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0.020717 | <urn:uuid:1eef6a4c-c570-4a72-a6d7-733211df0daf> | en | 0.95326 | X Close
Friday November 16, 2012
Gaharu thieves’ mini village was the ‘perfect hideout’
GEORGE TOWN: A group of agarwood tree (gaharu) thieves set up four large camps deep inside a jungle near Mount Erskine to cleverly hide their location from view.
Their “mini village” had a kitchen, a storage place and a workshop to process the agarwood.
It was a perfect hideout until the state Forestry Department officers busted it on Monday.
A stockpile of food comprising some 10kg of rice, cooking oil, canned food and vegetables enough to last several people for at least two weeks was confiscated.
Department officers visited the site again yesterday and recovered several pieces of low quality agarwood.
“We believe the higher quality ones were sold earlier,” said state Forestry Department director Abdul Wahab Deraman.
Two Cambodians were arrested during the ambush on Monday while two others managed to flee the scene.
Two large pieces of agarwood, believed to be worth between RM50,000 and RM100,000, were also seized in Monday's raid.
According to veteran hiker Gurdial Singh, even regular hikers and mountain bikers had not stumbled upon the “hideout”.
“Access to their mini village' is via an undiscovered path and you would have to go in from Point 8 on the hill behind the Mount Erskine wet market,” he said.
Gurdial tipped off the department on Sunday after coming across five felled trees while running near Taman Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah.
The oil from gaharu resin is highly prized in the Middle East and can fetch up to RM20,000 per kilo.
The oil is used as a base for perfumes due to its fresh and woody scent.
It is also used as a key ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine for various ailments.
1. Missing MH370: Probe zeroes in on pilots
2. Missing MH370: Plane did not land at Diego Garcia US military base, says Hisham
3. Missing MH370: Pilots did not ask to fly together
4. Missing MH370: 600 potential runways for plane to land
5. Cops confirm 14 people hospitalised over music fest drug overdose
6. Missing MH370: Capt Zaharie life member of PKR
7. Missing MH370: PKR rubbishes Daily Mail's claim of Zaharie-Anwar link
8. Missing MH370: Flight captain a "political fanatic," reports Daily Mail
9. Flying in the face of common sense
10. Flying into a crisis | http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx/?file=%2f2012%2f11%2f16%2fnation%2f12328971&sec=nation | dclm-gs1-204470000 |
0.02161 | <urn:uuid:e7505fb4-dcc8-41b9-8ae8-fc3e52400a9b> | en | 0.972325 | Monday, March 17, 2014
Current Weather
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Published: Tuesday, 9/12/2006
Cygnet residents vote 43-2 to sell electric system
Mike Hall voices to officials his concerns about the plan to sell the village s electric system to Hancock-Wood Electric
Cooperative Inc. during a meeting last night at the fire hall. Mike Hall voices to officials his concerns about the plan to sell the village s electric system to Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative Inc. during a meeting last night at the fire hall.
Sandy Nickols of Cygnet studies the proposal. Sandy Nickols of Cygnet studies the proposal.
CYGNET, Ohio - Obviously fed up with the power outages that have plagued their community for years, Cygnet residents say they're ready to let someone else keep the lights on in town.
At a village meeting at the local fire station last night, a crowd of about 75 residents and business owners heard two proposed solutions to their troubles: selling the village electric system or keeping it in local hands but making the updates it desperately needs.
In the end, the vote was 43-2 in favor of selling it.
"People are just so upset over our electric," Mayor Ruth Haas said after the ballots were counted. "I think people are just really, really upset, and I don't blame them. We have a big decision to make."
The problem came to a head this summer when high temperatures caused a heavy demand for electricity, and the village's antiquated electric system couldn't keep up with demand.
The power went out a record nine times July 31 in Cygnet, a village of 564 people in southern Wood County about 35 miles south of Toledo.
Soon after, the village installed a larger fuse that could withstand higher demands for power and trimmed trees that had been rubbing up against distribution lines.
Joe Wright, one of three members of the local board of public affairs, said the elec-tricity has not gone out since the changes were made.
Still, the board, which oversees local utilities, is looking for a long-term solution.
Last night, George Walton, president of North Baltimore-based Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative Inc., made a proposal under which the nonprofit co-op would purchase Cygnet's system for no more than $100,000, then invest an estimated $1.1 million in a plan to rebuild, operate, and maintain it.
He said Cygnet would bear $400,000 of the initial cost, which would be recouped through a flat fee to Cygnet customers of about $12 a month for 10 years.
Columbus-based American Municipal Power-Ohio Inc., known as AMP-Ohio, proposed a $680,000 plan to update Cygnet's system while leaving ownership in village hands.
Larry Marquis, the firm's vice president of business and technical services, said Cygnet customers could pay an estimated $10 a month for 20 years for the upgrades.
While representatives of AMP-Ohio stressed the benefits of local control, Mr. Walton said each power customer would be a member of Hancock-Wood and would be able to vote on a representative to the co-op's board.
"You own the company," Mr. Walton said. "You control the company through your elected board member."
For Randy Boggs, voting to sell the system was a no-brainer.
"I don't know what everyone else thinks," Mr. Boggs told the crowd. "But I think it's pretty much an emergency deal .•.•. We need help."
Glen Ramsey said he has been dissatisfied with his electric service since he moved back to his hometown seven years ago.
"I've had Hancock-Wood in the past, and I've had excellent service," he said.
Mr. Wright said after last night's meeting that he was surprised by the vote in favor of selling.
"We don't know" what happens next, he said. "We're going to have to talk it over."
Village council and members of the board of public affairs are expected to discuss the issue at the next council meeting Monday evening.
Points of Interest | http://www.toledoblade.com/frontpage/2006/09/12/Cygnet-residents-vote-43-2-to-sell-electric-system.html | dclm-gs1-204490000 |
0.158807 | <urn:uuid:17fe01b2-f0ac-46ef-9f5b-08850dc297f3> | en | 0.884822 | First: Mid: Last: City: State:
Angeline Pough
It’s very easy to pinpoint Angeline Pough with the assistance of USA-People-Search.com. A simple search will provide accurate results for each and every Angeline Pough in our database. The matching profiles have been sorted efficiently to allow you to determine the exact Angeline you need immediately.
Have you managed to zero in on the exact Angeline Pough you are hunting for? If you haven’t, modify your search to include any other bit of information you might know about the person, like a nickname or middle initial. When you are successful in locating the correct Angeline Pough, browse through their complete personal profile, which may include phone numbers, addresses, and much more.
Name/AKAsAgeLocationPossible Relatives | http://www.usa-people-search.com/names/p/Angeline-Pough | dclm-gs1-204560000 |
0.118461 | <urn:uuid:99ce1695-1fbc-41da-870b-97a64d12d897> | en | 0.954919 | Huawei phone is so big it can charge other phones
Associated Press SHARE
By PETER SVENSSON, Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Huawei, China's largest cellphone manufacturer, is releasing a phone that can be thought of as the inflight refueling system of the mobile world: it can be used to recharge other phones.
The first Ascend Mate was not sold in the U.S., but Huawei CEO Richard Yu, speaking at a press conference in Las Vegas ahead of the opening of the International Consumer Electronics Show, said the Mate2 would reach U.S. shores. He didn't say when or what it would cost. The phone is compatible with all U.S. networks, but he didn't say which carriers would sell it.
Huawei Technologies Ltd. was the third-largest cellphone manufacturer in the world in the third quarter of last year, according to research group IDC. However, it has few products on the U.S. market, and is little known there. Huawei 's attempts to sell network equipment to U.S. phone companies have been stymied by concerns that the company's products could contain "back doors" that allow for spying on U.S. communications, something the company denies.
| http://www.usnews.com/news/technology/articles/2014/01/06/huawei-phone-is-so-big-it-can-charge-other-phones?s_cid=related-links:TOP | dclm-gs1-204590000 |
0.043879 | <urn:uuid:e2e83d18-4995-4e9f-8a19-29a38f2e8f16> | en | 0.93708 | But Namco didn't go far enough with the game. There are only 12 levels, and they're oversimplified so that an energetic kid will tire of the game, and if he or she doesn't, the whole experience is finished too quickly. Also, kids weaned on games full of lurid colors and flash may not really respond to a George video game. And, if you're looking to find the movie stars' voices in the game, they're not here.
You'll find unlockables within like mini-games and George artwork. But why not throw in an actual George book or two as a prize? I realize this isn't done with, say, the Harry Potter games, but that's because they're primarily text. Even if the makers had put in only the first George book, the inclusion would have added value and history to a generally bland game. If you really love George, you'll like this. But if you want a deeper video game experience for kids, go and pick up the original The Incredibles game. Tamagotchi Connection Corner Shop
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nana On Sha
Tamagotchi, the virtual pet, was all the rage about 10 years ago. It wasn't as big as the iPod, but it sure was omnipresent. In an effort to revive the brand in the U.S., Bandai has released Tamagotchi Connection Corner Shop for the Nintendo DS. (There's also the successful Tamagotchi Connection toy, egg shaped and on a keychain like the original, but with a kind of wifi capability.)
Artificial Intelligence at work in WSWE9
image: Konami
Artificial Intelligence at work in WSWE9
World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 International
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami TYO
For: Xbox, PC, PS2
Publisher: 2K Sports
Developer: Kush Games
For: Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2
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In the game, the characters are super cute and rendered with a child-like charm. In a move of inspired genius, Bandai hired the makers of the first (and some say the best) rhythm-based dancing game, "PaRappa The Rapper" to make the game. In addition to some wonderfully cheesy music, you'll enjoy the big-eyed but paper-flat 2D graphics that made "PaRappa" so endearing and timeless.
While Corner Shop is endearing, it's in no way timeless. Here, you pick your character and open a shop to become a dentist or do laundry or perform music. Sure, drilling a tooth is fun, especially when a little tooth demon pops out and you have to catch him. And, hey, think the makers, it makes a kid learn about money when a customer pays you. But in my mind, a kid has his or her whole life to work and make money, so why start before one has to? I mean, there are so many reruns of Toy Story and Shrek to watch.
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• : US Government War On Animals And Their Protectors
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• Anna Hridaaya
US Government War On Animals And Their Protectors http://www.animalsuffering.com/forum (See Animal Rights Talk section) True citizens expose the injustices of
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US Government War On Animals And Their Protectors
True citizens expose the injustices of their governments.
I have no right to judge any individual. But I have a right to work for change.
I do not support arson because it takes the lives of small mammals, birds,
insects and potentialy of human life. Each person's conscience is sovereign.
When PETA picketed the home of Caspar Weinberger because the DOD
was shooting dogs to give surgical practice, he graciously answered the door
and discontinued the program. Unfortunately, goats then became the new
scapegoats. It is my belief that people have a constitutional right to picket
the homes of vivisectors and to acquaint their neighbors with their occupations.
Not everyone shares my opinion.
FBI war on animals and their protectors
Justice Dept. funding tasering and burning of pigs at Univ.
of Wisconsin
FBI's role in quashing 1st amendment rights of activists
FBI Agent arrests man at Virginia circus demo for wearing an animal mask
FBI Cover up of Ft Detrick And Dugway Proving Grounds Primate Sacrifice
in Weaponied Anthrax Research
FBI Propaganda Amplified by KTVU re illegal arrests of animal rights
activists picketing homes of UC Berkeley vivisectors
US Military's War on Animals
US Air Force Pig Tasering And Other Experiments at Brooks AFB
which has also irradiated primates
Navy killing whales with sonar and propellers is sued by
several groups. http://www.hsus.org http://www.cousteau.org
Army's Dugway Proving Ground Experimenting With Weaponized Anthrax on
Soldiers Trained To Kill And Eat Animals
Donald Rumsfeld's American distribution rights to vivisector Roche's ineffective scam
drug Tamiflu
Human casualties in Afghanistan are underreported. Animal casualties
are censored. Afghan War Killing Some of the last 100 snow leopards in Afghanistan along with hibernating bears buried, sealed alive in caves,
big horned sheep and countless other species.
Afghan and other war effects of landmines on people and animals
Top brass Require Soldiers To Abandon Pets When Deployed Overseas
Depleted Uranium in Iraq at 81 Times The Average Gives Cancer to People and Animals
Ft Campbell Kentucky sprayed thousands of blackbirds with detergent in
winter so that the loss of oil would cause their deaths by freezing.
Ann Free of the Birmingham News wrote that the heat from their bodies
rose visibly (as their souls rose invisibly)
Army's Ft Sam Houston: rats immersed in boiling water for 10 seconds..
and then infected on burned areas
DOD: Goats substituted for dogs.. shot at Wound Labs for surgical practice.
Ft Detrick: Rabbits bound by steel rods while mosquitoes feast on them
NIH barbarism and negligence
NIH gives Harvard's underground labs more $ than any other univ
EPA testing on animals and approving lethal insecticides
and rodenticides
USDA Opposition to Mad Cow Testing. USDA
hiding the truth as well about Mad Pig Mad Sheep Mad Lamb
Mad Deer Mad Elk Mad Chicken Mad Turkey Mad Fish
Mad Milk
USDA: Revolving door between USDA and animal flesh industry
(Ann Veneman, USDA Secretary, was mentored by
Lyng of the American Meat Inst. before going on to UNICEF)
USDA, Monsanto, Dairy Industry Poisoning Children With School
Lunch Program
USDA Muzzling Mad Cow Truth
http://www.rense.com/general6/cow.htm (USDA muzzling list of
ingredients containing Mad Cow, Mad Pig, etc.)
USDA is mandated to investigate animal research labs. Its criminal
neglect in this area joins many other areas.
USDA's US Forest Service through the criminal policy of controlled burns
has set millions of acres on fire, burning people, animals, trees, buildings.
US Fish and Wildlife Service trying to kill hundreds of sea lions
along with Oregon and WAshington state agencies...
for the salmon fishermen who want to continue their
suffocation of salmon uninterrupted
Continues to promote hunting and fishing in violation of the teachings of
most religions and though the percentage of hunters in the population is
the smallest in history. 100% are taxed for the blood sport of 1 to 5%
(depending on the state.. Pennsylvania having the most)
4 of the many ways the Bureau of Land Management kills
and otherwise harms animals
US Commerce Dept promotes McDonald's and KFC around world..
building a hospital with McD in Brazil
NASA exploded thousands of animals over 5 states when Lockheed's
obsolete shuttle blew up. The public was not informed that NASA Glenn
captive animals were secreted into the hold.
Dept of Transportation: Through the instigation of Senators Feingold,
Grassley and Harkin, ratified by the Diebold Senate, the minimal protections for baby chicks in transit
were eliminated. They are now no longer under abimal status but are
classified as commercial mail, denied the requirements of protection from
freezing, heat, suffocation, smashing, thirst.
FDA, puppets of international pharmaceutical vivisecting pricegouging
manufacturers of lethal products, often fails to act about dangerous food:
Toxic Animal Flesh
Poisonous Fish Flesh
Atomic Energy Commission.. The Atomic Ark 4000 animals deliberately
sacrificed.. burned alive in atom bomb testing
To be added:
NASA's decades of animal torture, including primates imprisoned in restraining
chairs for months at a time.. their legs paralyzed..
Fast food employees paid by the taxes of the poor
The Air Force Experiments On Animals
Read the full report.
A one-second jolt with a Taser has been known to cause excruciating pain. One reporter recounted, "Taking the jolt, my knees gave out and the quick blast felt like it lasted 10 minutes. All I could see was red, and the pain was like an extreme migraine headache and how I imagine a whack in the back with a baseball bat would feel." After being subjected to an intolerable 15 seconds of electric current, it's no wonder that the animals refused to go back into the chamber. Even when they had been cruelly fasted for up to 48 hours, they balked, knowing what would happen to them.
In the protocols, the experimenters documented the following:
Pigs "vocalized loudly and ran in circles."
Most pigs "ran in circles. While being tasered, some of the swine jumped, either against the wall or over a wall."
One pig who was Tasered "was able to jump back and forth over a 2.5-ft wall."
One pig who was Tasered "was able to jump against the wall and its front hoof reached 6 ft off the ground."
The Air Force Video: Where's the Sound?
PETA was denied video footage of these experiments until our attorney filed a complaint. When we finally received the DVD, it was obvious why the Air Force was reluctant to release it. The animals were shown screaming and convulsing horribly, one after the other; they were deliberately and repeatedly subjected to prolonged electric Taser shocks. But the videotape did not have an audio track, and we've had to file another appeal for the full, unedited version as well as photographs that we know exist.
PETA wrote to the Air Force Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) members who approved this pitiless, revolting experimentwhich was designated a category 3 experiment ("Pain or distress without analgesia"). We sent them a copy of the DVD so that they could see for themselves what they had approved. We asked them to favor non-animal test methods and refuse to sign off on any other protocols that involve blatant suffering.
Experiments on AnimalsNot Good for the Air Force's Reputation
One member of the IACUC, John Ziriax, wrote that this experiment "will be a very high visibility project. This is a feature that has both good and bad consequences. On the good side, done well, this experiment could enhance the reputation of Brooks as a DoD bioeffects research laboratory. On the bad side, anything less than quality work has the potential for doing damage to our collective reputation and our ability to continue doing research with animals."
Take Action
Please write to Dr. James Jauchem, who presided over these experiments. Ask how these crude tests could have passed muster, and explain that they reflect very poorly on Brooks Air Force Base. Politely tell him that this does not qualify as "quality work" and that weapons experiments on animals must cease.
James Jauchem, Ph.D.
8308 Hawks Rd.
Brooks Air Force Base, TX 78235
Please also write to:
Col. David Karcher, Director
Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate
3097 Range Rd.
Quantico, VA 22134
Who are the billionaires for whom these government bullies work?
Nelson Peltz: billionaire owner of Arby's, Wendy's Kraft
Warren Buffett, billionaire owner of Dean Foods
Don Tyson: billionaire owner of the largest network of
pig and cow slaughterhouses
NPR: owner of 200 million in McDonald's stocks
Yum Foods, Kentucky based.. world's largest conglomerate
owner of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut etc.
Bill Gates, funder of vivisection at Duke University which maintains
a partnership with the Atkins Foundation (the toxic Atkins
diet condemned by the AMA and with Smithfield, largest
pig butcher in the US)
Karl Albrecht Germany 87 20.0 Germany
animal and fish flesh monger Aldi's which carries virtually
no vegan burgers, no vegan ice creams, no tempeh or hummus
David Rockefeller who owns cattle ranches in Argentina
and a sheep ranch in Australia as well as a collection of 50,000
impaled beetles.
The heirs of Winthrop Rockefeller, father and son, with
their Winrock Farms cattle ranch in Arkansas.
At least 5 Secretaries of State, including Henry Kissinger
and Dean Acheson, were made so because of their
connection to the Rockefeller Foundation. They were
trained in protecting its assets. The latest Secretary of
State, Hillary Clinton, was heavily invested in slaughterhouse
and vivisection products before being forced to divest.
Gioia Family connection to Topps Meat
(There are tens of thousands of billionaires, centimillionaires
and decamillionaires for whom the government agencies work)
For other billionaires see http://www.forbes.com
annual list of the biggest thieves in the world
Intimidating vegetarian and vegan groups
Decades ago, the US Govt told Seventh Day Adventist vegan
hospitals that unless they served meat they would lose
federal funding. The SDA caved in. Unfortunately, Loma Linda
Hospital, an SDA one, is involved in vivisection and murdered
a baboon for a heart transplant to a human.
The US Army's helicopters were buzzing the vegan community
called The Farm in Summertown Tennessee until Senator Al
Gore stpped in to stop it.
Because most of Sai Baba's 100 million followerse are vegetarian
or vegan and because they work actively to promote
a world without slaughterhouses, the US Govt as well
as those of the UK, Australia have spread disinformation
about the only man in history to have 100 million people believe
him an avatar.
The Commonwealth countries are all involved in mass
genocide of animals.
That is perhaps the main reason for their sharing of Echelon
satellites which spy on their citizens.
The previous Canadian PM was on NPR not as a statesman but
as a shill for Canadian cow flesh.
The present fraudulently elected PM Harper continues
to pay Newfoundland seal clubbers to massacre baby seals.
Many around the world are responding by boycotting the
Canadian Olympics
Canada advertises the hunting of bears.
It deforests old growth woods.
It kills animals in Afghanistan
The UK
kills primates and other animals in testing
promotes British animal flesh
kills animals in Afghanistan
has created drought with its deforesting livestock economy
kills 6 million kangaroos a year
New Zealand
is involved in the barbarism of live shipments of sheep and
cows aboard ship
Ft Detrick Maryland Killed 4000 Primates in Just 1 Weaponized
Anthrax Experiment Before shipping Primates and Samples
to Battelle Memorial Labs of Tennessee, Columbus and
West Jefferson Ohio.
Battelle received 1 billion from the CIA
rockcreekfreepress reprinted from
NY Times Complicit in FBI Anthrax Coverup
Back in 2001, just months after the anthrax attacks that killed five people,
several articles came out in mainstream newspapers that pointed clearly to the
CIA and Army as the most likely sources of the weaponized anthrax. Articles in
The Baltimore Sun, Miami Herald, Washington Post and New York Times laid out the
facts that incriminated Battelle Memorial Labs in West Jefferson, Ohio, and the
Army's lab at the Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah as the only logical sources for
the anthrax. These facts, as reported in 2001, include:
1. For over a decade, Army scientists at Dugway have been making weapons-grade
anthrax that is "virtually identical" to the anthrax used in the attacks.
2. The anthrax used in the 2001 attacks was extremely concentrated, with a
trillion spores per gram. The Dugway anthrax had a similar concentration.
3. The FBI was increasingly focused on US government bioweapons research
programs as the source of the deadly anthrax.
4. Both the lab in Utah and the lab in Ohio received anthrax samples from the
United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID)
at Fort Detrick, although USAMRIID deals only with wet anthrax and ships it wet.
5. The investigation was focused on the Dugway anthrax, and Dugway was described
as the only facility that was known to be weaponizing anthrax.
6. One FBI official said that the CIA's anthrax was "the best lead we have at
this point."
7. Army officials said that Fort Detrick did not have the equipment for
weaponizing anthrax.
The FBI has never explained what became of this initial focus on the labs in
Utah and Ohio. Instead, after the death of Fort Detrick anthrax researcher Bruce
Ivins in July, 2008, the FBI attempted to make the case that Ivins was the
murderer and all other suspects had been cleared of suspicion.
Since Ivins' death, the media have, with very few exceptions, passively
swallowed the line dispensed by the FBI, and have acted as little more than
stenographers in parroting the hollow arguments presented by the FBI that Ivins
is guilty.
On December 12, 2001, The Baltimore Sun published a seminal article by Scott
Shane that clearly laid out just how strong the evidence was against the Dugway
Proving Ground in Utah. Subtitled "Organisms made at a military laboratory in
Utah are genetically identical to those mailed to members of Congress," Shane's
article also includes this eyebrow-raising line: "Scientists familiar with the
anthrax program at Dugway described it to The Sun on the condition that they not
be named."
Apparently Shane has forgotten all that he reported seven years ago. Now with
The New York Times, Shane's latest piece, published January 4, 2009, raises
troubling questions about the independence of The Times, and the memory hole
that Shane must have used to shunt away all that he once knew about the case the
FBI code-named Amerithrax.
Shane calls his 5,200 word article "the deepest look so far at the
investigation." Titled "Portrait Emerges of Anthrax Suspect's Troubled Life," it
is primarily a hatchet job on Bruce Ivins. Filled with innuendo and
unsubstantiated allegations, the purpose of the article is clearly to solidify
the perception that Ivins was the killer, and to pooh-pooh the widely held
belief that the anthrax came from a CIA or military lab in Utah or Ohio.
Shane dismisses these beliefs breezily, stating: "The Times review found that
the FBI had disproved the assertion, widespread among scientists who believe Dr.
Ivins was innocent, that the anthrax might have come from military and
intelligence research programs in Utah or Ohio." Not a single piece of evidence
is presented to back up this sweeping claim.
Halfway through his article, Shane springs another shocker on us. "By early
2004, FBI scientists had discovered that out of 60 domestic and foreign water
samples, only water from Frederick, Maryland, had the same chemical signature as
the water used to grow the mailed anthrax."
Really? Do FBI scientists think that anthrax researchers go to the kitchen sink
for the water they use to grow the anthrax? According to Wikipedia, biochemistry
labs use only highly purifi ed water, such as double-distilled. Distilled water
is created by boiling water and collecting the steam. To obtain double-distilled
water, the process is done twice, so that all impurities and minerals are
removed. Distilled water has the same chemical signature, namely none, no matter
where in the world it originates.
It is unprecedented to have a major development in a high profi le case go
unreported for a full five years. Not only has the FBI never before mentioned
this so-called discovery about the signature of the water, but when they were
specifically asked if anything could be learned from the water, they said no.
The question came up on August 18, 2008, when the FBI held a science briefi ng
to follow up on the highly publicized August 6 press conference by DOJ attorney
Jeff Taylor. The science briefi ng was hosted by Dr. Vahid Majidi, Assistant
Director of the FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate.
Dr. Majidi was asked: "In your looking at the elemental and chemical properties,
could you tell anything about the water that was used to fi lter this anthrax,
and did that do you any good?"
Dr. Majidi replied: "No. No."
Yet here we are, five months later, with Scott Shane telling us that the FBI has
known since 2004 that the anthrax was grown near Fort Detrick, because of the
chemical signature of the water.
Beyond these outrageous claims, Shane's article is busy assassinating Bruce
Ivins' character. We have Nancy Haigwood saying of Ivins "he did it," for no
apparent reason other than she doesn't like him and thinks he's odd. She also
thinks Ivins vandalized her house 27 years ago and impersonated her. No reason
is given for why she believes these things.
Shane editorializes heavily. He charges that Ivins was "chipper" even as five
people were dead or dying of anthrax inhalation, and was relishing his moment in
the spotlight. No evidence is presented for how Shane reached these conclusions
about Ivins.
Words Shane uses to describe Ivins (including quotes from others) are: corny,
dour, scary, provocative, emotionally laden, thin-skinned, aggressive, goody two
shoes, very sensitive, creepy, possessing an unnerving hubris, stressed,
depressed, rude, sarcastic, nasty, devious, jumpy and agitated.
We find out that Ivins had been a nerdy, awkward teenager, was not popular in
high school, and was still bitter about this.
He liked to eat a mixture of peas, yogurt and tuna for lunch and wore outdated
bell-bottoms, practices that, according to Shane, got him labeled an "oddball."
The words odd, oddball or oddities appear five times in Shane's article.
The final reference, regarding "a man whose oddities, for many people, made the
FBI's anthrax accusation more plausible," tips Shane's hand. His constant
harping on Ivins oddness betrays the poverty of the FBI's case, which Shane
acknowledges has "yielded nothing more persuasive than a strong hunch" that
Ivins was the killer.
Fortunately for many of us, being odd is not a crime.
But was Ivins odd? The Frederick News Post published a letter from Amanda Lane
on August 10, 2008 that includes: "I want to shout from the mountain tops that
Bruce was the kind of man we look up to
He was a decorated scientist and the
the task would get completed faster.
"He was not the greatest athlete, but he was the best cheerleader present at
every game to support his friends. I will truly miss his good humor, as there
are few people in life who measure up to this man. I hope that he knew how much
joy he brought to my life and others around him. If I learned anything from
Bruce, it was to enjoy life and to always smile. His friendship brightened so
many lives. I hope that Americans will remember Bruce for the funny and
compassionate person that he was, because that is all Bruce knew how to be."
Although Shane does mention that Ivins' colleagues cherished him, the
implication is that they didn't really know him, as "he hid from them a shadow
side of mental illness, alcoholism, secret obsessions and hints of violence."
The New York Times has published a hit piece, devoid of incriminating facts,
more gossip than journalism. Shane's article raises disturbing questions about
the relationship between The New York Times and the US government. What happened
to the FBI's original focus on the CIA and Army labs? Who is behind the drive to
pin the attacks on a dead man who possessed neither the means nor the motive to
carry them out? And why is The Times acting as a PR arm for those with an agenda
that has nothing to do with journalism?
Sheila Casey is a DC-based journalist. Her work has been published by the
Chicago Sun-Times, Reuters, the Denver Post, Dissident Voice and Common Dreams.
The Future is Vegan Money
(BSE Lawsuits, ecoli lawsuits, salmonella and anaphylactic
shock and amyloid plaque (Alzheimer's) lawsuits,
critical mass in vegan diet among the young,
need to maximize the earth's food yield through the
highest yield foods (fruit and nut trees)
need to stabilize the weather through fruit tree planting
Light in the Darkness
Dr Faust, chief of the USDA Fruit Labs, told a reporter he had
seen centenarian apple trees drop 2 tons each of free food.
State Govt. Barbarisms
(an almost infinite list)
Gov Perry's connections to vivisector Merck
Corrupt Senators (virtually all with emphasis on
the Western livestock state senators and southern poultry
state senators)
The Senate passed the criminal AETA bill which was pushed
most by Coburn and Inhofe of Oklahoma and Izaksom and Chambliss of Georgia.
John Cornyn of Texas, elected through vote fraud
.. was part of a hunting party which killed over 400
cage raised birds released in nets in front of him.. (in 1 day)
Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.. Pfizer's voice in the Senate..
Pfizer incinerates in New London CT incinerator alone, a truckload
of dead animal victims daily
George Voinovich of Ohio
1. as governor authored legislation which made the mourning
dove a hunted bird
2. when a German factory farmer was banned and jailed
for cruelty to animals and nearly killing a worker with nicotinic
insecticides, Voinovich invited him to Ohio with a red carpet
which turned out to be a carpet of blood.. 1/2 million birds
were killed in a tornado.. many of them without food
or water .. and without feathers..in the 30 degree weather
... were finally bulldozed alive into graves by Buckeye which
became Agrigeneral and now has another name
Dianne Feinstein, war profiteer and insider trading who has illegally
funneled billion dollar contracts from the govt. to her husband.
Feingold, Harkin Grassley... removed protections for baby chicks
in transit
Don Barnes' refusal to continue irradiating primates at Barnes AFB
inspired the movie Project X with Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt.
People tend to think of San Francisco as a liberal area.
Yet its elected politicians Dianne Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi
are warwagers. In addition UC Berkeley administration
worked with the FBI and Schwarzenegger to pass an
unconstitutional bill limiting the right to picket.
Army's Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah Confirms Weaponized Anthrax
Last Updated
14 Jun 2003 (before Rupert Murdoch bought the paper)
Source: Wall Street Journal, December 14, 2001.
Army Confirms Experiments With Anthrax at Utah Facility
The U.S. Army confirmed Thursday that it has experimented in the last few years at a Utah facility with powdered forms of anthrax that could be used as a weapon, but said all of the material had been accounted for.
Army officials refused to say if the powdered anthrax -- manufactured to test defensive decontamination methods, they said -- was the same as the Ames strain that was used in the mailing attacks. The Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah does have that strain, and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said they are now waiting for scientists to determine if it was used in powder form by the lab.
The FBI has been aware since October that the facility was experimenting with powdered anthrax and has questioned personnel there about the matter. But a senior law-enforcement official working on the case said, "to say someone from Dugway is the culprit is pure speculation. ... We've been working very closely with the Army, and they've been very cooperative."
Army shipping records show that anthrax was sent to Dugway Proving Grounds from the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md. At Dugway, the anthrax was used as part of small-scale, regular experiments to test detection equipment and decontamination gear to better equip U.S. soldiers against biological weapons, Army officials said. The effort was launched after the Gulf War.
The Army said in a statement that "all anthrax used at Dugway has been accounted for. There is a rigorous tracking and inventory program to follow the production, receipt and destruction of select agents."
FBI officials say they have been surprised by the widespread use of anthrax in laboratories and research universities. "It's been eye-opening for us," a senior FBI official said Thursday. "The way the science community works, it's very freewheeling and free-sharing."
Tim Moore, director of research for the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, whose school has been contacted by the FBI, said there is a "very different culture of how scientists deal with their [anthrax] cultures. When I was in grad school the lab was a mess. There were cultures that had been in there for 15 years; nobody knew who they belonged to."
Meanwhile, federal health officials said they will meet this weekend to discuss whether to offer anthrax vaccinations to thousands of people who may have been exposed to the dangerous bacterium.
About 9,000 people in Florida, Washington, New York and New Jersey were told to take antibiotics for 60 days to stave off anthrax infections. As that deadline gets closer for many, some health officials wonder if the course was long enough to prevent anthrax spores in the lungs from causing infection. Evidence that many people didn't finish the regimen also has raised concerns; many of the postal workers at the Brentwood facility where contaminated letters were processed have told health officials they didn't finish the regimen.
Officials must decide if the possibility the vaccine may protect people is worth the possibility of adverse reactions to it. They also must decide how much of the 220,000 doses transferred from the Defense Department to the Department of Health and Human Services stockpile should be used rather than saved for potential future outbreaks. Vaccinating all the people deemed to be at risk would require at least 27,000 doses.
Postal officials also said they are considering issuing fliers to New Jersey residents in the hopes of securing more leads over the mailer of four anthrax-tainted letters postmarked Trenton, N.J. The proposed flier, to be sent out before Dec. 25, could include images of the letters, the FBI's profile of the mailer, the idiosyncrasies of the mailer's handwriting, and information about the case's $1.25 million reward.
-- Sarah Lueck, Chad Terhune and Kathy Chen contributed to this article.
This factsheet was completed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Please direct any questions or comments to PETA directly at 757-622-7382 or info@
Military Testing: The Unseen War
When news reports tally the casualties of war, or when monuments are erected to honor soldiers, the other-than-human victims of war--the animals whose bodies are shot, burned, poisoned, and otherwise tortured in tests to create even more ways to kill people--are never recognized, nor is their suffering well known. The 1987 movie "Project X" offered only a glimpse of the kind of experiments that go on far from public view but at taxpayer expense.
