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What is the Difference Between Shadowsocks and a VPN?
Because of China’s Great Firewall, Chinese people must circumvent restrictions to post on Facebook, use Google services, stream videos on YouTube, and so on.
VPN is a popular tool in China for accessing blocked content and services. In 2012, a Chinese programmer designed Shadowsocks to bypass Internet censorship in China and shared it on GitHub. Shadowsocks, or SS for short, became popular among Chinese Internet users. 
Since Shadowsocks and a VPN are easily confused, I would like to give an introduction from four parts.
What is a VPN?
On the one hand, both VPNs and Shadowsocks unblock websites for you. On the other hand, a private network will be built by the VPN to transfer data at the network level. A VPN, known as a virtual private network, encrypts your communications online.  It is widely used in corporate and university networks. When you connect to a VPN, you are actually connecting to a private network. Your Internet access is via this private network. Whether the communication between you and the VPN is encrypted or not depends on the VPN protocol used. 
What is SS / SSR?
SS (Shadowsocks): It was created by clowwindy to bypass the GFW in 2012. The developer then found it useful to unlock websites because traffic goes through it is difficult to detect while it ensures a fast Internet connection. That’s why clowwindy shared it with others on GitHub. However, in 2015, the creator was under pressure from the Chinese government. In consequence, clowwindy removed code on Github and pledged not to participate in any maintenance or update of Shadowsocks. 
SSR (ShadowsocksR): After what happened to Shadowsocks in 2015, another developer, breakwa11, claimed that SS could easily be recognized by GFW. Thus, breakwa11 created ShadowsocksR based on Shadowsocks that support traffic obfuscation. 
Later, breakwa11 was also forced to remove all code on GitHub and discontinue the development of Shadowsocks. Relevant groups were also deleted. Since many people forked SSR, new versions based on SSR continued to be released. SSRR is a well-known example.
How does Shadowsocks work?
SS and SSR work in the same way. They are SOCKS5-based proxies. SOCKS proxies transmit data packets no matter what transfer protocol is used. SOCKS proxies are much faster than other application-level proxies. The SOCKS5 proxy sends your data request via a connection between you and the proxy server, which forwards your request to the destination. During this process, your data request will not be routed through a dedicated tunnel. There is no additional processing when the data packet is sent to the proxy server. If you want to check your Gmail, you can achieve this by sending a request to a Hong Kong server over a SOCKS5 connection. Afterward, your Hong Kong server receiving your request will visit Google and return the result of that request to you. 
Shadowsocks offers three modes. Direct connection mode does not redirect your traffic through the proxy server. The settings preset for some apps will continue to work in this mode. When PAC mode is enabled, only traffic to GFW-blocked websites is routed through the proxy server. In global mode, all traffic is redirected through the proxy server. Users can choose a mode that suits their needs.
Pros and cons of a VPN and SS
Shadowsocks is born for circumventing geo-blocks. It is based on the SOCKS5 proxy but is different from a normal proxy. Because it has some features specifically designed to bypass the GFW. 
There is no private tunnel between the client and the server. The client communicates with the server you want to access through the proxy server. All data should be transferred via the proxy server.
VPN is the abbreviation for virtual private network. Connecting to a VPN means connecting to a private network. All Internet traffic should reach the destination via this private network. At the same time, the IP address of the user also becomes the IP address assigned by the VPN.
Comparison of a VPN and Shadowsocks:
Shadowsocks is open-source and can be constantly evolving. 
The SOCKS5 does not require any handshake except for a TCP connection. Each request forwards only one connection and does not require a connection all the time. Thus, it is relatively fast and energy-efficient for mobile devices.
Shadowsocks can disguise the traffic as normal HTTP / SOCKS traffic, making it hard to detect. While VPNs can be easily detected and blocked.
Shadowsocks let users decide what traffic is routed through the proxy server by selecting different modes. However, all traffic should be routed through the VPN. 
Shadowsocks can only redirect traffic. While a VPN encrypts traffic and ensures data security.
A user can mask the IP address with that of the VPN server. So the user can switch location.
Conclusion:
SS / SSR would be better for those who just want to bypass Internet censorship. It cost you less money to get SS / SSR. While a VPN is relatively more expensive. Although there are some free VPNs, we do not recommend users to select them. If you care more about data security, you should opt for a reputable VPN
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Samsung Galaxy 10 and Note 10 series have a serious security issue with the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which was revealed recently. A user who registered a fingerprint after the phone was covered with a screen protector can unlock this phone with other fingers that didn’t register. Samsung officially said this security flaw was the malfunctioning fingerprint recognition and a patch would be issued as soon as possible to fix it. Qwer432
Samsung’s malfunctioning fingerprint recognition
This was first discovered by a British couple on October 13. The wife applied a screen protector to her Samsung Galaxy S10 and scanned her right thumbprint. Then, she found that her left thumb, which hasn’t registered, could unlock her S10. So did her husband’s thumbs. However, the fingerprint is used to unlock a phone as well as to pay, which will raise a lot of concerns. Your smartphone security is essential to your personal information and financial security. Because various payment services, including Samsung Pay, allow users to verify a payment with their fingerprints. This means that anyone can access your mobile banking apps on Samsung smartphones, which poses a big threat to the financial security of users.  
