Wait. I paid for this?



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We have some in congress proposing drastic cuts or elimination of citizen services, and yet this type of BS 'training' is still being funded... Why?

TSA to train its federal security directors on 'ropes course' and more

FTA:

During the planned two-day sessions at the ropes course, federal security directors will "walk tight-ropes; negotiate obstacles, climb, and pass teammates through an arrangement that involves physical and problem-solving challenges with low physical risk," explains a solicitation released by TSA on May 18. "Participants gradually expand their comfort zones (sometimes dramatically) and recognize fears that may block personal and professional achievement. Each challenge draws upon team members to actively support each other."

The Academy will also include two-day "Experiential Learning" sessions, which encourage the FSDs to engage in various roles that involve risk-taking, leadership, problem-solving and coaching, says the solicitation. "They shall be tailored to the specific challenges FSDs face in airport operations and hub-spoke relationships," says the document.  

The small business vendor's site must be located within 20 miles of TSA headquarters in Arlington. Similarly, the ropes course and experiential learning site must be located within 20 miles of the contractor's location. TSA also plans to take the FSDs on field trips to the Air and Space Museum, in Washington, DC; TSA headquarters in Arlington; and the Freedom Center, near Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

MORE: http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/23372?c=education_training

Where is the phone number for the Waste Fraud and Abuse hotline?
Oh, here it is: 1-800-323-8603.
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/about/gc_1163703329805.shtm

Guiding words for these times -



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Yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for. Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply. Primarily this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind's goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure, and abdicated. Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.
True they have tried, but their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an outworn tradition. Faced by failure of credit they have proposed only the lending of more money. Stripped of the lure of profit by which to induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored confidence. They know only the rules of a generation of self-seekers. They have no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish
The money changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit.
Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men. Franklin D. Roosevelt,  First Inaugural Address ,Saturday, March 4, 1933 Link

Wow. I feel way small.



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The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

HIMSS11 printable floorplan -



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I am attending #HIMSS11 this year, and I have been looking at the size of the show floor. My task at the show is to talk to nearly everyone on the exhibit floor.  So yeah, I need a map and a plan.

The Expo floor is massive.  Really massive.  I have been to the RSA Conference 3 times and it while that show is big, it is tiny compared to HIMSS11.

I attempted to print the floor plan from the conference website (pdf), but even spanned across 15 pages (11x17 paper in a 3x5 grid), I couldn't read the names on the small booths.

So I decided to crop down the floor plan to just the bare essentials (I don't really need the location of the dumpsters) and was able to make a usable printed map.  I ended up with 8 11x17 pages that I had to tape together, but at least I can read it...

Give it a shot.  (Please leave me a comment if this is helpful to you.)

Here is the cropped floor plan.

You will need a printer that can print 11x17.
Make sure and set your paper size to 11x17.

You should also set the 'Page Handling' Like this:

This is a must have tool for #HIMSS11



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http://eventmobi.com/himss/

This site is meant for mobile users, but I found it helpful to select ALL the sessions I am interested in, then go back to my desktop browser and print all my selections. From that list I am making my choices from those that conflict. I am also identifying sessions that my coworkers might be able to cover. 
Nice!

Headed to #HIMSS11 -



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Any other IT Security types headed to the HIMSS11 Conference on Feb 20th? This is a down right HUGE Conference. Should be interesting.

Wordle - “President Obama's 2011 State Of The Union” by NPR



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More than a "minor upgrade" - What's the deal with PCWorld?



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In the PCWorld article, How the Grinch Stole the iPad, they make mention of a "very minor upgrade" to the iPad. Below is their write up. I have to assume this is their prediction for what will be included in the update. I changed this to a bullet list, but the words remain the same. 

FTA:

If the rumors hold up, we're looking at a very minor upgrade to the iPad. Expect a 

• thinner body, 

• front-facing camera for FaceTime video chat, 

• back-facing camera, 

• USB port and maybe the 

• iPhone 4's Retina display. 

Really?

I'm not sure what the writers at PCWorld are smoking these days, but how is that a "very minor upgrade"?  Two cameras and a USB port, plus a Retina Display?  Seems pretty substantial to me. 

Didn't the addition of just 1 camera and the Retina display make the iPhone 4 the hottest phone around?

Just Sayin'

The original article:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/213351/how_the_grinch_stole_the_ipad.html