Uncounted Casualties
The House Armed Services Committee voiced its concern "about the use of animals in medical and other defense-related research" in its report on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1995.(2) At committee hearings, DOD revealed that its use of animals in experiments has increased 36% in the past decade, but that it spent $180 million on research using 553,000 animals in the last fiscal year.(3)
Top Secret
Sample Experiments
Radiation: At the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute in Maryland, nine rhesus monkeys were strapped in chairs and exposed to total-body irradiation. Within two hours, six of the nine were vomiting, hypersalivating, and chewing.(8) In another experiment, 17 beagles were exposed to total-body irradiation, studied for one to seven days, and then killed. The experimenter concluded that radiation affects the gallbladder.(9)
Animal Intelligence
Thousands of animals also fall victim to military operations and even military fashion. A series of Navy tests of underwater explosives in the Chesapeake Bay in 1987 killed more than 3,000 fish(15), and habitats for hundreds of species have been destroyed by nuclear tests in the South Pacific and the American Southwest.
"Alternatives to Animal Use in Research, Testing, and Education," U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, 1986, pp. 50-51.
Krizmanic, Judy, "Military Increases Animal Experiments," Vegetarian Times, August 1994.
Tom Regan, "We Are All Noah," 1985.
Burleson, "Flow Cytometric Measurement of Rat Lymphocite Subpopulations After Burn Injury and Injury With Infection," Archives of Surgery, 122:216.
Wretland, et al., "Role of Exotoxin A and Elastase in the Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Strain PAO Experimental Mouse Burn Infection," Microbial Pathogenesis, 2:397, 1987.
Phillips, et al., "Cloth Ballistic Vest Alters Response to Blast," Journal of Trauma, Jan. 28, 1988.
Dubas, et al., "Effect of Ionizing Radiation on Prostaglandins and Gastric Secretion in Rhesus Monkeys," Radiation Research, 110:289, 1987.
Durakovic, "Hepatobiliary Kinetics After Whole Body Irradiation," Military Medicine, 151(9):487.
"Obscure Office Drafts World War III Script," Washington Post, May 27, 1984.
Watts, et al., "Effect of Temperature on the Vector Efficiency of Aedes Aegypti for Dengue 2 Virus," American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 36(1):143, 1987.
Dobson, et al., "A Device for Restraining Rabbits While Bloodfeeding Mosquitoes," Laboratory Animal Science, 37(3):364, 1987.
"Goats Shot to Teach Army Doctors Skills," Williamsport Sun-Gazette, March 5, 1986.
"Uncle Sam Wants You, Too, Fido," Time, June 18, 1984, p. 33.
"Fish Deaths Cancel Navy Blast Tests," Washington Post, October 1, 1987.
"Air Force Needs a Few Goat Jackets," San Francisco Chronicle, April 8, 1988.
--- End forwarded message --- | https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/vavegan/conversations/topics/1?xm=1&m=s&l=1 | dclm-gs1-204770000 |
0.036231 | <urn:uuid:ab5db3aa-5e87-4950-971e-73f51ed34568> | en | 0.986634 | So I had this posted sometime mid-2009? And I'd got many reviews! However, when I went back to re-read it and see how much I've changed over the past few months, I saw that FanFiction TOTALLY messed up the format of my story. Making it seem as though I'm some retard who can't describe the end and the start of a scene.
Thus, here is the edited and (hopefully) improved Chaper-1!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, he'd be in my bed right now.
"Oi, Pinkie! Get me the Yagami file, pronto!"
My boss yelled. I sighed. It was my second year working at the Uchiha Corporation and my own boss still didn't know my name.
"Yessir! I'll go search!" I called back and heard him grunt.
Just so you know, my name is Haruno Sakura and I'm an assistant to a junior manager. Basically, an assistant's assistant. That's how lame I am. God! I hate my life, I hate my job and almost everything about me and my stupid existence.
Oh, except for one thing - I LOVE my friends. If it wasn't for them, I'd be in therapy.
Back to my oh-so-wonderful day. I found the file seven rooms down the corridor, scurried back to my boss as fast as my scarily long legs would carry me and plopped it onto his table, breathing heavily.
"Bring it slower next time, Pinkie." was all the jerk said, rolling his eyes.
"I'm sorry sir," I gasped, wiping beads of sweat off my GINORMOUS forehead. "I got held up because Teuchi-san wanted me to type out a letter of-"
"Yeah, save it. I'm leaving. Complete this, I need to give it in tomorrow morning." he rolled his eyes, handing me a thick file. He left without another word.
So I shut up and retreated to my desk. I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes tiredly. I'd been staying late nights ever since I'd been promoted a couple of months ago. From coffee-girl to assistant. BIG difference. Now I have to complete shitloads of paperwork AND get everyone coffee, tea and whatever else the fuck they wanted. To top it off, I didn't get much of an increase in the paycheck, and NO overtime. I would fight with the authorities about that, if I could still handle confrontation. My temper used to be horrible, and I used hit all my friends' boyfriends just because they were idiots and they pissed me off. Why? Because I could. But some genius decided to send me for anger management, and they toned me down a lot. Don't ask how. I just remember a lot of rainbow and happy-place talks. Not to mention serious threats.
I just want some rest! My head hurt and I needed sleep! Might as well rest up before starting the work...
That was my last thought before my head dropped onto the stack of papers and I began my nightly drooling ritual.
There it was. The annoying voice again. I mumbled something and snuggled into my...papers? Fuck! I shot up from my seat in shock.
"G'morning, s-sir!" I stuttered nervously, straightening my skirt and shirt which has got tussled up over the night. "It's Haruno, by th-"
"I don't give a shit!" He roared, his cheeks maroon with the uncontrollable rage I knew he was holding in. "You've not completed any of the work I gave you last night! I'm supposed to give it in in 3 minutes! What's the big boss gonna say, piggy?" Piggy? Because of the hair?
"I'm so sorry! I-"
"I'm going to the meeting to clear up YOUR mess." he turned and walked away.
I sank into a chair. This was my first ever major mess-up. I'd screwed up things earlier, but never this bad. I reached up to brush away a few tendrils of my hair and realized how tangled it was.
"I better go clean up..." I murmured absently as I shuffled out of the office, destination - the washroom. It took me five minutes to look like my orderly, nerdy self again and as I washed my hands, I wondered just how bad I'd screwed things up.
The return trip from the bathroom was...well, eventful. I managed to mess up my job a bit more, for one. I wasn't looking where I was going and I bumped into someone...and made her fall. I apologized immediately, of course, and helped her up, I'm not rude. But she was. I even helped her pick up the files and folders she'd dropped, all the while apologizing.
She kept screaming how I'd messed up her hair and her dress and her shoes and basically, I'd committed a cardinal sin by making a pretty girl fall. She was everything I wasn't, and that was the main reason I stared at her, open-mouthed.
She was a petite redhead, with gorgeous reddish eyes and a killer body. She wore a short, skintight dress. To work. A pretty, blue sundress. And she still looked professional. She was currently swearing in a very ladylike manner while popping a contact lens into her eye, and she STILL looked hot! That said, it's all from a girl's VERY jealous point of view.
"I'm very sorry! Is there anything I can do?"I asked once more as she glared at me. I pretended to cower since these types liked that, I knew I could kick her skinny ass if she tried anything.
"Yeah, get thicker glasses, idiot!" she sneered.
"Uh...I'll carry these for you." I offered. I didn't want any enemies at work. I had no friends (who wanted any with bitches like her around?), but having enemies would screw my life over more.
"Whatever. Walk faster. Hold them properly!" she didn't bat an eyelid at my offer and shoved everything into my arms and began walking towards the conference room. Really fast too, for someone with heels that high. She had the strut of a confident woman who knew what she wanted and - aw, shove it! She walked like an overpaid slut!
I followed her meekly. I used to be a spunky kid uptil college, but the minute I got a job at this hell-hole, my life turned over. Everything was the opposite of what it had been earlier. One of those things was my newfound meekness. It was easier to be a clutzy idiot who shuts up than a clutzy bitch who ruins everything for her boss and gets fired.
"Why isn't it complete, Sakon?" I heard a deep voice ask the minute I entered the huge room. It was cold and laced with anger. I shivered; Sakon was my boss.
"Uchiha-sama, I-I'm s-so sorry." the partying jerk began.
"Well, saying sorry completed all the work." the cold voice spoke again. I couldn't see anyone clearly from behind the tall stack of folders and besides, I needed to hide my face.
"It's just that..." he looked around as the redhead in front of me hit him on the shoulder and walked further down the long table. "My dumb assistant-"
"You," the girl I was helping interrupted him. "hand out those files to everyone."
"Hai!" I replied softly, still hiding my face. I didn't want to see Sakon; nor have him see me; nor face the owner of the deep voice, which was actually very sexy.
On the way to the conference room, I'd found out that the girl - Karin, she was called - was very close to him, the Boss. In more ways than a PA, or so she said.
I quickly placed a folder in front of each chair and by the time I got to Sakon, I had just a handful left. Sneaking a hand around him, I tried to place the file without facing him but he was glad of an interruption and looked at me.
Looked. At. Me.
Recognition dawned on his face and he grabbed my shoulders and jerked me around to face the Big Boss. My glasses shook and I fixed them shakily.
"THIS is the idiot who didn't complete my paperwork!" Sakon yelled triumphantly. My face burned, tears prickled my eyelids. But I didn't cry. I don't cry.
"Sakon-san..." I began hesitantly.
"Shut up!" he yelled. "No excuses, you knew I had to give it in today! UGH! Do you even have a brain behind that HUGE FOREHEAD?"
"Um..." I was at a loss for words. I did have a rather large forehead, after all.
" was your work. She didn't have to do it." the brunette at the head of the table interrupted.
"Uchiha-sama, she's my assistant and-"
"And the work was classified information for senior and junior managers only. You had no right to make her do it. It's your fault."
I couldn't believe it. The BIg Boss was standing up for me. Uchiha Sasuke was defending me. Okay, not defending ME, but still! I didn't look up though, didn't want to jinx anything!
"The meeting is postponed till after lunch." the shadowed figure announced to the room. "Sakon, his assistant, Karin - stay. We need to talk."
As the people left the room, gossiping about the the three of us, Uchiha got up and walked over to us. My head shot up and I faced him for the first time. I wish I hadn't, but still I was glad I had. The man in front of me was...unbelievably handsome.
Okay, I know. It sucks, right? It moved too fast and...I dunno. I've written too much of this story to give up now! So please leave me a review and tell me you'll still read the story?
EDIT: Wow, some of the stuff I wrote was LAME and unneccessary! So it's been edited. I really hope that some people reading this are older reviewers! :) | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5199722/1/A-Loser-s-Love-Life-Sakura-s-Story | dclm-gs1-204850000 |
0.03447 | <urn:uuid:c29c4eb4-ea7d-4c97-a337-04cce94f455d> | en | 0.991129 | Gongaga was a little southern village right in the middle of nowhere. It was perfect. My mother and father raised me pretty well, and I was always a wild child. I always wanted to be something more than anyone else, not out of greed, but more out of curiosity and for the sake of broadening my horizons. I dreamed of going places and doing things no man had done before.
I wanted to be a hero.
Everyone knows about General Sephiroth. Even when I was very small, he was a General in Shinra, and in my teenage years, that had not changed. I wondered what it must be like to be in his shoes, to have all those wannabe cadets practically worshipping you, to have the world praise you and admire you for your grace and profficiency on the field. I wanted that too, but not for the power or the fame. I wanted the strength. Strength to break free from this cage, go see the world, be a man.
I guess I got my wish.
When I was fourteen, I joined Shinra. In the recent years before that, I had already been training, from pretend sword fights with my friends in our backyards to target practice. I was always horrible at target practice; a blind man would have better aim with any sort of projectile.
Reguardless, my swordsmanship was top-notch. Even Sephiroth was impressed. At sixteen, I was already a 2nd Class SOLDIER, zipping through every task and mission Shinra could throw at me. I was a little cocky, and sometimes had overconfidence in my abilities, but was nonetheless a pretty damn good fighter.
I shouldn't forget to mention my mentor, Angeal Hewley. He was a great man, who valued honor and pride above all. He advised me to grasp my dreams and work for them, always strive for them and protect my legacy with everything I have. Under his tutelage, I became a 1st Class SOLDIER.
At that time, though, Angeal had gone missing. Things were happening that I couldn't comprehend. Things like Genesis Rhapsodos, a once well-respected 1st Class, suddenly going rogue. I couldn't bear the thought of Angeal having something to do with it. For a while, I shut the world out. I waited for answers. They didn't come.
Meeting Aerith was an accident, really. I guess I have Angeal to thank for that.
I had mistaken her for an angel. She was perfect; so clean and bright and lovely. That day's theme seemed to be just that: angels, feathers, wings. Monsters. Dreams.
Angeal thought he had become a monster, and in turn, I'd met an angel.
She lived in a big old church full of really pretty flowers. We discussed mundane affairs, like normalcy and Heaven, and the sky. That's what normal people talk about, right?
We spent a long, glorious day together before departing with a promise of days to come.
It wasn't my fault the plane crashed, I swear! We were ambushed. Everyone always blames that incident on me, but in fact, I was trying to fight the monsters off. Sheesh. Always blame Zack.
Nonetheless, Modeoheim was still really cold, and the mountains were still really steep.
Maybe meeting Cloud was an accident, too. He's a country boy, like me. Plus, he seems like a good kid. He's trying hard. It was nice to see a cadet's face for a change; I wish they didn't have to wear those stupid helmets all the time. I hated wearing them. When I was a cadet, I used to just take that thing off and carry it around with me. I always got yelled at for it, too.
As it is, Cloud isn't very strong, but like I said, he tries. He tries so hard.
Watching my mentor and closest friend die, at my own hand, even if it's what he asked for, is by far the hardest thing I ever had to do. I don't cry much, but for quite a while after Angeal's passing, I cried all the time. Shinra was not sympathetic. In fact, I got twice the amount of missions since they were short one man.
Aerith helped me through that the most. I confided in her like no one else, and she listened. Sometimes I just loved talking to people, joking around like some bratty little kid, always having a story to tell. It felt so good. Aerith laughed at all of my jokes, with that pretty church-bell laugh of hers, and she held my hand when I talked about more serious matters, like Angeal. I talked about Cloud. I talked about my childhood, all my friends and enemies and hobbies, family, all those things. She really seemed fascinated with everything I had to say.
Those days changed me. I was no longer a cocky teenager, but a man. A man of dreams and honor; pride.
But I wasn't a hero yet.
Selling flowers with Aerith was the most fun I'd had in my life, and I had some fun times in my young days. They were all blown out of the water. Even though we had some trouble negotiating prices, I enjoyed myself, and I'm sure Aerith did, too.
Then a phone call had to go ruin it.
Something swelled in my gut and told me I'd never see her again. If only I'd listened.
Cloud's hometown is really cold. It's up in the northern mountains, a place called Nibelheim.
General Sephiroth was with us on this mission. We were only sent there to check the status of a haywire mako reactor. Cloud looked so small, so insecure beside the General. He was obviously very self-concious standing before him.
To the General, Cloud was a faliure. He'd flunked the SOLDIER exams twice. Getting the chance to go on such an important mission was probably a decision Sephiroth made when he was in a really good mood...Or when he realized Cloud grew up here.
The things I saw in that reactor were not natural beings. They were pureblood monsters.
And from there, the end began.
Sephiroth was aparently convinced that one of these monsters - or maybe it wasn't a monster at all - was his mother. He went absolutely berserk. He injured out guide, set Nibelheim on fire...Cloud...
Cloud had texted me about the fire. That's how I even knew anything about it at all...
Overwhelmed with adrendaline, with so many questions and no answers, I attacked. I was not successful. Angeal's - my - Buster Sword was left sticking out of the ground while I tumbled to the staircase behind me, bruised and defeated.
Then, Cloud came.
I had no doubt that seeing his home in shambles must've angered him more than Sephiroth's betrayal did me. Though Cloud was still just a cadet, not even a SOLDIER, he had enough heart to finish the bastard off.
He collapsed beside me, with a gaping hole in his abdomen where the Massamune must've struck him. I reached out for him, praised him, before my world went blank.
Needles. Chains. Cold hands, colder words, broken glass, a hurt friend. Nothing to do about any of it.
Mako didn't hurt me; I was a SOLDIER, and my body had grown accustomed to its effects. But Cloud...His poor body was far too weak to handle such strong doses. I was barely concious through it all myself, but I heard him scream. He always screamed, always squirmed when he had the energy, but lay pliant and helpless when he didn't.
I had to help him. Help us.
I had to haul Cloud around everywhere. He was an absolute vegetable; his body couldn't support all of the mako that had been ruthlessly pumped into his system. I still didn't know why that had even happened, nor did I know how much time had passed or why Nibelheim had been rebuilt...
Maybe we could go to Midgar, I think to myself. I needed to see Aerith. Maybe she'd like Cloud.
Though Cloud couldn't respond to me, I thought that maybe he could still comprehend my words. So, I talked to him, for that reason, and also so I didn't go crazy. SOLDIERs get lonely, too.
Our journey had been interupted by so many insignificant things. Shinra was after us; we were considered fugitives now. The Turks were tracking us down, and I had a couple of interesting exchanges with Genesis, but by far, the worst off all was finding Aerith's letter to me. Her eighty-ninth letter.
She was losing faith in me...
Midgar is in sight. My bones ache with accomplishment and excitement. I ask Cloud if he considers us friends.
I take my last stand for Cloud and for Aerith, in the name of the honor Angeal has passed on to me. In the name of the people I've lost, of the betrayal and hardship and places and people I will never see again.
I learn the hard way never to bring a sword to a gunfight.
My eyes snap up, and I smile. Cloud's awake! If I had resembled anything less than a well-used sniper target, I would've hugged him. My muscles ached with exhaustion, the chilling rain seeped into my wounds like salt, and the end was inevitable.
I entrust Cloud with all I have left - my honor and my dreams - and close my eyes. The arms of an old friend embrace me, and I become a hero. | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6868195/1/Like-Shackles-On-Your-Feet | dclm-gs1-204860000 |
0.07663 | <urn:uuid:0a04da7a-1a5c-43fc-b795-9c53fb0e8464> | en | 0.971287 | hide bio
Poll: What should my next controversial story be about? Vote Now!
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Joined 04-09-12, id: 3897854, Profile Updated: 07-18-12
Author has written 3 stories for Shugo Chara!.
Greetings and Salutations, annoyed reader. Or, that's what I'm assuming you are. I am ControversiaLucy, or Lucy Lynne. It is a pleasure to meet you. I write more controversial fan-fics, but I try to do them tastefully. So many people read lemons because, if done correctly, they appeal to something special (I'll call it) in a reader. I prefer to stay clear of such stories, but that doesn't mean I'm avoiding the controversial types. What, exactly, is a controversial story? Well, the Merriam/Webster Dictionary describes "controversy" as a discussion marked especially by the expression of opposing views.
So a controversial story could potentially be about such topics as abortion, religion, politics, etc. These are the types of stories I hope to do.
Now maybe you're thinking "Lucy... what is wrong with you? You'll get a bunch of people flaming your stories purely because they don't agree with your views!" Well that's wonderful for them. I can't say I have a problem with it because, in the same situation, I might react the same way as them. When you are passionate about abortion, whether for or against, you will stand up for your beliefs if they are challenged in a story. I accept this, I embrace it. They have every right to inform me of their opinion and to completely ignore my story. I formally invite them to message me and we'll have a quick discussion about it. You might be surprised what my views are ;)
Currently, I have three stories out. Two are chapters, the other a one-shot. I'm really quite pleased with the progress I am Strong is making and I hope people enjoy Devotion. The Unfortunate execution of Utau Hoshina is a little darker than I usually write, but I think people will enjoy it because it's so different. And, of course, it will have more plot-twists than I've ever included in a story before. If any of you have some tips for my writing, I'd be glad to hear them. I'm always eager to improve.
I haven't decided what my next story will be about. There's a poll (if you're interested) at the top of my profile that may help me decide.
Reviews mean a lot to people, which is why I strive to really review their stories. Sometimes they get upset with my honesty, other times they are grateful. But whenever I write a review for a particularly bad story, or just one that needs a lot of criticism, I include this:
How can we improve if we continue to make the same mistakes repeatedly? Those who point out errors should be rewarded, not ridiculed, as they only do it for our own personal gain.
Generally, people will read this at the bottom and realize that I'm not trying to be cruel, I'm genuinely just trying to help them.
While I'm talking about controversial topics, I feel I should say something about the petition going around the site. The quick way would be "stfu" but the right way would be "you guys are wrong."
I have seen countless petitions in stories, reviews, profiles, etc. Guys, this is THEIR website. They regulate what is acceptable and what is not. If you don't like their rules, then leave. It's not like they just instated this rule and you're all upset. This has been in place since 2002! And by the way, not EVERY story has the things that are being banned. It's ridiculous that I read someones review with the petition that said "so basically like every story on this site."
I'm really, really upset about this guys. You follow the rules or get off their website. If your story is going to be deleted, get rid of the parts that would get it deleted. Seriously.
On my Tadamu story "Devotion" I received two "flames." One delightful young lady by the annonymous name of Marie respectfully told me to die, probably because she doesn't like Tadamu. I don't really know because she didn't say anything else.
The second person... well, this "D" girl's stupidity is so laughable! She gave it two reviews. The first one was her saying "CENSORED Yeah!" because all she did was read the title/summary. Once she realized she had made a mistake she wrote another review which... I don't know... I just can't stop laughing at the foolishness! Tadase was "cute" and Ikuto was "hot"? Well, of course! Tadase hadn't hit puberty yet! She said some other foolish things and I'm so very amused.
"D", if you're reading this, that was not a very smart thing of you to do. Logically, your reasoning was errored. Not to mention you're just wrong. Sorry, hun. I hope you don't mind me singling you out.
I'm very tired of seeing these SC! Fanfictions in which Tadase is the cheating boyfriend, Amu is brokenhearted, and Ikuto is the one to make her happy again. Let's think about Tadase for a moment; does he seem like the cheating type? I know everyone just wants Amu to be down and Ikuto to be her savior and bring her back up but there are other ways to do that! For example, if you absolutely must use Tadase, he doesn't have to cheat on her. He can just say he wants to break up. There's your brokenhearted Amu and your IC Tadase. You're welcome.
I am so, so, so excited! For the past month I've been thinking, "Why do they show you the number of reviews? Reviews aren't very important. They should show who favorites and follows a story, that would really tell the tale of how good it is! Not to mention you can't anonymously favorite a story, so it works out well! Thank you, staff! I've been looking forward to this!
I'm always happy to receive messages. Usually they are in response to my reviews, but I'm not afraid to chat.
Façade by Goose-chan reviews
Everyone can see what happens on the surface. But who can see what happens underneath?
Shugo Chara! - Rated: T - English - Angst - Chapters: 1 - Words: 670 - Reviews: 6 - Favs: 2 - Published: 5/27/2012 - Amu H. - Complete
The Unfortunate Execution of Utau Hoshina reviews
"Utau Tsukiyomi Hoshina, you are sentenced to be taken hence to the prison in which you were last confined and from there to a place of execution where you will be hanged by the neck until dead, and thereafter your body buried within the precincts of the prison. May the Lord have mercy upon your soul."
Shugo Chara! - Rated: T - English - Tragedy/Romance - Chapters: 4 - Words: 8,065 - Reviews: 18 - Favs: 6 - Follows: 11 - Updated: 7/28/2012 - Published: 6/22/2012 - Utau H.
I Am Strong reviews
After Amu's parents died, she was adopted by a lesbian couple. For her whole life she has been bullied because of this and now she's offered a way to start anew. Will she be strong and choose her family, or is the idea of a normal life too good to refuse?
Shugo Chara! - Rated: T - English - Romance/Family - Chapters: 8 - Words: 16,266 - Reviews: 61 - Favs: 23 - Follows: 21 - Updated: 7/17/2012 - Published: 4/20/2012 - Amu H., Ikuto T.
Devotion reviews
For all Shugo Chara! readers who can't stand Tadase and wish he would disappear from the fandom.
Shugo Chara! - Rated: K - English - Romance/Friendship - Chapters: 1 - Words: 699 - Reviews: 26 - Favs: 17 - Follows: 2 - Published: 6/4/2012 - Tadase H., Amu H. - Complete | https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3897854/ControversiaLucy | dclm-gs1-204880000 |
0.252185 | <urn:uuid:5f40c612-3505-4f25-9a62-d5148cdc3e3c> | en | 0.896702 |
Quote of Note | Dennis Freedman
breck and isla.jpg
“These are [women's magazine] covers that look like Breck ads. But my question is, did they intend for them to look like Breck ads? Is there irony? Is there subversion? Because there is no question they are retouched beyond any possible reflection of what’s actually in front of the camera.”
-Dennis Freedman, creative director of W, in today’s New York Times
Mediabistro Course
| https://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/quote-of-note-dennis-freedman_b6860 | dclm-gs1-204890000 |
0.038458 | <urn:uuid:b2c1eb5a-e9d6-46cc-81cd-48355c9c4e89> | en | 0.94386 | Looking for someone who can DRAW and WRITE in Camtasia
Job Description
Seeking someone with EXCELLENT Handwriting that does Presentations on Wacom Tablets.
I am looking for someone who has excellent handwriting that can do presentations for me. I am looking for someone who has a Wacom Tablet that can highlight bullet points.
I'm going to be doing a video and the voice over and need someone to do the presentation for me.
Here is an example: http://goo.gl/2rN2UW
Other open jobs by this client | https://www.odesk.com/o/jobs/job/_~012c61b4e6dd1d1c08/ | dclm-gs1-204900000 |
0.027706 | <urn:uuid:298324b9-a26d-4c58-b91e-f3dfc6465d08> | en | 0.946372 | Streaming radio iOS App needed
Job Description
Hello! We look forward to hearing form someone.
We are a small online radio broadcasting company. We would like a native iOS app for listening to our radio stations.
We would like three views in this iteration.
The first view is for searching, browsing and filtering a list of radio stations. Choosing a radio station will take the user to a station show view. The app can access radio station data though a REST API
The station show displays the radio station. Here a user can perform actions like pause, stop, play and add to favorites.
The third view is for showing a list of favorite radio stations and managing them. A user can re-order the list, remove favorites or touch a favorite which will take them to the station show view.
We would like the app to be ad supported as well. We're still evaluating an ad provider.
It is acceptable to use the following libraries to expedite development:
Skills: broadcasting | https://www.odesk.com/o/jobs/job/_~014ad21b870879a015/ | dclm-gs1-204920000 |
0.021074 | <urn:uuid:d05657f3-b49a-444b-b526-395d241610a2> | en | 0.948259 | Media Contact
Viveca Novak
(202) 354-0111
OpenSecrets Blog
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Solicits Cash for New Democratic Super PAC
Become our fan on Facebook | More | Print
"There can be no greater priority than protecting the Democratic majority in the Senate," Reid wrote in a fund-raising email (see below) sent to his supporters Tuesday. "I'm writing to introduce you to a group solely devoted to leveling the playing field and protecting the Democratic majority in the Senate: Majority PAC."
"In 2010, the GOP's big money advantage helped them take the House -- and nearly cost us the Senate, as well." Reid continued, before encouraging his supporters to donate to Majority PAC. "We can't let that happen again this time."
Reid Majority PAC Solicitation
Majority PAC is a so-called super PAC, which is legally allowed to raise unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations and unions thanks to legal decisions last year including the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals' v. Federal Election Commission case.
Money spent by super PACs such as Majority PAC cannot be donated to candidates' own campaign coffers. Instead, the cash they raise is typically used to produce political advertisements that expressly advocate for or against politicians. And as a super PAC, the group is not allowed to coordinate with candidates' campaigns when making these expenditures.
For instance, Majority PAC's leadership includes Rebecca Lambe, a longtime strategist for Reid. Reid's former chief of staff, Susan McCue, is also involved.
Earlier this year, Republican super lawyer and campaign finance reform foe Jim Bopp formed a super PAC -- called Republican Super PAC -- with the hopes of having federal politicians solicit donations for the group, as OpenSecrets Blog previously reported.
Majority PAC and its allied organization, House Majority PAC, followed suit by asking the FEC for permission for candidates to solicit donations for super PACs. It's a request that the FEC has not yet either granted or denied.
In the wake of Bopp's move, the two groups sent a letter to all members of Congress admonishing them, because in their view "any federal officeholder or candidate who solicits unlimited contributions for an independent-spending super PAC is violating the federal law that prohibits federal officeholders and candidates from soliciting unlimited contributions in connection with a federal election."
They also sent official comments to the FEC urging the commission to "make clear" that officials -- including candidates, members of Congress and national political party leaders -- may not solicit unlimited individual contributions, nor any corporate and union contributions.
While the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, also known as McCain-Feingold after its chief sponsors in the Senate, prohibits members of Congress and federal candidates from soliciting unlimited "soft money" donations, they are not prohibited from soliciting limited "hard money" contributions.
In other words, members of Congress, in these groups' view, cannot solicit unlimited contributions for super PACs. But members of Congress may be allowed to solicit limited contributions for super PACs.
MajorityPACLogo.pngIndeed, Reid's fund-raising email on behalf of Majority PAC includes a caveat at the bottom of the message. It states that Reid is "only asking for a donation of up to $5,000 from individuals and federal PACs. He is not asking for funds from corporations, labor unions or other federally prohibited sources."
"Solicitation restrictions prohibit federal officeholders/candidates from soliciting unlimited money or corporate or union funds," Tara Malloy, an attorney at the Campaign Legal Center told OpenSecrets Blog.
"Reid here is clearly asking only for contributions from individuals within the federal contribution limits," Malloy continued. "Barring sudden action from the FEC, it seems likely that other officeholders will follow suit -- at least insofar as they are only raising 'hard money' for super PACs -- if they haven't already begun such solicitations."
For his part, Bopp has maintained that his new group isn't violating campaign finance law and that getting the FEC's prior approval is an unnecessary step.
The Democratic groups, Bopp told OpenSecrets Blog, are "asking for permission to have party officials raise money for super PACs."
"They just want the FEC to say it's okay," he continued. "I can read the Federal Elections Campaign Act, and it clearly allows that."
Liberal groups -- particularly EMILY's List and Commonsense Ten -- pioneered super PACs during the 2010 election cycle. But conservative operatives more fully embraced the new political committees.
Overall, for every dollar spent by liberal super PACs, conservative super PACs spent about $1.26, according to the Center's research. During the 2010 midterm elections, liberal groups made $28.4 million worth of independent expenditures and conservative super PACs made $35.4 million worth.
During the progressive Netroots Nation conference in Minneapolis last weekend, Feingold told a crowd that Democrats who endorse these new efforts are "dancing with the devil."
"We can raise that money with people power," he said. "[We can] raise it without selling our soul."
But at the same conference, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz argued that Democrats needn't shy away from the new groups.
"Progressives shouldn't be unilaterally disarming," she told Talking Points Memo.
For his part, Reid attempted to shepherd new disclosure rules for political ads through the Senate last year, but he couldn't overcome Republican opposition. Twice, the DISCLOSE Act garnered a majority of votes on the Senate floor, but not the 60 votes needed to defeat the Republican-led filibuster it faced.
The legislation would have mandated new transparency measures, including a requirement for nonprofit groups that spend money on political ads to show the names of the top donors in their advertisements. It would have also instituted a rule requiring the leader of an organization, or a group's largest contributor, to "stand by the ad" and give the familiar disclaimer that candidates must include in their advertisements: "My name is so-and-so, and I approve this message."
Comments (Comment Guidelines) | https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/06/senate-majority-leader-harry-reid-solicits.html | dclm-gs1-204930000 |
0.046157 | <urn:uuid:efe7155a-162e-4195-8806-ba8510cf2b39> | en | 0.97907 | Shutdown should be a lesson to everyone without an emergency fund
Posted: October 18, 2013
FURLOUGHED FEDERAL workers have been promised that they will be paid for time lost during the government shutdown.
Yes, you've heard this before. Yet here we are again, and workers across the country, including nonfederal employees and government contractors whose incomes were also affected by the shutdown, are feeling the financial pain after missing one paycheck or getting just a partial paycheck.
The Washington Post asked people to participate in an online survey about how the shutdown had impacted them. Almost two-thirds said it had affected them daily or threatened their livelihood. Here's what some workers wrote:
* California: "Check to Check, like most folks these days. Furlough put me back even deeper."
* Colorado: "Just worked out our budgets though Nov. 15 - half a paycheck this pay period and at this point no paycheck by Nov. 1 - currently over $300 in the hole and seeking delays to monthly payment for car, insurance, credit, student loans, mortgage."
I say this because often in financial workshops I have conducted, some participants, government workers in particular, would argue that they didn't really need to worry about having several months of expenses saved up. They felt secure in their jobs. Or I would get push back from people who believed they couldn't lose their jobs and therefore didn't need to put away three to six months of living expenses.
By the way, don't fret about having to dip into your savings. That's what an emergency fund is for - to address a financial shutdown in your life.
In many parts of the country, including the Washington metropolitan area, you have to contend with the high costs of housing, food, gas and transportation. If you have children, it's the high cost of day care or private school tuition or the seemingly endless fees for the kids to participate in sports or other extracurricular activities. I'm a parent. I get that.
| http://articles.philly.com/2013-10-18/news/43148393_1_government-shutdown-furloughed-federal-workers-student-loans | dclm-gs1-205010000 |
0.182501 | <urn:uuid:9f6904f9-5ac2-43e0-8135-ec170227ff7a> | en | 0.889131 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a weather indicator?
Before I updated to 12.04, right next to the clock it used to display my current local outdoor temp. Is there a way to get that back? I found it to be very useful. Thank you.
