Using CloudNS For DNS Resolution – Integrity, Authenticity, Confidentiality

* DNSCrypt Support
We only allow connections to our service using DNSCrypt, this
provides confidentially and message integrity to our DNS
resolver, and makes it harder for an adversery watching the
all the traffic is mixed together.

* DNSSEC Validation
Our server does complete trust validation of DNSSEC enabled
names, protecting you from upstream dns poisoning attacks or
other DNS tampering.

* Namecoin resolution
Namecoin is an alternative, decentralized DNS system, that is
able to prevent domain name censorship. Our DNS server does local
start exploring namecoin websites.

* Hosted in Australia
Our DNS Server is hosted in Australia, making it a faster
alternative to other open public DNS resolvers for Australian

* No domain manipulation or logging
We will not tamper with any domain queries, unlike some
public providers who hijack domain resolution for domains that
users including DNS queries and IP addresses that make

dnscrypt-proxy --user=dnscrypt

To use the secondary server as well the command is:

Hosting In Australia

Hardening DNSCrypt

So, on to what we can do.

run ‘id dnscrypt’

You should get something similar to:

id dnscrypt

We’re going to need this.

IPTables On User

Trusted Path Execution

Chroot Restrictions

More restrictions on our exposed service.

Notes/ Tips

Tip: The following commands will set your firewall so that:

Social Contract Theory And Onion Routing

This is an essay I wrote for a class. I’ve obviously very specific to that class – and it’s written like a class for a paper. It’s not a research paper, it’s not anything fun or legitimate, and you’ll probably be bored reading it because… why would you care what Socrates thinks about TOR?

Anyways, enjoy the paper. It’s actually edited for once.

TOR is a program funded by the US Navy and designed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in order to allow for near-perfect anonymity when accessing the internet. Since its inception the program has been adopted by developers around the world, and it’s free to be used by anyone.  By routing internet traffic through various ‘nodes’, which can be hosted by anyone with a computer, TOR prevents anyone from being able to tell where traffic is going to or coming from. There is, in fact, an entire ‘hidden network’ called ‘The Deep Web’, which can only be accessed by using TOR.

The implications of a program that can prevent any and all tracking are considerable. Users of TOR can access ‘hidden services’ on the network, which can provide highly illegal content: there are websites dedicated to selling drugs, hacking websites, and even sites where people offer to murder for money. Because the TOR system is set up so well, it is virtually impossible to track users accessing these services. Even governments with significant resources are unable to track users of the system–leaving criminals an open forum to discuss and propagate illegal activity.

One site that has garnered significant attention is Silk Road, a website that sells illegal drugs, such as marijuana or cocaine. Silk Road is only accessible through the TOR network, and all payments are made using an anonymous currency called ‘bitcoins’. Anyone can access the site via TOR and have a wide variety of illegal substances delivered to them, without any law enforcement agencies being able to track them through their transaction. The Silk Road is an example of clearly illegal activity happening in a fairly public forum with the state having virtually no power to stop it.

In contrast, TOR is also heavily used by activists in countries where speaking out against the government carries serious penalties, sometimes including death. Totalitarian countries such as Iran and China block users from accessing websites that question the government, and it’s a punishable offense to try to get around these bans. TOR has enabled citizens of these countries to bypass the censor and have free, unhindered access to information. Without fear of being tracked down, activists can report on their government’s corruption.

The network is highly controversial due to its clear applications for ethically questionable actions. The tool itself, as a method for individuals to bypass the laws set down by a sovereign entity, is interesting in the context of social contract theory. The question of whether rising up against one’s government in any way can be ethically justified has piqued the interest of philosophers as far back as Socrates. Socrates, Hobbes, and Rousseau would all have very interesting ideas about a technology such as TOR.

In its purest form the social contract is a mutual concession of rights in order to achieve a mutually beneficial system. We, as individuals, give up our animalistic and natural rights, such as the right to kill each other, in order to form a mutually beneficial society. The question of where our obligations lie in the system, and whether this system is objectively beneficial, is at the heart of the issue.

Socrates was one of the earliest philosophers to deal with these issues. In Apologia, Socrates is put on trial for his views – he is accused of, essentially, sacrilege. The details of the trial aside, Socrates is found guilty and sentenced to death. While waiting for his sentence to be carried out Socrates is visited by his friends and students, and they offer to break him out and hide him. Socrates responds by stating that he has no right to leave: although he feels that he is not guilty, he believes that he would not even be alive if not for the people accusing him; he is a product of the state, and therefore is justly at its mercy.

Socrates’ opinions on the relationship between citizens of a state and the state itself were so strong that he felt justified dying for them.  He believed that he would not have been alive had the state not provided a system for him to be born into;  he existed only because the state existed. For Socrates the only power above the state is God, and individuals are products of both.

But that is not to say that Socrates would not break the law; he compared himself to a ‘gadfly’, persistently buzzing around those whom he considered unjust. While he was willing to let the state kill him, he did not feel that he had done anything wrong.

Applying this to a modern context, where users of a product like TOR are bypassing government restrictions, it seems likely that Socrates would have been entirely supportive of the users–or at least of the users’ activism–but would feel that those who are caught should accept their punishment. Socrates would have no moral qualms about the tool itself, so long as users accepted the consequences of the tool.

Another philosopher who worked more directly with the concept of a social contract is Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes is credited as the creator of the social contract theory and is an influential writer on political philosophy. The question that Hobbes was trying to answer was whether our ethical obligations should be to society, our government, or to ourselves. He was writing during the English Civil War, and this was the question that many people wanted an answer to; they wanted to know if they should continue to follow the current political entity, the monarchy, or if instead they should revolt. This tenuous environment gave Hobbes a platform for his views–social contract theory, after all, was directly relevant to everyone’s life, and to the questions that everyone was asking.

Socrates and Hobbes had much in common when it came to their opinions on the state:  both considered it to be the sovereign entity that should have authority over citizens. Hobbes, however, would differ from Socrates in his opinions about circumventing government control; whereas Socrates would accept the state’s control, Hobbes would be against it.

Hobbes felt that a single person, when left to their own devices, would fall back to a natural state of chaos. This natural state would lead to death or significant unhappiness. Because of this, the social contract is formed, to move beyond the natural state. Humans relinquish some of  their individual rights in order to form a society. If one person or group of people begins to move against the societal rules, the laws handed down by the sovereign entity, then it undermines the system, and will lead to the primitive natural state. By circumventing the law, one is refusing to forfeit their rights, and the sovereign entity can not function properly. Hobbes described the state of nature as “bellum omnium contra omnes”, a Latin phrase meaning “the war of all against all”. He considered it to be the ultimate struggle, “a perpetuall warre of every man against his neighbour”. In Hobbes’ Leviathan he makes his views explicit:

It is clear that Hobbes believes that a sovereign power, above the individual, is necessary to keep the animalistic state of humanity in check.

