Select Page ::

Infographic: The anatomy of an Anonymous attack

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Danzig

Steve Evans Published 28 February 2012

Just how does the hacker group select a target, recruit members and launch an attack?

Security firm Imperva has released a detailed report into the anatomy of an Anonymous attack, revealing exactly what happens when the hacktivism group decides to take aim at a particular target.

The victim in this case has not been revealed by the company, but The New York Times says it was the Vatican. The August 2011 attack did not receive a huge amount of attention at the time but was thought to have been timed to coincide with Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Madrid. The New York Times suggests the Vatican was targeted over reports of sexual abuse of children by priests.

Imperva started to follow alleged Anonymous members as they used Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to drum up support for the attack. This represented the first phase of the attack: recruitment and communication.

According to Imperva the attack then moved to its second phase: reconnaissance and application layer attacks. This is the only time during the process when a sophisticated line of attack was used. Highly-skilled people were used to find vulnerabilities in the targets defences and to launch SQL injection to attempt to steal data from the targets.

In this particular case, that line failed, so Anonymous fell back to its most famous form of attack - a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, where 'laypeople' (meaning those without really sophisticated hacking techniques) were used to flood the site with traffic in an attempt to bring it down.

The entire process, from the first recruitment stages to when the attacks finished, lasted 25 days.

So what do the attacks tell us? There is not a huge amount of new information there; Anonymous' recruitment methods and attack vectors have been known (or at least guessed at by security experts) for a while, but it is still fascinating to see how an attack unfolds.

The below infographic shows how it all develops:

The full report can be downloaded here.

View original post here:
Infographic: The anatomy of an Anonymous attack

Anatomy of a Successful Grant Application

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Danzig

By David Walker

Lichtenstein impressed jurors with his fresh look at U.S. history. Above: Women at the bus stop where Rosa Parks began her famous 1955 ride.

This past November, New York City-based photographer Andrew Lichtenstein won the 2012 Aftermath Project Grant for his project called “American Memory.” It is a series of landscape photographs of sites around the U.S. where historic struggles for civil rights, labor rights and Native American rights took place decades ago, so obvious signs of those struggles have long faded.

The $20,000 Aftermath Project Grant is intended to support photo projects about the after effects of war. Most of the six grants awarded previously were for projects exploring the open, visible wounds of recent conflicts and ethnic strife outside the U.S.

Lichtenstein thought his entry would be a long shot, so he contacted Aftermath Project founder Sara Terry to ask if it was too much of a stretch. She encouraged him to apply. Lichtenstein also notes, “The big problem with this story is trying to capture what doesn’t exist there anymore. It’s hard to photograph the absence of [an event].”

Terry, who was one of the three jurors, says awarding the grant to Lichtenstein was “an exhilarating way to expand the conversation about the aftermath [of conflict]. That’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.” The grant isn’t just for documentary projects, she explains. “From the beginning I’ve encouraged conceptual and fine-art photographers to apply.”

Terry says jurors first screened applications for the quality of the images. That winnowed 183 applications down to about 30, she says. From there, judges started to consider the merits of the written proposals.

“Andrew’s proposal wasn’t a great big statement. It was simply stated: If we don’t address our wounds, the scars don’t heal. And then he listed places he was looking [to photograph],” Terry says.

Lichtenstein told PDN that the historic sites he’s been photographing “are of particular interest to me because of my view of the struggle for justice and equality in this country. I’m not saying America is an awful place built on genocide. I’m trying to say it’s a country like any other, which is actually a radical idea if you look at what some people want to pass off as American history. There’s this idea that this nation is [exceptional] and great for its ability to foster freedom and equality. I want to stop and say, ‘Which history are you looking at?’”

He says he explained that idea in clear, direct terms on the application. “I do not know ‘grant speak’; I don’t write it, I don’t want to write it, I don’t understand it. People should just say what they mean, rather than hide it in terms of elite conversation,” he asserts. “I want it to be as accessible and honest as possible a description of what I believe the work to be about.”

Lichtenstein says that because he started the project two years ago, it was easier to write about it with clarity. “So I knew what the issues were about. It’s still a healthy process to put it on paper, and explain it to other people,” he says.

“What brought his application to the top was the degree of imagination,” says juror (and VII Photo agency director) Stephen Mayes. “His concept is new—it’s a very fresh look at American history. He’s filtering that through current social and political situations.”