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marked as duplicate by Anwar Shah, January, Minato Namikaze, Mitch, Tom Brossman Sep 19 '12 at 21:43
1 Answer
Yes, from the terminal:
sudo apt-get install indicator-weather
Or available through the Ubuntu Software Center:
indicator-weather Install indicator-weather
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| http://askubuntu.com/questions/190540/how-do-i-display-the-current-local-temp | dclm-gs1-205030000 |
0.763669 | <urn:uuid:f758d725-0003-4a6c-8d9b-d3e66ab32375> | en | 0.894794 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I transfered some mp3 songs onto my 8gb Creative Zen from Ubuntu and when I opened the music folder using the Creative Zen, it played the songs fine, but when I stopped the playback and asked my Zen itself to search for the songs, these files didn't even show up. Is there any specific reason it can be like that? Is there anything I can do to fix it?
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likely to be due to the ID tag - see this question and answer (askubuntu.com/questions/57082/…) please add into your question what you have tried. – fossfreedom Nov 9 '11 at 9:26
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1 Answer
up vote 1 down vote accepted
try this:
"I have a 16 GB Creative Zen and it works great with Rhythmbox. Open Rhythmbox, plug in your Zen. You'll see it open on the left hand side of the Rhythmbox window. Then you just drag & drop the albums/songs you want from the playlist and onto the Zen icon. Done."
source: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1647971#post10252697
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Your Answer
| http://askubuntu.com/questions/77376/why-arent-my-songs-showing-up-on-my-creative-zen-when-i-put-an-mp3-file-on-it-u | dclm-gs1-205070000 |
0.756754 | <urn:uuid:2b73b751-0d88-4f44-9c4f-558cac41049e> | en | 0.898042 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
How does AlwaysOn tie into DPM for SQL Server 2012? Can we use one or the other for High Availability ? Can they work together or must they be used separately. Thanks
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migrated from stackoverflow.com Apr 23 '13 at 20:11
This question came from our site for professional and enthusiast programmers.
Your Answer
| http://dba.stackexchange.com/questions/40733/dpm-and-alwayson-can-they-work | dclm-gs1-205270000 |
0.037561 | <urn:uuid:b793fef6-841a-4092-a8b0-5ffcfeb2539c> | en | 0.974169 |
People will forget actors like me: Ajay Devgn
Actor Ajay Devgn, whose 'Son Of Sardaar' has hit the screens, feels actors have a short shelf life.
People will forget actors like me: Ajay Devgn (© Varinder Chawla)
Mumbai: Ajay Devgn believes that 30-40 years from now people will forget stars like him because in the film industry what is out of sight goes out of mind.
"We are currently here and we are in front of the media and people, but I don't think 30-40 years from today people would remember stars like us. There have been instances, there have been stars in the past, who the current generation does not remember and have forgotten (them)," the 43-year-old told reporters on the occasion of being inducted into UTV Stars' Walk of the Stars.
"They have been much bigger stars than what we are and if you can have all of them there (Walk of the Stars) so that their memory remains. I think they should live on, so it's a fabulous thing to do," added Ajay referring to the Walk of the Stars.
Sonakshi Sinha, Ajay's co-star in 'Son Of Sardaar', has also become a part of the prestigious group and is elated.
"I am over the moon because my hand print gets to be with some of the biggest stars in our country today. I feel really honoured and privileged that I got the opportunity so early in my career. So, I just like to thank UTV Stars Walk of the Stars," Sonakshi said.
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0.026461 | <urn:uuid:69bec0e2-5d1b-4f96-a47d-1d4323639a94> | en | 0.962218 | Mon, Mar 17, 2014, 6:05 AM EDT - U.S. Markets open in 3 hrs 25 mins
BlackBerry Limited Message Board
• beavertailcanada beavertailcanada Nov 15, 2012 3:20 PM Flag
US market will go higher
It is the same political trick like in Canada. They scare you with tax increase. Now, CNBC is talking about dividend tax might go from 15% to 45% or will it?
Some small guys got scare and sell their portfolio. In the mean time moneyed funds are buying.
Then the tax increase comes out at 20% (say) and everyone think it is GREAT (because they were conditioned to think 45%). Market jumps subsequently.
In the end, tax will go up but you will be (very) happy that it goes up less than you
If I were RIM, I would encourage manufacturers to start to look into making phones and tablets in Canada with robots. Apparently, robot costs about $20K each. Get this, robots can work in the dark and around the clock, How green is that.
SortNewest | Oldest | Most Replied Expand all replies | http://finance.yahoo.com/mbview/threadview/?bn=412aaa3b-b658-3dae-a5d5-d60f6e0d6a41&tid=1353010808916-d04313f1-060d-47ad-bf08-9030ea90f819&mid= | dclm-gs1-205460000 |
0.034293 | <urn:uuid:f1110eff-c5cc-453b-b2d2-8591b20c3e9e> | en | 0.76477 | View Full Version : Final Exams Rematches
06-28-2011, 10:41 AM
Naruto vs Neji = ?
Shikamaru vs Temari = ?
Gaara vs Sasuke = ?
Kankuro vs Shino = ?
Would the outcomes be different? Who do you think would win each?
Shikamaru Nara
06-28-2011, 10:46 AM
not really.
Naruto no question beats Neji via 9 tails.
Shika might lose. Summoning, etc.
Sasuke stomps Gaara. I debated like 1000 posts in that thread. I wish to see no more of that fight. xD
Kankuro still wins via poison.
Sakumo Hatake
07-01-2011, 11:07 AM
Naruto wins
Shikamaru wins
Gaara wins
Kankuro vs Shino - draw | http://forum.naruto.viz.com/archive/index.php/t-100655.html | dclm-gs1-205480000 |
0.049925 | <urn:uuid:03683eae-ead9-46be-8eef-8e2a8625ae50> | en | 0.955068 | AnimeSuki Forum (
- Fansub Groups (
- - Fansub Recruitment Database (
Starks 2006-09-16 20:37
Fansubbing needs a more universal Craigslist-stlye recruiting database... is clearly failing...
Medalist 2006-09-16 20:44
Meh true. I really donn't like how it's organized in a sense. Definitely the recruiting part. - That's all i have to say...or it could get worse.
bayoab 2006-09-16 21:40
I wasn't even aware that the site was officially open. Last time I looked, all the stuff was theory tests and out of date.
Starks 2006-09-24 00:54
Looks like I had an impact on one of the owners of
Ayanami9870 made this in response to my displeasure.
Ayanami9870 2006-09-24 05:08
That page no longer exists. The recruitment section has been blown apart and rebuilt using a new form module. I will run a poll on this sometime next week.
checkers 2006-09-24 05:30
I have to say a site dedicated to fansubbing resources would be a great idea - I see the classifieds here get one or two new ads every day, and generally they are never updated so it's hard to know what is filled or not.
Potential problems in getting a site like this off the ground:
o Popularity: if everyone continues to crosspost their ads in other places, such as the classifieds here and in other places, the worth of a dedicated site is diluted. There are plenty of benefits a site like this can bring, groups should make a concerted effort to begin promoting it as the location they promote jobs in the wanted ads they stick in their own forums.
In other words, promote as the primary and preferred (but not exclusive) choice for everything it offers.
o Relevance: The site will become poopular and well used mainly for the current user submitted content. I'm not saying it should be web2.0'ed up, just that as with many sich sites (doom9, the cccp site), the guides and wikis often lie stagnant while all the action happens in the forums. While obviously some attention should be given to whatever guides/links/info/etc that will eventually appear up there, easy user submission of content is a must.
A quick look around the site shows that people are already putting effort into the site and that it already has lists of shows being subbed, etc etc, which is great, and exactly what will keep the site alive and useful.
o cost / logistics: Maybe an issue, maybe not. The bandwidth and other bits and pieces that site like this requires will cost money. Monetary donations are frankly a crap way to keep a site running as they are uncertain and there's only so much money that will be donated into the anime scene to go around. A better solution is to get someone to host the site for free, or even a bunch of people. CCCP downloads from the official site total aorund 2200 - 2600gb a month, the only way to support that level of bandwidth is to have multiple people (11 for the CCCP) donating server bandwidth and some sort of random mirror system to spread the load (ie the cost) among a lot of people.
As I said above, maybe an issue, maybe not - but donations should be a last resort.
I hadn't heard about this site before, I think it looks great and could turn into something very useful if it becomes popular.
ich1ban 2006-09-28 16:17
I was thinking of doing a database style classfieds but the time i do not have >_<
I made a quick forum/classifieds webpage that gives a bit more headroom than what we currently have
check it out, let me know what you think
N-Bomb 2006-09-30 00:35
What a stupid thread... honestly. If you wanted to do something constructive, it would've been best to just contact them directly instead of trying to sling some mud.
Gotta agree with checkers that you want to concentrate the ads. It's one reason why ebay and auto trader are so popular - they're the biggest, arguably, of their kind, and they're a central place that people KNOW. They KNOW that there will be stuff there, and they KNOW that their stuff will have a greater chance of being seen there.
If you're not part of the solution...
GacekSSJ4 2007-06-24 16:07
Here is an alternative to
have fun!
False Dawn 2007-06-24 18:09
Okay, I don't know how workable this is, but perhaps a rethink is needed. This idea would only take off if a number of fansubbers took part in the creation of the site, and therefore it would make it pretty difficult to start up - yet, it could be a better method.
I propose, rather than making it solely a place where ads from groups are put up, make it something more personal, and let every potential fansubber who joins have a profile that would look something like this:
Name: FalseDawn
Position: Editor/Timer/QC
Current groups: Umai, Ureshii, Solar (etc.)
Then, we could have a status - such as "Looking for new project" - "Not looking but open to requests" - and "Do not bother this subber." And perhaps, a list of upcoming projects they are looking forward to potentially work on in the upcoming seasons. Mine would look like:
Projects I'd Like To Sub: Baccano! Clannad (Toei Movie), Nanatsuiro Drops (etc.)
You could also have group profiles, detailing projects groups would like to work on and what positions they're looking for (it would be up to the group to edit the page - possibly a passworded wiki).
However, I envisage downfalls in this idea. For example, unsolicited PMs becoming more rife (perhaps there could be some sort of customisable filter could handle this?) and the sheer number of groups/individuals you would need to join to make such an idea workable - especially the number of translators, as they will be (as they always are) the most sought after. To be honest, this is a pipe dream and I think you'd have to sacrifice a whole lot of time working on a site that could do all that.
And yet, I live in hope that something as awesome as that could be created. It'd certainly make the fansubbing world feel a lot more cosy :D
*sits back and waits to be flamed* ;)
Koroku 2007-06-24 22:31
That's actually a pretty cool idea...
Maybe I'll make that my summer project. xD Drag out the ole PHP/mySQL book and see what I could come up with...
It'd also be nice if somehow the fansub wiki over at andrewlb could be made a bit more... usable. And a bit more user friendly... god is that wiki formatting ugly.
*mouth gaps at the amount of bandwidth CCCP goes through*
GacekSSJ4 2007-06-25 04:35
Thanks False Down. As I posted on page im still developing it. I will try to work something out and make it more "personal". Let's hope my php/mySQL skills will allow me to do it :)
False Dawn 2007-06-25 13:06
It was a general suggestion, but I'll accept the thanks all the same :D
cyth 2007-06-27 09:06
Originally Posted by JKaizer (Post 1010121)
That wiki only needs a few spam filters and groups willing to share their plans. It's perfectly usable IMO. At this moment it's actually the better alternative (than making a new site and a whole new appeal to potential users from scratch).
[darkfire] 2007-06-27 12:37
Recruitment Site Manifestio
After reading this thread and looking at what was out there, I with agreement with starks over a need for a better system. For what we want no system exist that caters to everyone's needs.
I propose a set of ideas get laid out, and some people gather to work out the site layout and programming. I started working on my own implementation as well. Its written in ruby on rails, since that is what in know.
Here is my recommendations.
Now how the site will look needs a semi professional design team but the backend can be done by anyone with programming skills.
The Logon
Lets start with the logon. There are some users that have the same name. So I propose the use of the OpenID system. Then have a display name. More then one person can have the same display name but each OpenID is of course unique.
The Profile
When the user goes on they fill out their profile. This is where they list their skills and this is very important to the backend, the group they are in. Of course they can make things private if they don't want things to be shared.
The Database
Now each group needs to be registered like how anidb has it set up. The database could be set up like this.
Coded in rails migration style:
create_table "groups" do |t|
t.column :name, :string
t.column :irc_channel", :string
t.column :website_url, :string
t.column :description, :text
The Associations
of course there are other things like a group has_and_belongs_to_many :members and a member has_and_belongs_to_many :groups
When a ad is posted it belongs_to :group . Now something I was thinking should we allow for more than one position to be advertised in an ad or one position per ad. I suggest on position per ad.
Now for projects, if a group needs say a typesetter for 2 projects then that can be allowed in one ad, but the project should be tagged to the ad so one can search for jobs by project or by position. So in rails speak uh... yah now this is where it gets complicated at least for me. I don't want to make a database for every anime we got anidb for that. So we can just tag them like flickr has tagging for pictures. That should do.
Now we can have tags not just for the particular project but types of projects say manga, anime, moderator, channel moderator, web design, web managment, etc... that can be tagged to the ad as well.
Now having to come to the site all the time for the postings is tedious. Say a user wants to work on a show. They can set an a option to watch for position for that project. It can be emailed to them or they can get a custom xml/rss feed that could be use say in a desktop widget or in their rss reader so they can know when a job opening is available for that project they just have to be on.
Edit: The xml could be used for many things like dynamic banners that can be placed on sites that show job postings. And like a said before widgets. Or whatever you want.
Project Listing
Now for the what andrewlb does. A group has_many :projects. Then a page can list all the projects a group is doing and another can aggregate all the groups and list them.
The Comments
Now I never talked about user discussion. This is what can make this site fail. As if users are allowed to rate say a group we know what would happen. So comment discussion like how andrewlb has for the the projects can still happen. And of course a forum. I'm still thinking about how user discussion will work out but it is a must if the site is to last.
Well everyone please continue to discuss and tell me what you like or dislike so I can modify this manifesto.
checkers 2007-06-27 23:09
You could probably pretty easily do something like this with bugzilla or a million other programs. I can imagine how you could create a system with mediawiki. IMO, creating a custom backend would be a waste of effort and probably be the killing blow for such a small project too.
[darkfire] 2007-06-29 11:51
It could be but I had other Ideas about what I want and I have a lot of time.
xat 2007-07-03 14:48
How about a portfolio feature of sorts?
getfresh 2007-07-07 02:47
Why does everything have to turn into, some kind of contest in regards to fansubs... One guy makes a resource site, some ppl complain about whats bad instead of highlighting whats good. Next a bunch of other ppl go and make their own sites to compete with someone who was just trying to be helpful...
Instead of going and reinventing the wheel, why don't you all help improve the existing one. It's not like it is set in stone, I'm sure aya will listen to anyone who wishes to help in a positive way. In the end all this breeds is a waste of resources and a bunch of sites with one or two neat, well thought out functions, and the rest is poo...
Try to be fans for once, instead of attention seekers...
*** You may now flame away without worry of a war starting since theres a 99.9% chance that my next visit won't be for months or years...
GacekSSJ4 2007-07-07 17:15
I like your point of view getfresh. (I didn't know about be4 i wrote my page). If i knew I would probably write something different. Anyway, since i wrote it i think i will develop it for now. Hopefully with good results :).
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Mark Ingram? Is he No. 15 overall special?
Special running backs, of course, are different.
I didn't see that.
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I too share the same fears, even after watching Ingram run all over my beloved Gators. I liken the RB position to the C position in basketball. A great RB or C can be a huge boost to your team and is a fundamental building block that all teams could use. The rest of the crop is pretty replaceable...there's always someone you can snag via FA or the draft that will do just fine.
I will say this about Ingram, if any top-tier RB in the draft has all the makings of a star, it's him. I'd be happy with the pick, but knowing this brain trust we're definitely trading down.
If you need an eye exam, the folks at the Center for Excellence in Eye Care at Baptist Medical Arts Building in Miami will fix you up right as rain.
You're on a roll, Salguero
If Long keeps putting up Pro Bowl seasons, by the time he retires he's going to be in Canton. Dunno how you can say that isn't special. No offense, Mando, but you have a typical fans' fixation on action and not the proper fixation on strategy.
Tricky, no disrespect but that trade scenario is ludicrous. You're suggesting another team would offer Miami a higher first-round pick AND a second-rounder in exchange for Miami's lower first-rounder, their third, and "maybe" a 7th rounder?? Ar you kidding?
hy on Earth would any team do that unless a) their entire front office wanted to be fired or b) they were secretly working for the Dolphins?
Please, a little more reality here. Miami has virtually zero realistic options of moving up. A trade-down is FAR more likely if there's a willing partner.
For the 1st. time since I started posting on Armando`s blogg I agree with him 100% it`s nothing new to those of us that have been arguing this very point for about a month now, it`s that nobody has put it quite so perfectly, kudos Mando. That is without a doubt the finest piece of writing anybody has done regarding Ingram and the Dolphins 15th pick.
Even those that have been beating the Ingram drum would have to agree with the assesment of weighing the over all true value of the player selected at that pick to the team moving foward over the next 4 to 5 plus seasons. I would love to see truely special talents like AJ Green or Julio Jones there for the picking but it`s not very realistic. Even though I`ve been thinking OL, I would have to agree we need a real difference maker regardless of position or side of the ball he plays on, for example let`s say for arguments sake someone like Robert Quinn falls to that spot, do we pass, can we afford to ?
Sounds like Curtis Martin. Guy never looked impressive on any single run, but over the course of the game, he'd steadily get his yards.
we all are stupider ( if there is such a word )
for having read your post.
what are you , four years old?
not sure how Ricky wasnt a diff maker after his super strong finish in 09, his phenominal yard per carry average in 08, or his pre retirement league leading rushing yds. But i guess anyone could've done that.
Ingram is a physical specimen. I watched him intently in the combine. Firm, tight buttocks, rippled abs, beautifully defined biceps, and gorgeous doe eyes that seem to stare into infinity.
Stupid Lockout! trading the 15th pick for Kevin Kolb seems like a much better plan than letting Ireland whiff on more draft picks.
In any other year where we had the possibility of drafting someone like ingram in the first round and then the possibility of getting another key skill position player in the 2nd round because of the depth at those positions it would be an awesome first two rounds for us. However, we don't have a 2nd round pick and drafting Ingram at #15 leaves us dead in the water until the 3rd round waiting to see who is going to draft who and who is going to be left for us to take. that's a lot of talent taken off the board before we have a chance to pick again and it would be a suicidal move for Ireland. No way we stay at #15.
Congrats Armando. You're the last one on the reality bandwagon but you got there in the end.
Values for RB's are dropping. Lots of good ones around in the mid to late rounds and even UFA's.
If Odrick comes back and is effective (yes, I know those are big "ifs") then Miami will have what amounts to two high picks anyway. Plus, I do NOT think they overpaid for Marshall in the slightest. He was not the issue with the offensive struggles at all, and getting that type of wideout was necessary to build an offense that (hopefully) will grow more effective.
You gotta pay for the goods sometimes. If they can parlay this year's first into a trade-down that nets two starters, they will have done fine. We'll see.
Take Ingram, we will be set a RB for years to come.
Not a bad rebuttal article against taking Ingram. Two things that don't jive with me though, his comment about Ricky I'd say is way off, and as well, he and others that rave about these late round RB's, well lets please judge them after 5 years and not one season. The Jet's jettisoned Thomas Jones (ahem first round 7th overall pick) after Shonne Green's (3rd rounder) rookie season, yet Green's second season was nothing spectacular and aging LT (ahem, first round pick, 5th overall) looked way better still.
Taking the top rated RB in the draft at 15 is by no means not getting value, its fair, and consider only one Heismann Trophy winning RB was taken later than pick 14.
With all that being said, yeah man, I want the MOST value for all my picks. If AJ Green or Julio Jones or one of the other dynamic players falls to 15, I'm all for taking one of them. But what if they don't? Then what do you do? What is a bigger reach, taking an olineman projected as a late first rounder or the top rated most versatile RB in the draft who the experts say is indeed fair value at 15?
If indeed we do have to pick at 15, lets see who is available at that time before deciding what pick makes most sense. Let's not forget, the Miami Dolphins do not currently have a starting RB on the roster.(hint - RB is a position of need)
Yeah, you need an eye exam.
Seems we have this debate every other day only to end up agreeing that a playmaker any playmaker that can fill a void while playing at a high level for 4 to 5 plus seasons is what we need and want. By the way since 07 LT has been a broken down player by mid Nov., he posted 84 yds. rudshing in the playoffs against a very suspect Colts run D, wow !!, lets throw him a parade. Thomas Jones put up his usual good # but his avg. was a very middle of the pack 3.4 per.
The point isn`t and never will be if Ingram can play or not, he`s a baller and he will make noise at the next level but he`s not such a diff. making talent that we can`t get equal value in the draft and FA whenever that happens. I was so caught up in someone other than Rob finally agreeing on the whole Ingram thing that I lost sight of Mando`s R.Williams comments and he`s wrong there cause Ricky was without a doubt a special talent anybody who saw him at Tex. new that prior to the 99 draft and by the way Shone Green hit the same rookie wall alot of guys hit in year 2 it`s called complaicency.
Sure, it's easy to say they should've taken Matt Ryan now, after he's had a few years to prove himself in the league. But as many have written, including you, picking a QB so high in the draft can be a very high-risk venture, so there was no way to say at the time that Matt Ryan would've been some no-brainer as a higher-value pick. Maybe Ryan would've floundered facing the same challenges that Henne has faced the past two years.
Trade down, pick up a 2nd, draft the best OL on the board, and draft Kendall Hunter RB OSU in the 2nd rd.
I will not tolerate SLOTH and AVARICE.
Yeah fin4, we are playing a mean game of badminton on this topic, and one of us will have a fine 'I told you so' a year from now.
We aren't really as far off as our debates indicate. Where you say:
Well the question will be whether or not we can say the same thing about whoever else is left at 15. In the case of Ingram, I will say this, I do not believe there is as versatile a RB in this years draft. The others are speedsters that can't block and not likely to make it on an Ireland/Sparano team. Maybe it was you that sighted the other day that one knock on Ingram is that he is not a great blocker, but its also generally agreed he has the tools and physique to learn that well enough while those other flyweight backs don't. No way to compare Ingrams blocking potential with that of a Taiwan Jones or CJ. One late round back I do like is Hunter..he is a charged up, not real big but more of a fast, quick darting bowling ball build as opposed to these others that have toothpick legs.
Anyway, in the end, we'll see who is there at 15 and what happens. If we didn't have all these debates, it wouldn't be half as interesting!
How long was this team looking for a franchise LT before Long was drafted?? Richmond Webb?? None of the NUMEROUS QB's that suited up between 2000-2008 ever had time to throw. Yes drafting Ryan would have given Miami a better QB but he would not have been nearly as good in Miami. Not without Long blocking.
Mark Ingram is not special when free agency comes after the draft , and RB is one of the most available positions available.
Check this great list of rb's not drafted in First rd
chris johnson
micheal turner
maurice jones drew
arian foster
fred jackson
ray rice
peyton hillis
jamal charles
micheal bush
ahmad bradshaw
brandon jacobs
marion barber
frank gore
deangelo wiliams...........etc etc
Anybody who thinks we should draft Mark Ingram with all the needs we have is plain wrong.
This team needs a QB , more speed at WR , and another greta OLineman to compliment Jake Long.
I say trade down if possible
1.Gabe Carimi
2.Christian Ponder
3.Noel Devine
sign Sidney Rice and re sign Ronnie Brown.
Dont like Ronnie , fine sign one of these guys that will be available
Deangelo Williams
Ahmad Bradshaw
Perre Thomas
Brandon Jacobs
Jerious nOrwood , etc etc there is a plethora of rb's avaialble both in free agency and Draft !
One thing about this endless Matt Ryan debate. At the time, NONE of the pundits were sold that he was 1st round overall material. And taking a QB 1st overall demands a really huge salary. In fact, their second choice wasn't even Ryan, it was Chris Long. They made the right pick. Taking over a broken down demoralized 1-15 team, they got first rate LT for a decade, no way to knock that pick, they could not have afforded risking a bust player there.
You gonna play the "hindsight" game and dis my boy Jake?
What's wrong with you?
I'll bet you Brady would be just fine playing behind Berger, Proctor, McQuistan, Garner and Carey.
I know this wasn't the gist of your blog, BUT, C'mon MAN!!!!
digg - all this talk about Ingram is assuming we have to pick at 15. Trading down is not automatic, in fact may not be possible. Its no secret Ireland wants to trade down. The question isn't what late round backs have had success, the question is what do you do at 15 if you have to pick there? Take a player with 15 value or take a player projected as a late rounder thereby getting even less value for the pick? Nobody is saying Ingram is the next LT or Eric Dickerson, just maybe a solid player that does fill a major need.
If were talking diff. makers regardless of position what do you do if say Prince Amakamura or Robert Quinn are there along with Ingram, would you go need instead of having a shot at a legit shutdown corner or bookending Wake with a monster like quinn. How about Costanzo dropping there and bookending him with Long for the next 5 plus. It stands to reason you could take K.Hunter in rd.3 and E.Gates in the 4th. addressing 3 positions requiring there range of specific talents, while not leaving yourself dead in the water to reach on the OL you need as well by the way, later were the chances at someone dominant deminish.
It`s proven we can get a R.B. later who can plug away and be what we would want Ingram to be anyway. I feel that Costanzo, Carimi and Pouncy could be diff. makers on the Line, Jones and Green at W.R. Those are the moves I`m looking to make before Ingram and so there is no doubt if a real diff. maker on the Def. side of the ball fell into my lap I would take the entire 15 min. to weigh it.
Long is not a difference maker??? I'm going to go ahead and respectfully disagree.
Kendall Hunter is the RB the Phins should be looking at! They need to find a way to trade down, hopefully draft Carimi in the 1st, Hunter in the 2nd, and Stanzi (maybe) in the 3rd.
0x80 did you get a chance to read the article I put up for you on just how misinformed some of the player rep`s are regarding the labor dispute moving foward.
I also gotta tell you I know Ingram will have 1,000 yard seasons as a Pro no doubt. I just feel we can get one to do it for us as well without having to invest that ever so precious 15th selection. Your right by the way it makes for watching there careers moving foward alot more interesting.
Dang, Armando, there you go again. There is no logical way to say that Matt Ryan would have been as effective in Miami as he has been in Atlanta. In fact, Henning would have DESTROYED him, just as he has most every QB who's played under his system, even Chad Pennington (check out the tape of the 2008 playoff game against the Ravens, and you'll see the Henning effect in full bloom.)
Everybody is focusing on the offense and with good reason.
Still, I'd take a shutdown corner over Ingram at 15 in a heatbeat.
Also I'd try to land a Linebacker like Sturdivant-N. Car., Greg Jones-MSU, or Kelvin Sheppard-LSU, in a later round.
Hopeful Phins Fan
Long is a Difference maker at his position, every position has them not just Q.B. if you don`t believe me let`s bench him and put last years 3rd rd pick Jerry out there, hey he played Tackle in College. I guarantee you our sacks double and that`s being conservative, if that isn`t making a diff. then you tell me what is !!
I don't see Carmimi or Pouncy being a better pick at 15 than Ingram, Costanzo much closer in value, but not enough for me to bite. The others you mentioned for sure I'd be all for it, but its a prayer any of them would drop that far. Yes, its possible, every draft players drop further than imagined. It's not even a lock Ingram will be there at 15.
Let's keep in mind, just because we have a 3rd round pick doesn't mean we will be able to get Hunter. That is no given, there are 31 other teams out there that see the very same thing we do. I'm not convinced any of these late round backs can be an every down back in the NFL anyway, but of all of them I do like Hunter the most.
Yes I did read that article, was worth putting up. Too many cooks in the kitchen and nobody knows whats in the soup.
odin, hows it go bro !!!
everyone needs to go watch highlights of this kid cus he can run hes run away from corners saftys backers, he plays faster than his 40 time. look at emmit smith leading rusher of the nfl had a terrible 40 nd he ran away from ppl too. i kno ireland and tony are smart guys and i bet they will take Mr.Ingram at that 15th slot
It`s just a hypothetical I threw your way to see if we could at least agree on that, I can`t honestly make an argument about the value of those OL at 15, you got me there, Quinn could fall though and it would be interesting also if Prince A. gets past Dallas cause they go OL given the needs of the teams hat follow anything is possible, still remember Sapp falling to 12 and R.Lewis to 26 ! dare to dream !!!
If unable to trade out of the #15 position, the problem is there arent any huge difference maker type players available period. If unable to trade back Ingram does make the most sense.
Even if we are able to trade back it's highly doubtful it would be for no more than an extra 3rd rd pick. Because there are no "difference maker" types available worthy of another team giving up thier 2nd rd pick to get.
Trade back scenario(extra 3rd rd'er) gives us a choice of 2 rb's(LeShoure/Ryan Williams), wr(Torrey Smith, fast but hasnt proven to be huge difference maker in college). Then there's Mike Pouncey or Aldon Smith.
Those are the 1st rd scenarios trading back. We could also take Notre Dame TE Kyle Rudolph 1st rd, but he's not projected a huge difference maker either. Ingram's the official no-brainer if stuck at picking #15. He's the top rated rb in the 2011 draft.
I bet a lot of you guys are pretty tubby. Anyone here morbidly obese with b.o. to match?
Colorado's Jimmy Smith is the 3rd best corner of this draft. He ran a 4.38 40yd dash to boot. He's a problem child though. He tested positive for drugs and has been arrested twice during his career at Colorado.
If not for his problem child ways he would be a definite 2011 1st rd selection. Selecting him 1st rd now takes huge bongo balls. After him there's no other corner worthy of 1st rd status. Peterson and Akumaru will be long gone.
I think you misunderstood hopeful.
He was diagreeing with Armando, saying Long IS a difference maker.
Armando often "stretches" things (to be polite)to beter make his point.
The trade down and pick up a 2nd rd'er posts are funny. No one's giving up a 2nd rd'er for the #15 position unless "a difference maker" falls from the top 10.
If this happens we need to strongly consider using the #15 ourselves instead of trading out. LOL...................
Plus Ricky had two super years in 2002 and 2003. The 2002 season was at the time the 8th highest total in NFL history. That is making a difference?
Last year we traded down from the #13 position because the Chargers badly wanted Ryan whatver. If anything, the team sitting in 2011's #13 position has a much better chance of grabbing a 2nd rd'er for trading back than we do.
Im sure many here haven considered possibility teams several places ahead of us might be looking to trade back and spring an extra 2nd too.
Even if we pick at 15, and Ingram is there, I would still be surprised if Ireland picked him. He seems to be bent on doing the unpredictable. For better or worse, he needs to feel like he outsmarted everyone, at the risk of outsmarting himself.
Thax Laddy aye, a fine single malt she was, a wee bit tinggy though, shaemus brewed itimself ehhh!
DB, that was a #12 we traded out of last year. Last year's 12 was far more valuable than this years 15. Throw in the cba mess and a trade down option is just not as automatic as some seem to think.
I agree. I was just responding to someone mentioning the Prince falling.
I don't think CB is a real big NEED for us, but having two good ones sure didn't hurt the wets.
I would jump all over Peterson or Prince at 15 as would probably most.
Smith? I got some cuhona's, but they ain't THAT big-LOL.
Ingram Shinngram...RB's are a dime a dozen in the NFL...we need a Franchise QB..period!
We need to USE the darn number 15 pick for once...forget all that trade your pick stuff. Let's see those noots Ireland
I actually wouldnt be upset if we traded back and gained an extra rd'er.
Then used the late 1st rd pick to get Mike Pouncey. Then used our two 3rd rd picks to get 2 of these 3 players: Titus Young/Jernel Jernigan and Kendall Hunter.
Like the scenario DB 6:32
Because of the cocky attitude and positvive drug test concerns. Some have Ryan Mallett falling as far as 3rd rd. If we traded back into the mid 20's or further, he could be an intriguing possibility in rd 1 if Ireland has the kahunas! LOL.................
Sorry to say, if we use the #15 pick we're looking at Ingram again unless a "difference maker" falls from the top 10.
As you probably already know, I'm in love with Hunter. I didn't really look at him that close until I heard you start mentioning him awhile back.
Now Jernigan too. I got a feeling about these two.
The feeling is they'll both be just out of our reach. In which case of course Ireland will outsmart everyone by taking another couple of Jerry's and Amaya's.
I really shouldn't say that because I actually have a lot of confidence in those two.........just not Ireland!
I've heard a lot of people knocking Pouncey.
I don't really know what the deal is or why he's getting knocked so much.
What's your take?
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0.134118 | <urn:uuid:c45bc2e7-c0b2-4bbe-96b9-0b971645a56f> | en | 0.893382 | Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology
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83 terms · Chapter 2 Basic Chemistry and Chapter 3 Cells and Tissues
magnifier of the image of small objects
property of microscope which allows objectives to be changed without having to refocus
Total Magnification
eypiece lens magnification x objective lens magnification
light passes through one or more lenses to produce an enlarged image of a specimen
focuses light through specimen
Diaphragm (iris)
The part of a microscope that allows the user to cange the amoutn fo light being shone into the specimen, the user would want to change the amount of light (by turning the diap according to the transparency of thier slide
Coarse adjustment Knob
moves the stage up and down to allow for focusing
Fine Adjustment Knob
moves the stage very slightly to bring the image into sharper focus
Arm (Microscope)
Supports the body and stage and is attached to the base.