As TOR is a tool created almost explicitly for the purpose of evading government restrictions and tracking, it is unlikely that Hobbes would have supported such a project. Most internet users forfeit rights just by opening their browsers–browsers track usage statistics, websites track user IP info, etc. All of this tracking is so that the websites can analyze that data, and mutually sacrifice some time in order for a beneficial service. Likewise, governments use the data to track criminals, thereby providing another service. By removing their ability to track, we rescind our sacrifice of rights and we ‘void’ our social contract. We fall back to an animalistic system, and this is evident in TOR’s usage – there are websites about murder, rape, drug use, and terabytes of disturbing content. The TOR network is truly an animalistic subnet within the confines of our greater network. There is no social contract because the community is built around individuals retaining their power, regardless of their socio-political or moral obligations – a free for all of unregulated rights.

Rousseau differs from both Socrates and Hobbes. A French philosopher of the 18th century, his work was influenced heavily by the enlightenment period. Rousseau took a very different view of the world, and of the social contract: where Socrates and Hobbes nearly worshiped the state, Rousseau felt that humanity had left its ‘noble self’ behind in its struggle for progress. For humanity to regain itself, and for societies to actually serve a beneficial purpose, there must be a strict form of democracy in which the people do not serve the state, but in fact form it directly.

Rousseau’s opinions on democracy were integral to his philosophical theories surrounding the social contract. Rousseau felt strongly that society had formed in such a way that a class system was inevitable–and, naturally, the people who were at the top were the ones deciding how things worked. It was because of this class system that Rousseau felt a pure democracy had to be the best form of government.  He did not advocate a return to the animal state, but he did believe that it was the role of the government to provide the same type of environment, one which provided freedom.

TOR is, among other things, a tool that allows citizens to be free. It allows for uninhibited communication, and access to information. Rousseau advocates a society in which all citizens directly make up the government, therefore it’s possible that he would appreciate the access to information that TOR provides – one that would bridge the issue of a direct democracy in a country as large as China or the US.  One of the largest issues with modern politics is an uninformed electorate; often, people are unable to get the information they need, relying on at most a few minutes of news from a specific channel with its own litany of biases. A program such as TOR would allow for full access to information, regardless of government consent; in a country like China, where information is often censored, it would allow for a more informed common citizen, and therefore would provide a society that is more conducive to Rousseau’s image of a pure democracy. The other implications of TOR, in its use, would not factor into Rousseau’s opinion of it, as they don’t directly mitigate or inhibit his view of the social contract.

The case of TOR reminds us that there is no item that is inherently good or evil. But the ethical implications of any technology will be considerable. For a program as complicated and controversial as TOR, there is no limit to the ethical questions that can be asked. But the program is most relevant to political philosophical theory, and social contract theory is key to answering the questions surrounding TOR. Looking at the past we can see how some of the most influential philosophers in the history of social contract theory would view a technology that emerged years after their deaths. Socrates, Hobbes, and Rousseau all attempted to answer similar questions–questions of loyalty and obligation, of individual and government rights–and a system like TOR would have given rise to significant discourse.

Bitlocker Drive Encryption Guide

This is a short guide with pictures that will hopefully explain how to set up Bitlocker drive encryption for your Windows system, and get you on your way towards a more secure computer.

Bitlocker allows for full system encryption or just a partition to be encrypted. It uses AES 128bit by default but we can move it to AES 256bit. Let me just say that 128bit is entirely sufficient, and there is very little reason to use 256bit as it can cause performance issues.

Setting AES 256bit

If you’re dealing with highly classified information or your systems performance is not of concern you can change Bitlocker settings to use 256bit AES. 256bit mode will also increase the rounds used from 10 to 14. To implement AES 256bit we type the following into our search:

Hit enter.

The path is:

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\BitLocker Drive Encryption

 “Choose drive encryption method and cipher strength”

Set this value to Enabled and then choose the strength you want.

Setting Up Bitlocker Without TPM
Many systems don’t have TPM so we can disable the requirement for one. After doing the above you can go to “Operating System Drives”.
Go to “Require additional authentication” and disable.
Set Up Of Bitlocker
Restart the system if you’ve done either of the above. Now we get to the set up of Bitlocker itself. It’s very simple:
First we choose the drive to encrypt.
You can encrypt your OS or any other partition. For the most security you’ll want the OS encrypted, this will prevent attackers from manipulating an offline machine.
Once you choose the drive it’s time to set a password.
Remember, a good password will have at least one of every character type: lower case, upper case, symbol, number (aB#4). Do not use special ASCII characters – Bitlocker lets you enter them but won’t let you use them at boot up – you’ll be locked out.
You will be asked to save a recovery key. This is very dangerous. You have three options if you want to be secure:
1) Print the key and hide it well. My least favorite option.
2) Save the key to a file and keep it on a separate USB, which you can hide or encrypt.
3) Safe the key to a file and delete that file after a reboot.
Now you choose whether to encrypt the full partition or just the used space. If you choose to skip encryption of free space an attacker may be able to gain valuable information. I highly suggest you encrypt the full partition.
Bitlocker Should Be Set Up
If you’ve followed these steps Bitlocker should be set up properly. For the average user performance hit (with default settings) should be very little.
It’s important to state that Bitlocker is only good for preventing access to your information while the system is off. If the system is on you are vulnerable. It will not prevent keyloggers, viruses, or any type of malware – all it prevents is tampering of data on the device.

The Ubuntu Amazon ‘Privacy’ Issue

There’s been a lot of talk about a recent feature to Ubuntu 12.10 – when you type into the Dash you receive back information from Amazon based on your input. There’s a massive outcry that this is a privacy violation or even a security issue, and the media’s been fueling it as much as they can. I’m going to try to explain what’s going on here and where the issues actually lie.

How It Works

The feature activates when you type messages into the Dash – a feature of Unity that takes in your text input and outputs relevant information. When you type into your Dash info is sent to Canonical and then Canonical sends the info to Amazon, the information is then sent back to Canonical form Amazon and finally lands on your system. What is sent is only what you type in, nothing more.

The idea here is that I can type in “Vacuum” and now I get books on vacuum cleaners or some such thing. The Dash is meant to be a ‘conduit’ of information, you type a word and it responds with everything related to that word. Amazon is just one more way to provide information to you.

The Problem?

Users seem to think this is a privacy issue. I think people hear “OMG Ubuntu has Amazon ads now! And it can see what you type!” – no. No, Amazon can not see what you type and they’re not ads. They can see the words you put into the Dash and Canonical acts as a proxy, so really, it’s Canonical that “sees” what you’ve typed into the Dash.

So this isn’t some full system keylogger or some such thing, it’s Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu, that packages your system components for you) seeing what you type into the Dash.

So ask yourself – what do I type in the Dash? For me it’s simple – I would type “Pidgin”, “Chrome”, “Homework” and open those files/ programs via Dash. Not exactly personal information.

Unless you’re typing in “porn” or your social security number perhaps you should question how sensitive the information in your Dash really is. Really, what is it that you enter that’s scary?

