Published: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014, 9:00p.m. Updated 1 hour ago

Four years have passed since an earthquake devastated the Haitian landscape, and humanitarians say communities are improving but survivors still need support.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, said Ian Rawson of Squirrel Hill, a board member for Hospital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles, Haiti. That didn't start with an earthquake, and it can't be fixed overnight.

At the peak of displacement, about 2.3 million people, including 302,000 children, were out of their homes and at least 200,000 died, according to the United Nations.

Pittsburghers long-invested in Haiti reached out, securing adoptions, delivering supplies and revamping medical systems to help the people of Haiti off their knees.

Tent cities in Port-au-Prince have almost disappeared, said Ali McMutrie, 25, co-founder of Haitian Families First. Education is the next big step. The youngest generation of Haitians are the ones who have the chance to really turn their country around.

McMutrie and her sister, Jamie, founded the nonprofit to help families overwhelmed by poverty keep and care for their children at home. The women estimate 30,000 children are institutionalized out of poverty and family circumstances, though 80 percent still have a living parent.

Some families have five or more children, McMutrie said. Some new parents can't find work and believe the orphanage is their only option. Many young mothers lack prenatal care and die in childbirth, leaving young fathers ill-equipped to feed their newborn children.

We step in wherever we see a need, she said. That could mean nutritional help, like beans for extra protein or powdered milk for babies. It takes $210 to pay for a year of schooling for an older child, so we cover that when parents can't afford it on their own.

The Haitian Ministry of Education estimated nearly 5,000 schools were affected, about a quarter of the country's education system. Of those, almost 4,000 remained closed.

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Western Pa. humanitarians say Haiti’s needs outlive disaster

House Republicans have no trouble pushing a bill to curb potential security breaches of the Obamacare website. Its the actual theft of consumer data that gets little traction.

Just this holiday season, up to 70 million Target shoppers had addresses, emails, credit or debit card information stolen, and 4.6 million Snapchat users found their names and phone numbers posted online. But the first data breach bill to hit the House floor in years set for a vote Friday will focus on security rules for HealthCare.gov, a government site that has yet to see a successful attack.

The latest corporate hackings have prompted lawmakers to dust off legislation and demand committee hearings. But Obamacare aside, Congress has shown little appetite for addressing how websites treat sensitive consumer information. Any legislation still faces tepid interest, unclear definitions and disagreement over the governments role factors that have stalled legislation for more than a decade.

Every single one of these breaches I think, This is going to be the catalyst for Congress to do something, said former Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.), who pushed data security legislation as head of the House Energy and Commerces manufacturing subcommittee. I dont know how much worse it is going to have to get.

(Also on POLITICO: Hacked: Why Target became a target)

Lawmakers, sounding much as they did in 2011 when hackers infiltrated Sony and Epsilon, or in 2007 when T.J. Maxx ended up the victim of a multibillion dollar breach, have promised a response to the Target incident. At least two Senate committee chairs are reintroducing bills from previous sessions. Members of the Senate Banking, Senate Commerce and House Financial Services committees want hearings. The Senate Judiciary Committee announced plans for one; the House Judiciary Committee is considering its own.

Part of the slowdown stems from supporters themselves. Both industry and privacy groups back a federal data standard that would replace a confusing amalgam of state laws. Thats where the agreement ends. Companies fear government will come on too strong and cripple the industrys ability to do business. Privacy advocates worry a weak federal mandate will dilute state laws.

There actually is more of a gap there than people understand, said Justin Brookman, director of the Center for Democracy & Technologys project on consumer privacy.

Then there are technical hang-ups, such as what constitutes a data breach, how fast companies can respond, just how much damage actually occurs and who should pay for it.

(Also on POLITICO: Snapchat hires lobbyist after breach)

Read more here:
On Hill, data breaches not broached

Dial Area Code first please.

If you are seeking landscaping in Fountain Hills AZ, then Creative Green Landscaping is the landscaper you have been looking for. Landscaping Fountain Hills since 1999, Creative Green Landscaping has built a reputation for beauty and efficiency.

No matter what type of landscaping service in Fountain Hills you need, Creative Green Landscaping can provide it for you. Fountain Hills homeowners and business owners use Creative Green Landscaping for many different landscaping needs such as lawn cutting, pruning, edging, fertilizing, and planting. The end result is a beautifullymanicured Fountain Hills lawn produced by a company which knows the ins and outs of the lawn care business.

Customers also love the fact that the Fountain Hills landscaping services offered by Creative Green Landscaping are quite affordable. This means that you can obtain the lawn cutting or planting services you desire at a competitive price.

Reputation says it all and Creative Green Landscaping has a great one. With so many years landscaping Fountain Hills AZ, it is no wonder that our stellar reputation often precedes us.