Mayes continues, “The presentation was clearly written with an introduction that said he was looking for places where past and present intersect, followed by succinct bullet points saying exactly what he was talking about, and then pictures to show it.” Because the locations he photographs show no obvious signs of their historical significance, Lichtenstein’s images depend upon captions for context. But the jurors had no problem with that. “I subscribe to the idea that all pictures need some context. If that comes in form of words, that’s fine,” Mayes says.

“There were other proposals that were much more philosophical, that were compelling,” Mayes notes. “But even if the proposal is theoretical and philosophical, it still has to be clear about what the applicant intends to do and how.”

The one image that crystallized Lichtenstein’s proposal for the jurors shows three Southern women in antebellum costumes, sitting on a bench at the bus stop where Rosa Parks began her famous bus ride in 1955, launching the civil rights movement. “That image is amazing. It said so much, and got our attention right away,” says Terry.

Juror Anne Wilkes Tucker, who is photography curator of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, observes: “Lots of people have tried to find pictures that make you understand the complications of [chosen] locations. The picture of the three women on the bench does that. I’m presuming he didn’t stage it. It’s pretty perfect.”

That Lichtenstein already had strong images for his proposed project gave him an advantage over those who applied on the strength of images from past projects. Even if those images were very good, Tucker notes, “We [jurors] just don’t know that they can translate what they’re proposing to do into pictures.”

Tucker says finalists for the grant weren’t necessarily skilled writers, “But the ideas were there [in the application]. They knew what they were going to do, how it was going to relate to the theme proposed, what was possible to do and [their idea] was focused enough ... You have to know what’s a manageable project” and convey that in the application—with words and pictures.

Mayes says some proposals were eliminated “because they lacked that clarity. [We’re awarding] a chunk of money—we need to know it is going to be spent with real effect.”

The four other finalists for the grant were Christopher Capozziello, with a project about the Ku Klux Klan; Michelle Frankfurter, with a project about emigration to the U.S. in the aftermath of the Central American civil wars of the 1980s; Simon Thorpe, with a conceptual project about Sahrawi soldiers who fought for their land in the Western Sahara; and Michael Zumstein, with a project about national reconciliation in Ivory Coast after the 2010 elections there.

Lichtenstein says he’s applied for only a few grants out of necessity; editorial assignment work is no longer reliable enough as a source of income. Applying for grants, he says, “is a tremendous amount of work, and there’s no kill fee. If you don’t get it, that’s two weeks gone. The plus side is that it really helps you think about the issues of your project and put together an edit, and articulate what you’re saying in your photos.”

His advice to others applying for grants: “Look at the grant carefully to see if your work is appropriate for it,” he says. “The second thing is, there’s nothing you can say or do to make up for not having the pictures. It’s fundamentally about the work.”

Picture Story: Untangling the Afghanistan Tragedy
Bringing Documentary Photography To a Grassroots Audience
How to Pitch a Crowd for Project Funding

Here is the original post:
Anatomy of a Successful Grant Application

Anatomy of a Murder, Jack and Jill among new home entertainment titles

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Danzig

ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959). A Molotov cocktail of a movie when it first appeared in 1959, Anatomy of a Murder was so controversial that audiences were taken aback by both its frank language and unexpected ambiguities, and Mayor Richard Daley even went so far as to prohibit it from playing in Chicago. The picture ended up not needing the Windy City: It proved to be a box office smash across the rest of the country, as moviegoers lined up to hear A-list actors utter such previously taboo screen words as "rape," "slut," "bitch," "intercourse," "panties" and (love this one) "spermatogenesis." Director-producer Otto Preminger, no stranger to ruffling moral-watchdog feathers, never succumbs to the sleaziness inherent in the material, instead turning out a highly intelligent and tightly controlled drama that still ranks as one of the all-time great courtroom procedurals. An excellent James Stewart stars as "humble country lawyer" Paul Biegler, who agrees to defend an army officer (Ben Gazzara) accused of murdering the bar owner he claims raped his wife (Lee Remick). At his side is his alcoholic friend and fellow lawyer (Arthur O'Connell), while helping out the prosecution is the slick assistant state attorney general (George C. Scott, making his mark in only his second year in films). And refereeing is the quick-witted — and often exasperated — Judge Weaver; in a casting stunt that works, he's played by Joseph N. Welch, the army lawyer who shot to national fame for his takedown of the despicable Senator Joseph McCarthy ("Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"). Although the film failed to win any Oscars, it did manage to land seven nominations, including Best Picture, Actor (Stewart) and Supporting Actor (both O'Connell and Scott).