And then remember that Canonical doesn’t need some clever Dash keylogger to steal your information… they’ve “got root” as Mark Shuttleworth put it. If you don’t trust Canonical you shouldn’t be using their Operating System because they could easily patch up a kernel to spy on you or any other system component that they build on your behalf.

I’ve heard people claim “But what if someone accidentally puts a password in?” well, uh, yeah, that sucks! Canonical then sees your password… not that they need it since, again, they have root. And all of this information is sent to Canonical via secure encrypted connection.

Even beyond all of this users seem to have missed that it’s always been this way. Yes, your Dash has always communicated via internet – how do you think it gets ‘recommended apps’ from the software center? Or music? It’s done this for a long long time and nothing has changed.

And, of course, you can easily disable this by typing “Privacy” into the Dash and disabling the feature.

It comes down to a simple question – do you trust Canonical?

Wikipedia Discussion On Iron Browser

For my original Iron Browser blog – see here.

So I got two referral hits from the discussion page for Iron Browser. It seems that someone there wants a “conflict” section explaining that Iron doesn’t actually provide anything that Chromium doesn’t, and nothing of substance compared to Chrome. A really great endeavor.

I’m not optimistic it will be let through. Why? The discussion page is clearly bias.

UPDATE: I posted on the discussion page. I talked to someone there about getting proper sources up. I’m obviously not reputable but my sources are – the issue is that because none of my sources explicitly mention the Iron browser they can’t be used to discredit the browser. Essentially Iron says X and the reputable source says ‘X is false’ but because the reputable source doesn’t say “X is false and therefor Iron is making a false claim’ it can’t be linked – Wikipedia doesn’t allow that type of connection, which they refer to as ‘synthesis’. I think that’s idiotic but I don’t really care – I’ve had thousands of hits on my Iron page so even though users who go to Wikipedia are essentially getting lied to via proxy there are many who have come to my blog and gotten the facts.

To quote:

“Scam” is not accurate

I’ll be reverting some of User:‘s edits that basically littered this article with the same statement over and over, about how a self-published source compared Chromes and Irons source code and concluded that Iron is a “scam” because of the fashion in which Iron sets privacy values (hard-coded instead of through a user interface).

I have several problems with this:

  • For someone that doesn’t want to do research about Google Chrome’s privacy faults before starting up the browser (even for the first time), Iron is helpful. And according to Irons website, that is what it was created for.
  • The source is not a reliable source.
  • The source is not timestamped so we have no idea when it was created and what has changed since then on Iron and Chrome.
  • Iron disables RLZ, Chrome doesn’t.

As far as I can tell Iron was made for comfort and it’s not ment to fool anyone into thinking otherwise.

That’s from user Bitbit. Taking a look at user Bitbit’s page we see he’s obviously anti-Google (there’s a banner dedicated to disliking Google). His bias is obvious because his post is a bit silly, I checked his page because reading his post it seemed clear. I’ll explain why in this post! I want it clear that, unlike my post about the Iron developer, I’m not trying to be insulting here. The Iron developer is throwing out crapware/ scareware whereas this is just one user with his opinions. I’m not going to attack him or his opinions, only explain why his post on the matter is invalid. So many people have fallen for the Iron browser, I don’t blame any of them, and I’ve seen so many users on other forums read the information and immediately state that they’re moving to another browser.

Let’s take this one step at a time.

For someone who doesn’t want to do research? Well… if you’re a user who winds up on Iron’s page it should be obvious that you were looking for a more private alternative to Chromium or Chrome. So the defense that Iron isn’t purporting itself as a more private alternative, only one with a more private default configuration is fairly weak. Furthermore, the Iron developers claims are disingenuous – one really clear example is the “URL Tracker” feature,  a poor choice of name but the Iron developer makes it out to be a privacy issue when it is obviously not (you can read about this all in my original post). Therefor it is far more than a claim of “default configuration” because the developer has made claims that features removed are privacy violates when they are not.

  • The source is not a reliable source.

There are multiple sources available. I found many in my original blog post on Iron. Bitbit didn’t look for any, so naturally he didn’t find them. The information is out there, and I’ve put it all in one place to make things simpler.

Iron disables RLZ, Chrome doesn’t.

As I explained in my original post, RLZ is not a privacy issue. It also does not exist in Chromium.

If you look at the facts from my first post it should be clear that Iron was made for money. It is absolutely designed to fool people – the page is filled with lies.

[…], these are flat-out dry facts, not an opinion

Here are some absolute sourced facts that can be externally verified, and I didn’t go into in my original post. I suggest reading the first post for a full tear down of Iron.

The default installation of Iron contains a bookmark to the Iron forum. On this forum? Ads.

And the default home page? Ads as well!

On its own this is hardly damning. Ad-based software is perfectly fine. Where the issue lies is that this is software designed to make a profit and it does so by playing on users fears. Adware, Scareware, Scamware, all can easily be seen as fitting. In every case it’s a matter of a user being tricked, or scared, into using a software that makes money off of them while providing no actual benefit to that user.

So it’s my hope that Wikipedia does include a section that puts all of the information available in their article. I’ve made use of many sources and they’re free to verify it all. When you search “Iron Browser” on DuckDuckGo Wikipedia is in the result box and it’s the first thing many users will see – providing those users with all of this information is important, it’s what Wikipedia is for. I’ve sourced my original post thoroughly and redundantly. I hope the information in that post is put to good use.

Thanks to whoever said the nice words about the post on that Wikipedia article (no username). I appreciate that.

You can find my original post here:

Banking Online? Firefox With NoScript Is Your Best Bet

If you’re asking the question “How do I securely do my banking online?” you’re one of many. Banking is something we used to do upfront and in person (or so I’m told, before my time) but now that the web has allowed access to our accounts from any location we have to ask how to do something so sensitive in a secure manor. This article will be a short guide to secure online banking.

Normally I say that Chrome is a secure browser for the average user, but it’s a different kind of secure. its sandbox aims to do things more relevant to system infection but not web-based attacks. In terms of web security, preventing CSRF, XSS, and the like – the types of attacks most directly related to online banking – I think Firefox with NoScript takes the cake. NoScript is the only program that’s proven to prevent XSS in the most situations, it’s the only program with ClickJacking prevention that’s worth anything, protection against SVG keylogging, and so many other things, and for banking you want to isolate and restrict the website you’re interacting as much as possible.

There are a few other things you’ll want to do before setting up Firefox if you’re planning on banking online:

1) Make sure you are on a secure network. A secure network is one using WPA2 encryption with a strong 12 character password (or larger) that only you know (assuming wireless).

2) Make sure your system is completely up to date. Keeping intruders out starts with patching. The browser, operating system, and your plugins are key here.

3) If you’re using Linux Ubuntu enable AppArmor for Firefox (sudo aa-enforce /etc/apparmor.d/*firefox*) – other distros may use other LSM.

4) Windows users should follow my quick guide to securing Windows.

After that it’s a matter of installing two key extensions:

1) NoScript. In its default configuration it’s secure. []

2) HTTPS-Everywhere. [HTTPS-Everywhere]

Only whitelist websites that you know you can trust or (for a higher level of security) keep a separate Firefox profile just for banking with its own whitelist of just banking websites.