Ocular Lens
Magnifies the object, usually by 10X. Also known as the eyepiece, this is the part you look through to view the object
Objective Lens
the part of a compound light microscope that is located directly above the specimen and that magnifies the image of the specimen
The basic unit of all living things
Plasma Membrane
a jellylike fluid inside the cell in which the organelles are suspended
a part of the cell containing DNA and RNA and responsible for growth and reproduction, a part of the cell containing DNA and RNA and responsible for growth and reproduction
small structures in the cytoplasm that do special jobs
Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
Manufactures membrane lipids- pancreatic cells= has ribosomes attached
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
An endomembrane system where lipids are synthesized, calcium levels are regulated, and toxic substances are broken down.
an organelle in the cytoplasm of a living cell
Golgi Apparatus
Structure: A small, membrane bound organelle filled with digestive enzymes.
Function: Digestion of proteins, old organelles, food, dead cells, and other materials.
One of two tiny structures located in the cytoplasm of animal cells near the nuclear envelope; play a role in cell division.
Cell Division (Mitosis)
indirect cell division involving complex changes in the nucleus (there are 5 phases)
groups of similar cells that perform a specific function in an organism
Epithelial Tissue
Simple Squamous Epithelium
Simple Cuboidal Epithelium
Simple Columnar Epithelium
A single layer of tall, thin cells. These large cells contain organelles that enable them to perform complex functions. In the intestines, it produces and secretes mucus and digestive enzymes. These often have cilia and microvilli on the surface.
Pseudostratified Columnar Epithelium
Epithelial tissue that only appears to be stratified. There is only one layer of cells, but there often appears to be two or more layers. This is because some of the cells are tall and reach the free surface, while others are short and do not reach the surface. These cells line certain glands and ducts, auditory tubes, the nasal cavity, and trachea. There is cilia located on the free surface of these cells.
Stratified Squamous Epithelium
Transitional Epithelium
Description: resembles both stratified squamous and stratified cuboidal; basal cells cuboidal or columner; surface cells dome shaped or squamous like, depending on degree of organ stretch
Function: stretches readily and permits distension of urinary organ by contained urine
Location: lines the ureters, urinary bladder, and part of the urethra
Connective Tissue
Connective Tissue Cells
Large extracellular( Matrix) material. connecting, anchoring and supporting body structures. Secrete protein fibers (elastin) into the ground substance.Blood and lymph also "connect" various parts of the body ( most diverse tissue cells)
connective tissue cells that produce fibrous components of extracellular matrix like collagen and elastin
fat cells
the body substance in which tissue cells are embedded
small spaces between the lamellae which contain osteocytes
Ground Substance
Connective Tissue Fibers
collagen, elastic, reticular
Collagen Fibers
one of the 3 components of the connective tissue matrix. these are strong and ropelike and can withstand pulling bc of their great tensile strength
Elastic Fibers
Long threads made of the protein elastin. provide a rubbery quality to the extracellular matrix that complements the nonelastic strength of collagenous fibers.
Reticular Fibers
fine, collagenous fibers whose networks surround and support the soft tissue of organs, and stabilize the positions of functional cells
Types of Connective Tissue
Connective Tissue Proper
Fluid Connective Tissue
Supporting Connective Tissue
Loose Connective Tissue
Areolar Connective Tissue
Most plentiful connective tissue in body, supports and binds other tissues, holds body fluids, defends body against infection, stores nutrients as fat, Contains collagen, reticular and elastic fibers, ground substance holds fluid, defense cells fight infection as areolar tissue contains Macrophages(big eaters), Plasma cells(secrete antibodies), Mast cells (inflammatory process), and Neutrophils, Lymphocytes, and eosinophils. A minor function is that it's fat cells store nutrients.
Adipose Tissue
Reticular Tissue
Dense Connective Tissue
a connective tissue that is more flexible than bone and that protects the ends of bones and keeps them from rubbing together
cartilage cells that divide in order to cause bone growth, mature cartilage cells; produce collagen matrix
small spaces between the lamellae which contain osteocytes
Hyaline Cartlage
has a matrix containing strong collagen fibers. found in structures that withstand tension and pressure, such as the pads between the vertebrae in the backbone and the wedges in the knee joint.
rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
Muscle Tissue
Nervous Tissue
Integumentary System
90% of epidermis cells, migrates from lower levels, make keratin, Keratin helps protect skin, cells are sloughed off
the protective skin pigment responsible for the tan, brown, or black color of human skin; produced in abundance upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation
second layer of skin, holding blood vessels, nerve endings, sweat glands, and hair follicles
It is the lowermost layer of the integumentary system in vertebrates. Types of cells that are found in the hypodermis are Fibroblasts, Adipose Cells, and Macrophages
Accessory Organs
organs that food does not pass through and produce enzymes for digestion
Hair Follicle
a small tubular cavity containing the root of a hair
Arrector Pili
muscle that surrounds each hair follicle; contraction may cause goose bumps
Sebaceous Gland
Sweat Glands
help regulate body temperature and water content by secreting sweat
Apocrine Sweat Glands
Eccrine Sweat Glands
most numerous, important, and wide spread of the sweat glands, mostly on forehead, upper lip, palms and soles, not hair follicles, regulate temperature,
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Create Set | http://quizlet.com/12898729/essentials-of-human-anatomy-and-physiology-flash-cards/ | dclm-gs1-205910000 |
0.613778 | <urn:uuid:58fcc3be-59fe-409b-a8d6-c65fa59554ed> | en | 0.931624 | How you feel how you feel how you feel?
So: How do you feel?
Using a common greeting/pick-up line he might use in a club, Drake is asking you the listener, after all his bragging and boasting of what’s up in his life, how you stand. (Do you feel jealous, happy for him, etc.)
Part of the lead-in to the Mac Dre reference:
| http://rapgenius.com/425977/Drake-the-motto/How-you-feel-how-you-feel-how-you-feel | dclm-gs1-205920000 |
0.06128 | <urn:uuid:2cfa9a6d-4e24-4598-943b-09e7b117d49b> | en | 0.968919 | where the writers are
America, Times Two
Obama won off of his socialistic, liberal principles and America’s ever-changing national demographics. He pandered to the minority vote, the poor, the unemployed, the unions, the non-believers, the naïve, the uneducated, the single women, the youth movement, and the elderly and disabled scared to death of loosing their cherished checks in the mail. He did his best to paint Romney as an elitist, a rich guy who cared nothing about the common man, a candidate who would take things away from those who feel entitled. Well, it worked, but America is about to learn some valuable, and painful lessons while realizing the mistakes it’s made.
Those who voted for Obama:
Most are good individually but they have it in their minds that Government is the caretaker of the people. Its role is to write out a check every time someone gets hurt, looses their job, has a child out of wedlock, needs medical care, food, wants an abortion, or a place to live, etc. They feel entitled to their, “Stuff” because being a U.S. Citizen (or someone who wants to be) gives them this right. Most of them feel we should all be equal financially, yet many aren’t charitable. They believe that bigger government holds the key to their security and happiness. They care nothing about the national debt (currently 16 trillion and climbing) because that’s just an imaginary number, a facade, something which isn’t really real, and is someone else’s problem to be kicked down the road. They don’t believe in military action against other countries no matter what, even when our buildings are being blown apart like on 9/11, wanting diplomacy instead. They love the idea of things like marijuana usage and gay marriage becoming legal everywhere. The environment and global warming trumps all, even if it costs millions of lost jobs. A great number have little to do with religious beliefs, and support anti-God legislation in our schools and court systems. They fully believe in Obama Care no matter the costs, because, once again, the Government owes it to them. And if the Government can’t afford it, take it from the rich, because the rich have too much anyway. Many work for the Government, or want to, because it’s much easier to live off the taxpayer’s dime than to go out and create jobs of their own. A great number don’t have a clue what being an entrepreneur really means, or how to become one, because the Government isn’t involved. And lastly, the typical Obama supporter is one who’s forgotten, or is too young to remember what founding principles made this country great, opting instead to believe in one’s which do nothing but make the rich poorer, but the poor poorer as well. These people, in my opinion, will soon be learning a very difficult lesson as our nation’s wealth, it’s citizens complete dependency on government increases, and standing in the world falls apart. And for those don’t believe me, take a look at the riots in the streets of those countries that have run toward bigger government, and failed. Remember, America is not too big to fail. And for those who voted for Obama, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
Those who voted for Romney:
The overwhelming majority believe in small government and the free enterprise system. They are the entrepreneurs, the risk takers, the job creators, and the fiscally responsible. They’re highly concerned about the national debt and want it brought back to a balanced budget. They want a strong military, and believe in the policy of “Peace through Strength,” making our enemies hesitate before ever attacking our shores. Romney voters believe in paying their own way through life, and don’t want Government imposing stifling rules and unwanted regulations taking away their freedom, and ability to create. Becoming rich and successful is very important to them and many look for ways of helping and employing others by using their wealth. The vast majority believes in God, or a Supreme Being and are usually the ones filling church pews on Sunday mornings. Socially, many are conservative, and don’t believe in gay marriage, drug legalization, or other forms of ultra-liberal ways-of-life. Veterans, and active military made up a large percentage of Romney supporters and mostly believe in patriotism and freedom. A Romney supporter doesn’t believe the Government owes them anything, except what was paid for by them, such as social security, Medicare, and veterans benefits. Overwhelmingly, if you become rich, it’s your money, and no one has the right to take it from you. Therefore, the mere thought of redistributing wealth (forcibly taking from the rich and giving to the poor) is morally corrupt. Low taxation, and a smaller government is the way to prosperity rather than the opposite. Capitalism, not Socialism, is what a Romney voter believes is the answer to America’s financial problems.
Our nation’s youth and middle class is where the return to basic American foundations must begin. But, I’m worried. It seems as though our children’s interests lie more within their cell phone and reality TV obsessions rather than school, church, and political awareness. Obama fed off our youth and it’s served him well. But, like all Presidents before him, and those coming after, his days are numbered.
The voters made their choice and must live with the consequences of their actions. Obama’s policies have begun destroying our cherished principles and apparently four years wasn’t enough to convince his supporters otherwise. But, the next four years will be a wake up call. I only hope it’s not too late and the damage can be reversed.
Our nation is more divided than ever before. It needs to find its way back together and re-learn what makes us Americans to begin with. Anger and frustration over political indifference only serves those who wish to destroy instead of create and grow, and my prayer is for the healing to begin.
Obama won the popular vote by the slimmest of margins, literally a 50/50 split making him one of the most unpopular, if not the most unpopular President in history, and I’ll admit, my faith in the American people has been shaken.
America can be saved, because it’s worth saving. The next few years will tell the tale.
Thanks for listening…
This article is meant to be a general discussion and not intended to single out any particular person.
Read an excerpt of his military romance novel, SONS IN THE CLOUDS on Amazon! | http://redroom.com/member/randy-mitchell/blog/america-times-two | dclm-gs1-205930000 |
0.994732 | <urn:uuid:d5dc8280-3dc8-4de8-9f1a-39dfdc72a47b> | en | 0.681261 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
Can someone explain what each line means?
Options +FollowSymLinks +ExecCGI
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
# uncomment the following line, if you are having trouble
# getting no_script_name to work
#RewriteBase /
# we skip all files with .something
#RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} \..+$
#RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !\.html$
#RewriteRule .* - [L]
RewriteRule ^$ index.html [QSA]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
# no, so we redirect to our front web controller
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The enlightenment you seek is available in the Apache manual: http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/
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| http://serverfault.com/questions/107460/need-help-understanding-htaccess | dclm-gs1-205980000 |
0.340864 | <urn:uuid:f1b1a04d-4612-4b65-9979-d41f663d30ec> | en | 0.851188 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
The objective is to create a custom route so that /undead will go to the undead action on the ZombiesController.
My code:
TwitterForZombies::Application.routes.draw do
resources :zombies
match 'show_zombie' => "undead#show"
And the error..."Did not add the correct route, could not get to ZombiesController#undead."
I'm not sure where i went wrong....
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4 Answers
up vote 8 down vote accepted
Your route notation should look like this:
match 'path' => 'controller#action'
So, the path is undead, the controller is zombies, and the action is undead:
match 'undead' => 'zombies#undead'
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in the video the match example is match 'new_tweet' => "Tweets#new" My question is why 'zombies#undead' instead of 'Zombies#undead' thank you in advance – juanitofatas Apr 9 '12 at 15:05
According to the Rails Guides, the convention is to express the controller in lowercase. – Ryan Atallah Aug 27 '12 at 5:19
Thank you for your answer – juanitofatas Oct 11 '12 at 1:12
they should really fix this, following their example this was really unclear... – andrhamm Jul 19 '13 at 13:33
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/undead goes to undead action
match 'undead' => 'zombies#undead'
You could replace match by one of get, post, put, or delete.
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I think the question is changed now, solution is :
RailsForZombies::Application.routes.draw do
match 'undead' => 'Zombies#undead'
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Read the objetive again :)
You want to get to ZombiesController#undead but you set it to go to ZombiesController#show
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6273616/rails-for-zombie-level-5-challenge-2-custom-routes/11093590 | dclm-gs1-206190000 |
0.513177 | <urn:uuid:1a1e44e4-0d44-4c35-b872-13726b49cf40> | en | 0.930128 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have a database with a series of entries (no more than say 10s of thousands) where one of the fields is zip code.
I am looking to create a script that when given a zip code and a mile radius (like 50 miles, 100 miles), I can find all the entries that are within that range.
I have seen many articles and scripts on the web that allow one to do this, but they often do this by including a somewhat hefty database of their own.
Is there a way to this using simple calculations where no database is needed?
NOTE: accuracy is not a big deal. If it works for 60 miles when 50 miles is entered, that is perfectly fine.
I am noticing a lot of answers that involve getting the lat/lon of the zip code, however, the database only has zip codes stored, so can I assume this includes retroactively getting/storing the lat/lon of each entry into the database as well?
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probably code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/geocoding can help you – Mian Khurram Ijaz Jun 8 '11 at 12:18
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6 Answers
up vote 1 down vote accepted
No. ZIP codes do follow certain logic at a high level, but there is no algorithmic mapping between ZIP code and location (i.e., zip codes are assigned to a location, not computed for a location - this process is overseen by the postal authority (USPS in the USA), but it will always take non-geographical factors into account, e.g. population density; hence the impossibility of computing ZIP code from a location or vice versa).
So, you will need that "hefty database" to tell you which ZIP code belongs to what location; once you have the location, you can compute which entries are within the radius, as usual.
(You could query a webservice, but that just hides the database in the cloud - at some point, someone has to check where 90210 lies physically.)
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The certain high level logic is actually what I was hoping to take advantage of. Again, accuracy is not a really big deal, so long as it is reasonable. – steveo225 Jun 8 '11 at 12:35
@steveo225: See the map at that Wikipedia link, then. I don't think you can get a significantly more accurate result from this than "this ZIP code is somewhere in California", though. – Piskvor Jun 8 '11 at 13:05
I saw that, I was hoping there was some logic related to North, East, South, West, but it doesn't appear so. Thanks USPS – steveo225 Jun 8 '11 at 13:15
@steveo225: Well, that's what we get for people refusing to settle the land uniformly, clustering close to resources instead and making those pesky cities ;) – Piskvor Jun 8 '11 at 13:19
I think using state approach will actually work well. 90% of the time, all the zip codes are within 200 miles of each other. So, perhaps a lat/lon database just over that area coupled with the data in the map on wikipedia. If it isn't in the hot zone, then we can group by state. – steveo225 Jun 8 '11 at 13:30
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If accuracy is not an issue, you can plot the longitude and latitude of the center of the zip code, or a rough estimate of the center. Then, you can have a script calculate the distance between each of the centers, using the formulas listed here . There is NO need for the use of the haversine formula as illustrated here, that is for extreme accuracy, which you do not need. The trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions drain much computational resources, and is a waste. Querying the distance every time and making MySQL run through such a complex formula for every zip code is just a waste of resources.
If you must do this many times every day, it might be faster (space vs speed tradeoff here) to just store the distance between every zip code. The total number of entries in such a storage table is the square of the number of zip codes you have. Running through tens of thousands of zip codes each time to calculate that consumes vast amounts of computational power, not to mention be slower for the end user.
Also, a similar question has been asked on here before, please look at the accepted answer on this question, it applies to your situation: Calculate distance between Zip Codes... AND users.
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+1 for "just calculate it once". Also, Haversine would be required for large distances; but for 100-mile radius, the difference between a curved and flat surface would be indeed insignificant. – Piskvor Jun 8 '11 at 13:08
+1 I agree. Precalculating as much as possible will definitely help performance. I think I am going to use a hybrid approach based on the data provided by Piskvor, but this will speed up the hot zone calculations. Thanks – steveo225 Jun 8 '11 at 13:32
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Another option that may or may not be suitable in this situation is to use counties when looking for a radius. For most of the projects I have worked on, the user is aware of their county and is familiar with it. You can buy a county to zip database (and city/state/etc) for $20-$40. It is something that can be reused over and over again in many different projects. It doesn't necessarily give you the exact ability to do a 10/25/50/100 mile radius, but may allow you to perform an in my region style of radius lookup based upon the requested zipcode.
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The main thing you need is to translate those zip codes into geocoordinates (i.e. latitude and longitude couples). Once you have that, you can look at this presentation which explains in detail how to search by distance given coordinates.
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You could use google maps to get latitude & longitude for this zip codes, query maybe like this "zip, "
And that you could read this http://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong.html to see how to calculate distance between to points
Here is how to do this using SQL http://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong-db.html, first it calculate range, and that search by this range (it will work faster)
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One option would be to use Google maps api to find the lat and long of your location. You would then have to have a lat and long in your database for each of your zip codes and you write a script to calculate from there.
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6278507/zip-codes-within-a-certain-range/6278913 | dclm-gs1-206200000 |
0.386423 | <urn:uuid:a6d86963-b8e1-4c70-8a38-73e0a2bea3e8> | en | 0.863099 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I am executing this query in FQL [@"SELECT likes,message,actor_id FROM stream WHERE source_id = %lld limit 50", _session.uid]. It is giving result well but I want to fetch my friends name also. I don't want to execute query within loop to fetch friends name from their profile. If it is possible in multiquery then which type of query I will have to write?
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up vote 0 down vote accepted
I use this code:
NSString* fql = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"SELECT uid,name FROM user WHERE uid IN (SELECT uid2 FROM friend WHERE uid1 = %lld)", session.uid];
Hope it can give you a hint.
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Is it give friends name related with post or message from stream table. I am fetching message from stream table and I want to fetch name of friend. will it work ? – Ajay_Kumar Jul 8 '11 at 9:32
I used it only for get the list of my friends after I logined.Maybe you can have a try. – Bonny Jul 8 '11 at 9:36
@Bonny.. Yes it is working. Thanks. – Ajay_Kumar Jul 8 '11 at 15:03
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6622336/how-to-get-friends-name-in-fql/6622405 | dclm-gs1-206220000 |
0.025976 | <urn:uuid:6abc18fe-16b5-48dc-9977-d488599b797a> | en | 0.91245 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have an HTML and JavaScript file set up to retreive data from a JSONP enabled web service. My problem is that when I deploy the html and .js file to the directory where the service is running it will execute fine, but if I try to run the html and .js file from another host, the request doesn't make it to the web service and the java script gives me a server 500 error.
I'm using Chrome's developer tools to see the xmlhttprequest call which is the only reason I know I'm getting the 500 error.
I've already done quite a bit of research and found that I need to have the script method tag set with the response type set to json and the usehttpget set to true, and I've done these two things as well as tried setting up a clientaccesspolicy.xml in the project as was mentioned by another post. All to no avail.
I'm sure this is a configuration issue on the web service or IIS side as when I put the html and javascript files in the directory of my code and run the web service through the IDE, I can use that instance of the html to call the web service and I get my response fine. But if the html and javascript isn't in the working directory of the code being ran, I get a server error 500.
How can this be solved?
EDIT I also found a post saying that the 500 error was based on the request size so I added < jsonSerialization maxJsonLength="5000000" / > to my web.config to no help.
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1 Answer
I don't know much about IIS configuration, but if you are trying to use JSONP to get around a cross-domain issue, then you should not see an XMLHttpRequest. The way JSONP works is that you inject a script tag with the url you are trying to call:
var tag = document.createElement("script")
tag.src = "http://someurl.example.com?args=42&callback=wrapperFunction"
The server then uses the callback querystring argument to wrap it's response in a functioncall, like this:
wrapperFunction({some: 'response', arg: 42});
The reason this works is that script-tags doesn't have to follow cross-domain policies, so if you aren't doing it this way, then you are not using JSONP and you have to obey the cross-domain rules.
I apologize if this really is a problem with the IIS configuration, I just saw XMLHttpRequest mentioned together with JSONP, and tought "hey that's wrong!". I hope it's helpful, else just disregard it :-)
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the xmlhttprequest was just the portion of the Chrome Java Script debugger that allowed me to see the JSON formatted response. I actually now have it working by implementing a version of a class that I initially found on the internet and later found that the group that coded the java script appears to also have used. The code I'm using is based on the JsonHttpModule class found about half way down this article From CodeProject I did have to convert it to VB... but my problem now is that I'm getting multiple JQUERY tags back. – jnusz Aug 2 '11 at 15:44
Ran out of space... here's a sample of my response: jQuery1620976034790975973_1312299185126(jQuery1620976034790975973_1312299185126();jQuery1620976034790975973_1312299185126({"d":{"__type":"OrionNetWebServices.CIPadResponse+CValidateTDACResponse","Success":false,"CenterName":"","FirstName":"","LastName":"","ErrorMessage":"Unable to validate Temporary Device Activation. An unkown error has been encountered. Please contact OrionNet Systems for further assistance.","ErrorAction":"none"}});jQuery1620976034790975973_1312299185126();); Any help on why i'm getting the extra would be appreciated. – jnusz Aug 2 '11 at 15:48
OK, I feel like an idiot for my last 2 posts. I found the problem and it was that I had tried to implement the response filter one way and then another. The problem was that I didn't take out my web.config references for the first way from my web.config in the root of my iis. @AHM, thanks for the attempt at helping. – jnusz Aug 2 '11 at 18:29
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| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6904656/iis-configuration-to-allow-cross-domain-jsonp-requests-from-a-javascript-file/6905392 | dclm-gs1-206230000 |
0.027725 | <urn:uuid:dd8883b0-18c6-4a4c-b053-cf8c43fe0008> | en | 0.868491 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
Instead of drawing a dashed line as follows:
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See also tex.stackexchange.com/questions/27258/… – gavenkoa Nov 7 '11 at 22:08
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up vote 18 down vote accepted
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What I haven't been able to find in the documentation is how to set the space between the dots or how to set the size of the dots for a dotted line. Do you know where I can find this information? – A.Ellett Sep 26 '13 at 0:16
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| http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/25642/how-to-draw-a-line-of-dots-in-tikz | dclm-gs1-206310000 |
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2nd Test: Brendon McCullum puts New Zealand in command against India TOI
Brendon McCullum and James Neesham took New Zealand second innings lead to 325 runs at stumps on the fourth day of the second Test match against India.
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"There were 236 passengers on the flight (almost a full load as AI Dreamliners have a seating capacity of 256). The aircraft had to be grounded due to spoiler snag. The passengers have been sent to hotels and will be flown to Delhi at the earliest," said an AI official.
Air India's flight AI 142, to be operted on Dreamliner (VT-AND), had to be grounded just when it was to take off from Paris CDG Airport on Saturday night as the aircraft's spoilers -- speed retardation devices on the wings that move up and down -- became unservicable and the aircraft had to be grounded.
Male fashion buzzwords you ought to know TOI
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0.018327 | <urn:uuid:ca8077d8-87e8-47c3-aaf8-c44aab30c9e6> | en | 0.966449 | Tag Info
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Just to add some extra info; there's also a town in The Netherlands where the border between The Netherlands and Germany runs through the length of a street with houses on both sides. The odd numbered houses are Dutch and the even ones are German (or the other way around, I forgot).
Top 50 recent answers are included | http://travel.stackexchange.com/tags/netherlands/new | dclm-gs1-206370000 |
0.024102 | <urn:uuid:8d7e7064-6b96-47dc-8167-834ed640a1f6> | en | 0.908114 | How to Use a Double Bridle?
To use a double bridle, evaluate your riding level. Evaluate your horse to ensure that you are able to bend and flex her easily in all directions. Then fit the bridle to your horse ensuring you hang the curb chain carefully. Hold the reins using your fists between the index finger and thumb with the snaffle reins on top.
1 Additional Answer Answer for: how to use a double bridle
How to Use a Double Bridle
A double bridle is used by advanced riders and horses in a variety of English disciplines, including saddle seat, hunters, jumpers and dressage. Most commonly used in the higher levels of dressage, the double bridle is a wonderful way to lighten and... More »
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Q&A Related to "How to Use a Double Bridle"
1. Evaluate your riding level. Riders using the double bridle are advanced enough to know how to keep their hands still. In other words, they do not use their hands as the primary
A double bridle, also called a full bridle or Weymouth bridle, is a bridle that has two bits
A double bridle has two bits - a bradoon, or snaffle - and a curb bit. The curb is usually used to help create the horse's frame, and the snaffle is used more to give the horse cues
A double bridle is used to provide both a snaffle (called the bradoon) and a curb bit (called the bit) which can be used independently of each other. An extra strap (the bradoon hanger
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Bridoon refers to a type of snaffle bit, with small rings, usually used on a double bridle. It is normally used in conjunction with a curb bit. A snaffle is a ... | http://www.ask.com/question/how-to-use-a-double-bridle | dclm-gs1-206490000 |
0.150953 | <urn:uuid:90051092-7058-4b8e-b850-71e18dfc69a8> | en | 0.938003 | What Is R&B Music All about?
Rhythm and Blues music, or R&B music, was originally race music and included any form of music intended for black audiences which was a combination of jazz, gospel, and blues. Originally, the term R&B was coined in the United States in the late 1940’s as a less offensive marketing term. Originally it focused on boogie rhythms but today it has a different sound that focuses on pop beats and culture rather than the blues, gospel and jazz sounds of previous generations.
1 Additional Answer
R n B evolved out of jump blues in the late '40s, it kept the tempo of jump blues, but its instrumentation was sparer with emphasis on the song. It was blues played with an insistent backbeat. R&B was dominated by vocalists like Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, the Drifters and the Coasters among others.
Q&A Related to "What Is R&B Music All about"
1. Buy a music software program that will help you manage your tracks. There are many on the market right now, starting at around $100. Some suggestions for software are Cakewalk
Rand B music is like rap with some hip hop in it. R stands for rythym and b for blues. from the Africans in Africa getting sent to America, their music was adopted and changed to
1 Research the history of Rhythm and Blues, create an understanding of where it originated from. Ad 2 Understand the importance it has had on society in the past and how it has evolved
Rhythm and blues (R & B) is a genre of popular African American music created in the 1940s to
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How ‘bout us is a song that was sung by the R & B music group called Champaign back in the year 1981. This group was made up of Pauli Carman, Rene Jones ...
Protest music is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of songs connected to current events. It may ...
Twenty Genres of Music: Country. Pop. Rock. Hip hop. Rap. Classical. Blues. Jazz. Heavy Metal. Soul. R&B. Folk. Reggae. Funk. Gothic. Disco. Freestyle. ... | http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-r-b-music-all-about | dclm-gs1-206500000 |
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AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › DIY Speakers and Subs › Looking for Amp/Wiring Advce for 4 x 18" SI Flat Pack Combos
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post #1 of 9
Thread Starter
I had started a newbie thread to get some guidance on how I could improve my 'HT woofage' and received tons of valuable feedback.
I have narrowed it down to building 4x subs with 18" SI woofers and Erich's 4 ft flat packs, probably 2 each co-located in the front and rear.
The DIY FAQ thread has great information for a newbie like me. Still in this thread, I am looking for more advice and recommendations for the amplification, as well as the wiring.
What amp should I be looking for?
Cooling fan noise of some of these amps seems to be a common concern. Are there any amps that are quiet or do they all require some sort of fan mod if you have to keep them in the listening area?
I already own a Behringer DCX2496. Can/should I use it or better go with another DSP? If so, one integrated in the amp(s) or as a standalone (miniDSP?)?
I hear that most of these amps do not offer a sleep/power safe mode and are always on. I do not like it and would like to use my AVR to trigger an on/off via 12V. Are there any amps that support this? If not, how do I best go about it? (I saw the threads for building or integrating relays.)
Do I need a separate circuit (or maybe 2) for the amp(s)? Would 25 Amp suffice?
On the drivers: do I need 2 or 4 ohm woofers and how do I best wire up them up (parallel, series)?
What size speaker wiring do I need? I heard 12 gauge throughout will be fine. Is this correct?
Any particular recommendations for binding posts? Anything special I should look for? What advantage to go with speakon connectors?
post #2 of 9
I'm a noob, but I'm researching my first DIY build which is similar to yours (2x SI 18's in flat packs) and I can help you with some info I've found.
First, I referenced this to figure out if I should get the dual 2 ohm or dual 4 ohm variant.
In your case you'd look down to four subwoofers, at the DVC options for whatever amp config you're using. Amp config in most cases would probably be mono (bridged), but it can vary, and so it's important to pick your amp first, I'd say.
For amp, the SI 18 is 600W RMS and apparently doesn't like to go over that according to data-bass.com, so your amp's gonna wanna do 600W * 4 = 2400W RMS. You'll probably want your amp to do somewhere more than that for headroom and the probability that the amp manufacturer overstated the RMS somewhat.
I read in your other thread that this is for a 7200 cu ft room? I'm not well versed on how that translates to output power at low frequencies, but if that means you can't reach below 10Hz due to the room size, then an iNuke6000 would serve you well. It's putting out approx 1800W per channel, so hook two subs to each channel. However, there's some peeps saying it rolls off after 10Hz, so if you do foresee yourself getting lower than 10Hz extension, the Inuke may not be optimal for you if what they're saying is true (not 100% sure on that).
If you get the iNuke, according to that crutchfield link you'll want to get dual 4 ohm so you can hook up two subs to each channel, and each channel sees a 4ohm load. However, if you get pretty much any other amp, with which you'll probably be mono bridging, you'll probably want a dual 2 ohm variant so the mono bridged amp sees a 4ohm load. You might wanna verify this though, I am a noob after all smile.gif
post #3 of 9
Thread Starter
Thanks Hygenist!
Why would I want to go with 4 ohm over 2 ohm on amp and driver, if I seemingly can get more output with a lower impendance level?
post #4 of 9
You can go with a 2 ohm load on the amp but make sure the amp can handle that load. Some amps are only rated down to 4 ohms
post #5 of 9
Yup, what he said. More output at 2ohm but a lot of amps don't like it (ie inuke 6000). Also, bridging an amp and giving it a 4ohm load generally but not always gives you the same output as both channels of a 2ohm stereo hookup. For example, iNuke3000 puts out 1000W RMS x 2 into 2ohms, and mono bridged will put out 2000W RMS into 4 ohms. So if you can mono bridge your amp 4ohms can be great.
Also, keep in mind that (I think) these are dual voice coils, so dual 4 ohm or dual 2 ohm.
post #6 of 9
Here is another link for wiring options. This will help you decide 2 ohm or 4 ohm, single or dual voice coils.
post #7 of 9
Cerwin Vega CV-5000. According to specs has HPF at 5Hz so should go deep enough although there have been no tests so far.
Get 4No. SI HT18 D4s and wire each sub in series and two subs on each channel in parallel. A D4 in series = 8ohms. Two 8ohm loads in parallel = 4 ohms per channel.
This would provide 1800w a channel or 900w per sub which would be about right for getting a decent amount of excursion for a sealed HT18 in a 4.5 to 5cuft enclosure.The 600w power handling is based on the mechanical limits of the driver and not what the voicecoil can take thermally so modelling is the only way to know if the power is really too much. This driver can take quite a bit more than 600w in a sealed enclosure. A side benefit is that the amp would not be stressed out trying to supply power at 2ohms.
I have a CV-5000 and two SI HT18 D2s which will also provide a 4 ohm load to the amp. This amount of power should be OK in a 4cuft box but I will have to be careful not to pound on them and melt the voicecoils. I just couldn't help buying more power when the CV-5000 was about the same price as an EP-4000 here in NZ.
My 2c
post #8 of 9
Thread Starter
Thanks Phil;
It always amazes me how pricing for the same products can vary so significantly by location. I did quick price search for a CV-5000 here in the US. It is about 2 twice as expensive as an EP-4000.
post #9 of 9
Thread Starter
Quick update: In the meantime, I found a good deal for a pair of JTR Cap S2s. I think they will fit my ‘woofage needs’ quite nicely. So I will put my DIY project on hold for the time being.
Again, thanks everybody for all your recommendations and insights. Much appreciated!
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Short story By: Munna
It's a confession of heart mired in love .The story also reveals falling standards of morality in our society .
Submitted:Oct 15, 2013 Reads: 702 Comments: 1 Likes: 1
Night was towards its nadir. Only Radha and I were there in the dingy room arguing over merits and demerits of certain aspect, staring into nothingness during moments of silence that too often interrupted our conversation. Of late, it has become extremely difficult for me to appease Radha. With her strange notions she always manages to put me on the knife-edge. Later, she repents over her harshness but by then damage has become irreparable. As a damage-control measure Radha, for few days, distances away from too much of twisting but as I am about to regain equanimity she is back to her usual business with a bang. These days intense debate is going on over the place of marriage in my life.
"So you have decided not to get married,"
"Will you please let the cat out of the bag?" She demanded with a stroke of sarcasm.
"I thought that by now you would have guessed about it. If you haven't let me tell you that in absence of right partner I have put this issue on the backburner", I replied in a cool and calm way.
"What a pity! Yaar can't you be little pragmatic. Why are you always hell-bent on emulating a self-destructive logic? You are now well past marriage age. Think about your anxious parents…" she said before being interrupted.