DVD extras include newsreel footage from the set; a new interview with Otto Preminger biographer Foster Hirsch; a new interview with critic Gary Giddins about Duke Ellington's score for the film; a look at the relationship between Preminger and the legendary graphic designer Saul Bass with Bass biographer Pat Kirkham; and excerpts of a 1967 episode of Firing Line, featuring a discussion between Preminger and William F. Buckley Jr.

Movie: ****

JACK AND JILL (2011). In the cesspool of cinema known as the Adam Sandler Oeuvre. Jack and Jill certainly ranks near the very bottom; it's stupid and infantile, of course, but it's also lazy and contemptuous, a clear sign that Sandler and director Dennis Dugan (his seventh Sandler film; stop him before he kills again!) aren't even trying anymore, safe in the knowledge that audiences will emulate Divine in John Waters' Pink Flamingos and chow down on whatever dog doo is presented to him. Here, the stench is particularly potent, as this story about an obnoxious ad man (Sandler) and his whiny, overbearing sister (Sandler in drag) is a nonstop parade of scatological bits, prominent product placements, faux-hip cameos (Johnny Depp, welcome to the halls of whoredom), wink-wink chauvinism, racism and xenophobia, icky incest gags, annoying voices (not just Sandler as Jill but also the made-up language spoken by the siblings), and the usual small roles for Sandler's beer buddies (including, groan, David Spade in drag). Al Pacino co-stars as himself, inexplicably smitten with Jill; he provides the film's only two or three chuckles (especially a line about the Oscars), but even long before the sequence in which he raps about doughnuts, it's clear that he's become an ever bigger sellout than Robert De Niro. Now that's saying something.

Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes; a blooper reel; a piece on the cameos spotted throughout the film; and a featurette on Sandler's man-to-woman transformation.

Movie: *

THE RUM DIARY (2011). Johnny Depp has long worshipped at the altar of Hunter S. Thompson, so perhaps it's this idolatry that prevents him from acknowledging that The Rum Diary, an adaptation of a 1959 Thompson novel that wasn't even discovered until 1998 (reportedly by Depp himself), is a crushing mediocrity. As he did in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the actor again plays a fictionalized version of the influential journalist — here, he's pre-gonzo Paul Kemp, a mild-mannered writer whose stint at a struggling American newspaper in Puerto Rico allows him to eventually discover his fire, his passion, and his desire to stick it to the "bastards." Unfortunately, fire and passion are just two of the elements missing from this arid, disjointed effort, which isn't presented as a shaggy-dog story so much as a flea-bitten one. Kemp's interactions with a cheery capitalist (Aaron Eckhart) and his beauteous fiancee (Amber Heard) are rarely believable, while Giovanni Ribisi delivers one of his typically twitchy — and typically awful — turns as one of Kemp's confidantes. Ribisi's histrionics aside, The Rum Diary is unbearably sedate — a Prozac picture when a touch of reefer madness would have helped.

Blu-ray extras include a behind-the-scenes piece and the featurette The Rum Diary Back-Story.

Movie: *1/2

TAKE SHELTER (2011). Winner of two awards at last year's Cannes Film Festival yet shut out of the Oscar race, Take Shelter takes place in a spacious, wide-open Midwestern region but feels constrictive and claustrophobic at every turn. That's the intent of writer-director Jeff Nichols, who largely leaves it up to viewers to decide whether his film is a metaphor for the feelings of paranoia, persecution and dread that grip this nation in modern times or merely a story about a man who might be mentally unbalanced. Curtis (an excellent Michael Shannon), a blue-collar worker blessed with a loving wife (Jessica Chastain) and daughter (Tova Stewart), starts having dreadful dreams in which he's attacked by those closest to him (his spouse, his best friend, his dog) in the middle of a nasty storm. These nocturnal nightmares are soon joined by daytime hallucinations, and Curtis has to decide whether he's turning into a paranoid schizophrenic like his institutionalized mother (Kathy Baker) or whether he's having premonitions involving the end of the world. No one knows for sure — least of all the viewers — and while the story is such that Nichols could have ended it in a haze of ambiguity, he boldly elects to commit to a particular outcome. I of course won't reveal any particulars, so let's just say that Rod Serling would have been proud.

Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by Nichols and Shannon; a behind-the-scenes featurette; deleted scenes; and a Q&A session with Shannon and co-star Shea Wigham.