Never do your online banking while also using another website in another tab/ window and if you use an antivirus, update it, and run a scan before you use the bank website.

If you follow these instructions you’re making an attackers job much more difficult.

Chrome Gets New “Script Bubble” Feature

Chrome now includes a “Script Bubble” feature that shows you how many scripts are running on a specific page and which ones. The feature could potentially allow users to spot a malicious extension more easily.

There’s no way to stop the extension from running on the page through the Script Bubble, which is something I’d really like to see. Further, I’d like to see scripts on on pages on a whitelist as well and options similar to the other content settings.

You can enable the feature under chrome://flags.

Chromium Supports ‘Do Not Track’

Chromium – the open source project that Google Chrome is based on – has gained preliminary support for ‘Do Not Track’. Do Not Track is a “signal” that the browser sends to a website saying that it doesn’t want any advertisers to track the user, essentially it’s a way to try to stay private.

Recently Do Not Track has gotten a lot of press due to Internet Explorer 10 enabling it by default – a very poor publicity move on Microsoft’s part as Do Not Track can only be enforced when a user opts into it. In other words anyone using Internet Explorer 10 won’t benefit from Do Not Track at all.

Do Not Track has long been built into Mozilla’s Firefox browser and it’s nice to see Chrome adopting it as well.

Though the Do Not Track header is not yet legally or technologically enforced some advertisers will adhere to it. With both Firefox and Chrome supporting it there’s a lot of weight behind the idea.

Unfortunately, due to Microsoft’s idiotic move, traction may not gain as quickly.

We’ll see how it all plays out. We can likely expect Do Not Track to hit Stable Chrome in the next two months.

Setting Up DNSCrypt By OpenDNS On An Ubuntu 13.04 System

Step 1: Setting Up A DNSCrypt User

Step 2: Install DNSCrypt

Find the right DNSCrypt version for you at this link:

  • ./configure
  • make
  • make install

Step 3: Configure DNS

Step 4: Run DNSCrypt

Run the following command

dnscrypt-proxy --daemonize --user=dnscrypt

Step 5:

mkdir /run/dnscrypt

That way there’s a folder to move to.


Healthcare Providers and OB/GYNs

Medical help for infertility generally begins with a woman’s primary healthcare provider or her obstetrician/gynaecologist (OB/GYN). OB/GYNs are trained in diagnosing and treating general disorders of the female reproductive system, and in caring for women during and after pregnancy. Most OB/GYNs do not have a specialty in infertility, but some do offer fertility services.

How OB/GYNs Address Infertility

When a fertility issue is raised, those OB/GYNs who provide initial fertility services will conduct a medical exam on the woman and recommend a semen analysis for the man. The OB/GYN will review both partners’ medical histories, then order a battery of standard infertility tests.

For women, tests generally include testing for blood hormone levels and ovulatory function. The OB/GYN may do a post-coital test, transvaginal ultrasound, hysterosalpingogram (HSG) and sometimes a laparoscopy.

For men, standard testing includes a physical exam, hormonal tests and semen analyses.

An OB/GYN may advise preliminary treatments for infertility, ranging from recommending weight loss or gain to prescribing fertility drugs such as clomiphene citrate.

When to see a Specialist

When preliminary tests and treatments have not resolved a fertility problem, it may be time to turn to a reproductive endocrinologist (RE).

An RE is an OB/GYN or endocrinologist who has additional training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. REs generally complete a two-year residency or fellowship program, and are accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Clinic Locator


Divided EU leaders convene for emergency talks on migration

By Gabriela Baczynska
1 / 4

German Chancellor Merkel is welcomed by European Commission President Juncker at the start of an emergency European Union leaders summit on immigration at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels

By Gabriela Baczynska

Only 41,000 refugees and migrants have made it to the EU across the sea so far this year, U.N. figures show.

They mostly live in countries like Greece and Italy - both long overwhelmed with arrivals - or wealthy states like Germany or Sweden, where they choose to try to start a new life.

The ex-communist states in the EU's east led by Hungary and Poland have refused to host any of the new arrivals, citing security risks after a raft of Islamist attacks in Europe.

The bloc has been unable to break the deadlock, the bad blood spilling over to other areas of their cooperation, including crucial talks on the bloc's next seven-year budget from 2021.

With Germany being the main contributor to the bloc's joint coffers, the southern gateway countries were promised more money to handle migration, while the reluctant easterners face cuts in development aid.

To placate the CSU, Merkel must get something from Sunday, arranged hastily among more than a dozen EU capitals, and also from the full summit of the bloc's 28 leaders on June 28-29.

All EU leaders agree they must further curb immigration by working with third countries, though that often proves slow.

Berlin's other idea is to send back those asylum seekers who make it to countries like Germany to the states of their first arrival, like Italy.

But Rome has already rejected measures that could see it handle even more people and the Sunday talks are all but certain to see the two countries clash.

In the mid-term, the EU is only going to become tougher on migration, something rights groups denounce as turning it into a "fortress" beyond reach for those less privileged.

The U.N. refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi reminded the bloc that the height of their migration crisis was back in 2015.

"Despite today's dramatically lower arrival rates, the shockwaves of that event still reverberate - at the political level, and in the tendency toward restrictive, unilateral approaches that some European countries have pursued," he said.

"EU policies on asylum can and should set an example on how to manage refugee situations with compassion and solidarity," he added, urging the bloc to overcome its divisions to help those in need rather than focus on just winning the next election.

(Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier in Paris; Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Andrew Bolton)


Forums Register Login
figuring out where to start
Hello! I was hoping somebody could help me and my journey of learning code.
I find my self constantly jumping around to different languages and having a hard time
figuring out what to start with or where i should start. I've watched hours of introductions and small classes.
I'm passionate about learning how to code and i really want it to work out! I guess what I'm trying to get out of this forum is a straight forward answer as to WHERE SHOULD I BEGIN!?! ahhh lol
Is there an answer for that? Because i just cant seem to find it! If someone can help me by letting me know what they did to start out and give any advice would be SOOO extremely appreciated. Thank you in advance
Welcome to the Ranch!

Focus on one thing at a time. Are you completely new to programming? Choose one language and stick with it for at least a few months until you know it reasonably well. Suppose you wanted to learn foreign languages, then it would be much harder to try to learn German, Spanish and Italian at the same time than learning them one at a time.

Programming languages are much easier to learn if you put them in to practice rather than just reading a book and trying to put all the theory in your head. Write lots of small programs for yourself to learn how the language works. When you know the basics, invent a small project for yourself. Maybe you want to make a simple game. One of the very first projects that I did when I learned programming in Java (long ago) was creating a chess playing applet. (But forget about applets - those were cool in 1998 but are obsolete now).