As a result, many relevant service providers took action to avoid being affected by this security flaw. For example, the Bank of China announced on Oct. 19 that it would disable the fingerprint login function for its mobile banking app on Samsung. Natwest and Nationwide Building Society, two British Banks, even removed their mobile banking apps directly from Samsung Galaxy S10. Another Israeli netizen said they were not allowed to log in to the mobile banking apps with a fingerprint. 
How did Samsung respond to this issue?
Samsung Electronics immediately recognized the seriousness of this case and issued an official statement the day after the discovery, admitting that there was a malfunction with the fingerprint recognition program on Samsung Galaxy S10 and Note 10 series. It claimed that it was a malfunction that can be fixed with a patch. Relevant fixes will be released as soon as possible. In addition, users could adopt a temporary solution before the patch was released by keeping away from a screen cover and deleting fingerprints scanned with a screen cover.
On October 24, Samsung Electronics announced that it had released a software update to fix the fingerprint identification vulnerability of Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 series of mobile phones. Samsung also apologized to users on “Samsung Members” and reminded them to update their biometric authentication to the latest version of the software as soon as possible. Samsung said it unlocks the device when the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor treats the 3D pattern on a specific silicone screen protector as the user’s fingerprint. Samsung advised users to remove the protective film, remove all previous fingerprints and re-register.
This ultrasonic fingerprint scanner used to be the pride of Qualcomm. It can not only identify the user’s fingerprint texture through water, grease and other things but also detect human blood, which means that fake phones and artificial skin are impossible to fool the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. Samsung touted it at the launch as a revolution in biometric authentication. 
Why was there a security issue with Samsung’s ultrasonic fingerprint scanner? 
Some netizens think it is because the British user registered her fingerprint when using a fully covered silicone case (that is to say, the phone also has a transparent silicone case on the screen). Actually, it is the texture of the silicone case that is scanned, but not her fingerprint. Samsung used Qualcomm’s third generation of the 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which identifies fingerprints via ultrasonic. So, the phone may scan the texture of the silicone case when the user registers a fingerprint over the silicone cover. They believe that the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner from Samsung and Qualcomm is still the most advanced technology in the industry.
Some netizens also have concerns about the security of this technology. They hold the view that it is the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner itself not safe enough. 
Later, a netizen said that the Samsung phone could be unlocked with the unregistered fingerprint only over a TPU film even if the fingerprint was scanned without a screen cover. If so, it would be more complex.
What do you think? Except for such security issues, your privacy is also vulnerable to hackers while you surfing the Internet. You’d better install a VPN on your phone to stay safe and private online.
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One of the UK's leading public schools, Wellington College, will open a new international school in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, in September, the school announced Thursday.hangzhou international school
Wellington College International Hangzhou is located in Xiaoshan District of Hangzhou and aims to offer international education for children of expatriate families from ages 5 to 18. In the first phase of opening in 2018, the College will operate for students in Year 1 to Year 6, or ages 5 to 11, and then grow each year to offer a pathway to A-Levels or the IB Diploma.
This will be Wellington College China's third international school after Tianjin and Shanghai and the 13th new member of the Wellington College family worldwide.
According to Paul Rogers, Founding Executive Master of Wellington College Hangzhou, Wellington College has chosen Hangzhou as the location for its third international school in China because it sees a demand for high-quality international education following Hangzhou's successful G20 Summit in 2016.
"Hangzhou's reputation as a hub for innovation and creativity has attracted high-end foreign talent in fields such as technology and e-commerce. Many have moved to the city with families, and this has triggered high demand for international education institutions," said Rogers.
Statistics show that Hangzhou had more than 25,000 foreign students studying in higher education institutions in the city and 15,000 skilled foreign workers as of the end of February. The city rolled out new measures to attract foreign talent in late February. It also plans to introduce 10 international schools by 2022.
Rogers also believes that the new school is part of the increasing educational cooperation between China and the UK.
According to the UK Department for International Trade, there will be more than 20 British school brands with over 50 campuses in China by the end of 2020.
"Wellington College wants to combine the best of Chinese and British education and culture and provide an education that will produce truly global citizens," said Rogers.
Tianjin Yinghua Cambridge International School (TYCIS) is part of the larger Yinghua International School situated in the Wuqing District of the historic Chinese city of Tianjin. It is now entering its 6th Year of operation offering students in Years 10 to 13 the CAIE curriculum of IGCSE, AS and A Levels. Thus far the students have attained amazing results and the graduates have gone on to study in the top universities in the UK, USA, Canada, Hong Kong and the like.international school in Tianjin

