firefox browser.

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Tag archives for ICT

SI Alumni Opportunity: ICT 4 Social Innovation Conference in Nairobi

Simon Paulin/Imagebank Sweden

We are happy to announce the upcoming opportunity for SI alumni in Africa – travel grant and entrance to the ICT for Social Innovation Conference in Nairobi on Dec 8 2016. By participating in the conference you automatically become a member of the ICT4SI-network run by iHub and Spider Center.

More information about the conference and network.

This opportunity is open only to SI alumni from Ethiopia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia or Zimbabwe. It means that we can only grant this opportunity to citizens of any of these countries. Please note that the candidates should be living in any of above mentioned countries.

About the offer:

The Swedish Institute will offer a selected number of alumni a travel grant (flight/train) to and from Nairobi from any of the above mentioned countries, accommodation for two nights and entrance fee to the conference. SI does not cover Visa costs, transportation on the ground (such as airport transfers and local transport within Nairobi) and insurance costs. Deadline to apply is 7 November.

About the network:

The ICT 4 Social Innovation Network is a Pan-African initiative. It joins social innovators that use ICT for solutions for improved Education and Health for our communities. The Network was launched in Kigali, Rwanda in November 2015 during our first Conference hosted by SPIDER-The Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions and iHub Research Kenya with support from kLab, AIESEC Rwanda and Reach for Change Africa.

Report from the organising team of the SI Alumni Forum in Belarus

Left to right: Pavel Makhnach, Liudmila Fokeeva, Aleh Kliatsko, Maryna Barouka, Aliaksei Kazlou, Katsiaryna Syrayezhkina, Vasili Mankevich, Ivan Tikota, Natalia Romeiko and Markus Boman (SI)

Dear Swedish Institute Alumni worldwide!

We are the team of the first Swedish Institute Alumni Forum (SIAF) on Entrepreneurship in Belarus (SIAF) and we would like to share our experience in the arrangement and conduction of the Forum. Unfortunately, we are not able to describe all the peculiarities, details and specifics of the Forum organization in one short blog article but we’d like to bring your attention to the most important parts.

Writing “we”, we mean the core of the team – 8 active participants: Ivan Tikota, Katsiaryna Syrayezhkina, Natalia Romeiko, Pavel Makhnach, Aleh Kliatsko, Aliaksei Kazlou, Maryna Barouka and Liudmila Fokeeva. Of course, it doesn’t mean that we did everything by ourselves. Within the organizing process a lot of other alumni in Belarus provided their support in different stages and in various activities. Read more » >>

SI alumni activities planned for 2016

Photo: Ola Ericson / Imagebank Sweden

Dear all,

We hope you’ve had a good start of the New Year! At SI we are preparing for all the activities coming up in 2016. We’d like to present an early rough plan to you of what activities and opportunities will be available for SI alumni during the coming year. Please note that the below is tentative and may be subject to change:

15 January – 7 February: Call for applications to organise alumni events

February: Call for applications to organise an SI Alumni Forum (for reference see events in Belarus, Indonesia and Uganda on the Alumni Blog)

February: Call for applications to be this year’s alumni speaker at the NFGL Diploma Ceremony in Stockholm, 27 May 2016

15 April: Call for applications to organise alumni events

28 April: Gender equality event in Malmö (spots for 10-15 alumni)

28 June – 1 July: International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR) Conference in Stockholm

August: Call for applications to organise alumni events (tentatively)

10-11 October: ICT/Innovation event in Luleå

8-10 December: Nobel Week Dialogue

We are looking forward to another exciting year for the SI Alumni Network!

/ SI Alumni Team

Smart Sustainable Cities, 28 March in Ukraine

Please find below a report from the organisers of the SI alumni event “Smart Sustainable Cities: Ecology, ICT and Architecture” held on 28 March in Ukraine.

On March 28th, SI alumni Anastasia Borenkova and Oleg Nesterenko organized an alumni event called “Smart Sustainable Cities: Ecology, ICT and Architecture”. The event attracted not only the SI alumni, but a large number of people who are interested in the topic of sustainable development. Thus all the participants could network and get new valuable contacts.

After organizing such an event it became evident that the issues of sustainable development in the various areas of life will be of great importance for the Ukrainian government, activists and companies working in Ukraine. Luckily, at the event there were many speakers from abroad – Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, and Russia – who shared their expertise and presented some unique examples. For example, a lot was said about the Royal Sea Port and Hammarby district in Stockholm, and infrastructure projects in Malmo. Read more » >>

“Smart Sustainable Cities: Ecology, ICT, Architecture” in Kyiv, Ukraine

Please find below an invitation from SI Alumni Anastasiya Borenkova and Oleg Nesterenko to an event on sustainable urbanization in Kyiv on 28 March. This is one of the 14 SI Alumni events granted funding by SI in the first of two calls for applications in 2015.