Movie: ***

UNFORGIVEN (1992). The great Orson Welles once stated that Clint Eastwood was the most underrated filmmaker in America, and the sobering footnote is that the Citizen Kane auteur passed away in 1985, well before Eastwood began to be taken seriously as an artist by most critics and moviegoers. Even though he had directed 15 pictures over a two-decade span (including such attention-getters as The Outlaw Josey Wales and White Hunter Black Heart), it wasn't until he helmed Unforgiven that he moved into the front ranks of modern cinema's finest practitioners. Working from a powerhouse screenplay by David Webb Peoples (Blade Runner) that originally bore the unfortunate title The Cut-Whore Killings, the actor-director-producer crafted a superb motion picture that served as a fitting final chapter in his impressive Western canon. Eastwood stars as William Munny, a reformed outlaw and grieving widower who agrees to take a shot at the reward money being offered for killing two ruffian
s who facially disfigured a prostitute in the town of Big Whiskey. Munny embarks on the mission alongside his former partner Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) and the upstart Schofield Kid (Jaimz Woolvett), and he eventually finds himself heading toward a brutal confrontation with Big Whiskey's sadistic sheriff, Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman). This unflinching drama definitively strips the West of its idealized romanticism and presents it as a savage hellhole in which there are no clear-cut heroes or villains, only morally ambiguous survivalists. Nominated for nine Academy Awards (including bids for Eastwood's performance, Peoples' original script and Jack N. Green's alternately gorgeous and gritty cinematography), this earned four: Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Hackman) and Film Editing.

Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by film critic and Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel; a quartet of behind-the-scenes pieces; and a 1959 episode of the James Garner TV series Maverick, featuring Eastwood in a guest appearance as a rowdy cowboy.

Movie: ****

Original post:
Anatomy of a Murder, Jack and Jill among new home entertainment titles

'Anatomy of an Anonymous Attack' laid bare by Imperva

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Danzig

Security firm Imperva has published a detailed analysis of an attack by Anonymous on one of its customers, providing new insight into how the hacktivist group operates, and highlighting the need for better application layer security.

According to The New York Times, the target in question was the Vatican, although Imperva has declined to confirm the identity of the organisation.

The attack, which did not adversely affect the site or compromise any user data, consisted of three distinct phases:

Related Articles on Techworld The first, described as “recruitment and communication” involved drumming up support using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to suggest and justify an attack. The second, dubbed “reconnaissance and application layer attacks,” involved a small number of professional hackers, using common vulnerability assessment tools to probe for security holes and launch application attacks, like SQL injection, to attempt to steal data from the targets. When these data breach attempts failed, the skilled hackers elicited help from so-called “laypeople” to carry out a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.

According to Amichai Shulman, co-founder and CTO of Imperva, the attack by Anonymous mimics the approach used by for-profit hackers. The group of 10 to 15 professional hackers used off-the-shelf tools such as Havij, Acunetix and Nikto to check for vulnerabilities and attempt SQL injection attacks.

Shulman said it was clear that these were professional hackers, as they had knowledge of the hacking tools and also took care to disguise their identities using anonymity services.

When the hackers failed to find any vulnerabilities, the DDoS attack was carried out using a custom-built tool that allows users to attack sites with mobile browsers. Unlike more traditional network layer DDoS attacks, this targeted the application layer, with the aim of eating up server resources.

Anonymous created a web page containing a Javascript that iterates endlessly, as long as the page is open in the browser. This type of attack is commonly referred to as Mobile LOIC (low orbit ion cannon). All it took for a layperson to participate in the attack was for them to browse to the specific web page and leave it open.

Shulman said that if an organisation’s threat landscape includes Anonymous, then it should install application layer security as well as DDoS protection, because that had been the hackers' first choice. However, the real motivation for implementing this kind of security should be financial protection.

“If you look at what Anonymous has done in the past couple of years, it has been more of a nuisance than anything else,” he said. “However, Anonymous are using the same tools that financially-motivated criminal hackers are using, and this is what organisations should be worried about.”

Imperva constantly monitors some 40 customer applications, and Shulman claims that an application attack is launched once every two or three minutes. “This is a far greater threat than Anonymous hacking a website to make a political point,” he said.

Shulman added that, while most of Anonymous's attacks have targeted fairly small organisations using LOIC or Mobile LOIC attacks, occasionally the group launches a massive attack against an internet giant like American Express or the FBI.