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Tingible body macrophage: A tingible body macrophage is a type of macrophage predominantly found in germinal centers, containing many phagocytized, apoptotic cells in various states of degradation, referred to as tingible bodies (tingible meaning stainable).Horst Ibelgaufts' COPE: Cytokines & Cells Online Pathfinder Encyclopaedia > tingible body macrophages Retrieved on June 27, 2010 Tingible body macrophages contain condensed chromatin fragments.G-CSF factor stem-loop destabilising elementCD32: ; ; rendered via PyMOL.Proinflammatory cytokine: A proinflammatory cytokine is a cytokine which promotes systemic inflammation.Phagocytosis: In cell biology, phagocytosis ( (phagein) |to devour||, (kytos) |cell||-osis|process}}) is the process by which a cell—often a phagocyte or a protist—engulfs a solid particle to form an internal vesicle known as a phagosome. Phagocytosis was first noted by Canadian physician William Osler, and later studied by Élie Metchnikoff.Cell adhesionFlow cytometry: In biotechnology, flow cytometry is a laser-based, biophysical technology employed in cell counting, cell sorting, biomarker detection and protein engineering, by suspending cells in a stream of fluid and passing them by an electronic detection apparatus. It allows simultaneous multiparametric analysis of the physical and chemical characteristics of up to thousands of particles per second.Mature messenger RNA: Mature messenger RNA, often abbreviated as mature mRNA is a eukaryotic RNA transcript that has been spliced and processed and is ready for translation in the course of protein synthesis. Unlike the eukaryotic RNA immediately after transcription known as precursor messenger RNA, it consists exclusively of exons, with all introns removed.Inflammation: Inflammation (Latin, [is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogen]s, damaged cells, or irritants.Neutrophil granulocyteCD36 antigen: CD36 antigen is a transmembrane, highly glycosylated, glycoprotein expressed by monocytes, macrophages, platelets, microvascular endothelial cells and adipose tissues. CD36 recognises oxidized low density lipoprotein, long chain fatty acids, anionic phospholipids, collagen types I, IV and V, thrombospondin and Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes.Acute myeloid dendritic cell leukemia: Acute myeloid dendritic cell leukemia is an exceedingly rare form of leukemia. This form of leukemia represents only about 0.Chemokine receptor: Chemokine receptors are cytokine receptors found on the surface of certain cells that interact with a type of cytokine called a chemokine. There have been 20 distinct chemokine receptors described in mammals.Haptotaxis: Haptotaxis (from Greek ἅπτω (hapto, "touch, fasten") and τάξις (taxis, "arrangement, order")) is the directional motility or outgrowth of cells, e.g.Chemokine: A:24-90 :24-90 A:24-90Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factorIntraepithelial lymphocyte: Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) are lymphocytes found in the epithelial layer of mammalian mucosal linings, such as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and reproductive tract. However, unlike other T cells, IELs do not need priming.Endothelial activation: Endothelial activation is a proinflammatory and procoagulant state of the endothelial cells lining the lumen of blood vessels. It is most characterized by an increase in interactions with white blood cells (leukocytes), and it is associated with the early states of atherosclerosis and sepsis, among others.PMHC cellular microarray: PMHC cellular microarrays are a type of cellular microarray that has been spotted with pMHC complexes peptide-MHC class I or peptide-MHC class II.Granulocyte: framed|Eosinophilic granulocytePhagocyte: Phagocytes are cells that protect the body by ingesting (phagocytosing) harmful foreign particles, bacteria, and dead or dying cells. Their name comes from the Greek phagein, "to eat" or "devour", and "-cyte", the suffix in biology denoting "cell", from the Greek kutos, "hollow vessel".Intercellular adhesion molecule: In molecular biology, intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAMs) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) are part of the immunoglobulin superfamily. They are important in inflammation, immune responses and in intracellular signalling events.Monoclonal antibody therapySoluble cell adhesion molecules: Soluble cell adhesion molecules (sCAMs) are a class ofMidkine: Midkine (MK or MDK) also known as neurite growth-promoting factor 2 (NEGF2) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MDK gene.Chemotaxis: Chemotaxis (from chemo- + taxis) is the movement of an organism in response to a chemical stimulus. Somatic cells, bacteria, and other single-cell or multicellular organisms direct their movements according to certain chemicals in their environment.Temporal analysis of products: Temporal Analysis of Products (TAP), (TAP-2), (TAP-3) is an experimental technique for studyingCCL9: Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 9 (CCL9) is a small cytokine belonging to the CC chemokine family. It is also called macrophage inflammatory protein-1 gamma (MIP-1γ), macrophage inflammatory protein-related protein-2 (MRP-2) and CCF18, that has been described in rodents.Immunophenotyping: Immunophenotyping is a technique used to study the protein expressed by cells. This technique is commonly used in basic science research and laboratory diagnostic purpose.Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule like 1: Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule like 1 is a protein in humans that is encoded by the DSCAML1 gene.Leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors: The leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors (LILR) are a family of receptors possessing extracellular immunoglobulin domains.Eva Engvall: Eva Engvall, born 1940, is one of the scientists who invented ELISA in 1971.Eva Engvall, The Scientist 1995, 9(18):8ZymosanRespiratory burst: Respiratory burst (sometimes called oxidative burst) is the rapid release of reactive oxygen species (superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide) from different types of cells.Potassium superoxideConcentration effect: In the study of inhaled anesthetics, the concentration effect is the increase in the rate that the Fa(alveolar concentration)/Fi(inspired concentration) ratio rises as the alveolar concentration of that gas is increased. In simple terms, the higher the concentration of gas administered, the faster the alveolar concentration of that gas approaches the inspired concentration.Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrateEndothelial progenitor cell: Endothelial progenitor cell (or EPC) is a term that has been applied to multiple different cell types that play roles in the regeneration of the endothelial lining of blood vessels. Despite the history and controversy, the EPC in all its forms remains a promising target of regenerative medicine research.Gross pathology: Gross pathology refers to macroscopic manifestations of disease in organs, tissues, and body cavities. The term is commonly used by anatomical pathologists to refer to diagnostically useful findings made during the gross examination portion of surgical specimen processing or an autopsy.Coles Phillips


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Public Release:

Once inside a tumor, our immune cells become traitors

Cell Press

New research has found a subset of our immune cells (called regulatory T cells) that are highly abundant in the tumor microenvironment and are particularly good at suppressing the anticancer immune response. In two independent studies, published November 15 in Immunity, scientists describe the distinct features and differences in molecules expressed by regulatory T cells inside of human breast, colon, and lung tumors compared to normal tissue that could be potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets.

Both sets of researchers hope to use what they've learned about the unique properties of regulatory T cells in tumor sites to improve cancer immunotherapies--drugs that stimulate immune cells to attack cancer cells. While these treatments have been successful for some types of tumors, such as melanoma, up to 40% of patients report serious adverse events.

"Our working hypothesis is that most of the adverse effects that patients experience with these immunotherapy treatments is because they are targeting molecules that are present both on regulatory T cells in the tumor and regulatory T cells outside of the tumor," says Sergio Abrignani, co-lead author on one of the studies with Massimiliano Pagani, both of the Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi" and Università degli Studi di Milano in Italy.