The school is academically selective and is oversubscribed. Currently with 320 students it is expanding as planned to its capacity of approx 500 students. The students are a delight to work with being able, self motivate and well mannered. Each year a significant percentage of the graduating class are interviewed at Oxford or Cambridge and gain places there, with all going on to universities of world renown.

Wuqing is a pleasant, clean and modern environment conveniently situated on the outskirts of Tianjin. The cost of living is low, yet the quality of life is high in this district. It enjoys easy access to both Tianjin centre and Beijing using the high speed rail system.

Staff turnover is exceptionally low and staff remuneration and benefits are the equal, or better of most international schools in the region.Staff are treated well and are able to enjoy a good standard of living with significant opportunities for saving. The above combine to make TYCIS a great employment opportunity for you. We welcome visitors to the school by appointment.
Linda Here. So what do you picture in your mind’s eye when I say “an international school in China?” Before today I wouldn’t have had a clear expectation or picture in my head. We arrived at TIS (Tianjin International School) to perform a concert for the assembly of students at the end of their school day. But not before we were given a tour of the school’s facilities. To say the least the classrooms and resources of the school were astonishing. TIS includes elementary, middle, and high school, each with their own corresponding libraries. Their Arts programs showed flourishing into all kinds of learning. At TIS it was very obvious how highly the school values representation. There is a display of many nations flags in the foyer of the school, every flag that is displayed represents the presents of students from that nation attending TIS. Some of our education majors on the tour described TIS as their dream job.Tianjin international school

A good friends of mine, Kirby Peters, is a 3rd year education major on the China tour.

She described TIS as “…having an obvious focus on incorporating and understanding many different cultural perspectives. They make a conscious effort to strive for excellence in both their students and as an institution. Classrooms are set up to promote cooperative learning and teamwork and are decorated in such a way where student work is highlighted and fits into the overall theme and design of the classroom….One of the most telling parts of the quality of a school is found through watching the teachers. Everyone we met was friendly, warm and looked like they were truly enjoying their job. This comes from strong leadership, support, a team mentality, and appreciation for the other members of your team. All of which seemed to be present at TIS”

The Chamber Choir considered it a great honor an privilege to be able to perform for such a high quality institution and student body as TIS.
Learning is a lifelong journey – even for teachers! YCIS Shanghai, Puxi recently opened their doors to educators from around Asia for an inspiring learning experience. The 2019 ACAMIS Chinese Conference shared best practices and information on the latest advancements in teaching Chinese, with the theme “Learning Chinese Should be Fun: Methods to Enhance Learning.”International school Shanghai

Students from Britannica International School recently visited a sister Orbital Education School and learnt to sail in Mallorca, Spain. Students awoke to blue skies and ventured out onto the water. They also experienced amazing cultural activities and can’t wait to return next year.