“In Operation Payback they were using botnets,” said Shulman. “This kind of operation cannot be volunteer-based. It requires a very different tools. It requires horsepower, funding and planning. So who is behind it? And why are they taking the trouble to do it? That is still a mystery.”

He said that financial hackers are also increasingly launching SQL injection attacks using botnets, which is a much larger scale of problem, because it allows attackers to scale up much faster.

Imperva compiled the “Anatomy of an Anonymous Attack” report based on data from its Application Defense Center (ADC). A copy of the report can be downloaded here.

Read the original here:
'Anatomy of an Anonymous Attack' laid bare by Imperva

Bad breath used as stem cell tool

Posted on February 27, 2012 by ev1

27 February 2012 Last updated at 00:06 ET

Hydrogen sulphide, the gas famed for generating the stench in stink bombs, flatulence and bad breath, has been harnessed by stem cell researchers in Japan.

Their study, in the Journal of Breath Research, investigated using it to help convert stem cells from human teeth into liver cells.

The scientists claimed the gas increased the purity of the stem cells.

Small amounts of hydrogen sulphide are made by the body.

It is also produced by bacteria and is toxic in large quantities.

Therapy

A group in China has already reported using the gas to enhance the survival of mesenchymal stem cells taken from the bone marrow of rats.

Researchers at the Nippon Dental University were investigating stem cells from dental pulp - the bit in the middle of the tooth.

They said using the gas increased the proportion of stem cells which were converted to liver cells when used alongside other chemicals. The idea is that liver cells produced from stem cells could be used to repair the organ if it was damaged.

Dr Ken Yaegaki, from Nippon Dental University in Japan, said: "High purity means there are less 'wrong cells' that are being differentiated to other tissues, or remaining as stem cells."

One of the concerns with dental pulp as a source of stem cells is the number that can be harvested.

However, the study did not say how many cells were actually produced.

Prof Chris Mason, a specialist in regenerative medicine at University College London, said: "It would be interesting to see how hydrogen sulphide works with other cells types."

See the original post here:
Bad breath used as stem cell tool

Free nutrition presentations offered for seniors

Posted on February 27, 2012 by ev1

by Maria Polletta - Feb. 26, 2012 10:05 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com

SCAN Health Plan Arizona, a special-needs plan for Maricopa County residents that operates under a Medicare Advantage contract, will offer free nutrition-related presentations and cooking demonstrations for seniors as part of National Nutrition Month in March. The classes, listed below, are tailored to the needs of older adults.

All presentations will take place at the SCAN Connections Resource Center, 1313 E. Osborn Road in Phoenix. Space is limited. RSVP at 602-778-3420.

"SOLUTIONS FOR LIFE: NUTRITION AND LONGEVITY"

Information on a weight-reduction and longevity program. March 14 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

"HEALTHY NUTRITION ON A BUDGET"

Information on nutritional guidelines for seniors, nutritious and low-cost sample meals and snacks, and community resources. March 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

"HEALTHY NUTRITION FOR SENIORS"

A look at the role of nutrition, portion distortion and nutritional guidelines for seniors in maintaining a healthy weight. March 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

"GET YOUR PLATE IN SHAPE"

Demonstrations on portion control and healthy cooking. March 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"WELLNESS WAY OF LIVING"

This session will mark the start of an eight-month series of hourlong workshops focused on healthy living. March 28 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Source: SCAN Health Plan Arizona

Excerpt from:
Free nutrition presentations offered for seniors

Healthyroads Offers Six Tips for Eating Healthier During National Nutrition Month in March

Posted on February 27, 2012 by ev1

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Feeling crunched for time to enjoy a healthy meal? Being "on the go" can make it difficult to eat a nutritious meal, but good nutrition is essential for keeping your body performing at its peak potential. Your nutrition affects every part of your body, from your bones and muscles to your skin, hair and eyes. During National Nutrition Month, total population health management company Healthyroads, a subsidiary of American Specialty Health Incorporated, urges Americans to increase their awareness about the benefits of good nutrition and enjoy more nutritious foods.

"A well-balanced diet is a cornerstone of good health," said Elizabeth Thompson, MPH, RD, a registered dietitian and vice president of Healthyroads Coaching(R) programs. "Fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat dairy products provide the nutrients we need to maintain healthy, active lifestyles."

"A good way to start eating healthier is to substitute more nutritious foods for less healthy items," Thompson added.