If you live in Fountain Hills AZ and need landscaping services for your home or business, now is the perfect time to call Creative Green Landscaping. Our professional Fountain Hills landscapers can meet with you to determine your exact landscaping needs are and then carry out the work to perfection. Contact Creative Green Landscaping today at (480) 378-0920 and obtain the landscaped yard you have always wanted!

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Landscaping Fountain Hills AZ

I wander the hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine, a unique, ancient landform located just north of Lake Ontario and am continually inspired by what I see every day.

......intersection of country roads.......a bright but very cold early January afternoon.......

This painting is one of many small, intimate landscapes I have created over many years.

Click on the zoom feature if you wish to see the work in detail. Each brush stroke and pencil mark will be visible.

This image measures 9.5 x 13 inches. It is signed and dated bottom left lightly in pencil, H. Stooshinoff, 2013. There is a narrow white border around the work that helps with framing. External paper size is 10.25 x 13.75 inches.

The painting is completed on heavy, gessoed archival Whatman paper. A quick pencil sketch is followed by a bold, intuitive treatment with acrylics. Pencil was also used in the last stages.

Sold unframed. Image #5 is a framing example only.

I have been painting and exhibiting my artwork for over 30 years and will continue for many more. I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Master of Fine Arts, and a Bachelor of Education.

All paintings are placed in plastic sleeves and shipped in sturdy cardboard mailers.

Paintbox.etsy.com

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Lost Dog Hill January Orignal Landscape Painting on by Paintbox

The pendulum of photography swings back and forth and it seems to me that photographers have never had it so good. I can take a 35mm Delta 100 negative, scan it on my Imacon and with a couple of Nik plug-ins and a few clicks of the stylus, I can make a 16 inkjet print from the tiff that competes on quality with a traditional medium format darkroom wet print. The old rule book has been re-written and the true benefit is that I can use the film, lenses and cameras that I love to combine workflows and produce print output that exceeds traditional methods. Wild horses would not drag me back into a darkroom, I firmly left all that behind years ago but Ill continue to use film of several formats until the option is no longer viable.

I happened across this old, gnarled hawthorn tree during a days walking on Dartmoor. The Leica MP was loaded with a roll of Ilford Delta 100, which I love for its almost grain-free pictorial qualities, and the 90mm Elmarit-M f2.8 lens gave the subject the isolation I was planning for. Where granite tors are the perpetual guardians of Dartmoor, theses old hawthorns are the keepers of this living landscape. Find a hawthorn, sit down in its company, brew a mug of tea and enjoy the peace of Dartmoor!

Leica MP

Elmarit_M 90mm f2.8

Ilford Delta 100

Heliopan O22

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Steve Walton UK Landscape Photographer - UK Panoramics and ...

Janet Yellen, who was confirmed Monday by the U.S. Senate as the first woman to lead the Federal Reserve, will take the helm of a Federal Reserve facing a significantly different economic landscape from the one that dominated Ben Bernanke's tenure as chairman, confronting her with different decisions as well.

Bernanke's eight years leading the Fed were largely consumed with the recession and his efforts to cure it by pushing down interest rates and pumping cash into the economy.

Many economists think Yellen's big challenge will be deciding how to ease off some of those very policies, which Bernanke took with Yellen's support.

Here's a look at the Fed's new chairwoman and the challenges she faces.

- Birthplace: Brooklyn, N.Y. Age: 67

- Experience: Vice chairwoman, Federal Reserve, 2010-present; president, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, 2004-10; chairwoman, White House Council of Economic Advisers, 1997-99; member, Federal Reserve Board of Governors, 1994-97; faculty member, University of California, Berkeley, 1980-94 (on leave); lecturer at London School of Economics and Political Science, 1978-80; economist, Federal Reserve, 1977-78; assistant professor at Harvard University, 1971-76.

- Party lines: Nominated by President Barack Obama, Yellen was confirmed by a 56-26 Senate vote that included 45 Democrats and 11 Republicans.

- Under scrutiny: Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, warned that a continuation of the Fed's easy money policies "risks fueling an economic bubble and even hyperinflation," which he said could cause "real and lasting damage to our economy."

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New Fed chairwoman faces changing landscape

CVS Caremark confirmed it has launched an agency creative review, which will include current shop Arnold. The Havas company won the account after a review in 2010, taking it over from crosstown Boston competitor Hill Holliday.

"With the changing consumer and health care landscape, we are evaluating advertising partners to encompass our entire suite of enterprise and retail needs, a company rep said in a statement. The incumbent agency, Arnold, will receive an RFP.

Arnold will defend, sources said. The search does not include media handled by GroupMs Mindshare, which won the business around the same time CVS hired Arnold. Boston-based Pile & Co. is handling the current review as it did the one in 2010.

An Arnold rep declined comment, referring calls to CVS and Pile & Co. execs didnt respond to inquiries. Sources said the review has just started.