Students, teachers, parents and school community members at The British School of Shanghai, Puxi (BISS Puxi) and Nord Anglia International School, Pudong (NAIS Pudong) celebrated thanks to students achieving exceptional results in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme for the 2018/19 academic school year.

The Global average for IB schools is 30 points (45 being the highest), so with an average score of 36 points – and one third of students achieving 40 points or above – the gap between those attending a Nord Anglia school in Shanghai and the global average widens. These results are testament to Nord Anglia’s Be Ambitious philosophy, ensuring that every child excels.Congratulations to Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong Year 5 students, who performed marvelously at their band program concert! A delightful audience applauded as the students showcased their musical knowledge studied throughout the year. Each section of the band was showcased in a variety of pieces during the concert; ‘Power Rock,’ ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ and ‘Do-Re-Mi’ were just some of the melodies the proud audience heard. Listeners showed great appreciation for the young learners’ accomplishments throughout the year. This was a wonderful concert of joy and commitment from our students. Well done Year 5 DCSPD students on your performance!

The perfect ‘showcase day’ end to the academic year for Harrow, Prize Givings are a traditional institution within the very best British schools. It is the time when the many achievements of the pupils over the year are celebrated, the Upper Sixth leaving students and departing staff can be given a rapturous send-off, and prizes can be awarded to those pupils who have impressed most in terms of their academic achievement, their levels of progress, their high industry, their commitment to the wider life of the school, their leadership and other areas of school life. In essence, it is a celebration of what it means to be a ‘Harrovian’.
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have released a report, “Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development.” The report provides important guidance to program officers in both of the agencies, prospective grantees, and peer reviewers.Educational research and development

Overall, the report is intended to create a shared framework for six types of research that the agencies fund. It describes the purpose of each type of research, the theoretical and empirical justifications for conducting the research, the expectations for the design and products of the research, and the expectations for review of the products.

As noted in the Preface, the report generally adheres to the guiding principles for research as set forth in the National Research Council 2002 report Scientific Research in Education. The report also cites AERA's Standards for Reporting on Empirical Social Science Research in AERA Publications. Executive Director Felice Levine applauded the document on its release as “another valuable set of guidance in the cycle of knowledge production.” She urged researchers and students to consider these Guidelines well before they consider the submission of a proposal for federal funding.

A draft of this report was presented at a featured symposium that included small discussion groups at the 2013 AERA Annual Meeting. Further follow-up is anticipated at the 2014 Annual Meeting.
Tulare County deputies have repeatedly advised the public that water activities and drinking alcohol don't mix. On Sunday afternoon, one man learned the hard way how serious deputies are about water safety.Children swimming in Shanghai

Deputies with the sheriff's Boating Safety Enforcement Unit were conducting an unrelated vessel stop near the Kaweah Recreational area on Lake Kaweah.During the stop, deputies saw a man and a child, without life jackets, swimming in deep water more than a 100 feet from shore.

The man, later identified as Tommy Hawkins, swam toward the patrol boat with an 11-year-old child, leaving four other children unattended, deputies said. Deputies say Hawkins was "extremely" intoxicated and "belligerent."

Because of the Hawkins' "level of intoxication," deputies said they felt he was unable to care for his safety or the safety of the children. Hawkins was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and booked into Tulare County Pretrial Facility.The children were turned over to Tulare County ChildWelfare Services, according to deputies. Deputies sent out the following warning to visitors:

"Alcohol interferes with balance, coordination and judgment," deputies said. "These effects are heightened by sun exposure and heat. Wear life jackets and watch your children around water. Remember life jackets save lives. Alcohol and boating don’t mix."