Photo: Oleg Nesterenko

On the 28th of March there will be an alumni event «Smart Sustainable Cities: Ecology, ICT, Architecture» in Kyiv, Ukraine.

We kindly invite all alumni interested in the topic of sustainable development of the communities: ecologists, engineers, architects, designers, activists, etc. Registration may be completed following the link: bit.ly/March28th.

Languages of the event are English and Ukrainian.

At our event Swedish, Danish, Ukrainian and Russian specialists will present the results of their research and work. Special attention will be given to the practices in Sweden and Ukraine. Read more » >>


text:
We have let them down

August 26, 2012, 8:05 am IST in The Underage Optimist | India | TOI

Every time one visits the northeast, locals make a resounding request- please help us get attention. Please treat us like Indians and not as outsiders. Why do they feel this way? Why don’t we listen to these seven of our 28 states better? Why does this section of fellow Indians feel isolated even in today’s digitally connected age?

Recent events such as the Assam riots and the panic exodus of northeastern people from certain cities makes it clear we have not been listening to them. The region has several issues, but they fail to get mainstream attention. They fester, and we often don’t discuss them until it is too late.

Apart from addressing issues, we also need to show empathy and compassion towards the northeast residents. The usual route is to be politically correct and say how we are all one and should treat them as our brothers and sisters. Frankly, such sermons don’t work. India might be one country. We may be mostly good people at heart. However, we are probably the most internally racist nation on earth. Yes, we all stand up for the national anthem. We also cheer for our cricket team and Olympic medalists. When that ends, however, it’s almost like we try to find a reason to hate and mistrust one another. And as part of our shallow thinking, one of the first things we discriminate against is someone who looks different from us.

The northeast people are beautiful and attractive. They also have slightly different, more oriental physical features compared to the rest of us. Hence, the rest of us use it as a reason to ignore, mock or exclude them. It is shameful, disgusting, primitive and sick. Did our schools not teach us to be open-minded, or did our parents reinforce the racism? It is nothing to be proud of. It reflects poorly on us, the discriminators, rather than the northeast people. It is also worrisome. For if we cannot accept such superficial differences between our own people, how will we ever engage with the globalized world? Are we going to mock every foreigner who comes to India for business and is not white (for white people, we are automatically servile)?

Is this the nation we want? Where people look for differences rather than similarities? There is more in common between the northeast people and us than we think.

The northeast youth is hungry for a good education and a decent job -much like the rest of India. They also suffer from a lack of good leaders; have unethical politicians, poor infrastructure and high inflation. They also see people’s natural resources being plundered. Like us, the northeast people pay over Rs 70/litre for petrol, an energy price loaded with taxes even as politicians’ friends get coal mines for free.

Yes, the northeast citizen is one of us. If we all work together, we can put pressure on our leaders to end some of these problems. Or we can continue to fight internally. Just what the politicians want, so they can continue to loot us while we become their vote banks.

The rest of India needs to reflect on how our shallow racist thinking has hurt not only the northeast people, but also ourselves. Meanwhile, they could take proactive, practical steps that will put the northeast back in the reckoning.

Here are five ideas that could work and need further thought. One, tourism in the northeast needs to be stepped up. It has some of the most spectacular sights of natural beauty in India. A few more hotel permits, a couple of world-class resorts, some promotion and slightly better connectivity, can work wonders there.

Two, lobbying for a low-tax / SEZ type city or area can help. India needs a place like that anyway. It will attract investments, jobs and a cosmopolitan culture badly required in the region. Three, Guwahati to Bangkok is only 2,400 km by road.

Imphal-Bangkok is less than 2,000 km. In contrast, Guwhati-Mumbai is 2,800 km away. There are talks of a Thailand-northeast highway, and that must be put on top priority. The northeast can be the gateway to East Asia. It can control a significant portion of India’s trade. Once you have business to do, people don’t ignore you. Four, the northeast can give incentives such as land for the media to move there. Once there is enough media present, the region will be better covered. Five, some spectacular events – whether it is the biggest music festival or a carnival -that ties in with the local culture, yet attracts the rest of the country, can integrate the region better.

 The northeast has been in the news for the wrong reasons. The rest of us have let down the people there a little. In times to come, let us open our minds to these seven beautiful states. Let us also hope the northeast finally finds its rightful place, and is no longer an ignored child, but a blue-eyed star of our national family.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Chetan Bhagat Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat is a bestselling author and a popular newspaper columnist.

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