"If we target molecules that are selectively present in the tumors, then we would have comparable efficacy and fewer adverse events," adds Pagani. "We are discovering a lot of new markers for these cells that can be used to make future therapies safer."

Their study, part of the International Human Epigenetics Consortium, specifically analyzed tissue samples collected from nearly 200 patients with colon and lung cancer and compared them to normal tissue and peripheral blood. The researchers identified specific signature molecules and genes not previously associated with regulatory T cells that could be detected in both primary and metastatic tumors. Certain molecules may even be potential biomarkers for poor prognosis.

"We know that tumors that are highly infiltrated with regulatory T cells are bad, but our paper also shows that tumors with the highest expression of signature molecules on intratumoral regulatory T cells had the worst outcomes," Abrignani says, noting that clinical trials on new biomarkers and immunotherapies inspired by this study could begin in as soon as two years. "We've set the stage for a bunch of important studies that must be done as soon as possible."

In the analysis of the immune cells by Rudensky's team, the most notable contrast was increased expression of chemokine receptor protein CCR8 in the tumor-resident cells in breast and other cancers (also found to be overexpressed in colon and lung tumors in Abrignani and Pagani's study). Why CCR8 may be significant is still unknown, but it offers itself as another potential target for immunotherapy.

"What's remarkable is the differential expression of CCR8; it is a very clear and clean marker that distinguishes regulatory T cells in the tumor," says Rudensky, also of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "This suggests one path to a more selective strategy to deplete regulatory T cells present in breast and other types of cancer."

Many questions still remain about the relationship between regulatory T cells and cancer, as well as why some of their unique properties promote immunosuppression. It will be helpful to learn, for example, why more aggressive tumors have an increased number of regulatory T cells--are they better at recruiting the cells or are there more at the tumor to begin with?--as well as what triggers from the tumors are changing the regulatory T cells' behavior.

"It is a really exciting time for both basic researchers and cancer biologists as we reveal a more complete picture of the interactions between different immune cell types and the tumor microenvironment," Rudensky says.

Immunity, De Simone, Arrigoni, Rossetti, and Gruarin et al.: "Transcriptional landscape of human tissue lymphocytes unveils uniqueness of tumor-infiltrating T regulatory cells" DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.10.021

Immunity, Plitas and Konopacki et al.: "Regulatory T cells exhibit distinct features in human breast cancer" DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.10.032

About IHEC


2PM Previews Junsu’s and Junho’s Songs in New Album

2PM raises Hottests’ temperature!

In addition to video teaser up on June 15th in anticipation of the “Hands Up” album release, 2PM also spoke to Cyworld music fans with a short message.

In the video, 2PM reveals that members Junsu and Junho have written songs included in the album. Junsu’s song is called “HOT,” Junho’s is titled “Give It To Me.” The two newly minted songwriters sang a few lines as a preview.

Title track “Hands Up” has an uptempo beat that suggests an exciting party atmosphere. As with previous 2PM releases, the group will be performing the song with a dance routine.

“Hands Up” will be available digitally on the 20th and will drop on the market on June 21st.

YT credit KimBoPeepOppaS5


pebble plant

Also found in: Thesaurus, Wikipedia.
Related to pebble plant: lithops
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.pebble plant - any of several South African plants of the genus Mesembryanthemum cultivated for showy pink or white flowers
flower - a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
genus Mesembryanthemum, Mesembryanthemum - South African annual or biennial plants having flowers that open only in bright sunlight
ice plant, icicle plant, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum - Old World annual widely naturalized in warm regions having white flowers and fleshy foliage covered with hairs that resemble ice
References in periodicals archive ?
Pebble plants, which grow in the deserts of South Africa, disguise themselves as speckled stones.
Like many desert plants, pebble plants store precious water.
Why do pebble plants use camouflage that makes them look like rocks?


There is no single person that cannot be taught to cook something. Are you capable of following a set of instructions and making a trip to the grocery store? Is your kitchen full of cooking equipment and utensils that you never use? If so, then you are ready to begin! Follow the tips below for great advice on how to skyrocket your culinary skills and make fabulous, effortless, delicious meals.

You can start cooking simple meals out of a cookbook you can borrow from the library. That way you can try different meals that you can prepare and when you are done you can take it back. Cooking might take a while to master, as it requires perfecting certain techniques.

When cooking a large meal for a family gathering or dinner party, preparation is key. Look at your recipe, and ensure that you aren’t missing any ingredients. Set all of the non-perishable ingredients and utensils out the day ahead. This can help relax everything so that you can make something great.

Doing all of the things you need to in order to prepare a meal is a vital part of the cooking process. You need to have the ingredients readily available. The day before the big event, get everything ready to go. Make sure you have all the utensils and cookware you will need. Doing so allows you to focus on the cooking itself.

Here is a handy trick you can use to save your sauce. Put a small amount of corn starch in a bowl and mix thoroughly with two tablespoons of water to add to your sauce. Stir it into your sauce as it simmers and it will get thicker. Make sure you add the solution slowly while stirring constantly or you risk thickening the sauce too much.

Sharp Knives

Use sharp knives to prepare your favorite meals. Dull knives make it very difficult to cut with and also extremely dangerous to use. If you have to work on forcing a dull knife to go through something, you’re much more likely to accidentally cut yourself in the process than with the one quick, clean cut of a sharpened knife.

Always keep a set of sharp knives in your kitchen. Dull knives make cutting very difficult, and this makes them much more dangerous than sharp knives. You are more likely to cut yourself by using a dull knife, as opposed to when cutting using a sharp knife.

People want to use apples very often in fall and winter, but unless they are stored properly, they will spoil rapidly. To avoid rotting, store apples in open-mesh bags or baskets in a cool basement or in the produce drawer of your refrigerator. Make sure to check on them regularly, as one rotten apple means the rest are soon to follow.

Prolonged boiling of vegetables destroys many of the nutrients contained within them. Quick cooking methods should be used when cooking vegetables so that their nutritional value can stay in-tacked.

Fresh ingredients are always preferable to dried or frozen ones in all of your recipes. Try to use as many fresh ingredients as you can, because they will bring out a lot more flavor in your dish, and they can be a lot less expensive in the long run as well.

A lot of people cook with apples during fall and winter, but they will spoil rather quickly if you don’t store them correctly. You can keep apples fresh by storing them in a cool basement or refrigerator as warm or dry air makes them rot. Make sure you check them periodically, however, because even one spoiled apple can cause the others in the bag to rot very rapidly.

It is possible to do a lot of preparation beforehand in order to speed up the cooking process and make it easier. Look at your recipe and decide which steps you can do in advance without worry of food spoilage. You can prepare a lot of food the day prior to actually cooking. By doing this, your cooking task will be quick and easy – even for very complex recipes.

It’s very frustrating to try to cook a tasty hamburger and see it deformed or ruined, because it gets stuck to your grill. To prevent this, brush the grill with a bit of vegetable oil to keep your foods from sticking.