"Well, lend me your ears," I said, seeking her attention. After a momentary silence I said: ' Just like other obedient sons and daughters of present age! They pretend to be close to their parents but on their back care a damn about their reputation. They are always up to confrontation but for the world's sake they project a sober picture of their maddening lives, keep marrying in the name of providing relief to the parents but once this tamasha gets over they immediately abandon their parents. And for rest of their life parents live a lonely life; neither the society not their faithful children show up their faces. Only the other day I read about a lady who died after fighting a long battle with a dreaded disease. Do you know what their sons were doing when her heart must be burning with a desire to see them? They were relaxing in their apartments in Canada, came back after seven or eight months after so many reminders?
"No, I did not mean that, what I am trying to convey is that your parents be greatly relieved once you get married. After all, haven't they raised you up amid comforts? Aren't you ashamed over your callousness which has burdened their hearts with additional pain besides those emanating from worldly concerns", said Radha stubbornly.
"I understand it all! You are trying to make suspect myself. But remember, you could no longer fool me by spooky versions, "said Radha caught in whirlpool of contradictory emotions. I was smiling being aware of the fact that she was on the brink of losing ground.
"Radha at least you should not be mindless in criticizing my stand point. Parents, Chachas, Mamas, friends and other near and dear ones have put to sleep their analytical faculty, drugged their discrimination having given way to compromises. It doesn't hurt me at all as I know well that such relations are guided by second-rate convictions, frequently changing color to remain in sync with the duniya. Don't you think concerns like marriage, job and etc. must be perforce choice of an individual, more so if he or she has attained a level of maturity? The only factor that should be given utmost importance is that whether it leads to beneficial changers for people around or not. If it doesn't violate the above-mentioned condition, I don't feel anyone has the right to question about its worth."
"Now look at the fate," trembling with passion I was saying, "of married couples, those who in the eyes of world have been sincere in honoring the wishes of their parent. Be sure, I am not trying to pass a moral judgment on one of the most respectable institution established by our forefathers with great care. But one cannot ignore the degeneration that has wiped away its finer aspects. They quarrel over trivial issues, hurl choicest abuses at each other, emotionally and intellectually so wide apart yet living together for fulfillment of physical desires, meaningless union but could not separate owing to societal compulsions and much more but still in the eyes of the world they belong to honorable class of purples. Why? Just because they are the by-product of time-tested institution! In other cases husbands and wives are living shattered lives thanks to the ups and downs of the realistic life, existing merely as instruments with no time to exchange compliments. In some exaggerated examples both the partners are found trapped in immoral affairs. Reason-not satisfied with each other desperately needs a change coupled with experimentation. I wonder in age of so many revolutionary isms it would be highly unfair to treat immoral as immoral. Give it a respectable place or simply vanish."
I said all this with a provocative smile. Not willing to give her room to cast stones at me I went ahead with my views "What hurts me is elders stubborn refusal to learn lesson from their past mistakes. Having witnessed the consequence of pursuing faulty line of action they are ready with another set of perverse notions. The most shameful thing is that they don't regret at all. I am horrified over the dullness of these 'experienced' brains that are so cocksure about efficiency of their worn-out ways and means. It was indeed grave mistake that I came to assume that repentance would have shed some wisdom in their consciousness."
For some reason, this greatly moved her. Refusing the emotion let loose on her head she said: "Forgive me, I wasn't aware of the seriousness of the crises. Yes, you are right that one should not expect anything worthwhile from people with a very limited vision. But I am more concerned about you. In all this drama it's you who have suffered the most, being the victim of events, which were not entirely your own making. Let them resort to such desperate remedies, at this point of time, I would like to know about your steps to diffuse the crisis."
"But suppose such a holistic version refuses to materialize in your life?" she questioned thoughtfully. She was aware of the fact that rudeness of life does not provide humane approaches many chances to germinate.
"Radha, you are now loosing your sense of proportion. Is it sin to go beyond the dictates of men whose thinking ability is covered in cobwebs? It is crime to provide life and vibrancy to your prized affairs? Perhaps, it's better to move alone than to be part of nightmarish experiences all your life under the veneer of traditions and rigorous social customs."
Radha half-whispered to herself and for a while allowed the silence to reign. She was unsuccessfully trying to conceal her tears, something that was preventing her to go ahead with the conversation keeping herself in the same state of mind she exclaimed, "I am afraid you would not be able to survive for too long in the world reserved solely for dogs! I know well that sensitive souls like you cannot survive without a companion. When that was the matter, why didn't you find one molded in your perception?"
"Well, a chance encounter had dragged me towards such a soul but before it could blossom it succumbed to the primitive-thoughtlessness of the pseudo-crusaders of the society. These perfect spoilsports who are mired in unspeakable affairs come to attain a sacrosanct position in these matters, on their verdicts innocent souls are mercilessly butchered without given a slight chance to communicate their intentions. As the days pass away, souls like us slowly get reduced to ashes amid gross activities of average everyday life. "I am eager to know her name, my dear fellow." Radha insisted.
"What is in the name? To me she was simply your reflection! That's all," I suddenly said, looking straight at her face.
"Hm-that's all right- but what about your friends? Why didn't they conceive a strategy to pull you out of the mess?" she asked, blushing with gloomy eyes.
"It's a sad reflection but I could not resist myself from making a confession that they were enemies masquerading as friends. It seems strange but they left no opportunity like bunch of cheap crooks, to create nuances at defining moments. Worse, after causing the debacle they were little ashamed in delivering a suggestion to view the whole episode as hand-work of destiny. It was indeed misplaced trust on these determined liars, who with help of their half-truths, spelled doom for me. Though I wanted to retain the illusion of recognizing them as friends for a longer time, however, their sincerity towards shrewdness made it impossible."
"Radha! I find myself trapped in the body. I don't want to get identified with fifth of this sort, an identification that has now little meaning for me except initiating cycle of meaningless cause and effects. Give me blue, for survival." I said in a distinct tone.
"Blue? What does it stand for?" asked Radha in a trembling voice with a cold smile.
"Radha you seem to have fallen in league of present day politicians who so easily forget their promises! I am surprised to find you so forgettable a person. Just a little while ago haven't I attributed it to you as your intrinsic nature?" no sooner had I asked this I found her shaking from head to foot.
Hearing this a smile, dipped in divinity, flashed across her face. The night has changed her tempo, inviting the dawn to unfold its magic. Meanwhile, Radha has embraced my consciousness that placed me in her domain - unending stretch of blueness that came to annihilate our distinction, making us one forever.
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Newton's Third Law
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Practice Newton's Third Law
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Newton's Third Law
Key Equations
Example 1
Watch this Explanation
Time for Practice
1. You are standing on a bathroom scale. Can you reduce your weight by pulling up on your shoes? (Try it.)
2. A VW Bug hits a huge truck head-on. Each vehicle was initially going 50 MPH.
1. Which vehicle experiences the greater force?
2. Which experiences the greater acceleration? Explain briefly.
3. You and your friend are standing on identical skateboards with an industrial-strength compressed spring in between you. After the spring is released, it falls straight to the ground and the two of you fly apart.
1. If you have identical masses, who travels farther?
2. If your friend has a bigger mass who goes farther?
3. If your friend has a bigger mass who feels the larger force?
4. If you guys have identical masses, even if you push on the spring, why isn’t it possible to go further than your friend?
4. Analyze the situation shown here with a big kid pulling a little kid in a wagon. You’ll notice that there are a lot of different forces acting on the system. Let’s think about what happens the moment the sled begins to move.
1. First, draw the free body diagram of the big kid. Include all the forces you can think of, including friction. Then do the same for the little kid.
2. Identify all third law pairs. Decide which forces act on the two body system and which are extraneous.
3. Explain what conditions would make it possible for the two-body system to move forward.
Discuss in class.
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0.117591 | <urn:uuid:8b718002-cacb-4fa6-afcf-a73ea6062494> | en | 0.885726 | THE MOST REQUESTED: 'Fifty Shades of Grey' hangs in at the top of fiction list
The following is a list of the most requested books at your local libraries for the week ending Aug. 4.
Most Requested Fiction
(* - not yet released)
2. "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn (Crown)
4. "NYPD Red" by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (Little Brown and Company)*
5. "Friends Forever" by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press)
6. "Someone Like You" by Judith McNaught (Ballantine Books)*
7. "Zoo" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (Little, Brown)*
8. "A Wanted Man" by Lee Child (Delacorte Press)*
10. "Backfire" by Catherine Coulter (G. P. Putnam's Sons)
Most Requested Non-fiction
3. "Unorthodox" by Deborah Feldman (Simon & Schuster)
6. "Wherever I Wind Up" by R.A. Dickey, Wayne Coffey (Blue Rider Press)
7. "Yes, Chef" by Marcus Samuelsson (Random House)
10. "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg (Random House)
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'I woke up feeling really horny': Casey Batchelor makes a candid confession... before offering Lee Ryan a sexual favour in Celebrity Big Brother
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0.03158 | <urn:uuid:90e477a8-5636-4ec3-829c-7a7a93fc1abe> | en | 0.821489 | 6th unit 4 lesson 7
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6th unit 4 lesson 7 Powered By Docstoc
Unit #: 4
Lesson #: 7
Lesson name: Southern Europe
Core Content : SS06-4.1.1 students will use a variety of geographic tools (maps, charts, etc) to
interpret patterns on Earth’s surface
SS06-3.2.1, students will compare present day economic systems
SS06-1.1.1 students will compare purposes and sources of power in the most common forms of
government in the present day
SS06-2.1.1 students will explain how elements of culture (language, art, customs, etc.) define
specific groups
DOK: 2
Flashbacks: markets questions
Essential Question: What common characteristics do the countries of southern Europe share in
regard to culture, economy, geography and government?
Learning Target/Objective: "I can locate Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece on a map and
compare their geography, economy, culture and government.
VOCABULARY: republic, Mediterranean
Resources: Student-made charts; atlases, The World and Its People pp. 358-362, Europe
outline maps
Instructional Strategies: Students will make four foldables like the one shown on p. 358 of the
textbook. Across the tops they will label each: Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. Next students
will read the textbook pages 358-362 and take notes on each of the categories on their foldables.
They also will highlight each of the four nations on a blank outline map of Europe. After all
notes are taken, students will be given highlighters and can highlight any items that are similar
among the four countries.
Exit Slip: List two characteristics of culture, economy, geography or government that the
Southern European nations share:
Formative Assessment: graphic organizers and exit slips
Modifications: graphic organizers, partner work, modifications per IEP
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0.040198 | <urn:uuid:878acada-725a-47b3-a97b-d6382ef8ee27> | en | 0.897823 | Genzyme Corporation Vol 4 10
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Genzyme Corporation Vol 4 10 Powered By Docstoc
Genryme Corporation
One Kendall Square
CambrIdge, MA 02139-1562, US A
T 617-252-7500
F 617-374-7470
Dockets Management Branch 1572 33 APR,-7 A931
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane
Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
Subject: Docket Nos. 03D-0060,99D-1458,OOD-1538, OOD. 1543,00D-1542 and OOD-1539
Draft Guidance for Industry on “Part 11, Electra nit Records, Electronic
Signatures - Scope and Application”
4 April, 2003
Dear Sir/Madam:
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Draft for Industry on “Part 11,
Electronic Records, Electronic Signatures - Scope and Applicatio published in the Federal
Register on February 25,2003. Below are Genzyme’ s r your consideration.
1. We request that FDA state unequivocally that Part 11 is still effect at the start of the draft
guidance, as we have noticed many differing opinions throu out the industry and its
2. Please define the term “fewer records” in 5111A. It is our that FDA means that
process automation software
records for the
configuration management processes (paper and electronic)
unclear as to whether the concept of “durable media” as a def
created is still applicable. This
osmometers, TOG meters, etc.)
device that may reside on a durable media until overwritten, re also exempt, with the
exception of robust configuration managem,ent/metrology/S P control programs already in
3. In 3111A, it would be helpful if the items listed in the parenth ses were directly related to the
rule elements they reflect.
4. We request further definition of “enforcement discretion” me in 5111A, and some
characterization of the enforcement process. Does FDA consi to be part of the
escalation process detailed in the dispute resolution proposal
5. In 3111B 1, please clarify whether the term “merely incidental” * eludes security and controls
that enable us to prove that we have content integrity. We als request that FDA list classes of
Wb 1-9
Docket Nos. 03D-OO60,99Dl458,OODl5
8,OOD-1543,OOD-1542 and OOD-1539
www genzyme corn T Page 1 of 3
instruments or types of technologies covered by “incidental.’ use.
6. $111B 2, Bullet Point 2 suggests that hybrid environments w:.ll always be taken into account
under the business practice considerations. We note that ofl.icial documentation via SOPS will
not assure that e-records versus paper records (or vice versa) prevail. How will FDA
distinguish whether records or the context in which records are used fall under performance
of a regulated activity?
7. We are unclear as to what the Agency intends in 5111B 2, Bullet Point 3. It would seem that
submission requirements are covered under predicate rule.
8. We note, in 3111B 2 Bullet Point 4, that electronic signatures are not equivalent to “initials and
other general signings.” Electronic signatures are legally bir.ding equivalents of handwritten
signatures. We believe that FDA should provide clear distir-ction between electronic
signatures as opposed to electronic identity (that which is achieved by logging in to a
computerized system).
9. The first paragraph in 5111C 1 suggests that audit trails do not necessarily require validation
when a computer system is validated. Please confirm.
10. 5111C 1 paragraph 2 states ” . . . it may be important to the systems to ensure the
accuracy and reliability of part 11 records contained in in the absence of a
predicate rule requirement. Please explain the distinction b tween tools (applications that
create predicate rule e-records) and systems (that rule records). For
example, the use of Microsoft Word to create an ith a resultant electronic record)
versus SAP (an application that contains predicate rule elec for product
traceability and release).
11. Paragraph 2, 5111C 2 seems to indicate all systems and inter ces require risk assessments as
part of a central system validation effort, regardless of rule influences. This seems
inconsistent to us. Does FDA intend to be able to inspect su systems under routine agency
visits? Please consider the following example. If a Human management system
passes information to a predicate rule training system, system
required to apply audit trails and controls to meet Part ll? an audit trail be applied at
the interface level?
12. §I11 C 3 implies that a retired system or a static system does ot have to be remediated. If a
system was in existence prior to August 1997, (i.e., a legacy and the applicable
application has since been upgraded, will the Agency discretion” if the
system is not Part 11 compliant? We believe that a
technology/function-driven rather than date driven, as the te only constitutes part of the
story for achieving compliance. Also in this for intended
13. Please elucidate the Agency’ expectations during an inspec on in 5111C 4, specifically, what
is considered “reasonable and useful access” to records d an inspection? Will FDA
expect to review paper or will inspectors need to perform ele tronic system review? The
requirement for ability to search, sort or trend implies that th re may be a need to supply the
Docket Nos. 03D-0060,99D-1458,00D-1
38,OOD1543,OOD1542 and OOD-1539
Page 2 of 3
application. There are other types of files that could be “technology neutral” such
as CSV. We note that “technically feasible” can usually be ccomplished at great cost. We
would like to ensure that our efforts produce usable data for your inspectors.
Please provide specific examples of what kinds of e-copies e Agency expects to be
processable versus static.
14. In III C 5, does FDA expect access to electronic copies of ret records? In addition, does
the Agency require electronic copies of audit trails, and are audit trails expected to meet
predicate rule retention requirements for their associated Please clarify.
We believe that overall the draft guidance has been helpful in terpretation of previous issues,
e.g., clarification in the use of “technology-neutral” copy form , but has raised further questions
as noted earlier. In particular, we appreciate the enhanced sk assessment when applying
Part 11 to different systems. We also believe that the ability to ain electronic record information
in ways other than electronic form to meet long term retention riods is useful. Genzyme
appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Draft Guidan Industry on “Part 11,
Electronic Records, Electronic Signatures - Scope and Appl Please contact me at (617)
374-7275 or Juliette Shih at (617) 761-8929 should you have estions regarding this letter.
Rw Yocher
Vice President
Regulatory Affairs
Juliette E. Shih
Clinical Operations Analyst
Biomedical and Regulatory Affairs Compliance
Docket Nos. 03D-O060,99D1458,
OOD- 538,OOPl543,OOD-1542 and OOD-1539
Page 3 of 3 | http://www.docstoc.com/docs/576073/Genzyme-Corporation-Vol-4-10 | dclm-gs1-206940000 |
0.179386 | <urn:uuid:92681de3-96c4-4a39-a9c6-1cc9d554a28b> | en | 0.854817 | Document Sample
Expectations Powered By Docstoc
Prioritize safety within the workshop.
Participate Fully.
Keep an open mind and be inquisitive.
Punctuality
Focus on fundamentals instead of speed.
Successful completion of the written and skills
Help your fellow participants and facilitator(s)
Have fun!
The Mindset Training Curriculum
The purpose of this training program is to facilitate
insight, raise awareness, enhance skills, and ultimately
certify professionals in a system of preventing and
managing aggressive behavior.
The greatest disservice a risk or safety
management program can have for any
organization is to devolve into a system that
primarily focuses on the physical management
of aggressive behavior.
The goal of the MindSet training curriculum is to
set in motion a process of increased awareness,
skill development, and appropriate parameters
for individuals and organizations to eliminate
the need for physical restraint or seclusion.
What do you see your personal,
professional, and legal responsibilities to
be in regards to safety management?
What relevance does this have for our
What do you foresee as the keys to
success in your classroom, school or
Keys to Success
A comprehensive and clear Strategies for organizational
policy and procedure. change.
Restraint/Seclusion must be Performance measurement
the intervention of last resort. systems.
Staff must be trained in de- Emphasis on staff and
escalation techniques. consumer (student) strength.
Adequate and well prepared Cultural Competence
staff. Effective consumer (student)
Consumer (student) and staff debriefing.
involvement. An environment that prioritizes
A system of data collection and the consumer (student).
The Mindset
Punitive measures are not appropriate when
dealing with aggressive behavior.
Emphasize everyone’s strengths to maximize a
safe environment.
A crisis situation is a learning opportunity.
Consistency is essential.
Empowerment fosters learning and trust.
P Promote Choice and Trust
A Avoid Power Struggles
S Set Up Everyone for Success
S Seek Pro-Action Rather Than Reaction
Promote Choice and Trust
A person in crisis can and will choose
alternatives to aggressive behavior if given
the opportunity.
Fear and a sense of powerlessness often
fuel aggression.
Trust and opportunities for choice can
counteract fear and the sense of
Avoid Power Struggles
Human emotions can “tip the scale” in a
crisis situation.
Present yourself as an ally and assess your
body language.
Get in your CAR (calm, aware, respectful)
before, during, and after crisis situations.
Seek Pro-Action vs. Re-Action
Timing is essential in effectively managing
a crisis situation.
Use good judgment in not under reacting
or over reacting.
Both teachers and students should
develop specific pro-action strategies
relative to creating a safe environment.
Set-up Everyone For Success
To achieve a “culture of prevention”, everyone
involved must establish and implement
“customized strategies” for creating safe
Consistency and teamwork are essential
ingredients of a safe environment.
Students must be empowered to become their
own risk managers.
What Specific strategies do you currently
utilize, or have seen others utilize, that
support any or all of these guiding
What specific strategies do you currently
utilize, or have seen others utilize, that do
not support these guiding principles?
How can you apply these principles
emotionally, verbally, and physically?
Barriers to Prevention
What barriers do you have little or no
control over as a staff member?
What barriers do you consider emotional,
physical, or both?
What barriers exist for both staff members
and the individuals served?
Awareness Checklist
Environment-Physical Safety, Emotional
Individual Crisis Plans-Physical, verbal,
and non-verbal antecedents, self-directed
time out
Group Crisis Plans-Self directed work,
remove the group
Cultural-Race, gender, socio-economic,
language and social norms
Creating A Culture of Prevention
What new strategies would you
What existing strategies would you adjust
and how?
What distinguishes oppositional/defiant
behavior from potentially aggressive
How can the principles be applied in
responding to the barriers?
Response Guidelines for
Oppositional / Defiant Behaviors
Non-emotional instead of emotional requests (control
your bias) Don’t take it personal.
Descriptive requests
Do not use a question format
Keep a safe distance
No more than two requests
Check tone of voice
Time to comply
More start requests than stop requests
Reinforce Minimal Compliance
John Magg: Powerful Struggles
“Resistance is often created when we fail to
recognize the world view from which the student
is operating and fail to modify our behavior
What kids believe about themselves is more
important than any facts about them.
Beliefs > Feelings > Behavior > Consequences
Guidelines For Effective Crisis
Get in your CAR! (calm, aware, respectful)
Create a one-on-one (minimize
Timing is everything (be pro-active).
Avoid advice or quick fixes.
Make empathetic statements when
Promote Choice and Trust!
The Four-Step Counseling Model
Step 1: ”Say what you see and/or
Be concrete, non-judgmental.
Focus on body language.
Purpose-To let the student know they
have your attention in a non-judgmental
Step 2: ”Establish the feeling”
“Seems to me like you’re______”.
Keep the communication focused.
Feelings drive the behavior.
Purpose-To connect a feeling to the
behavior in an effort to establish a base or
understanding for further communication.
Step 3: ”Connect the feeling to the
Who, what, when, where, how
Avoid why
Active Reflective Listening
Purpose- To connect the feeling to the
source or sources of distress.
Step 4: ”Plan of Action”
“What do you want?”
“What have you tried?”
“What else can you do?”
“What are you willing to do?”
“What are the pros and cons?”
Purpose-to assist the person in crisis towards
establishing a plan of action of getting their
needs met in acceptable and safe ways.
What current communication strategies do
you effectively utilize in preventing
aggressive behavior?
What will be challenging about applying
the new techniques you have learned?
How can you apply the guiding principles
to these communication strategies?
Safety Continuum
(Staff /Teacher Response)
Ignore/Ten-step Process/Behavior Management
Crisis Communication
Avoid Contact / Upper Body and Lower Body
Communicate/Release/Positioning
Neutralize/Release/Embrace
Embrace/Leveraged Embrace/Communication
Embrace/Object Removal
Horizontal Containment
Avoiding Contact
Stance
Movement
Protection
What challenges do you face in trying to
avoid physical contact?
What actions can other staff members
take to increase safety?
How can you apply the guiding principles
when avoiding contact?
How does your communication change
once aggression becomes physical?
Safe Practice Guidelines
(During Training)
Ask questions following any facilitator
Start the practice slowly and focus on the
Utilize medium force and speed.
Help your partner learn and be patient with
Remove potentially harmful objects.
Inform the facilitator of any pre-existing
Participate fully.
Physical Contact
Aggression from the front (grasp, choke,
Aggression from behind (arm twist, choke,
hair pull)
Assisted choke release
What are ways you have experienced
forceful contact in the past?
What is challenging about applying the
techniques you have just learned?
How can you apply the guiding principles
to the techniques you have just learned?
When to Use Restraint
Harm to Self
Harm to Others
Harm is Imminent
Additional Guidelines
(Vertical Containment)
In addition to the safe practice guidelines established,
additional guidelines must be followed when using
vertical containment techniques.
1)This technique should only be applied as a last resort
and as a response to immediate or imminent danger.
2)Always communicate and ask for what you want (de-
3)Use the least amount of force necessary.
4)Avoid using containment techniques as a response to
oppositional/defiant behavior.
When are you justified in applying physical
restraint techniques?
What circumstances do not justify physical
How can the principles shape our attitudes
and behaviors regarding physical
Vertical Containment
Embrace
Leveraged Embrace
Assisted Relocation
Size differentials and adjustments
Responses to Vertical
Aggression De-escalates
Student drops to the floor
Aggression Escalates
Describe restraint experiences you have
been involved with.
What is challenging about applying the
techniques you have just learned?
How can you apply the guiding principles
to the techniques you have just learned?
Horizontal Containment
Single Staff
Dual Staff
Size differentials and adjustments
Importance of perpendicular
Monitor breathing and circulation.
Communicate with student.
NO direct pressure.
What responsibilities can additional staff
members take on during a physical
What action should you take if you
observe or sense physical duress in a
student being restrained on the ground?
How can you apply the guiding principles
to the horizontal containment procedures?
(Horizontal Containment)
1)Communicate with your partner in addition to the
3)No direct pressure.
4)Monitor breathing and circulation. Release immediately
if problems detected.
5)No single staff takedowns.
6)Use only minor adjustments once containment is fully
7)Release when appropriate. (15 minute check).
Ending the Containment
LiFo (Last in, first out)
Be patient and clearly define what
you want.
Reinforce minimal compliance.
Additional Guidelines
(Object Containment)
1)Communication and body language are
your most powerful tools.
2)Never ask for the object to be handed to
3)Use a buffer when necessary.
4)Check your proximity.
5)Clear the audience!
Object Containment and
Thumb rotation release.
Why would you focus on communication
with a student threatening to use an
What is challenging about the thumb
rotation technique?
How can you apply the four guiding
principles to situations involving an object
being used aggressively?
Making it Stick
Policy and Procedure
Debriefing between Staff/Teacher and
Timing and Emotional Impact
Exploring future solutions
Staff/Staff debriefing
What went well
What could be done differently
Incident Report (Template)
Safety Director and Committee
Staff/Teacher and Student/Consumer
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0.019706 | <urn:uuid:19bf7f65-0599-43c9-84b0-a9543759b8a4> | en | 0.984834 | Browse News
Join TwelfthMan now!
Akram lauds "number one" Anderson
By Chris Devine
Legendary Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram has labelled James Anderson the best bowler in the world and believes the leader of England's attack has "mastered the art" of reverse swing.
Renowned for his ability to move the ball at pace, left-armer Wasim claimed 414 Test wickets and a further 502 in one-day internationals during a glittering career.
He also enjoyed great success as a county cricketer with Lancashire and feels his former club now boast the game's premier seamer in Anderson.
"For me, at the moment, he is the number one bowler in the world," Wasim told yesterday at Grappenhall Cricket Club in Warrington, where he was guesting for Australia in a charity legends match against England.
"I've seen a lot of bowlers in the last 10 years but Jimmy Anderson is at the top of the ladder.
"It's actually a treat to watch a bowler like him. I think he is at the peak of his game."
Having worked hard to develop his skills, Anderson is now able to pose a threat in any conditions, a fact emphasised by his impressive performances on recent tours of Australia and the sub-continent.
His prowess as an exponent of reverse swing has certainly caught the eye of Wasim, who added: "In my book, he has mastered the art now. I'm very impressed."
Wasim was not the only former Test cricketer to lavish praise on Anderson at Grappenhall.
Ex-England paceman Andy Caddick also paid tribute to the 31-year-old, who currently sits third on his country's list of Test wicket-takers, five behind Bob Willis.
"He's in his prime now," said Caddick of Anderson. "He's got a few years left and I think you'll see a lot of better bowling from Jimmy because he is the finished article and he knows his game.
"When you start knowing your game as a bowler you are going to continue doing very well."
Caddick, a veteran of 62 Tests and 54 ODIs, also expects Steven Finn to bounce back from his recent dip in form.
Finn was left out of England's squad for the third Investec Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford, but Caddick points to Anderson as a perfect example to follow.
"I think he (Finn) has just got to show consistency. Jimmy was the same," said Caddick. "He came into the side in 2003 at the World Cup and then had a struggle. He went away, worked on his game and to his credit he's come back as a better bowler and that's what pace bowlers need to do.
"Finny's got a long time ahead of him. He's a fantastic bowler.He bowls wicket-to-wicket, has got tall levers, hits the wicket hard and bowls at 90mph, so you can't be a better bowler than that."
Investec Ashes highlights
| http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/articles/akram-lauds-number-one-anderson | dclm-gs1-206980000 |
0.021155 | <urn:uuid:1973114f-b261-45c2-8541-0694a5bddfd2> | en | 0.958348 |
Testing India's graduates
The engineering gap
See article
Readers' comments
xxx hardcore
you sound as though you have a chip on your shoulder, and thats ok. Your time might be more constructively spent however, venting out in the presence of a clinical psychologist, rather than on the internet."""
Thank you for your advice. But The Economist forums are for everyone to give their opinion. I do not recall a policy saying that different opinions are not allowed.
Are you one of the "engineers" this article talks about? Perhaps you are a case-in-point?
USA has 1710 best higher educational institutions in consideration of 6000 best of the world. India have only 50.Then how India producing double size of quality Engineers or Techies compare to USA? Even China has 552 best institutions among 6000,40 might be considered as world class and 200 as Asian standard. If the test is the outcome of tech revolution of Indian quality its alarming. Some third grade surveyors made Indian IITs and IIMs among world best. But as per Webometrics, the Spanish higher education institution surveyor (which might be considered as the best) found not a single institution of India among 500 best institution for last 8 years and only 4 among best 1000 institutions, which you consider as class, 10 among Asian standard and 31 among Sub-continental standard.
Nobody with any experience in outsourcing will find this surprising. But I wonder why anyone at all finds it surprising. Do people flock from Germany, Britain and the U.S. to study computer science at Indian universities? Of course not. And why would anyone seriously expect that an MS degree would mean exactly the same thing in each country in the world?
xxx hardcore
Also, Indian companies cannot innovate. This is NOT my opinion (so please don't delete this comment) but the opinion of the NY Times:
Indians are granted about half as many American patents for inventions as people and firms in Israel and China."""
The NY Times says its for 'cultural reasons,' which is the politically correct term.
I have used Indian freelance programmers. Overall the quality is several grades below programmers in Western countries. They are good and reliable for simple task, at least a lot more reliable than the Eastern Europeans. If you search hard enough you will find good Indian programmers. For more complicated task I usually use an experienced Indian programmer (in his mid 40) if he is available. He is better than your average Western programmer with 6-7 years experience.
Our company shut down its back office in London and started a new support centre in India. The support centre in India is filled with qualified accountants and other highly qualified professionals.
Three years later, the headcount in India is three times that of London before, the infrastructure dismal, and no one in our Africa, Latin America or Asia offices can understand the heavy accent of the support staff in India.
India and China may produce engineering graduates by the millions, but I am afraid that MIT and Standford have nothing to fear for the next 100 years. Worthless degrees issued by diploma mills do not equate to a real education.
As a software product/consulting organization in the Business Intelligence (e.g. complex database query/analytics) space, I find it ironic that 50% of our business is providing products and consulting to companies in the US who are either US offices of India based consulting organizations or are US based software companies with a large portion of Indian based founders and employees with substantial offshore development back in India. This irony extends to include that one of our key founders is a Canadian born Hindu.
Personally, I've never been impressed by the skills that University Graduates display from so-called Software based degrees from any country. In North America may employees of companies like ours are former employees of companies like Microsoft, IBM or many other large software organizations where they acquire in-depth skills that they take out to the market place.
While my experience with Indian software engineers has been excellent, India based software engineers who are limited to working in India have a handicap that's difficult to overcome.
Gautam Agrawal
Menonin has made an point. We are assuming that American graduates will come out with flying colors on tests such as the one prepared by Aspiring Minds. That is a big assumption!
Nevertheless the key point the tests have brought out is that the IT Industry must not ignore the colleges outside the top 100 when looking for new hires.
It would be useful to know how American engineering graduates do on this test? That would be a more useful basis of comparison.
Now why is this conclusion so insightful! Given the huge disparities in income levels should you have expected anything else?
The more relevant questions would be :"Is the quality of Indian tech workers improving fast enough?
" Do we see sustained improvements in the average competency levels of Indian tech works in successive cohorts of graduates? What is the quality/price ratio that enables Indian business' to maintain growth rates and sustainable competitive advantage? How much additional training investment is made by firms to plug skills deficits among new hires?"
In the early stages of the IT boom conventional wisdom of analysts, economists, business magazines was that the country would very quickly run out of qualified tech workers. What was ignored was that changes in economic policies and exposure to competition could lead to a strong supply response as well as incentivize firms to invest in training.
So far despite periodic gloomy predictions the supply response keeps happening. Firms and the market have been able to overcome many deficiencies and tackle many bottlenecks. Is this increasing responsiveness of the skills market and of firms coming to an end? That is the critical question.
In fast growing, reforming and structurally changing economies merely looking at the stock situation at any one moment in time can be misleading as can be a reliance on past data from a very different economic environment.
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Products & events | http://www.economist.com/comment/464701 | dclm-gs1-207010000 |
0.296248 | <urn:uuid:51326180-0667-48a3-b37f-ffe4815e128c> | en | 0.96514 | By Mark Monmonier.
University of Chicago Press; 310 pages; $17 and £11
AS WELL as being one of the world's most handy conversational openers, the weather is ever more something that people enjoy watching on television and reading about in their newspapers. The Weather Channel, an American cable channel that shows nothing but weather analysis around the clock, attracts legions of “weather junkies” with insatiable appetites for pressure diagrams, temperature charts, satellite loops and Doppler radar scans; and no daily newspaper is complete without an elaborate and colourful weather map. Mark Monmonier, a geographer at Syracuse University, traces the history of visual representations of the atmosphere, from the first map of trade winds, which was sketched by Sir Edmond Halley in 1686, to modern television and newspaper graphics.
Appropriately for someone who is best known for having discovered a comet, Halley used tiny comet-like marks to indicate wind direction, an idea that did not catch on. The first recognisably modern weather maps appeared in the early 19th century, when proto-meteorologists stitched together eyewitness accounts of large storms to construct maps after the event. But it was only with the growth of the electric telegraph network in the 1850s that readings could be collected from a wide area quickly enough to follow the weather as it changed. Forecasting was the obvious next step, but it required the development of new theories to explain the weather's behaviour, a process that, as Mr Monmonier explains, was not without controversy.