Healthyroads offers the following six tips to help consumers choose more nutritious foods:

Choose Heart-Healthy Grains

Replace refined white grains with nutrient-dense whole grains, such as:

Whole grain cereals, like granola Whole wheat pasta Brown rice Multi-grain breads.

Eat more Fresh Fruits and Veggies

Most adults should have the equivalent of 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit each day. Dark green, leafy veggies like kale and broccoli provide a lot of nutrients and are easy to steam or saute. Fresh fruits like apples, berries and bananas are packed with vitamins and make great snacks and desserts.

Power up with Protein

Protein is a key building block of muscles, tissue, bone, blood and other organs. But some proteins, like red meat, also contain a lot of solid fats, so choose your proteins carefully.

Go with lean proteins, like seafood or ground turkey when choosing to eat meats. Avoid bacon, sausage, marbled red meats and other fatty proteins Snack on protein-rich nuts like walnuts, pistachios and almonds.

Trim the Fat

It may be easy to grab a quick cheeseburger when you're on the go, but it's not quick or easy for your body to digest. Reduce the fats you consume by:

Choosing a veggie burger or salad instead of meat burgers Substituting low-fat or non-fat milk and yogurts for regular dairy products Grilling, baking or steaming your foods instead of frying or using heavy oils.

Ditch the Sugars

Foods that are high in sugar are also often high in calories that can lead to weigh gain. Research shows that being overweight or obese increases the risks for diabetes. Reduce sugar intake by:

Tossing out the sodas and substituting sparking water Trying sugar-free desserts (sugar-free pudding or yogurt, or fruit salad, for example) Substituting protein snacks, like almonds, for sweet desserts.

Make it Fresh

Cook meals at home from fresh, whole foods, instead of eating out or eating prepackaged meals. That way you can better manage the levels of salt, sugar and other hidden additives that are so prevalent in restaurant or processed foods.

Eating nutritious foods is an easy way to improve you overall health. Jump start your new healthy eating habits during National Nutrition Month in March, and you'll reap the benefits for a lifetime.

About Healthyroads, Inc.

Healthyroads, Inc., a subsidiary of national health services company American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH), offers a wide range of total population health services solutions--including award-winning telephone-based lifestyle and condition coaching programs, member engagement promotion programs, program management, health risk assessment, biometric screenings, claims analytics, risk stratification, outreach, incentive management programs, competitive challenges, worksite wellness programs, and/or an integrated online wellness portal, Healthyroads.com. Healthyroads offers these programs to more than 6.1 million members nationally.

ASH provides total population health services, specialty provider benefit administration, and fitness and exercise services to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups, and trust funds. Based in San Diego, ASH has more than 800 employees and serves over 25.9 million members.

For more information about ASH health and wellness programs, visit ASHCompanies.com or call (800) 848-3555. Follow us on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/ASHCompanies or http://www.Twitter.com/Healthyroads, and like Healthyroads on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/Healthyroads!

Go here to read the rest:
Healthyroads Offers Six Tips for Eating Healthier During National Nutrition Month in March

DNA evidence found on Wanda Beach victim

Posted on February 27, 2012 by ev1

New DNA evidence discovered on one of the Wanda Beach murder victims is at least five years away from being useful, police say.

A weak DNA profile of an unknown male has recently been identified from a pair of jeans worn by one of the victims, the Acting Assistant Commissioner of the forensic services group, Mark Sweeney, told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

But new technology needs to be developed before a conclusive match can be made, he said.

Marianne Schmidt and Christine Sharrock, both aged 15, were found beaten and stabbed to death at the beach in January 1965.

'We've been very fortunate that in recent years we've had huge advances in technology, but at this stage we can't do much with that profile,' Mr Sweeney said.

'The sample itself is not going to take the matter any further forward in 2012.

'It will take a significant breakthrough (in technology) ... which I believe will occur, that will allow us then to revisit the sample.'

Mr Sweeney estimated the new technology was 'five years plus' away from being developed.

'There is no expectation at this point in time that we have an imminent break but clearly this is an exciting time for law enforcement, (an) exciting time for forensic science,' he said.

The case was 'wedded to the psyche of everyone', including NSW police, he said.

'There have always been a number of suspects linked to the investigation.

'It is important to give confidence to the family members, give confidence to the community generally, that NSW police continues to look at unsolved crime, in particular unsolved homicides.'

Excerpt from:
DNA evidence found on Wanda Beach victim

DNA evidence found on beach victim