This case is currently under investigation by the Tulare County Boating Safety Enforcement Unit.Detectives believe they gathered enough evidence to hold the woman accountable for the incident. She is suspected of being under the influence when she took her child into the river, a popular summer hot spot that cuts through Visalia.
The European Central Bank (ECB) announced a massive new bond-buying program Thursday in a bid to stimulate the ailing euro zone economy.A Level Programme

The central bank’s quantitative easing (QE) program will entail 20 billion euros ($21.9 billion) per month of net asset purchases for as long as it deems necessary.The ECB also cut its main deposit rate by 10 basis points to -0.5%, a record low but in line with market expectations.

It now expects interest rates to remain at their present or lower levels until it has seen its inflation outlook “robustly converge to a level sufficiently close to but below 2% within its projection horizon, and such convergence has been persistent.”

In a press conference following the decision, ECB President Mario Draghi urged governments to take fiscal measures to supplement the central bank’s monetary stimulus and reinvigorate the euro zone economy.“In view of the weakening economic outlook and the continued prominence of downside risk, governments with fiscal space should act in an effective and timely manner,” Draghi said.

“In countries where public debt is high, governments need to pursue prudent policies that will create the conditions for automatic stabilizers to operate freely. All countries should reinforce their efforts to achieve a more growth-friendly composition of public finances,” he added.Additionally, the ECB changed its TLTRO (targeted long-term refinancing operations) rate to provide more favorable bank lending conditions and match that of its refinancing rate, erasing a previous 10 basis point spread.

A new system will see borrowers receive preferential rates if their eligible net lending exceeds a benchmark, providing an incentive for banks to use that money.

In line with market expectations, the ECB also introduced a two-tier rate system, a measure encouraged by the heads of various major European banks during the latest earnings season. The move is intended to alleviate some of the pressure of negative interest rates on the balance sheets of European banks, which have seen profits squeezed by the persistent low rate environment.Draghi added in his press conference: “In order to support the bank-based transmission of monetary policy, the Governing Council decided to introduce a two-tier system for reserve remuneration, in which part of banks’ holdings of excess liquidity will be exempt from the negative deposit facility rate.”
The American Quarter Horse Foundation hosted the opening night of its 12th annual America’s Horse in Art Show and Sale Saturday evening at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum.To get more horse paintings, you can visit shine news official website.

Throughout the evening, attendees look at the art, ranging from watercolor paintings to bronze pieces, chosen by a juried panel each year from artists around the world. Attendees then bid on the pieces so they could take them home when the exhibition ends in October, raising money for the foundation.

Craig Huffhines, the chief executive officer for the American Quarter Horse Association, said this is a great event for the community to come together and celebrate the foundation as well as the art.

“This is one time a year where the community gathers, the who’s who of Amarillo comes in to celebrate America’s Horse in Art, which is a celebration of our great horse and our heritage,” he said.Museum curator Crystal Phares said 43 artists were chosen to participate in this year’s show. Artists, year after year, are inspired by the horse as an animal.

“The horse itself is a living work of art,” Phares said. “It’s hard to not be inspired by a horse. I think it really translates because people are passionate about the horse. They are a companion. They are our friends.”Jack Sorenson, an artist who has participated in each of the 12 shows, said it is a big deal for Amarillo to host an art show like this. As the event each year progresses, Sorenson thinks the art gets better and better.

Being a full-time artist for 45 years, Sorenson said he sees a huge difference from how he approaches his art now than he did in the past. But his work has one consistent theme.“Most of my paintings have storylines,” Sorenson said. “I don’t know where the ideas come from. I grew up in this lifestyle, so I paint a lot of paintings of what happened to me when I was a kid growing up. God will give me an idea right when I’m about to fall asleep.”

Sorenson said he hopes this show becomes more nationally renowned in the future, but it touches him that people come out to the annual show and purchase art.“It means a lot to me when someone goes out of their way to come to something like this and then they leave with one your paintings,” he said.

Phares said this event gives people the unique opportunity to appreciate horses without having to purchase one.“The American Quarter Horse is a beautiful animal,” Phares said. “What better way to share that with people who maybe don’t want to have a horse, but they are in love with the horse?”
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