Lewis Fry Richardson, an English meteorologist and mathematician, was ridiculed for his suggestion in 1922 that it might be possible to predict the weather using an army of thousands of mathematicians, sitting at desks in a vast arena and passing slips of paper to each other. Richardson was ultimately vindicated with the advent of the electronic computer, which speeded up calculations and made numerical modelling of the atmosphere possible.
But it is the maps, rather than the history or theory of forecasting, that Mr Monmonier is primarily interested in. He ends his book with a blast of cartographical analysis, and suggests that weather maps have created the template for other representations of volatile geographic phenomena such as the incidence of crime and disease.
He may well be right. But weather maps are a special case. As soon as the first daily maps appeared in the Times in 1875, some people, it seems, could not get enough of them. Never mind if the forecasts were wrong, or the maps showed only yesterday morning's weather. Mr Monmonier demonstrates that from that moment, the move towards today's elaborate round-the-clock weather coverage was inevitable. | http://www.economist.com/node/443413 | dclm-gs1-207030000 |
0.286888 | <urn:uuid:694d2e1e-e5e3-4263-857d-83b9f374b743> | en | 0.749762 | Tuna Seafood Enchiladas
By Montana Heart Song on March 26, 2008
25 Characters Max
Enter Time:
You can create up to five timers
1. 226.79 g cream cheese
2. 1 (113.39 g) can mild diced green chilies
3. 4.92 ml cumin
4. 1 (396.89 g) can chunk style albacore tuna, drained
5. 1 (304.75 g) can campbell's Campbell southwest-style pepper jack soup
6. 3 tomatillos, skinned finely chopped (optional)
7. 1 (793.78 g) can la victoria mild green enchilada sauce
8. 10-12 medium size corn tortillas
9. Pam cooking spray
1. 236.59 ml shredded monterey jack cheese (optional)
2. 2 sliced Avocados
3. 14.79 ml lemon juice
1. In mixing bowl, add cream cheese, mild diced green chilies (the whole can), cumin. Mix well until smooth. Add the tuna, if large chunks, take a fork and split. Mix lightly. Add the soup and tomatillos and mix.
2. In large diameter sauce pan warm the enchilada Sauce.
3. Spray Pam on 9 X 13 pan.
4. Preheat over 375*.
5. Dip each tortilla in the sauce quickly, drain over saucepan and fill with a spoon of tuna mixture.on the lower portion. Roll up, and put in pan, seam side down.
6. If you are going to cook immediately pour the enchilada sauce over the top.
7. Cover and bake 20 minutes.
8. Last five minutes of baking, sprinkle shredded cheese down the middle if desired.
9. Garnish with sliced avocados dipped in lemon juice for each individual serving.
10. Note: If making ahead and refrigerating, do not pour the enchilada sauce over the dish until it is ready to go in the oven. | http://www.food.com/recipefullpage.do?rid=294680&scaleto=2.0&mode=metric | dclm-gs1-207100000 |
0.9585 | <urn:uuid:5105dd98-6c61-40c0-85ea-1254df7f37a0> | en | 0.866556 |
Using a Charizard in battle is usually life or death?
#21evillockePosted 5/23/2013 8:14:58 AM
Chaos_Missile posted...
Hierarchy225 posted...
Something that I've always thought about in the back of my mind.
When a pokemon loses a battle they usually fall unconscious or "faint". But then I think about Charizard and its tail. If the fire on its tail is extinguished it dies. Period.
What happens if a charizard fights in the rain or any pokemon with a water move gets a lucky hit and splashes on the tail? Isn't that a OHK rather than a OHKO?
How do you faint when you're facing with:-
a) an fissure that you fall into before the crevice closes up
b) absolute zero temp with little chance of thawing(speaking of which, does Sheer Cold work on Ice types? How?)
c) Getting drilled in the chest
d) Self-Explanatory:
Where is that pic...
#22EnferolunosPosted 5/23/2013 8:17:47 AM
ITT: People take pokedex entries seriously
Skarmory would slap the hell outta you | http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/696959-pokemon-x/66263770?page=2 | dclm-gs1-207150000 |
0.051047 | <urn:uuid:3abb0783-5772-41c0-8047-5f628e0759a1> | en | 0.969993 | jjrage's Darksiders II (Limited Edition) (Xbox 360) review
Darksiders II Blurs Genre Lines
The original Darksiders truly was a surprise to many when it hit store shelves in January of 2010. It was quickly applauded for delivering a game not unlike the ones seen in The Legend of Zelda series, albeit with a darker tone and combat more akin to God of War than anything seen in latter-day Zelda titles. That was two and a half years ago, and Darksiders has gone from cult hit to full-on franchise. However, not content with retreading the same formula with the sequel, Vigil Games has stepped out of the box a bit to blur the lines of the action-adventure genre with Darksiders II. Sure the game is still highly derivative of the Zelda games, but it's so much more than that.
The first thing you'll notice about Darksiders II is that the game isn't really a sequel in the traditional sense. The protagonist is no longer War, but War's brother and fellow horsemen of the apocalypse Death. The game itself takes place concurrently with it's predecessor. War has been blamed for prematurely starting the apocalypse, leading to the destruction of humanity, however Death is certain that his brother could not be responsible for this, and begins a quest to resurrect humanity and absolve his brother of wrong doing.
Darksiders II's primary quest will send Death across multiple realms in an effort to gain access to the Well of Souls, where he hopes to resurrect all of humanity. However unlike the original game, Darksiders II isn't quite as linear. In addition to the story quest, there is a plethora of side quests for Death to complete, all with their own unique rewards. You'll be aided on these quests by Death's trusty steed Despair. Unlike War's horse Ruin, Despair is available from the game's outset, although I found myself using Despair far less than I ever used Ruin, thanks to the addition of a fast travel system.
The combat system has also been greatly improved from the original Darksiders. Death isn't quite as burly as his brother, and is a more agile fighter as a result, using dodges instead of blocks and counters. Death's primary tools of destruction are dual-scythes, although you'll acquire other secondary weapons that range from quick-striking claws to the slower two-handed hammers and axes. I gravitated towards the larger weapons early in the game, as I found the powerful and long-reaching attacks to be useful, but as the game wore on and dodging became more important, I began to prefer the quicker scythes and claw weapons. Much like the first game, Death has a more powerful form - Reaper form - which allows Death to dish devastating and large-scale punishment to his foes.
Also returning is the lock-on targeting, which frustrated me from time to time, as it would occasionally place the camera directly behind Death, obstructing my view and leaving me unable to see certain incoming attacks. This issue isn't helped by the game's frame rate, which gets awfully spotty during some of the boss fights. In addition, there is one section of the adventure where the game briefly transforms into second-rate third-person shooter. The first Darksiders also featured a segment like this; I didn't like it then and I liked it even less in the sequel. The game spends most of the game emphasizing Death's quickness and agility, and then suddenly plucks you out of that environment and has you lumbering around with a two-handed cannon. The aiming of the gun is imprecise, and the lock-on targeting is unavailable while it's in your hands. This isn't just a short section of the game either - it takes the place of a full-blown dungeon. I didn't find this part of the game to even remotely entertaining, and was very thankful when it concluded.
The game's combat is also supported by a two skill trees. As you level up, you'll earn skill points which can be placed on either side of the tree. One side of the tree focuses on direct combat, granting you attacks which can siphon health from your enemies or increase Death's combat strength for a short time. The other tree improves Death's magical abilities, allowing you to spawn minions to fight by your side.
Perhaps the biggest change to the Darksiders formula is the addition of a color-coded loot, a system that should be intimately familiar to anyone that's played a modern MMO. Enemies and chests have the chance to drop this loot, and vendors have a plentiful stock of it as well. Each piece of loot comes with an array of statistical affixes, most of which coincide with the game's two skill trees. Items that feature strength and critical damage bonuses will be useful to those that prefer the combat tree, and items heavy in arcane power boosts are preferable for folks that chose the magic tree. The game's rarest loot comes in the form of "possessed" weapons. Possessed weapons can be upgraded by "feeding" other items to the weapon, allowing it to gain power as well as one stat affix from the item it was fed.
These changes aside, the formula from the original Darksiders is still intact. You'll still find yourself in dungeons full of puzzles that can only be solved - and bosses that can only be defeated - through the use of conveniently acquired items. Fans of the first game will instantly recognize Death's Death Grip as the equivalent of War's Abyssal Chain, which in itself was essentially The Legend of Zelda's hookshot. Death also gets his own unique puzzle-solving tools, such as the Soul Splitter, which splits Death into two entities allowing him to flip multiple switches at once.
Darksiders II didn't have the benefit of coming out of left field like it's predecessor, but the combination of Zelda-style gameplay with the new loot system, improved combat, and far more interesting protagonist provides an equally engaging experience.
Other reviews for Darksiders II (Limited Edition) (Xbox 360)
Darksiders II has no dearth of depth, but suffers from its size. 0
Darksiders left our anti-hero War contemplating his options as his brothers (and sister) caught the last few express meteors to Earth to help in what promised to be an Alamo style stand-off between the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and apparently every other force in the universe. Darksiders 2 doesn't quite pick up there, however, electing to roll back the clock a few years before the first game begins and follow the redemptive arc of War's more emaciated and guilt-ridden sibling Death instead...
3 out of 3 found this review helpful.
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0.056962 | <urn:uuid:1c141122-4412-4e35-b59e-d185fa47905c> | en | 0.971899 | Det1's forum posts
#1 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) -
I just hope it's genuinely irrational polishing the game up rather than say, 2k finding the material covered in it too controversial and forcing them to tone it down.
#2 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) -
#3 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) -
@Hellstrom said:
@mostman said:
@Hellstrom said:
As i said in the chat. I don't understand people saying "I wonder what Apple will do now". They will do what they've always done. Apple is not some incredibly innovative corporation. What they've mastered is marketing techniques. Google, & Microsoft in this decade alone have been a lot more innovative and moved industries forward. Far more than Apple, with all that said, RIP. Though i'm atheist so.....yeah.
I always hesitate to reply to these comments, but here I feel I must. You couldn't be more wrong. I realize its fashionable for people to buy into the claim that all Apple does is market retreaded technology - but that opinion is utter bullshit. Apple has moved the needle forward on technology more that Google ever will and possibly even Microsoft. You are confusing the words "innovation" and "creation". See, they are different. Was the iPod the first digital music player? No. Was it even the _best_ on all accounts? No. Did it sell the best? Yes. Did marketing alone cause this? No. A simple, approachable, easy to use product was the cause. Not faster. Not bigger. Not shinier. Just easier to use. If Apple hadn't managed to sell the shit out of the iPod, where would we be today in regard to music online? Do you still buy CDs? Do you miss CDs? No? Thank Apple. That's innovation. Moving the needle. You live in a world made better by Apple, and by extension, Jobs. I could list many examples where this is true. Hate on them and their fanboys all you want, but make sure you take a look around before you sell them short. You are thinking small. "What have they made faster, what have they made bigger, what have they made shinier", (well, ok, I'll give you that last one :) - You need to think larger than that.
Are you kidding? Please name this technology they moved forward. Please don't let it involve MAC or Ipod.
Even their MAC operating system has changed & innovated little since Unix. Their Ipod software was not even developed in house. They are a company who overcharge on products that do much less than their contemporaries. Its something the Apple fanboys can never accept. Marketing is EXACTLY the reason Ipod sold so much, nothing else, not innovation. Not even close, Apple simply found a great way to make lesser technology "for dummies", overcharge for it and sell it to the masses.
Both Microsoft & Google have done much more innovation in this decade alone.
Like it or not, people do need usability in their software.
Is apple a deplorable company that overcharge for foxconn (read: mass produced at the cheapest cost with no regard to quality) hardware, perhaps going as far as to designing them to break within a certain amount of time to force more sales when it comes to certain products? Yes.
Do they market the hell out of their products to be contrary to what the products are actually made of (see: above) through pretty wrappings? Very much so.
Is this deceitful and worthy of scorn? Definitely.
Does this make people need usability any less? No. At the end of the day, products do need to be used by people. Usability and looks(software) are fair game.
As much as I hate apple (and steve jobs' role in creating/transforming a company into, well, apple), credit due where it's due. Usability and visual is important, and they brought it into perspective. Whether apple overcharges for their closed off market is another issue.
Besides, for all the bad things that apple does (and there's a lot of them), jobs himself actually believed in his products and talked to tech press (even the ones critical of him) despite his success. I can respect that. The rest of the things he did after his return to apple, not as much.
#4 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) -
This has got to be one of the most boring games I have ever had the displeasure of touching.
#5 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) -
>flamethrower made out of wood
Am I the only one who's a bit startled by this strike of retardation?
#6 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) -
slow day in the news?
I guess this IS an interesting way to approach reward/punishment in games though.
#7 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) -
So what went on behind the scenes? they changed stuff, right?
#8 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) -
This sounds like one of those talks from one of those higher-ups who don't get the details on things or is just trying to make things sound good.
The truth is that while it's easy to just say "we're gonna hire a bunch of guys and make them innovate", simply forcing them to focus on one franchise limits the amount of space and direction they can wriggle in. Take the GTA series - another franchise with ridiculous staying power that made COD level profits. After GTA 3, they had to make everything bigger, crazier and better - vice city. After that, SA. After that, they got flaked HARD for GTA4 precisely because it didn't feel like GTA. COD is pretty much stuck in the same spot - it's precisely because people have an expectation that innovation would be difficult, and there's only a similar array of directions for the franchise to head toward while other franchises that put more time inbetween releases (team fortress)/is straight up fresh(portal) can innovate and create gameplay that is unrestricted by previous interpretations of their genre.
Think about it. The multiplayer in BLOP mainly extended itself over MW2 mainly by its inclusion of new modes, new weapons/killstreaks/killstreak handling/weapons/maps/etc. None of these are revolutionary in the sense that they don't change the feel of the game - you don't feel the difference you felt moving from halo to COD or TFC to TF2 or even COD2 to COD4. And if a next-big-thing comes along, all the staying power is just gonna vanish (see: how UT3 died). They're gonna have to change their game eventually, and it'll ruin their staying power.
Then again, maybe COD players really are just that dedicated. who knows?
#9 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) -
I spam USA over and over again after I win/lose a match.
Like this.
Well, at least before bad company 2 had those damn spam filters put in place. Asshats.
#10 Posted by Det1 (191 posts) -
This sounds eerily similar to the GBA->DS transition.
Well, I hope we get an yggdra union (or hopefully something better) out of it. | http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/det1/forums/ | dclm-gs1-207230000 |
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The Bones Royal
Natives of the Lower East Side of New York City, The Bones Royal are an earthy, soulful and passionate stripped-down three piece.
Foley Stewart writes songs in his east village bedroom and brings them down to the dark and dirty basement of cake shop, a local club the band uses as a rehearsal space during the day. Bassist Shane Bastien and Drummer Terry Moore makeup the heavily jazz, blues, and country influenced rhythym section. The last pieces are the three-part harmonies, which the band work on meticulously.
After playing all around manhattan and brooklyn, they decided to go the DIY route and record an album by themselves in an apartment on Stanton Street. This album found its’ way to Rich Kleiman, head of Allido Records and all-around player, who handed the music off to Mark Ronson. The two enthusiastically invited the Bones to use Mark Ronson’s studio to develop their sound. This resulted in their current 3 song EP.
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0.479628 | <urn:uuid:04b9151e-4835-4629-9857-2f2b1a9d2176> | en | 0.886548 | New! Read & write annotations
I say how can it be that man owns the land, can we possess the sky, the wind, the call of the seasons ?
Man does not own the earth, but rather the earth owns man, we’re merely caretakers of the wild for our children.
We must show reverence for nature, the ground we share, and the spirit of the wild.
We must respect each new sunrize.
Take a deep breath, feel the spirit of the wild.
Feel our instincts, feel the heart of the hunter.
Each new day, each new sunrize can bring the renewal of life, the renewal of the spirit.
Keep your senses alert, learn to appreciate the value of that sign.
The excitement of that smell, that sight…the aroma of the woods.
Cherish the beauty of our brother the eagle, the deer, our blood brother the bear.
As the new sun warms our new day, thrill at the adventure of being one with nature.
As the majestic buck melts out of the swamp, feel the spirit come alive.
Hold tight to your bow and arrow, grab the spirit,
Feel it's presence, feel the spirit of the wild.
Hey, there he is, in the wind….
The sensual stimuli, the thrill that will cleanse the soul,
Go ahead, feel alive.
The sunrize is on fire, as our senses, our very lifeblood is on fire.
Share these sensations with your friends,
Share ‘em with the children,
For life is a series of sunrizes
The spirit of the wild.
Let it inspire your heart and soul,
Challenge the good, natural hunter within you,
Challenge yourself….to connect.
Be an asset to nature.
Take each day, take each sunrize step by step.
Sunrize by sunrize.
Take it to heart.
Embrace the spirit of the wild.
Embrace each and every sunrize
Rise into the sun.
Seize it.
In the wind, he’s still alive….
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0.023692 | <urn:uuid:5f595605-632d-4b6e-a499-fe54045df118> | en | 0.879477 | MetaFilter posts tagged with FOIA Posts tagged with 'FOIA' at MetaFilter. Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:11:55 -0800 Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:11:55 -0800 en-us 60 IRS Claims Authority to Read Your E-Mail Without A Warrant <a href="">The ACLU reports that the IRS claims in an internal document that it has the authority to access citizens' online communications without a warrant.</a> The IRS claimed in a 2009 document that "the Fourth Amendment does not protect communications held in electronic storage, such as email messages stored on a server, because internet users do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such communications." It still retains that position even after the 2010 case of <a href="">US v Warshak</a> which determined that citizens have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such communications. The IRS to this day declares in bland language that no warrant is required for e-mails held by an ISP for more than 180 days. (One <a href="">relevant document</a>). A <a href="">CNET article</a> gives additional context. The ACLU is currently awaiting a response to its <a href="">FOIA requests to other agencies</a> like the FBI and Justice Department for information on their policies, procedures, and practices in reading citizens' private communications. The related case of <a href="">Jewel v NSA</a>, in which the EFF is suing the NSA on behalf of AT&T users for the NSA's dragnet surveillance of Americans' electronic communication, is ongoing (after nearly being completely dismissed on the grounds that nobody has standing to challenge the practice because it's secret). <blockquote>"Evidence in the case includes undisputed documents provided by former AT&T telecommunications technician Mark Klein showing AT&T has routed copies of Internet traffic [including ~1.7 billion e-mails etc. daily] to a secret room in San Francisco controlled by the NSA. It also includes declarations from three NSA whistleblowers along with a mountain of other evidence."</blockquote> The government's use of electronic surveillance is <a href="">increasing dramatically</a> each year.,2013:site.126938 Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:11:55 -0800 aclu datamining eff electronicsurveillance foia government internet irs jewelvnsa nsa online powergrab privacy rights spy spying surveillance telecommunications warrant warrantless warrantlesssurveillance wiretap Sleeper "The merger of the private sector, DHS and the FBI" <a href="">How the FBI coordinated the crackdown on Occupy</a> Naomi Wolf writes in The Guardian: <em>The document – reproduced <a href="">here</a> in an easily searchable format – shows a terrifying network of coordinated DHS, FBI, police, regional fusion center, and private-sector activity so completely merged into one another that the monstrous whole is, in fact, one entity: in some cases, bearing a single name, the Domestic Security Alliance Council. And it reveals this merged entity to have one centrally planned, locally executed mission. The documents, in short, show the cops and DHS working for and with banks to target, arrest, and politically disable peaceful American citizens. The documents... show a nationwide meta-plot unfolding in city after city in an Orwellian world: six American universities are sites where campus police funneled information about students involved with OWS to the FBI, with the administrations' knowledge (p51); banks sat down with FBI officials to pool information about OWS protesters harvested by private security; plans to crush Occupy events, planned for a month down the road, were made by the FBI – and offered to the representatives of the same organizations that the protests would target; and even threats of the assassination of OWS leaders by sniper fire – by whom? Where? – now remain redacted and undisclosed to those American citizens in danger, contrary to standard FBI practice to inform the person concerned when there is a threat against a political leader(p61).</em>,2012:site.123322 Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:50:41 -0800 FBI FOIA guardian naomiwolf occupy OWS police dubold The FBI has a "Do Not Contact" List? <a href="">The Feynman Files.</a> For the first time, FBI records for Dr Richard Feynman <a href="">have been released to the public</a>. They document the Bureau's apparent obsession in the 1950's with outing him as a communist sympathizer, and include notations from several background checks as well as interviews with his colleagues, friends and acquaintances.,2012:site.116688 Wed, 06 Jun 2012 14:55:59 -0800 atomic atomicbomb backgroundcheck bomb espionage fbi federal feynman foia manhattanproject oppenheimer politics records richardfeynman russia spy ussr zarq In the name of Defense. In December 1974, New York Times reporter Seymour Hersh's front-page <a href=",%20Other%20Dissidents%20in%20Nixon%20Years%22&st=cse">account</a> <small>(paywall)</small> of the CIA's <a href="">MK-ULTRA</a> <a href="">program</a> documented their <a href="">illegal domestic intelligence operations</a> against the antiwar movement and other dissident groups in the United States. The article eventually prompted investigations by the <a href="">Rockefeller Commission</a> and the <a href="">Church</a> and <a href="">Pike</a> committees. "There have been other reports on the CIA's doping of civilians, but they have mostly dished about activities in New York City. Accounts of what actually occurred in San Francisco have been sparse and sporadic. But newly declassified CIA records, recent interviews, and a personal diary of [<a href="">George</a> H. <a href="">White</a>,] an operative at Stanford Special Collections shed more light on the breadth of the San Francisco operation." <em>SF Weekly</em>: <a href="">"Operation Midnight Climax: How the CIA doped San Francisco citizens with LSD."</a> <small>MK-ULTRA: <a href="">Previously</a> <a href="">on</a> <a href="">Metafilter</a>. (<a href="">Via</a>)</small>,2012:site.114252 Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:32:55 -0800 agency church CIA congress congressional conspiracies conspiracy covert drugs espionage FOIA government helms hersh history illegal intelligence investigation LSD MKULTRA NSA Olson OperationMidnightClimax pike program prostitution psychoactive rockefeller SanFrancisco secrecy SF white zarq Just becuase you're crazy doesn't mean they're not beaming voices into your head. <i>...this stubborn idea he had about maintaining his sanity took a couple of hard hits when: 1. He presented the shoes that government agents had supposedly melted...which simply looked like worn out running shoes. 2. The government's psychologist and one of Friedman's choosing both concurred that he was totally schizophrenic. Still, Friedman pressed on, demanding better counsel for himself and filing a second Freedom of Information Act (he was not satisfied with the first) for: <blockquote>"all documents pertaining to the microwave auditory effect, microwave hearing effect, Frey effect, artificial telepathy, and/or any device/weapon which uses and/or causes such effect; and any covert or undisclosed use of hypnosis"</blockquote> This FOIA request, however, was much more successful. The document (which was verified by in 2008 through the US Army Intelligence And Security Command Freedom Of Information/Privacy Office), contained <a href="">quite a bit of interesting/terrifying information</a>...</i>,2012:site.113026 Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:03:13 -0800 foia hearingvoices microwavetransmission secretgovernmentprograms voicesinyourhead Slap*Happy Steve Jobs FBI files Please be advised that the FBI’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) release regarding (STEVEN PAUL JOBS) <a href="">is now available</a>.,2012:site.112581 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:28:00 -0800 apple FBI files FOIA jobs steve Ad hominem All I want is to be left alone in my average home... But why do I always feel I'm in the twilight zone? In August 2011, 35 ACLU affiliates filed 381 requests in 32 states with local law enforcement agencies seeking to uncover <a href="">when, why and how they are using cell phone location data to track Americans</a>. So how long do American cell phone carriers retain information about your calls, text messages, and data use? According to <a href="">data gathered by the US Department of Justice, it can be as little as a few days or up to seven years, depending on your provider</a>. <small>(<a href="">Via</a> / <a href=",2817,2393887,00.asp#fbid=dFwy-5W-w_i">More</a>)</small>,2011:site.108223 Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:55:49 -0800 aclu att cell cellular data doj foia info phone police privacy providers retention sprint tmobil tracking transparency verizon virgin zarq I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! A series of emails released through a Freedom of Information Act request shine light on <a href="">collusion between the United States government and TransCanada</a>, a corporation building a controversial pipeline from the Canadian <a href="">Athabasca oil sands</a> into its southern neighbor. The controversy extends beyond the <a href="">currently poor safety record</a> for delivering oil between the two countries, and beyond the <a href="">environmental and health consequences</a> of the oil extraction process for locals and the <a href="">cost of climate changes</a> it will contribute to, all the way to <a href="">legal wrangling between Canadian media and Saudi Arabia</a> over the "death panels"-like term <a href="">"ethical oil"</a>, based upon a conservative group's <a href="">advertising</a> that argues that the purchase of Canadian-sourced oil is a morally superior act, because of oppression of women and human rights violations by the Saudi kingdom.,2011:site.107998 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:01:21 -0800 advertising alberta athabasca canada cancer civilliberties climatechange collusion corporatism email ethicaloil firstnations foia humanrights oil oilsands saudiarabia tar tarsands unitedstates Blazecock Pileon And how much better to die in all the happy period of undisillusioned youth, to go out in a blaze of light, than to have your body worn out and old and illusions shattered. A FOIA request for <a href="">Ernest Hemingway's FBI file</a> has <a href="">revealed</a> that J. Edgar Hoover had placed him under surveillance due to his activities in Cuba. His fear that the FBI was spying on him was previously viewed as a consequence of <a href="">the mental deterioration that eventually lead to his suicide.</a>,2011:site.105185 Sat, 02 Jul 2011 20:24:45 -0800 Ernest ErnestHemingway FBI FBIfile FOIA Hemingway Hoover Hotchner JEdgarHoover redaction wiretap wiretapping wiretaps jeffburdges FOIA request for WI Professor emails A week ago, University of Wisconsin History Professor Bill Cronon wrote a <a href="">blog post</a> about the organization he claimed was driving much of the legislation in Wisconsin: <a href="">ALEC</a>. Shortly after that, he wrote an <a href="">op ed</a> for the New York Times about the legislation. Now, the Wisconsin GOP have sent a FOIA request to the University requesting all emails that Cronon may have sent containing the terms "Republican, Scott Walker, recall, collective bargaining, AFSCME, WEAC, rally, union ..." and others. Cronon <a href="">responds</a>, calling it an "Attack [on] academic freedom". (via <a href="">TPM</a>),2011:site.101873 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:34:58 -0800 academicfreedom FOIA politics wisconsin demiurge Corporations, Don't Take It Personally <a href="">Today the Supreme Court in ruled 8-0 in FCC v. ATT that corporations have no "personal privacy" exemption under the Freedom of Information Act. </a> The opinion <a href="">ended the speculation</a> that the Supreme Court would use this case to take yet another step towards <a href="">equating corporations with actual people</a>. For links to the various briefs, lower court decisions, and a summary of the underlying facts and opinion, visit the <a href="">SCOTUSblog</a>. Prior to the decision, conservative commentators asserted that <a href="">"if decided wrongly, it has the potential to transform the federal government’s Freedom of Information Act into a powerful anti-business weapon in the hands of the left."</a> <a href="">On the other side</a>, organizations such as the ACLU and EFF argued the public has a strong interest in information collected by the government from corporations during investigations.,2011:site.101070 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:02:12 -0800 ACLU ATT EFF FCC FOIA Person Personal Privacy SupremeCourt Muddler Call the wahmbulance? The <a href="">ambulance</a> that was used to carry the body of John F. Kennedy from Andrews Air Force Base to Bethesda Naval Hospital was sold at auction last night for $120,000. Or was it? Members of the <a href="">professional car society</a> who collect and restore ambulances, hearses and flower cars helped to solve this mystery, which had accusations of forgery, FOIA requests, photoshopped pictures and Kennedy family intervention.,2011:site.99806 Sun, 23 Jan 2011 04:37:33 -0800 1963 ambulance asassination auction auto automobile barrett-jackson bonneville car foia jfk kennedy navy pontiac president usn fixedgear "A Death Threat Magnet" <a href="">The FBI has released their extensive files on US Senator Edward M. Kennedy to the public,</a> covering their relationship with him between 1961 and 1985. The seven files, totaling more than 2,200 pages of documents <a href="">reveal</a> (among other things,) the perhaps unsurprising news that the late Senator <a href="">received "scores"</a> of <a href="">death</a> <a href="">threats</a> from radical groups</a>, including the Ku Klux Klan, “Minutemen” organizations, and the National Socialist White People’s Party. The release was initiated by a Freedom of Information Act Request from <a href="">Judicial Watch</a> on May 3, 2010, (Complaint <a href="">pdf</a>) but the FBI gave the Senator's family the <a href="">"rare opportunity" to raise objections before releasing the file</a>.,2010:site.92819 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:06:12 -0800 1960's 1970's 1980's democrat extremists fbi foia freedom government information justicewatch kennedy kukluxklan massachusetts politics radicals secrecy Senate senator supremacists tedkennedy terrorism terrorists threats zarq Journey to the Bottom of the (Cold War) Sea and Back <a href="">Submarine causalities</a> are tragedies of war that are not always directly associated with combat. Systems failures at sea are often mysterious, with evidence and remains disappearing to all but the deepest diving vehicles. This was no different in the Cold War, with non-combat losses from <a href="">the US</a> and <a href="">the Soviet Fleets</a>. In that era of nuclear secrets, both those of <a href="">nuclear-powered submarines</a> and <a href="">nuclear weapons</a>, learning about the enemy's technology was paramount. <a href="">Such an opportunity came to the US with the sinking of K-129</a>, a <a href="">Golf Class II Soviet submarine</a> that went down with 98 men on board. The recovery took over six year, involved the possible payback of Howard Hughes, a <a href="">videotaped formal sea burial</a> that was eventually copied and given to then-President Boris Yeltsin, and decades of CIA secrecy. Part of this story starts with the <a href="">USS Halibut</a> (<a href="">SSGN-587</a>), a sub was initially designed as a diesel-electric submarine but completed with nuclear power. <a href="">The Halibut was the first submarine designed to launch guided (Regulus) missiles</a>, her main deck was high above the waterline to provide a dry "flight deck." After that initial duty, <a href="">John P. Craven, attached to the U.S. Navy's Special Projects office, turned the craft into the first US high-tech spy sub</a>. With the combination of undersea cameras and the <a href="">Bayesian search theory</a> proposed by Craven, the <a href="">USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was found</a>. To this day, <a href="">the cause of loss is officially a mystery, though there are theories</a>, the most prominent including torpedo malfunctions and electrical failure. Craven's successful assistance with locating the USS Scorpion and because the USS Halibut was the most advanced spy submarine in the US fleet, the Halibut went in search of a missing Soviet submarine. First tracked by the US via their <a href="">Sound Surveillance System</a> (<a href="">SOSUS</a>), K-129 was first assumed to be in trouble by US forces when Soviet submarines rushed to sea, unencoded signals called for "Red Star" to respond, and no reply was heard. If K-129 was indeed lost, the US could reap much knowledge if they retrieved the sub first. Craven pinpointed a location, and the Halibut went searching. The crew thought they were looking for a Soviet missile, but when the telling set of grainy photos were developed, it was clear they had found the Soviet submarine, 16,580 feet at the ocean bottom. The crew returned with 22,000 photos, and the money poured into upgrading the Halibut were seen as money well spent. But the K-129 wasn't in hand yet. That would require more serious retrieval equipment. The construction of the <a href="">USNS Glomar Explorer</a> took place in in 1973 and 1974, code-named <a href="">Project Azorian</a>, though <a href="">initial news leaks in 1975</a> called it <a href="">Project Jennifer</a>. The project was funded by the government <a href="">under the guise of a Deep Ocean Mining Project</a>, <a href="">possibly a way for Nixon to pay off Hughes</a> for <a href="">financial debts owed</a>. Requests for information were met with a comment that the CIA could "neither confirm nor deny" its ties to Howard Hughes' ship, in what would become known as <a href="">The Glomar Response or the "Glomarization" principle</a>. Of the documents and findings from Project Azorias, none are as touching as <a href="">the 14 minute video of the US sea burial ceremony</a> for the six Soviet crew members found in 1974 as part of the retrieval of K-129. This video and a Soviet naval flag that had shrouded the coffins of the half dozen Soviet sailors was <a href="">given to President Boris Yeltsin of Russia as a symbol of a new era</a>, when the Director of Central Intelligence, Robert Gates, visited Moscow in October 1992, less than a year into <a href="">Gates' term as Director of the CIA</a>. Parts of the video were featured in <a href="">the NOVA Program "Submarines, Secrets and Spies" (transcript)</a> (<a href="">IMDB</a>) in 2003, and the whole video was made available that same year as part of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. In <a href="">a 2007 ceremony</a>, <a href="">copies of the 1974 video and copied documents on the search and recovery</a> were given to the <a href="">Pacific Navy Museum in Vladivostok, Russia</a>. <a href="">Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request finally released three additional documents in early 2010</a>: "Project Azorian: The Story of the <em>Hughes Glomar Explorer</em>," <em>Studies in Intelligence</em>, from Fall 1985 and two excised memorandums of conversation from 1975 following the leaked newspaper stories. Though heavily redacted, the report made many hazy or incorrectly-cited details clear, including points in the timeline for Project Azorian, but the contents of the submarine remain vague. To this day, <a href="">there are a number of theories for the initial sinking of K-129</a>, including <a href="">an attempted rogue nuclear strike</a>. More interesting tidbits: * <a href="">The Glomar Response is alive and well</a>, upheld by the Second Circuit US Federal Appeals Court in regards to the DOJ and the NSA and details of Guantanamo Bay, with information how to possibly get more than a Glomar'ed reply. * <a href="">The Nova spy submarine documentary, overdubbed in Russian</a> * Another copy of <a href="">Blind Man's Bluff</a> on Google Books, in which you can read more on the Cold War era of spy submarines, as told by various people involved with the US actions. * <a href="">The Mad Genius from the Bottom of the Sea</a> - ideas an interview from John Piña Craven (<a href="">previously</a>) * This post started because of <a href="">an AskMe question from jjjjjjjijjjjjjj about the 1974 sea burial video</a>,2010:site.92308 Thu, 27 May 2010 14:12:09 -0800 burial BurialAtSea CIA ColdWar Craven FOIA Glomar GlomarExplorer halibut JohnCraven K-129 megapost Nova ProjectAzorian Russia sailor SeaBurial SovietUnion spy submarine submarines UnitedStates USA USSR filthy light thief ACPO: We're Private, You're Public? What is the <a href="">Association of Chief Police Officers</a> (ACPO)? It is a private company, financed by UK taxpayers, <a href="">immune from freedom of information requests. </a> It dictates police operations and <a href="">sells police national computer data.</a> It may also be engaged in <a href="">covert </a><a href="">domestic surveillance </a>of what it deems as <a href=""> <a href="">extremists:</a> antiwar protesters, strikers, and others. According to an ACPO spokesperson ""there doesn't seem to be a single, commonly agreed definition."</a>,2009:site.79291 Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:59:49 -0800 acpo associationofchiefpoliceofficers FOIA freedomofinformation police profiteering protesters spying terranova Who said what now? <a href="">Wired: Obama Sides With Bush in Spy Case.</a> <em>"The Obama administration fell in line with the Bush administration Thursday when it urged a federal judge to set aside a ruling in a closely watched spy case weighing whether a U.S. president may bypass Congress and establish a program of eavesdropping on Americans without warrants."</em>,2009:site.78549 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:08:12 -0800 bush CanYouHearMeNow change congress davidkravets FOIA kravets obama president ruling spies spy Surveillance warrant warrantless what wired wiretapping blue_beetle The Open Government Act <a href="">Secrecy no more?</a> The first major overhaul of the Freedom of Information act in years is <a href="">awaiting President Bush's signature.</a> It will finally create an "independent" government agency to handle to disputes between records holders and information requesters. The passage of the act comes after, ironically, after an Arizona senator used a "secret hold" to block the bill. He was <a href="">ferreted out </a>by a group of journalists.,2007:site.67605 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 06:34:07 -0800 arizone bush foia government publicrecords secrecy spj nospecialfx freedom of information <a href="">Do you have an FBI file</a>? Or <a href="">do your grandpa and grandma</a>? "Find out now by ordering a copy of their FBI files and learn a bit more about your family history. Best of all, it's free! (Well, except for the cost of a postage stamp.)" <em>This web site helps you generate the letters you need to send to the FBI to get a copy of your own FBI file. While we're at it, we can generate request letters to some other Federal agencies besides the FBI that you may be interested in (or who may have been interested in you!). </em> <a href="">FAQ </a>page. <em>Get Grandpa’s FBI file because if you never ask, you’ll never know. Did Grandpa Joe run a gambling ring? Did Aunt Mary ever lead an antiwar protest? Did Cousin Gary smuggle booze during prohibition?...</em> <em>What if I still don't trust you with my personal data? No problem. Just go to the <a href="">FBI FOIA web site </a>and <a href="">work directly with the FBI</a>. We flatter ourselves to think that our site is a little easier to use and may be more likely to get you the records you seek, but hey, we've been there, we understand if you don't trust us. </em> If you want to find out the Social Security number of a deceased person, sometimes it's easy to find by going to <a href="">RootsWeb</a> and in the Search Roots Web box on the left, type the name of the person, press enter. From the<a href=""> Project of Government Oversight page</a>. The <a href="">FBI also has a famous persons files page</a> and check out the histories of Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe, among others. <a href=""> Previously </a>on the blue,<a href=""> 2</a>, <a href="">3</a>, <a href="">4</a>,<a href=""> 5</a> and <a href="">the green</a>.,2007:site.66142 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 06:00:32 -0800 FBI FOIA nickyskye John Young of Cryptome: The man behind the world's most dangerous website <a href="">When journalists from Radar Magazine interview John Young</a></a> of <a href=""></a>, Young <a href="">suspects he is actually being double-crossed</a> by <a href="">MI6</a> agents.,2007:site.64381 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 08:51:01 -0800 cryptome espionage foia magazine spying deern the headlice Senator Secrecy <a href="">A senator places a secret hold on a bill designed to counter secrecy in government</a>. The <a href="">Society of Professional Journalists</a>, which supports the bill, smoked out <a href="">Senator Jon Kyl</a> (R-AZ) as the source of the hold, one of the more obscure parliamentary tactics possible in the Senate. The bill in question is the <a href="">OPEN Government Act of 2007</a>, which is an overhaul of the Freedom of Information Act. (<a href="">See also.) </a>Kyl claims the bill would force the <a href=",,-6674433,00.html">release of "sensitive information." </a>Kyl is also behind a <a href="">measure that would criminalize the leaking of classified information</a>.,2007:site.61698 Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:39:27 -0800 foia freedomofinformation kyl opengovernment secrecy senate spj beagle [Obligatory reference to song lyric with Sunshine in it.] <a href="">Same Old Dogs, Same Old Tricks.</a> In a <a href="" title="rare act of bipartisan cooperation, the House of Representatives passed a group of bills">rare act of bipartisan cooperation, the House of Representatives passed a group of bills</a> strengthening the FOIA (<a href="" title="HR 1309">HR 1309</a>), streamlining access to Presidential Libraries (<a href="" blank_ title="HR 1255">HR 1255</a>), and expanding safeguards for whistleblowers (<a href="" blank_ title="still in process, HR 985">still in process, HR 985</a>), with those that were passed having a veto-proof margin. The <a href="">White House sharply criticized these acts of transparency</a> as unconstitutional, a threat on the established separation of Powers, and as a threat to national security [<a href="">pdf</a>]. All of which heralds back to an earlier time, that <a href="">looks</a> <a href="">vaguely</a> <a href="">familiar</a>...,2007:site.59473 Thu, 15 Mar 2007 09:17:01 -0800 antonscalia dickcheney donaldrumsfeld FOIA geraldford leaks NYTimes sunshineweek rzklkng You can read this but then I'll have to kill you <a href="">The NSA Bibliographies</a> <a href="">The NSA</a> internally publishes thousands of papers every year, on every topic from spycraft to cryptography to physics & aliens (no, really!). Each year the titles of these papers gets indexed & those indexes are also published internally. The Memory Hole has made a successful FOIA request for a large number of these, spanning almost 50 years. We don't get to see the actual papers, but just the titles are fascinating - including such page turners as "Computer Virus Infections: Is NSA Vulnerable?", "KAL 007 Shootdown: A View from [redacted]", "NSA in the Cyberpunk Future", "Telephone Codes and Safe Combinations: A Deadly Duo", "Coupon Collecting and Cryptology", "Cranks, Nuts, and Screwballs" & my personal favorite, "Key to the Extraterrestrial Messages". When you're done browsing the titles, there's a sample form you can use to request some of the documents yourself!,2006:site.55231 Mon, 02 Oct 2006 11:41:18 -0800 aliens cryptology cyptography espionage foia intelligence nsa osint spy scalefree Me and My Shadow. <a href="">Some old news regarding Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.</a> Further proof that tigers don't change their stripes.</a> <a href="">Tiger Force</a> in <a href="">operated in Vietnam</a>, led by the recently-deceased Colonel David Hackworth), with the task of out-guerilla-ing the guerillas. Their attrocities were covered up by Cheney, Rumsfeld, and <a href="">James Schlesinger</a>, who <a href="">most recently headed an independent panel probing Abu Gharib</a>. Others incidents inside...,2006:site.52899 Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:22:53 -0800 Abu Cheney FOIA Ford Gharib history Nixon repetition Rumsfeld rzklkng Known Searches <a href="">The CIA is publishing their top 25 searched-for phrases</a> on the CIA's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) site. Looks like people are still spooked by UFOs, the Soviet Menace, and JFK. I guess some people think that <a href="">it could still happen here</a>.,2006:site.52153 Wed, 07 Jun 2006 16:07:47 -0800 cia communists foia search mathowie Freedom of Information Act <a href="">Request information</a> using the Freedom of Information Act with this handy form put together by the<a href=""> People For The American Way</a>,2006:site.49674 Thu, 02 Mar 2006 13:05:03 -0800 act american FOIA freedom information of Mr_Zero | http://www.metafilter.com/tags/FOIA/rss | dclm-gs1-207350000 |
0.160731 | <urn:uuid:80007edf-fc2d-4091-af08-a1e114971717> | en | 0.978341 | Gun-Rights Activists Take Aim at Cops With Misleading Video
| Wed Jan. 23, 2013 5:01 AM GMT
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While Smith comes across in the video as a largely harmless victim of an overzealous cop, the legal case Florida Carry is currently pressing involves a bona fide felon, highlighting what's at stake in the proceeding. Anthony Mackey was hanging around outside a Miami apartment building in 2010 when a police officer drove by and noticed the handle of a gun sticking out of his pocket. The officer confronted Mackey and, after a pat-down, found the gun. He arrested Mackey, who was convicted of illegally carrying a concealed weapon; because he had a prior record, he was also convicted of possession of a gun by a felon. Mackey is appealing that conviction, arguing that because carrying a concealed weapon is legal in Florida, the cop who stopped him performed an illegal search. Mackey didn't have a concealed weapon permit, but he and his supporters argue that the police officer should never have stopped him in the first place because simply standing around with a gun on one's pocket isn't necessarily against the law. For all the police knew, his gun could have been legal.