Do you know grilling times for meats? It’s always good to use a high-quality meat thermometer to ensure you correctly cook the inside. For meat that is more than an inch and a half thick, you might want to close the lid of the grill to decrease the cooking time.

When you are preparing food that you must season, do it a little at a time instead of all at the beginning. This makes the flavor of the food the best it can be and you will get everything out of each individual ingredient.

Tofu and beans are great sources of protein that can easily be added to your diet. They can be bought at pretty much any grocery store. Fry up the tofu with seasonings to get a great meat alternative. Beans may be boiled with herbs for a delicious protein source.

Cooling Rack

You can make meal preparation a breeze by doing part of the food prep in advance. Cut up ingredients the night before you plan on cooking a meal to save some time. When you decide to cook the following day you’ll have less to do and become less stressed, this lets you focus on your main cooking tasks.

Make your own dried tomatoes. Try slicing a Roma in half lengthwise, or cut larger tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Put them facing upwards onto a cooling rack and add a little salt. Place the cooling rack on a cookie sheet and dry in a 190 degree oven for up to 10 hours. Place them in the freezer in plastic bags. Another option is to store dried tomatoes in a jar that contains fresh, flavorful herbs and olive oil. This will be good for up to two weeks, and should be refrigerated during that time.

Put any of the unripened fruits you buy in a plastic bag with small holes on the bag. As fruits ripen, ethylene gas is released. Placing fruit in a perforated bag allows air circulation in the bag, retaining ethylene gas and keeping the fruit tasting good.

Store spices and herbs in cool and dark areas so their freshness and flavors are preserved. Cabinets located above stoves or other warm corners of your kitchen are bad places to store spices and herbs, as doing so will sacrifice both taste and eventually dollars.

When cooking macaroni and cheese, you should follow the instructions to the letter. Following the directions will make for a delicious, firm pasta and perfectly melted cheese. Serve your dish with a nice serving spoon. Use some pepper on your macaroni and cheese!

It is vital for cooks to have their supplies organized when cooking. If you refuse to organize your cooking supplies, you’ll take longer to find the utensils you need. Store similar items together in the same place. To be more specific, put peanut butter and jelly on the same shelf, since they both serve the same purpose.

When cooking, get into the habit of washing your dishes as soon as you finish using them. Have one side of the sink filled with fresh soapy water that’s warm and put a clear water rinse in the other. Utensils and mixing bowls are easiest to cleaned directly after their use, and can be used again during the same meal preparation.

Some ingredients can leave a rather strong odor on your cutting board. Get two different cutting boards or mark one side of your board and make sure you use it for certain ingredients only.

Do not forget to add salt to water for making pasta. The seasonings in the water will infuse the pasta thoroughly. This is much more effective than trying to add salt to pasta that you have already cooked.

Ground Meat

When chopping fresh herbs, try sprinkling a bit of salt over the cutting board before you begin. The salt helps to keep the herbs on the cutting board during chopping and also adds some extra flavor. If you add the salt to your cutting board, reduce the salt in the recipe by the same amount, so that you don’t add too much salt to your dish. The salt will stick to the herbs and make their flavor stronger.

Dab away excess moisture from ground meat before cooking it. You should always blot up extra moisture before cooking ground meat. Any moisture that remains there will be released during cooking. The moisture will steam away. As a result, your meat may steam instead of searing.

For the perfect sandwich, you should take the extra time to evenly spread mayonnaise over the entire surface of the bread. Many times, people are in a hurry and just put some mayo in the middle. If you spread mayo evenly, you will be sure that your sandwiches are flavorful.

Allow your cooked food to sit a bit before it is served. A lot of people do not wait long enough before serving food. It’s extremely tempting to eat a meal just as soon as it comes off the grill or stove. You are not serving your food at its finest if you do this. It’s also important that the food simply cools down and rests for awhile for flavor’s sake. Give it a few minutes, and it should be ready to go.

When sauteing, don’t put too much into the pan. With too much in the pan, you will find some foods steaming as opposed to sauteing, which destroys the intended integrity of the dish. Keep the burner at a low setting during this process, as well.

Cooking can be a hobby, job, or skill! The best way for you to improve your cooking ability is to learn from the great cooks and follow their advice. Next time you’re in the kitchen, give these tips a try.

Avoid overcooking or undercooking a cake. Even though recipes have guidelines for recommended baking times, they can vary due to differences in ovens or elevation. Insert a toothpick into the cake’s middle. If the toothpick can be removed without any batter sticking to it, the cake is finished baking. If not, it needs to be cooked longer.

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5 Ways to Handle the Passage of Time in your Story

Passage of Time-Fiction

When writing fiction, you’re inevitably going to have to deal with the passage of time, skipping past the mundane parts in order to keep the reader engaged. However, this can pose many problems for a writer. For one, if not done in a clear and concise manner it can cause a lot of confusion for the reader.

In our latest novella, Providence, my co-author and I had to deal with a seventeen-year time gap. We thought we had it covered with just a few lines:

POV: Jason (antagonist)
He had been sent away for five years for the little incident with Jordan. She told the police that he had tried to kill her. That was bullshit! If he had tried to kill her she would be dead.
He was out for almost a year, long enough to get married to his white trash ex-wife, when he got done again for assault with a deadly weapon.  A trumped up charge designed to get him put away for a good chunk of his adult life.

But all of our beta readers came back feeling confused. And why wouldn’t they? We have the first five years covered with “He had been sent away for five years after the incident with Jordan,” then an additional year before he’s put away again with “He was out for almost a year, long enough to get married to his white trash ex-wife…,” but then we leave it with “…put away for a good chunk of his adult life.” That’s not clear and concise at all!

The second mistake we made in the first draft was to put this information about halfway through the scene. By doing this, the reader went into the scene still in the past, not realizing how many years had gone by.

To fix this problem, we added an anniversary scene from Jordan’s POV. We knew we had to make it clear that Jordan had moved to Arizona seventeen years prior and that seventeen rather uneventful years had already passed since we last heard from Jason, the antagonist. By celebrating Mike and Jordan’s fifteen-year anniversary, and referencing the two years it took Mike to talk her into marrying him, we now have our seventeen-year time gap made clear from the beginning.

POV: Jordan (protagonist)
“I still can’t believe it’s been fifteen years,” Jordan said to Mike. “I can still remember every detail of the night you proposed. It was absolutely perfect.” She took a sip of the wine he just poured. “Mmmm, that’s good.”
“What I can’t believe is that it took me two years to convince you to marry me.” Mike laughed. “But I’m glad you did. The day you married me was the happiest day of my life. You were so beautiful in your wedding dress, the sun shining off your golden hair…”
“And now here I am, pulling gray hairs and finding new wrinkles
“Well, I for one think you just get more and more beautiful with each passing year.”

This then leads into a conversation that brings Jason back into the story seventeen years after we last heard from him.

PRO TIP: Be sure to indicate the passage of time early in the scene.