As for the timing of the search, some observers point to the arrival of a new CVS president, Helena Foulkes, who is took on that role Jan. 1. A 20-year veteran of the company, Foulkes was most recently chief health care strategy and marketing officer, responsible for corporate strategy and enterprise marketing, government relations and communications. Foulkes' track record includes creation of ExtraCare, which CVS said is the industrys largest retail loyalty program with about 70 million active cardholders.

The review follows the loss of Volvo for Arnold last month. However the agency was named the creative lead for the PUR water filtration device in late December and, in October, landed ADT's creative duties.

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CVS Launches Creative Review

Jan. 7, 2014, 2:08 p.m.

SEE inside Debra and Geoff Dickson's energy smart home in Black Hill.

DEBRA and Geoff Dickson only moved into their Esmond Street house in February, but it's already one of the most important of their lives.

They started plans for the house soon after buying the Black Hill property with a cottage on it seven or eight years ago.

Their daughter, who was studying architecture at the time, designed the original layout before they worked with a local architect to perfect the details.

While the house was built, Debra and Geoff moved into the cottage. It was only meant to take two years, but ended up taking longer.

The home is the Dickson family's first build, although they have renovated several houses before.

"My husband has always been interested in building this was a dream for him," said Ms Dickson.

"It's nice to live in a brand new home that's fresh and clean."

The Dicksons last year enjoyed watching their son get married in the house with an intimate group of 24.

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Ballarat at Home: Building a home at Black Hill

Jan. 6, 2014, 4 a.m.

VISITORS and locals can enjoy a packed schedule of talks, walks and events as part of Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museums summer series.

VISITORS and locals can enjoy a packed schedule of talks, walks and events as part of Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museums summer series.

In partnership with Deakin University, sessions will include talks exploring the Western District landscape, tracking animals in the global ocean and the sustainability of seaweed as a food source.

Tours to the Middle Island Maremma project, fashion parades featuring couture from the 1880s and a behind-the-scenes look at the Warrnambool Art Gallery are also on offer throughout January.

Warrnambool City Council tourism services manager Peter Abbott said the program was an excellent opportunity for participants to get active while learning.

The Deakin Summer Series program offers programs for all ages and encourages visitors to the city to explore around the city, as well as exposing them to Deakin University, he said.

Its not just Flagstaff Hill, its all of the city and there will be more for adults as well.

Mr Abbott said the Maremma tours were always popular.

Wednesdays on the Wharf was also back with local bands playing each Wednesday evening throughout January from 5.30pm on the Flagstaff Hill wharf.

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Warrnambool holiday talks and walks on offer

A granite quarry and crusher facility has bared the divide between the politically connected and the ordinary, allegedly cracked open the walls of houses nearby and is fast changing the landscape from a verdant green to an angry red at Peruvayal village in Kunnamangalam.

But mistake not. Chaliyar Granite Private Ltd. is a licensed outfit. Their papers say so. Moosa Moulavi, a partner, introduces himself as a social worker and general convener of the Indian Union Muslim Leagues Kunnamangalam Assembly constituency committee. He says the quarry is run by a few workers from the neighbourhood. It is a livelihood for us, he insists.

Mr. Moulavi invitesThe Hinduinto a small office opposite the crusher unit up a winding narrow road atop the Pallikadavu hill with a panoramic sight of the Chaliyar glistening in the evening sun.

In the dust-laden atmosphere, a few trucks have queued up for their daily load of quarried granite, in various forms from gravel to blocks. Somewhere in the slopes of the hill, metallic thuds of an excavator punching the rock face of the hill fills the air.

Mr. Moulavi does not for a moment hesitate to produce the documents giving him the right to dig the hill. The licences are handed over to this correspondent. The factory licence, the explosives licence, environment certificate, and the no objection certificate from the panchayat all of them.

We have nothing to hide. What we are doing is totally legal, he said. His certificate under the Kerala Minor Minerals Concession Rules, 1967, gives him permission to quarry two plots measuring 24 cents each on the hill. We bought 15 acres here. The crusher does not require all that land. But we bought it anyway so that the local people are not disturbed by our work We are all residents of this area, he said.

He pouts when told about the cracks on peoples homes. Their houses are over 100 metres from this quarry. Look at my office, there is no crack on my walls, he reasoned.

Khadeeja Puthukadi, who lives on the steep slope leading to the quarry, hardly agrees with Mr. Moulavi. Her front yard is cracked, so are her walls. She says the earth trembles when explosives are detonated. But we are poor. There is no one to talk for us, she said.

Her neighbour, Rekha Rajesh, a young widow who lives with her two children, has just moved into a small concrete house from a tin-roofed shed.

Her husband died in an accident last year. We pooled money to build a house for her. Now she is scared that jerks from the quarry may damage her new house, T.C. Ali, a local madrasa teacher and neighbour, said.

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Granite quarry in Kozhikode cracks open a divide