Despite its pro-gun reputation, the state of Florida isn't buying this line of argument. In fact, the state attorney general, Pam Bondi (generally a revered tea party figure no less), argued that it's not only proper but also legal for officers to assume that anyone carrying a firearm is a felon. She writes in a brief:
[A]n overwhelming majority of Floridians are not licensed to carry concealed weapons. As of August 31, 2012, the number of concealed weapon or firearm permits issued in Florida is 971,263. Where Florida had an estimated population of 19,057,542 in 2011, the percentage of the population that is licensed to carry a concealed weapon is only five percent (5%). Given the small percentage of the population that is licensed to carry a concealed firearm, the overwhelming majority of firearms, or 95%, are not licensed to be concealed. Thus, an officer’s suspicion that a firearm is not licensed would be reasonable because, in any given case, there would be, statistically speaking, a 95% likelihood of illegality.
The brief has earned Bondi the wrath of many of the same people who used to worship her after she took Florida's Obamacare challenge all the way to the Supreme Court. Now they're calling for her ouster. The case is set for oral arguments this spring. Meanwhile, Florida Carry is contemplating a lawsuit against the Citrus County sheriff's department because of the incident on the video, so even if the activists lose in Mackey, they'll be aiming to try again, and this time, perhaps, with a far more sympathetic victim.
| http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/01/florida-gun-rights-activists-police-video | dclm-gs1-207410000 |
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Brokedown Palace Movie Poster
Plot, Details & Awards
Brokedown Palace
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, drug related material and some violent content.
PG-13 In Theaters 08/13/1999 , 100min.
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Plot & Details
Two carefree Americans embark on an overseas vacation that soon becomes a nightmare in this powerful drama. Alice (Claire Danes) is a headstrong teenager who wants to do something different to celebrate her high school graduation, so she persuades her more reserved best friend Darlene (Kate Beckinsale) to join her on a trip to Bangkok. While enjoying sun and scenery, Alice and Darlene meet Nick Parks (Daniel Lapaine), a charming Australian who shows them the sights and sweet-talks Darlene into a romantic assignation, which is something of a surprise to her bolder friend Alice. Nick then suggests that they join him on a side trip to Hong Kong, but they soon discover that Nick's interest has been neither friendly nor romantic: he has hidden a large amount of heroin in their luggage and is using them as drug runners without their knowledge. When the heroin is found by customs officials, Alice and Darlene are quickly tried and sentenced to 33 years in a hideous prison known to inmates as Broke-Down Palace. Their plight comes to the attention of "Yankee Hank" (Bill Pullman), a renegade American attorney in Asia, but while Hank struggles with the court system to get Alice and Darlene released, they must deal with the living hell of life behind bars, and their own doubts about each other. Brokedown Palace was directed by Jonathan Kaplan, who previously dealt with judicial injustice in The Accused and teens in difficult circumstances in Over the Edge.
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I'm Derek and I hate doing these things. I never know what to say.
I'm a geek. I enjoy playing videogames, reading fantasy/sci-fi books, and messing around on or inside a computer. I guess this is the first thing you should know about me because you'll find out sooner than later.
And if this whole thing seems randomish, it's cause I'm just putting down whatever pops into my head. I tend to overthink things.
I also play D&D. I was introduced to it at a young age and I've been playing off and on since then. I mostly play the old version but I've tried the newer ones. Not my cup of tea.
I love coffee and tea. I can't go a day without one or the other. Loose leaf tea is the best.
I'm very much in tune with my inner child. I still have a wild imagination and get excited over simple joys. I think it's sad that so many people lose those things.
I love the ridiculous and preposterous. Action movies where a man jumps from a bridge with an axe and lands on a robot while an explosion occurs behind him will make me giggle.
I enjoy books and games where I can be immersed in their world and truly forget about reality. Fallout, Oblvion, Skyrim, Wheel of Time series are all great examples.
Just because I'm a geek, doesn't mean I don't like sports. I like football the most, but I will watch basketball when it's on. I try to really get behind the strategies of football. My favorite teams are the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns, the Indians and the Cavs. I also follow Clemson, Oregon, Cincinnati university and a couple of MAC teams.
I'm honest. Very honest. Sometimes, it gets me in trouble. With the questions on here, I gave absolutely honest answers. There's a couple that I know would look better if I had fibbed about it, but there's no point. If I'm not honest, I'm not only cheating someone else, I'm cheating myself.
I try to be funny a lot. I like to make people laugh. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people laugh. Preferably with me, not at me. Or at my expense. My sense of humor is....something you'll have to figure out.
And if you have read this far, congratulations! Your long journey is over. You are free to click that X by the tab, or the message button, or the save as favorites button, or any button really. It's YOUR computer. Do what you want with it.
Still here? I guess I could say something MEANINGFUL in my last paragraph.
What I’m doing with my life
I'm re-evaluating my life and getting ready to go back and try college again.
I’m really good at
Listening and talking things out. My friends use me as a therapist sometimes.
The first things people usually notice about me
It depends on the person and what they're looking for. Usually it's my green eyes or my long eyelashes.
Favorite books, movies, shows, music, and food
Shows: Doctor Who, Lie to Me, Eureka, Firefly, Family Guy, How It's Made, The Cape, Walking Dead, The Booth at the End, The Cleveland Show, Southpark.
Music: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Into Eternity, Atreyu, As I Lay Dying, The Showdown, Blind Guardian, Demons & Wizards, Blindside, Cage, Queensryche, Dimmu Borgir, Elvenking, House of Heroes, Nightwish, Within Temptation.
Games: Black Ops, NCAA football, Skyrim, FFXIII, Oblivion, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Magna Carta 2, Blue Dragon, Left 4 Dead, Dead Island, Madden, Alan Wake.
Food; Anything that isn't spicy, I will try.
The six things I could never do without
Since everyone puts friends and family I'll choose some other things.
1. My books - I'm an avid reader
2. My Xbox - I've been playing videogames since I was a little kid.
3. My laptop - I have all sorts of things on my laptop that would be devastating to lose
4. Someone to talk to - I'm usually a very social person. I'm at my happiest when surrounded by a lot of people.
I'll add more as I think of it
I spend a lot of time thinking about
A whole bunch of stuff. My mind never sits still.
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Hanging out with my family.
The most private thing I’m willing to admit
would no longer be private? I guess I will admit that I was addicted to speed when I was 17. But all it took was one ambulance ride and I was clean after that.
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Soda 3D PDF Reader v5.0.30.11889
Soda 3D PDF Reader is yet another tool designed to help you view PDF files. But if you've already tried more than enough of these, keep reading - this one has a couple of twists which means it stands out from the competition.
The "3D" in the name refers to a neat visual effect when you're reading, for instance: the file can be accessed in a dual-page view, like a book, and as you drag with the mouse (or tap the keyboard) so a realistic animated page turning effect sees you move through the document (see the screen grab for a mid-turn example). It's only eye-candy, but is still very nicely done.
And if you're willing to register the program by passing the developers your name and email address, then they'll send you an "unlock" code which also allows you to create PDF files of your own. Office addins enable you to build PDFs directly from Word, Excel or PowerPoint, and a "Create PDF" option from within the viewer also means you can convert Office documents, images, text, ComicBook files (CBR, CBZ) and 300+ other formats to a PDF equivalent.
As PDF creation tools go, this is extremely basic: you can't password-protect your files, configure any security settings, or tweak them in any way. You also don't get any PDF editing or annotation options - these are reserved for the commercial Soda PDF Professional. Still, if reading is enough then Soda PDF does a visually appealing job, and it does make creating PDFs particularly easy.
Please note, Soda PDF comes bundled with the AVG Security Toolbar. If you're not interested, pay attention during setup and make sure you only install what you need.
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Windows 8 Help
Screen stretched in Win8 on Dell laptop
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I just installed Windows 8 on my Dell Laptop. It's all working well, but the screen is stretched so all the squares are rectangles and the circles are oval. I only have the choice of 2 screen resolutions, and they both look stretched. Help Please?
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Sounds like the graphics drive is not installed or is corrupted, have you rebooted since you installed Win8. click the windows + C key on your keyboard to bring up the charms bar, go to settings, then down the bottom click change pc settings then go to Windows update that will be at the bottom of the list, you can also go to device manager using the charms bar and see if there is a yellow exclamation mark next to your graphics card.
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Re^3: CGI::Application and subroutines
by Kanji (Parson)
on Dec 11, 2005 at 07:52 UTC ( #515800=note: print w/ replies, xml ) Need Help??
in reply to Re^2: CGI::Application and subroutines
in thread CGI::Application and subroutines
Unless you start messing around with print (which I wouldn't recommend until you understand CGI::App more), CGI::App will only display what you explictly return from a runmode.
So to show the results of another sub that your runmode calls, you need to get it's results into your runmode's return:-
# Perhaps like this... return errorhandler(\@errors) . "here2: " . Dumper(@errors); # ...or this... my $errors = errorhandler(\@errors); return $errors . "here2: " . Dumper(@errors);
Update: s/would/wouldn't/;
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Evil Deeds began five years ago as a blog about forensic psychology, anger, violence and the destructiveness of human evil. It has since evolved to more broadly cover related and relevant topics such as mental health, spirituality, psychotherapy, psychopathology, creativity, and the archetypal quest for meaning and purpose.
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0.080059 | <urn:uuid:f605ef8e-b9f4-40f9-87b0-003a01f700cb> | en | 0.974862 | Travel Troubleshooter: Missed his flight; now he's missing a refund
Published: Sunday, Jun. 16, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 3H
I was recently diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm and my surgeon told me I wasn't fit to travel. I had a ticket on British Airways to attend my daughter's wedding. Because of this life-threatening condition, I couldn't use my tickets.
I've contacted British Airways numerous times by phone, fax and email, requesting a refund or a voucher. It's been almost six months, and I have not received an answer. Can you help me get a response from British Airways?
,– Gavin King, San Juan Bautista
I'm sorry to hear about your medical condition, and hope you're feeling better. I'm also sorry that you missed your daughter's wedding. British Airways should have answered your request for a refund or voucher, of course – even if it was to explain that it couldn't do either. I'm puzzled that it wouldn't even give you the time of day.
Here's what appears to have happened: You were flying on a nonrefundable ticket, you had to have surgery, and you missed your flight. Either British Airways didn't receive your voucher request before the flight, or it got the message after it left (at this point, it doesn't matter). You were listed as a "no show" and the airline kept your money. It's allowed to do that, by the way.
I reviewed your written correspondence, and while you're clear and concise about what happened, you're also borderline demanding. While I can understand your frustration, it's always best to approach a request like this with your politeness-meter turned all the way up. Not because they deserve to be treated with extra deference (they don't always) but because it's more effective.
There's no excuse, on the other hand, for British Airways' delayed response. Even if you were completely obnoxious, you're still a customer.
I'm not sure if travel insurance would have helped in this situation. Many policies have pre-existing conditions clauses, and a clever claims adjuster might deny your claim because the condition that caused the aneurysm existed before you purchased the policy. I'm no doctor, but I've seen things like that happen.
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0.082031 | <urn:uuid:4a073b79-9c2d-4401-99e2-2fc68bbe4952> | en | 0.966352 | GOP not full of racists
Aug 29 2013 - 3:13pm
In response to the writer of the Aug. 28 letter calling the GOP, "racist fuddy-duddies" ("GOP full of racist fuddy-duddies"). That accusation is as ignorant as any republican, democrat or independent politician threatening to vote against anything the President sends their way. I hope I can jog the writer's memory regarding what party has historically been the "civil rights party" for most of our country's history.
First, the Confederacy was mainstream Democrats while the majority of Union politicians were mainstream Republicans lead by a president of the same party. Second, during the Civil Rights movement, support came from mainstream Republicans while segregation movement was supported in majority by mainstream Democrats including he late Virginia senator, Robert Byrd, who in fact ,was a member of the "KKK".
If we interview most of the educated conservative minorities, we find a consensus that most of the liberal support of minorities is to increase entitlements, reduce the size of the middle class and gain more votes for their cause, which will increases their own power.
Let's face it, most politicians within both parties are losing sight of the fact that they work for us! "...Government of the People, by the People, for the People...". Oh, wait, that was spoken by the same president who implemented the "Emancipation Proclamation."
M. Blake Knight
North Ogden
From Around the Web | http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/08/29/gop-not-full-racists | dclm-gs1-207880000 |
0.066211 | <urn:uuid:7ecab544-36c4-40ae-a10f-112dbc8fb24e> | en | 0.936604 | Answer for:
Using Netgear switches to distribute internet to separate groups
Message 7 of 7
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Yes, but be aware that...
FVS318G NAT throughput is 25 Mbps
FVS336Gv2 NAT throughput is 60 Mbps
FVS318N NAT throughput is 95 Mbps
...the router should be as fast or faster than your Internet connection.
...although I just tested FVS318N with the latest firmware, and there seems to be a few bugs, the most obvious of which was constant DNS lookup failures even when DNS Proxy was disabled - you can disable the wireless completely - but I'd stay away until a better firmware is out.
Cisco ASA 5505 throughput is 150 Mbps
Cisco ASA 5510 throughput is 300 Mbps
Be aware that you can have multiple VLANs on the GS724TP, but if you only have two interfaces in a non-VLAN-aware router (the LAN port and the DMZ port) then that's the max number of VLANs you can create that will actually route traffic out to the Internet.
If you wanted to have multiple VLANs on the switch, that all route out to the Internet, you'd need one of the following...
- a firewall with more than 2 interfaces
- a switch with routing capabilities, Netgear calls these "fully managed" switches like the GSM series
- a router that supports VLANs and trunking (multiple VLANs in one port) | http://www.techrepublic.com/forums/questions/using-netgear-switches-to-distribute-internet-to-separate-groups/post-75d56a42-d1a5-11e2-bc00-02911874f8c8/ | dclm-gs1-207950000 |
0.063535 | <urn:uuid:1c814ec6-971d-4f42-882a-82d8dc4ae4b3> | en | 0.984182 | Turnin away from desire ... we’re less likely actually to be having sex, and we’re certainly not talking about it.
Turning away from desire ... we’re less likely to be having sex, and we’re certainly not talking about it.
Almost as soon as couples sit side by side on the sofa in my therapy room, they start to pour out the details of their latest rows, each other's bad habits, miserable childhoods and mutual recriminations. It's easy to get caught up in the drama acted out in front of me and to forget to ask about the one subject that they almost never volunteer: sex. And when I do bring up the state of their love life, they exchange embarrassed glances, as if asking each other's permission to speak.
However, when I probed deeper, neither Sarah nor Jake could remember the last time they had had sex. It soon became clear they were in what sex therapists call a "sex-starved relationship" - which means less than 10 times a year. (Low sex is defined as only every other week.) Worse still, their love life had been dwindling over a long period - "probably since after we got married," admitted Sarah - and, although they had sought advice from a fertility clinic, they had waited five years before seeking help from me.
This couple are by no means unique. While our culture becomes more sexualised than ever before, we're less likely actually to be having sex, and we're certainly not talking about it - even to professionals like myself. I call it the silent epidemic.
After 25 years as a marital therapist, I was not surprised by last week's findings from the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, which canvassed 15,000 people and found that Britons aged 16 to 44 are having sex on average fewer than five times a month. When they asked the same question 10 years ago, it was just over six times. What's the problem?
"I'm afraid we didn't get a chance to do our sex homework," said Kate, 50, another of my patients. (I had given them a sensual touch exercise.) "We just didn't have the time."
"We did go to bed early last night especially, and then our daughter remembered that she needed to hand in her homework and Kate went off to type it up for her. Then, when she came back to bed, she was too tired," explained James, 53. Although their daughter was 17 - and more than capable of doing her own typing - Kate found it impossible to say no, even to a request at 10pm.
"Kate can say no to me," noted James, bitterly.
"But you want our daughter to do well," Kate snapped back. Once again, being a great mum and dad had trumped being a loving husband and wife.
"They could knock and shout fire."
When we looked deeper at her resistance, I found a far bigger problem. Carrie was outsourcing responsibility to her partner for her sex life - and then being angry when he did not deliver. "I need him to turn me on and bring me out of mummy mode," she explained. "Otherwise I'm running over a list of what they need for school tomorrow and what I have for their packed lunches."
Meanwhile, her husband, Mike, also 38, was fed up with being the one to initiate sex. "It's me who always risks being rejected and repeatedly turned away. How does that make me feel about myself?"
In effect, he had outsourced his self-esteem to Carrie. "If we do have sex - which is hardly ever - I'm walking around with a big smile on my face for the rest of the day and I'm even more effective at work too."
His wife tried, but failed, to console him: "But if Brad Pitt walked in to our bedroom naked, I wouldn't be interested ... "
Ultimately, we have to be responsible for getting in the right mood for sex ourselves - by learning to switch off from everyday concerns and not needing constant reassurance from partners.
Unfortunately, there are lots of myths about desire and sex that make this extremely hard. The most pernicious is that sex should be spontaneous. So when I suggest planning as one of the bridges from the everyday world of children, bills and chores into the sensual world of lovemaking, I meet plenty of resistance - even though we're happy to book concert, theatre or plane tickets and arrange to hook up with friends in advance rather than on the spur of the moment.
Partly it's a hangover from our Victorian past, where sex is OK as long as we're swept away on a wave of passion - and not fully responsible. However, it's also down to something else. Sheila, 58, said: "What if we plan but I'm not in the mood for sex?"
Sheila and Patrick had been together for more than 35 years, their children had grown up and Patrick's work was becoming less demanding. They should have been having the best sex of their marriage, but they had fallen into another trap that promotes low sex: all or nothing. They either had full intercourse or stayed over on their own side of the bed.
"I have to be sure that I'd be able to deliver," Patrick explained, "because I didn't want to start and not be able to finish, and actually I didn't think that Sheila was interested in sex."
"I thought he was too tired from work or depressed or having an affair and not interested in me," she replied.
I could think of nothing sadder than both wanting sex but not being able to talk about it for fear of upsetting the other. So I initiated a program to break "All or Nothing", where they would cuddle on the sofa while watching TV, giving permission for a cuddle to be "just" a cuddle. Therefore, when Sheila asked what to do if they planned an early night and they weren't in the mood, I turned the question back to her to answer.
"We could put on relaxing music and dance and cuddle, or have a hot bath together," she replied, "and who knows? We might get into the mood, or we could just enjoy being intimate together."
Interestingly, she had challenged another myth about sex: you either feel desire or you don't. In reality, desire takes time to build and it comes and goes (sensual touch is a great way both to enter into the zone and to bring it back if distracted).
Ultimately, what counts is the quality rather than the quantity of sex. So please don't feel that you have to hit a national target. However, if you'd like to improve your frequency, instigate this simple plan. Flirt with your partner during the day - send sexy texts, exchange private jokes and compliments - so you build a sexual connection. Co-ordinate bedtimes and body clocks, so you go to bed and get up at the same time, to maximise the possibility of sex and, finally, switch off electronic devices in the bedroom (and that includes the TV) so you don't undo all your good work.
Andrew G. Marshall is a marital therapist and author of I Love You But You Always Put Me Last: How to Childproof Your Marriage (Macmillan).
The Sunday Telegraph
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Mar 14 g commented on Gaydolph Hitler, World's Most Notorious Bi-Phobe, Helps Out a Young Bisexual.
@52: Thanks for the clarification.
Mar 12 g commented on Gaydolph Hitler, World's Most Notorious Bi-Phobe, Helps Out a Young Bisexual.
I know I'm going to get torn a new one for trying to, well, say just about anything, since this is the internet, but oh well. Anyway, I feel like there's an attitude, and part of what I remember Dan going on about over the years, that bisexuals take the chickenshit route and "hide in heterosexuality." But I think there's merit to what some people have said in these threads about coming out as bisexual not being the same thing as coming out as gay, or publicly identifying as gay or straight. This seems incredibly obvious, but I don't know if it is, so: if you are gay and you don't come out, you are by definition living a can't tell people about who you are dating or who you love. If you are bi and in a relationship people assume you to be either gay or be monosexual. Good or bad. Democrat or Republican. Top or bottom. We're just a binary world for the most part, so let's not pretend that's not so. It just is what it is. A bi man who is in a long-term relationship with a man doesn't have the same incentive to run around telling people he's also attracted to women that a gay man would have for people to know he's gay. He's not hiding who he loves if he neglects to tell people that. People who meet him and his partner don't automatically know he's bisexual. If he was with a man they would assume he dated men and that he was gay and would probably be right about the former and quite often right about the latter. If he was with a woman, the same for the straight side. But for bisexuals it's just not the same. Just living your life openly if you're a monogamous bisexual person isn't an act of being out.
It doesn't mean that bisexuals shouldn't come out. But it's not the same as sharing your orientation is for monosexuals. It's just not. To pretend that it's simply a matter of wimping out or "hiding in heterosexuality" (or monosexuality, more accurately) ignores the complicated reality of the situation. If a bisexual is always open about who they are dating, isn't that living as out of a life as out homosexual or heterosexual people do? It seems that bisexuals are being asked to be *more* out than monosexuals in a way.
Anyway, just some thoughts. Some probably way too obvious everybody-already-knows-this thoughts. Except that it seems like not everybody does. Anyway, I apologize if they came out imperfectly.
And, Scary, you seem to be saying "no conversation." I'm trying to participate in a conversation, so I think I'll ignore your request, thanks anyway.
Slog is Dan's personal blog? And did you mean "whiners"? Didn't realize I was whining. Just trying to, y'know, share an opinion in the comments, like bloggers generally want people to do. Sorry to hear that Dan doesn't give a shit about what I, specifically, post. Thanks for speaking for him. I guess I better shut up and go away now. But before I do, can I ask what the point of YOUR post was? No back and forth allowed here in your opinion? Just chime in and praise whoever writes whatever Slog post we're discussing? Sounds pretty boring.
And since I remember that last time I posted a little snark in one of the 37 threads like this I got a heartwarming "fuuuuuuuuuuuck you" from Dan, I'll say something more direct and sincere. Well, I would if @34 and @38 hadn't gotten there first and so eloquently. Okay, I'll try anyway. Yes, Dan, you've done a lot of good. "It Gets Better" is obviously great, and kids in the heartland being able to read your column is a good thing. But I really don't understand your blindness on this issue. This whole recent spate of posts was started when you linked an article and wrote a headline something like "Closeted Bi Complains About Bi Invisibility" and then proceeded to act offended when a few people thought you were being unreasonable to post the story with such snark yourself, and further to accuse the writer of being closeted when she was writing for publication and signing her name. You seemed, in her case, to be saying that if she hadn't been out since puberty, fuck her. I've been reading your column on and off since The Stranger started and I used to cringe at your incessant "bi's don't exist" stuff, which you wrote for YEARS, and which continued well into your radio show years. I understand that you've evolved a bit, but then again, here you are incessantly posting these "woe is me" posts about how maligned you are by bisexuals, or how if someone bi like the above letter writer supported you, then anyone who has an issue with what you've said at times should be ignored, is unreasonable, is against you, etc. It just feels, as someone else said, immature, and also frankly kind of petty. And it feels like something someone would do if, say, they still held these biases against your issues with the topic can't help but bubble up to the surface. I hope you can read this (and the posts from those much more articulate than me) and understand that to take issue with some of your words on bisexuality is not to think you're "Gaydolph Hitler." It would be nice if you could manage to actually engage some of these comments instead of being so dismissive.
Biphobic? Some of my best friends are bi!
Mar 6 g commented on Chatterbox: The Internet Is Talking About Republican Racists and the Alleged Bitcoin Guy.
Nobody bothered by the tons of auto-tune in the Annie trailer?
Mar 3 g commented on SL Letters & Tweets of the Day: An Enemy of the Bi People.
How many more posts you going to do complaining about how maligned you are by the horrible, overly-sensitive bisexuals, Dan?
Feb 17 g commented on SL Letter of the Day: Time to Expunge.
Although maybe that was some kind of satirical comment regarding that post's question that I am too tired to parse correctly. So I withdraw. However, not so sure bringing up some kind of groping fantasy with one's date = acting like a rapist. So, maybe I'll stick with my first instinct: if someone acts like a troll, they're probably a troll.
Feb 17 g commented on Rich People Willing to Pay $60 for a Pound of Coffee, Just to Remind Themselves How Rich They Are.
They're all over eBay. I saw some in a thrift store awhile back and had a sudden rush of remembering that they even existed. You'd need to get some really shitty powdered creamer and maybe some Sweet n' Low packets to go with 'em.