Our novel Choices spans almost twenty years, so to deal with time in this novel, we decided to divide it into three parts—mainly because of how large the book is. By doing this, we left no room for confusion. When each part begins, the reader knows exactly where they are reentering the story and how many years each part lasts.

Another way to handle a large time gap is to give an explicit time reference, i.e., “Eighteen years later…” I see this mostly in science fiction and, while it may seem a little forced or clunky, sometimes it’s much better just to be clear rather than worrying about how smooth or eloquent a transition it is.

In summary, here are 5 ways to handle the passage of time in fiction:

  1. Milestone event: Choose a milestone event, such as a birthday, anniversary, holiday, etc. and write a celebratory scene, making sure to indicate the milestone and time gap as early in the scene as possible.
  2. Dialogue: Use dialogue to reference the passage of time at the beginning of a chapter. You can insert a lot of information for the reader through simple dialogue.
  3. Parts: Divide your novel into parts.
  4. Explicit Time Reference: Give an explicit time reference at the beginning of a chapter, i.e., “Twenty years later…”
  5. Change of Season: A change of season is a great way to indicate a shorter time gap.

Handling the passage of time can be difficult. The first step is for you to know precisely when everything in your story takes place, and once you’re clear on that, then you can choose the best technique to make the time gaps as clear as possible for your reader.

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Tailor at Garmspot Nigeria Limited

Garmspot Nigeria Limited is one of the fastest growing online retail stores in Nigeria, that specializes in creating, producing, marketing and distribution of cutting edge urbanwear brands, contemporary designs, and fashion accessories and beauty and grooming products. We aim to be the leading supplier of the best brands NigeriaAfrica has to offer. Using our web platform, Garmspot delivers pieces to our clientele from our regional centre in Lagos to all the corners of the world.We are recruiting to fill the position below: Job Title: TailorLocation: LagosJob DescriptionGarmprint’s tailoring operators are the engine of garment production and shall be required to design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.Roles and ResponsibilitiesSew garments, clothing or other articles using needle and thread, sewing machines, and other sewing equipment.Assemble garment parts and join parts with basting stitches.Make made-to-measure clothing according to customers’ and clothing manufacturers’ specifications and fit, and applying principles of garment design.Fit and study garments on customers to determine required alterations.Repair textiles or apparel by removing stitches from garments to be altered using rippers or razor blades.Repair or replace defective garment parts such as pockets, zippers, snaps, buttons and linings.Smooth garments using irons, steamers, presses, or other machines.Maintain garment drape and proportions as alterations are performed.Develop, copy or adapt designs for garments and design patterns to fit measurements, applying knowledge of garment design, construction, styling, and fabric.Measure customers using tape measure and record measurements.Make garment style changes, such as tapering pant legs, narrowing lapels and adding or removing padding.Estimate how much a garment will cost to make, based on factors such as time and material requirements.Cut fabrics and position patterns on equipment, materials and workplaces.

Apply at https://ngcareers.com/job/2018-09/tailor-at-garmspot-nigeria-limited-426/


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8 ways to improve your time management at work?

Positive time management is essential to career progress. Time is a limited resource and one that we cannot get back if it is wasted. We all work within the same time limits – only 24 hours in a day – so what can you do to improve your time management at work and make sure you’re getting the most from the hours that you have?

1. Learn to self-care

There is nothing more important than learning how to look after your body and mind so that you can perform at your best. No amount of goal setting or efficiency training will work if you’re sleep deprived and living off a diet of refined sugar. Regular exercise, nutrient-rich food and positive sleep patterns provide an essential foundation for positive time management.

2. Set your goals

If you want to make the most of every minute then you need to have objectives that you’re working towards. Without defined goals, both short and long-term, we can waste a lot of time going around in circles. Define your goals and then identify the activities in each day that will drive you towards them.

3. You don’t always need to say “yes.”

Being available to others in your team or office is going to be an essential part of your progress. But you also need to learn when to say no to tasks or requests that are either not essential to what you’re trying to do, or are just someone else passing on work they should be doing themselves. If you want to climb up the ladder to management level then the ability to say no is going to be even more important.

4. Master the art of delegation

Delegation is not about handing off the work that you don’t want to do to someone else. It’s ensuring that you have enough support so that a project or job is successfully concluded without you being overburdened in an unconstructive way. If you’re a manager or a boss then delegation will be a crucial part of effective team management – if you’re micro managing everything then little will get done and others will feel redundant.

5. Measure your minutes

How much of your time is spent productively each week and how much is wasted? It can be useful to audit the way you currently managing your time to see where improvements could be made.

6. Are you prioritising?

Effective time management depends on ensuring that you’re completing the most important tasks first. Structure your tasks based on urgency and importance, starting with important and urgent, followed by important and non-urgent and ending with less important and not urgent tasks.

7. Make the most of planning

A well-structured working day makes it much easier to use your time more effectively. Take 10 minutes at the end of each day to write your goals for the following morning and clear up any chaos on your desk. The next morning, spend 15 minutes creating a clear plan for the best way to use the time you have to achieve your goals.

8. Minimise your distractions

If you want to get the most out of your time then reduce the number of potential distractions around you. Put your smart phone aside, close your office door and redirect your phone. You’ll find you work much smarter and harder if you’re not constantly getting interrupted.

Our Time Management course provides a practical approach to developing time management skills and organising your time to achieve desired results.

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What fad diet really works?

By Anna Lam | Guest Columnist

Most of us are aware of the impact our personal dietary choices have on our overall health. We hear things about getting our five fruits and vegetables a day and cutting down on refined sugars, and we know to avoid junk food.

In our digital age especially, most of us have had plenty of contact with fad diets, or ogled pristine Instagram photos of spiralised zucchini salads and avocado toast. Everyone and their mother seem to be an expert on nutrition; everyone has an opinion, and this sometimes makes it difficult to sort out the pop science from the consensus of health professionals. Social media made healthy eating a desirable goal for a lot of us, and we all should be eating more fruits and vegetables. However, when it comes to a health perspective, it’s best to look at what the credentialed experts are saying rather than food bloggers and Instagrammers.

So what are the experts saying is the healthiest diet? Should we go vegan or paleo? Atkins or keto? Should we or should we not detox?

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) basic concept for a healthy diet includes a variety and balance of plant-foods with limited free sugars, industrial trans fats and sodium. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans jointly published by the US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends a “healthy eating pattern that accounts for all foods and beverages within an appropriate calorie level.”

Overall, recommendations are similar to those of the WHO, including a variety of vegetables, whole fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy and a variety of wholesome protein sources.

Much of the data would suggest that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables improves health and decreases risks for certain diseases. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, plant-based diets have improved health outcomes such as lower levels of obesity, a reduced risk of heart disease and lower blood pressure.

It can be easy to get swept up in some of the puritanism of fad diets, but that doesn’t change the science. As long as one focuses on incorporating plenty of fiber-rich, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables into daily meals, it’s easy to maintain a healthy diet. Rather than focus on fad diets, there are plenty of good reasons to focus on eating more fruits and vegetables. All of us can appreciate the positive effects it can have on our daily lives and health.