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Hugh Laurie Spotted at LAX
4/7/2009 2:31 PM PDT BY TMZ STAFF
Hugh Laurie, 49, knows TSA won't let you bring a piece through airport security.
Launch PhotosIs there any Propecia® in da "House?"
No Avatar
I honestly think it's the studio that hides his bald spot and not him. He doesn't seem to care much about his appearance from what I've read, and more power to him for not buying into it. He's very talented and humble and well-spoken.
1805 days ago
I want to work for TMZ, love the show and I think the surfer dude is adorable.
1805 days ago
If how one looks from the rear is THAT important, than Cutty should be the star of House. She has the butt of a goddess.
1805 days ago
Carrys F.
This is a "story" and tmz staff called ME retarded the other day? Yeah. I'm the moron. I think useless stories about the obvious are stupid.
1805 days ago
Carrys F.
Hey, too fast. Haven't seen you in awhile!! Good to see you back. How sad is it that I find YOUR posts among the most interesting? I need a new hobby.
1805 days ago
Well, slap my ass and call me Sally.....
1805 days ago
I bet I can figure out why they never show his bald spot on House and it's not because HE asked for it.. it's because there arent any stupid ass cinematographers with nothing better to do trying desperately to get the worst pic of him possible on set. QED bitches!!!
1805 days ago
Oh and I hope toofastforyou finally catches a disease from all the sex everyone but them is having while theyre waiting in quiet desperation for a new article to comment third on claiming to be "first again suckers". Ive heard people die from sitting in front of the computer for days on end drinking red bull and their kidneys fail from it... why can't that be you?
1805 days ago
Ewwww.....he looks like Beetlejuice in that second pic with those bulging eyes.
1805 days ago
Oh no this cant be! Is HUMAN and he has hair loss! What has the world come too? Its the first person in the world we have ever seen that is NOT perfect. Grow up people, big deal he is losing his hair, he's human and human things happen to him. Wow Big shocker.
1805 days ago
Who cares. I have already knew he wore small wig for the tv show and awards for a long time.
1805 days ago
KATHY =( ^-^ )=
AHHHH.I love him.. He is so adorable,charming ,all that. Hell with the lack of hair in the back.. Those blue piercing eyes are here to stay... And both his normal English accent,and "House" American accent...Love him!!! Just want to hug him.. yummy...
1804 days ago
Guys, that's rediculous. You judge a man by the amount of his hair. Even if he gets completely bald, he will still be the same great actor. As simple as that.
1804 days ago
He's still sexy. Hair or no hair. Go Hugh! Ignore the shallow losers.
p.s. Toofastforyou-- Don't you feel foolish when you claim to be FIRST when in fact you're not? You my dear are pathethic. Is attempting to be FIRST on here the only thing you're good at? Sad. Also is there a prize for being FIRST? It's silly -- who gives a sh!t?
1804 days ago
I wanna do nasty things to him.....HES HOT!
1804 days ago
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She was actually hired through an "agency" that provided the do***entation for her and she looks completely legal on paper. Would she be paid that much money if they knew she was illegal? Doesn't matter anyways because California welcomes the illegals and in much of the state it is illegal to even question their citizenship. Brown is just an old washed-up politician using the same old washed-up tricks to win. It's clear now that the woman is here illegally and she had forged do***ents. Why isn't she on that plane back to wherever? Miami is the new California.
1264 days ago
Jerry Brown and Gloria have stooped to the lowest level of decency...
1264 days ago
Now lets see, this is the Jerry Brown who received campaign contributions and fundraiser Gloria Allred, who is the same one that did the October surprised which was later found "without merit" on Arnold when he ran for Gov. The same Gloria Allred that was a Hilary Clinton delegate, then an Obama delegate, supported and fundraiser for Barbara Boxer. The same GLoria Allred that does campaign opposition research for most democRAT campaigns! Yep I am sure this case if "for real" and without biasis. When the extreme left wing NPR radio won't carry the story, the LA Times story and SF Comical won't carry or bury it deep, you know they can smell a Allred Political "rat" at work. It is just sad that TMZ is falling for this crap. This is about as real at Heidi and SPencer divorce which TMZ also apparently thought was "for real". Come on Harvey, stop buying the crap that these democRATS's keep putting out, unless you are one of them also!! Please, say it ain't so Havey
1264 days ago
And yet the Californians keep voting in the liberal quacks and eating up their BS. Too late now. California's policies were written to bring the state down and they were successful. Last American please lock the door on your way out.
1264 days ago
I Chinee
The illegal mexican lady looks like that mexican guy from the movie Devil with a wig on! LMAO!
1264 days ago
"She treet me like garbage!!!" wailed Nicki. Hmmm...que lastima.
1264 days ago
Meg says she will fix unemployment and then says she will lay off thousands of state workers. Isn't that what they call an oxymoron? She says she will send water from No Cal to So Cal, how is that going to fix anything? She can't even get her sorry fanny down to a polling booth vote, because she was too busy. I'm busy too, but you can bet I'll be there in November to vote. LOL, I bet Meg finds the time to vote too, for herself.
1264 days ago
chuck Rapoport
In 1974, Brown was elected Governor of California, succeeding the Republican Governor Ronald Reagan, who was retiring from office after serving two terms, and who had become governor after defeating Brown's father, Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr., in the 1966 election. Jerry Brown took office on January 6, 1975.[6]
Upon taking office, Brown gained a reputation as a fiscal conservative.[7][8] The American Conservative noted he was "much more of a fiscal conservative than Governor Reagan."[8] His fiscal restraint resulted in one of the biggest budget surpluses in state history.[8] He was both in favor of a Balanced Budget Amendment and opposed to Proposition 13, the latter of which would decrease property taxes and greatly reduce revenue to cities and counties. When Proposition 13 passed, he heavily cut state spending and used much of the surplus his government had built up, roughly $5 billion, to meet the proposition's requirements and help offset the revenue losses.[9][8] His actions in response to the proposition earned him praise from Proposition 13 author Howard Jarvis who went as far to campaign for Brown's successful reelection bid in 1978.[9]
1263 days ago
chuck Rapoport
For your information, Bippy, Gov. Brown's nickname of "Moonbeam" was a derogatory hit on him when he nearly saved the people of California from ever paying income tax again. In the mid-1970's. a far-thinking Brown was tipped off by Silicon Valley constituents about a new technology involving man-made space satellites. If the State of California invested in putting one into the skies, they could then "rent" the use of them to future broadcasters and other industries that would utilize them. Thn Gov. Brown asked the legislature of a billion dollars do fund the development and launch of this satellite saying that the hundreds of billions of dollars that California could receive in return could effectively replace most of the State income tax needs. An anti-Brown columnist dubbed Brown Gov. Moonbeam as the concept of man-made satellites being a source of income was laughed at. Jerry Brown happens to be one of the smartest persons we've ever had as governor but he can only get done what the least of the legistlators can understand.
1263 days ago
Allred: sleazy lawyer
Brown: sleazy lawyer
Meg: CEO
1263 days ago
sick & tired of the democrat's shannigans
How interesting that you chose to go after your former employer 5 weeks before the election. Given Gloria A's reputation and history & Jerry B jumping on this whole issue so quickly, I have absolutely no doubt that that this whole situation is a well calculated and sought after set up. Sorry Jerry & Gloria but you are both whores and need to be stopped. Nothing against Nicky Diaz but I am sure I am one of a multitude of people who have no doubt you are being used to promote the agendas of these other two people, that you are using this for your own financial gain, and, more likely than not, to take advantage of their promises to you to help you stay in the country legally.
The only difference between you and hundreds of other illegals is that you ended up in Meg Whitman's household. My question to Meg & her husband is why didn't they turn you in when they foumd out you were an illegal. That way you could not have come after hem in such a shoody and obviously politically motivated manner?
What is really sad about this is that it is "antics" like this that undermine the efforts of all of the Latinos who have come into the country legally, worked their tails off to provide a better standard of living for their families and bring incredible credit to their families and their heritage!
1263 days ago
go Jerry Brown.!
1262 days ago
Gloria Allred is a liberal bottom-feeder and left-wing nutcase, big supporter of Jerry Brown, she is doing all she can to try and help him. She is protecting an illegal over an American citizen. She should be disbarred. Why are illegals allowed to have lawyers at the expense of Americans?
Has Attorney General Jerry Brown filed charges against the illegal fraudster housekeeper? And if not, why not?
Has another "deal" been made by the corrupt Obama administration? Did they meet with Jerry Brown and Allred to offer Nicky amnesty in exchange for political gains by the Brown campaign? Democrats will say or do anything to hang onto the Latino votes --- EVEN IF IT MEANS SELLING OUT THE REST OF AMERICA TO DO IT.
We need to make them enforce the law. Illegal means unlawful. The housekeeper needs to be prosecuted OR be sent back to her homeland.
1262 days ago
The state is going to hell in a hand bag,and all we talk about is nanny-gate. what a bunch of b.s.
1261 days ago
Around The Web | http://www.tmz.com/2010/09/29/jerry-brown-meg-whitman-maid-undocumented-worker-california-governor-candidates/6/ | dclm-gs1-208100000 |
0.018263 | <urn:uuid:b7d4156e-b0bc-40f4-bcb2-0377cee0c25d> | en | 0.952812 | "No Ordinary Sidekick"
There's tension between George and Jim on this episode, while Stephanie and Katie find themselves also at odds over a personal matter. Elsewhere, JJ discovers a weakness in his powers.
"No Ordinary Anniversary"
"No Ordinary Accident"
Jim loses his powers on this week's installment, while Stephanie tries to determine why. Elsewhere, JJ is caught hacking into the school's computer system.
"No Ordinary Mobster"
Uh-oh. Jim's secret life is at risk this week, as he attempts to take down a dangerous mobster who has eluded George for a long time. Elsewhere, Stephanie keeps investigating Dr. Volson's previous research of an unusual plants.
"No Ordinary Visitors"
Stephanie's parents show up this week, and they aren't huge fans of Jim. Elsewhere, Jackson Rathbone shows up as a classmate of Daphne's whose parents are the victims of a home invasion.
"No Ordinary Quake"
Jim tries to figure out the cause of recent earthquakes on this episode, while Stephanie starts to suspect that JJ has powers. Elsewhere, Daphne suspects a student and teacher might be having an affair.
"No Ordinary Vigilante"
Jim is mistaken for a vigilante this week, as he tries to protect citizens in the park. Elsewhere, Daphne uses her ability to get herself invited to a high school party.
"No Ordinary Ring"
Jim and George crash a wedding in order to recover Stephanie's ring this week. Elsewhere, JJ asks Daphne to read the mind of a girl to see if she likes him.
"No Ordinary Marriage "
A mother in the neighborhood convinces Stephanie to help out with school fundraiser this week. However, a bank robbery gets in the way.
"Series Premiere"
The Powells take a family vacation on the series premiere of No Ordinary Family. It leaves them with unusual abilities, and starts a whole new life for every member. | http://www.tvfanatic.com/shows/no-ordinary-family/episodes/page-2.html | dclm-gs1-208130000 |
0.025858 | <urn:uuid:f81cfd1b-ddf5-4baf-b14f-64ef2d68ba1d> | en | 0.849121 | First: Mid: Last: City: State:
Danille Proescher
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Name/AKAsAgeLocationPossible Relatives
1. Proescher, Danille Houston, TX
View Details | http://www.usa-people-search.com/names/p/Danille-Proescher | dclm-gs1-208150000 |
0.564384 | <urn:uuid:ca9b17c9-54e1-46d6-9343-7cfe37b8e428> | en | 0.893149 | Velocity Reviews
Velocity Reviews (
- Python (
- - RE: Python Global Constant (
Michael Chermside 07-09-2003 12:48 PM
RE: Python Global Constant
Krisztian Kepes wrote:
> How [do] I create an global constant in [a] module [that] is
> accessable in from other modules ?
Christoph Becker-Freyseng replies:
> What about using __builtins__ wouldn't make this the constant
> really global?
While adding it to __builtins__ *would* work like you're thinking,
it's not necessary, or appropriate. Python provides lots of ways
for "power users" to "get under the covers" and change things.
This is useful in those situations where you really need it (some
other languages provide NO way to get at fundamental language
features), but such deep black magic should be reserved for those
cases when you really need it. Modifying __builtins__ definitely
falls into such a category: if you aren't sure whether you need
to do it, then you don't. If you *think* you need to do it, then
you shouldn't. If you understand what's going on so well that you
are *certain* that you *must* modify it to achieve what you want...
well, go ahead!
In this case, the OP (original poster) was asking about a very
common and straightforward situation: module level constants that
need to be visible from other modules. There is a standard and
straightforward way to create these: just assign a value to the
variable in your module, then use it from other modules by
importing the module. Spell the variable with ALL_CAPS to clearly
mark that it is intended to be a constant and others shouldn't
modify it. You'll need to watch out for cyclic import dependencies,
but other than that this is a really easy solution.
Now, some might complain that the variable isn't "constant"...
spelling it with all caps tells others that they SHOULDN'T modify
it, but doesn't PREVENT them from doing so. Really, that's a lot
like the issue with __builtins__ that I mentioned above. It's very
Pythonic to have a clear *indication* that something shouldn't be
messed with (being in all caps or marking with double underscore),
but not to *enforce* it -- if someone wants to change it they do
so at their own risk. However, if you REALLY wanted to keep them
from changing the "constant" (perhaps it controls the security
level for running untrusted code) there are ways to do so -- check
out the Python Cookbook for some examples.
-- Michael Chermside
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0.083226 | <urn:uuid:49f264d1-f062-46c8-88fb-f40ce35d473c> | en | 0.987616 | The Miseducation of Elaine Bartlett
New York's war on drugs held her hostage for 16 years. A story of prison, politics, and one woman's pride.
Judge John Clyne asked the bride and groom if they had any last-minute words before he sentenced them. "I still say that I'm not guilty and I did not make a first-degree sale, a felony," Elaine told the judge. "I feel that I am being railroaded and doing someone else's time. . . . George Deets . . . [is] the one that should have sat in this court and been tried for this matter, not me or Nathan Brooks."
Inside the Albany County courthouse, Elaine's judge was known as "Maximum" John Clyne, and today he lived up to his nickname. The Rockefeller drug laws required Judge Clyne to send the newlyweds to prison for at least 15 years. For reasons he did not bother to explain, the judge tacked an extra five years onto Elaine's sentence. He hit Nate even harder, handing him a prison sentence of 25 years to life. For their honeymoon, Nate and Elaine went to the visiting room of the Albany County jail, where they spent an hour talking on a phone, separated by a thick pane of glass.
The Only Hope
September 16, 1995
Elaine tried to hide her shock when she walked into the visiting room at Bedford Hills and saw her mother. Diabetes had long afflicted her mother, Yvonne. In recent years, Yvonne's kidneys started failing, she became wheelchair-bound, and doctors amputated half her foot. Yvonne had always been a big woman, six feet three inches and 450 pounds. Now she was only 78 pounds.
Like her daughter, Yvonne was fiercely proud. She didn't let people see her cry, and she never talked about her problems. "It's going to be all right," she'd say. "Don't worry. Keep your head up." But today, Elaine could see tears in her mother's eyes. Yvonne rolled up her sleeve and showed Elaine the scars her dialysis treatments had left.
"You still look pretty," Elaine told her. "You still look good to me."
"Stop lying," Yvonne said. "I look like shit. I wish somebody would take care of me. I wish you were home to take care of me."
Yvonne had always taken care of everybody. When Elaine went to prison, her four children moved in with their grandmother. For nearly 10 years, Yvonne had brought the kids to prison every weekend to see Elaine. And when she became too sick to ride the train, Yvonne would pay a friend with a livery cab $70 to drive to Bedford Hills and wait while she and the children visited.
Of Yvonne's seven children, Elaine was the eldest daughter. Elaine had been only eight years old when her father died, and she became a sort of second mom in the house. She would take her younger siblings to school and to the doctor's office, and also to Coney Island and the Bronx Zoo. Elaine tried to keep playing this role even after she went to prison. When her mother's health began deteriorating, Elaine researched medications in the prison library, phoned Yvonne's doctors, and berated her sisters for not taking better care of their mother.
Despite Elaine's efforts, her family was falling apart. All four of her brothers were now dead or caught up in the prison system. Ronnie, 34, died of AIDS in 1992. A few months later, Frankie, 36, was fatally stabbed on his way home from delivering pianos. Kenneth joined a Boston drug gang as an enforcer and got sent to prison for murder. And Don Juan had recently finished a 10-year prison term for robbery. Elaine's sister Sabrina had begun smoking crack after she lost a baby to crib death. And now Michelle, the youngest sister, was raising her five children as well as Sabrina's four kids.
As the years rolled by, there always seemed to be more bad news. The number of secrets everybody was keeping grew, creating walls so high that sometimes Elaine felt as though she didn't even know her own family. At times, she thought, all their relationships seemed to be built entirely on a single, reassuring phrase: "Everything's all right." Things would go awry—her mother would go to the hospital, a brother would get arrested again—and nobody wanted to tell Elaine. She already felt completely helpless, they thought, why make her feel any worse?
Elaine, too, had a stash of secrets she couldn't share. She no longer ironed off her inmate number, but she never got used to the fights, the frisking, the way officers spoke down to her. She never got used to the the ritual that followed every trip to the visiting room, when she would have to strip off her clothes, press her palms against the wall, and spread her legs. And depending on the guard's mood, Elaine might also have to cough and squat, to prove that she wasn't hiding drugs.
Every morning, Elaine stared in her cell mirror and wondered, "Is it me that's going crazy, or is it everyone else around me?" She heard about other women swallowing safety pins, eating glass, dragging razor blades across their wrists. One day, she watched an inmate climb onto the hospital roof. A guard grabbed her foot, but she unlaced her shoe and jumped, landing on a mattress and barely surviving.
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My Voice Nation Help | http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-10-18/specials/the-miseducation-of-elaine-bartlett/3/ | dclm-gs1-208190000 |
0.083799 | <urn:uuid:18bf6689-be92-4d09-b0a2-c548ee07d5b7> | en | 0.98502 | WICHITA, Kan.—There are some coaches in college basketball who always seem composed. They may be churning below the surface, but outwardly they're calm, keeping everything bottled up until a player makes an errant pass or an official's call goes the other way.
Gregg Marshall is not one of those coaches.
The sixth-year coach of Wichita State is the fly that fell in the can of Red Bull, perpetual motion personified. He stalks the sidelines in his jet-black suit for 40 minutes every night, his screaming voice augmented by his flailing arms and stomping feet. He'd be wasting his time if he wasn't talking to four people at once—calling for a sub, conferring with an assistant, ripping a referee, all while ordering up the next play.
"We don't always do things perfect, and when we don't, he can get loud," admitted Carl Hall, a senior forward. "But he just wants to win. That's him. He's all about winning."
He's been doing plenty of that lately.
The Shockers rose to No. 20 in the polls and first place in the Missouri Valley after a dramatic win over then-No. 12 Creighton last Saturday. Now at 18-2 after beating Missouri State on Wednesday night, they're well on their way toward a fourth straight season of at least 25 wins, and their second consecutive NCAA tournament berth.
They've beaten mid-major darling VCU on the road, Iowa on a neutral floor and Southern Miss—another NCAA tournament-bound team—at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita.
They're also perfect at Koch Arena, their raucous on-campus home.
"Since I've been here, we've been first or second in the Valley. We've always had winning teams," said Demetric Williams, a senior guard. "That's our expectation."
Even when injuries ravage the team, that didn't change. Three starters went down during a week in December, and only Hall has returned. Sharpshooter Evan Wessel had season-ending surgery last week, and versatile guard Ron Baker isn't expected back until February.
Not that it matters much to Marshall. He'll coach whoever is on the floor.
"Coming into this year, we were picked fourth in the Valley for a reason," he said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Losing four seniors off the NIT championship team two years ago, and then losing five seniors last year who happened to be our five leading scorers—we've lost nine starters in two years who were all valuable, core guys.
"We liked our recruiting class and we liked some of the guys we were redshirting, and coming in, but at the same time, they weren't proven here. So it was a fair prediction. That was one deal," he added. "And then the three injuries, that's another adversity, a stressful unknown."
They've managed to overcome it with one of the most diverse rosters around.
Somehow, they found their way to Wichita State's low-key, brick-and-mortar campus, nestled within a working-class community on a wind-swept prairie in south-central Kansas.
"It's pretty incredible what Gregg Marshall has done in his time there," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said, "with his personnel changing every year it seems."
"I enjoy all my teams," Marshall said, "but some are a little harder to deal with, some a little more reluctant to accept coaching. But the other day, I found myself really enjoying practice. And I'm not a smiling, happy-go-lucky guy at practice. It's a time to work, to improve, to get better. But the other day, I thought, 'Man, this is fun.'"
That's a sentiment echoed by folks all over town.
Truth be told, it's been that way for years.
The Shockers were a dominant program during the 1960s, led by Hall of Fame coach Ralph Miller and buoyed by stars such as Dave "the Rave" Stallworth. They were No. 1 for a short time during the 1964-65 season, ultimately losing to John Wooden's UCLA team in the Final Four.
After a few down years, Wichita State regained national prominence in the late '70s behind future NBA players such as Xavier McDaniel, Antoine Carr and Cliff Levingston. Mark Turgeon arrived in 2000, ushering in seven more years of prosperity.
"We were there for nine years," Marshall said. "There were other jobs offered to me that were a little bit better, and I wasn't interested. And I almost stayed at Winthrop. I had a 10-year contract on the table when I left. They were going to put my name on the court, but the caveat is I would have to be there 10 more years, and I didn't want to do that."
Instead, he wanted another challenge in a new environment.
Marshall rises from his seat during an hour-long interview in his office—he's always on the move, after all—and starts pointing out mementos from his coaching career.
There's a framed picture of him holding his son, Kellen, after Winthrop won its third Big South championship. The boy had predicted that the first team to 67 points would win, Marshall explained, and in the background the scoreboard reads, "Winthop 67, Radford 65."
In the corner of Marshall's office sits a surfboard from a trip to the Maui Invitational. Basketballs painted to mark milestones crowd a shelf behind his cluttered desk. The dry erase board is crammed with the names of potential recruits, the Xs and Os of a game plan, a breakdown of an opposing team's roster and enough statistics to make a sabrematrician shudder.
Marshall insists he's not a sentimental person, despite all the keepsakes. But that would help to explain why he spent so many years in Rock Hill, S.C., and why he's turned down offers to leave Wichita State for higher-paying jobs in marquee conferences.
Besides, Marshall said, he has a seven-year contract in the seven figures that rolls over every year, and there's something to be said for stability. Another good recruiting class is coming in next season, and with a few returning stars, the Shockers' momentum appears to be building rather than petering out.
"You can't buy happy," he said with conviction. "Winning is important to me. We've proven we can win here. And so it would have to be really, really special." | http://www.yorkdispatch.com/sports/ci_22442341/websubscribe | dclm-gs1-208270000 |
0.08628 | <urn:uuid:1fc7d18a-aa2f-448b-8a37-427cea36e2c8> | en | 0.976343 | Tunisian assembly approves new government
Tunisian assembly approves new government Tunis: Tunisia's constituent assembly overwhelmingly approved the north African country's new government, two months after the first free elections since its January revolution.
The line-up unveiled Thursday by Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party was approved yesterday in a confidence vote with 154 in favour, 38 opposed and 11 abstaining, after a full day's debate.
Among the leading cabinet appointees, Ali Larayedh, a former political prisoner and senior Ennahda official, was tapped as interior minister and Rafik Ben Abdessalem, son-in-law of Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi, was named foreign minister.
The creation of a new government is a major milestone for Tunisia following the popular revolt against Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, who had been in power for 23 years, that began in December 2010.
It triggered what became known as the Arab Spring -- uprisings across the region that also led to the overthrow of veteran dictators in Libya and Egypt.
Ben Ali ultimately fled to Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia has charged him in absentia with many crimes including murder.
Ennahda emerged as the largest party in the October 23 vote, winning 89 of the 217 seats in the constituent assembly, which elected Moncef Marzouki of the Congress for the Republic party as Tunisia's president.
The assembly's main task now is to write a new constitution.
Jebali on Thursday vowed to make job creation and reparations to victims of the ousted regime among his key priorities.
Tunisia is in the midst of an economic crisis, with unemployment running at 20 percent while economic growth is expected to be a sluggish 0.5 percent for 2011. | http://zeenews.india.com/print.aspx?nid=748434 | dclm-gs1-208320000 |
0.037152 | <urn:uuid:d3138e4c-7986-4a14-860b-8991ad260a8c> | en | 0.871913 | Skip to content
This repository
Webmachine-based administration interface for Riak.
Travis-CI ::
What is Riak Control?
Note on Supported Browsers
Riak Control does not currently support Internet Explorer.
How Do I Start Riak Control?
By default, Riak Control is disabled. There are a few, simple steps to get it up and running.
Modify the Node’s app.config File.
Riak Control is completely managed through the app.config file for Riak. Riak Control requires SSL for authentication purposes and therefore you will need to enable HTTPS, SSL, and riak_control.
Enable HTTPS and SSL in riak_core:
In the riak_core section of app.config, there should sections for HTTPS and SSL commented out. You will need to uncomment them back in.
WARNING: In order for your node to be accessible via HTTP and the riak_control admin panel to be available via HTTPS, you will need to change the HTTPS port to something else:
{https, [ {"", 8069} ]}
You will also need to generate your own self-signed certificate ( or modify the app.config to point to your own:
{ssl, [ {certfile, "./etc/cert.pem"},
{keyfile, "./etc/key.pem"}
SSL with Intermediate Authorities
If you are using a certificate that includes an intermediate authority, include the `cacertfile` key and value:
{ssl, [
{certfile, "./etc/cert.pem"},
{cacertfile, "./etc/cacert.pem"},
{keyfile, "./etc/key.pem"}
Enable riak_control and setup basic authentication
In the riak_control section of app.config, first you’ll need to make sure that it is enabled:
{enabled, true}
Next, you’ll need to specify the style of authentication you would like performed when accessing the admin panel. Currently the only valid authentication styles are ‘userlist’ and ‘none’.
{auth, userlist}
If you choose ‘userlist’ as your authentication method, you need to also create one. You specify a list of usernames and passwords (as plaintext) that your administrators will use to connect to the admin panel.
{userlist, [{"username", "password"}, ...]}
Finally, the Riak Control admin panel is broken up into several sections, each can be toggled on and off. Currently, the only section is the ‘admin’ section. You need to ensure that it is enabled.
{admin, true}
Start or Restart Riak
Once the above changes have been made, you can now start or restart your Riak node. You will then be able to access the admin panel by pointing your browser to it:
In the above URL, it was assumed that 8069 was used as the SSL port in your app.config file.
What Information Does Riak Control Provide?
The Riak Control admin panel is broken up into several sections.
This is a quick “health check” for your cluster. If Riak Control finds anything worrisome, it will let you know and provide links to pages where you can diagnose and/or fix the problem.
If a node is running Riak pre-1.1, it will be listed as incompatible in the Riak Control interface. While in this state, Riak Control will be unable to retrieve and display statistics and configuration for that node.
Cluster Management
The Cluster Management page gives you the ability to add the node running Riak Control to an existing cluster, or to join standalone nodes into the current cluster. Cluster Management also provides an overview of claim, and the current cluster configuration, allowing you to stage changes to the existing cluster and commit the staged plan once confirming the staged cluster.
Node Management
The Node Management page gives you an overview of how much memory your nodes are using, what percentage of the ring they claim ownership of, and the ability to mark a failed node as down, or stop an individual node.
Ring Overview
The Ring Overview gives you a quick glimpse into all the partitions in your ring, what nodes own them, whether they are offline, handing off data, and what services are currently running on them (e.g. kv, pipe, search).
You can quickly filter the partitions and see only those you are interested in.
Something went wrong with that request. Please try again. | https://github.com/basho/riak_control/tree/1.4.0 | dclm-gs1-208340000 |
0.059381 | <urn:uuid:d0ace64b-20ae-40a3-8822-25811154fd17> | en | 0.776739 |
Não conseguimos localizar o iTunes no computador. Para ouvir um excerto e comprar música de Soft Commands de Ken Stringfellow, descarregue o iTunes agora.
Tenho o iTunes Descarga gratuita
iTunes para Mac + PC
Soft Commands
Ken Stringfellow
Crítica do álbum
Ex-Posies frontman Ken Stringfellow returns for another round of intricate pop/rock confections with the FM-ready Soft Commands. This time around, the singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist broadens his horizons with forays into Burt Bacharach soft rock, soul, and even dub. Writing and recording all over the world — New York, Senegal, Stockholm, Seattle, Paris, Vancouver, and Hollywood — Stringfellow has concocted a frustratingly obtuse record that's as beautiful and bold as it is shapeless and erratic. Soft Commands plays like a compilation, taking on Jackson Browne pop ("You Drew"), experimental reggae ("You Became the Dawn"), and heavily orchestrated Phil Spector bliss ("When You Find Someone") with varying results — the latter sounds like a sequel to the Walker Brothers' 1966 classic "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore." Stringfellow's crystal-clear vocals have always been among his stronger attributes, and they couldn't be any better on tracks like the gorgeous and epic closer "Death of a City," but when he attempts a multi-note soul croon on the bluesy "Let Me Do," the cool confidence that rings true within the confines of his pop material is rendered shaky and thin by a milieu he may be better off appreciating from afar. Soft Commands is full of the intricate arrangements and clever wordplay that power pop fans have come to expect from the artist, and nowhere is that more apparent than on the serpentine rocker "Don't Die," a heavy, complex, and blissfully Posie-esque rumination on death that requires several listens before attaching itself to your brain like a remora to a shark. It's a reminder that despite the occasional deviation, Stringfellow is still capable of balancing beauty and danger within the confines of the four-minute pop song, and for fans of melodic rock everywhere, that's a damn good thing.
Nascimento: Outubro/10/1968 em Los Angeles, CA
Género: Rock
Ken Stringfellow is co-founder of one of the most critically acclaimed power pop bands of the '90s, the Posies, which he formed in 1989 with Jon Auer. Based in Bellingham, Washington, the two created a demo tape in Auer's parents' basement and sent it to PopLlama Records in Seattle. The tape was well-received, and the duo ultimately released it as the Posies' first album, Failure. They signed with Geffen's DGC label and released three albums that were revered by music critics while going unnoticed...
Biografia completa
Soft Commands, Ken Stringfellow
Ver no iTunes
Classificações do cliente
| https://itunes.apple.com/pt/album/any-love-cassandra-et-lune/id6546937?i=6546915 | dclm-gs1-208350000 |
0.033584 | <urn:uuid:45fcc6fa-2fe9-4c56-bf25-c689a7e91b7d> | en | 0.977334 | Shared publicly -
Great column by Rahm Emanuel in WSJ about Chicago's new partnership between community colleges and employers. Favorite quotes include:
"The Chicago area has near 10% unemployment, but more than 100,000 unfilled jobs."
"at a time of high unemployment, more than 80% of manufacturers say they can't find skilled workers to hire."
"Recently I met a young student at a public-transit stop who was commuting from Harold Washington Community College, where he goes to school, to his night job at a department-store warehouse. Riding from downtown to the Southside, studying along the way, that student, like millions of Americans, is doing his part to ensure he has a shot at a good job. But those of us in government have not been doing our part to meet him halfway. We need to guarantee that the diploma he earns has economic value. I want that student to worry only about doing well in his classes, not about whether the skills he gains in those classes will earn him a job."
"I hope that cities across the country will follow Chicago's model. If we revive and modernize our training programs to match the needs of our high-growth industries, our community college system can catapult millions of people into employment and into the middle class, as it has done for generations of Americans."
Let's hope this initiative succeeds and is a model for other communities...
Add a comment... | https://plus.google.com/113901041381644461053/posts/da8szBbbGVy | dclm-gs1-208380000 |
0.040351 | <urn:uuid:518bf5cd-d6eb-4d7a-8141-72f915981bb7> | en | 0.976406 | 1 So then, what more is the Jew, or what is the usefulness of circumcision?
2 Much in every way: First of all, certainly, because the eloquence of God was entrusted to them.
3 But what if some of them have not believed? Shall their unbelief nullify the faith of God? Let it not be so!
4 For God is truthful, but every man is deceitful; just as it was written: "Therefore, you are justified in your words, and you will prevail when you give judgment."
5 But if even our injustice points to the justice of God, what shall we say? Could God be unfair for inflicting wrath?
6 (I am speaking in human terms.) Let it not be so! Otherwise, how would God judge this world?
7 For if the truth of God has abounded, through my falseness, unto his glory, why should I still be judged as such a sinner?
8 And should we not do evil, so that good may result? For so we have been slandered, and so some have claimed we said; their condemnation is just.
9 What is next? Should we try to excel ahead of them? By no means! For we have accused all Jews and Greeks to be under sin,
10 just as it was written: "There is no one who is just.
11 There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks God.
12 All have gone astray; together they have become useless. There is no one who does good; there is not even one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues, they have been acting deceitfully. The venom of asps is under their lips.
14 Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood.
16 Grief and unhappiness are in their ways.
17 And the way of peace they have not known.
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Loading reference in secondary version... | https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/42/rom.3.cpdv | dclm-gs1-208410000 |
0.707279 | <urn:uuid:4f50e7cf-404c-4946-9b3f-b90d314b8c70> | en | 0.994331 | Broken Smile.
She smiles constantly at him, but he doesn't like her smile, because it's lying. He knows she smiles at him because she feels that, as his wife, she ought to smile, even if he's not looking at her. He doesn't like it because he knows that even if she smiles, her eyes will be sad, so very sad; and that there'll be nothing he can do.
He often wonders why she doesn't tell him her secrets; why she'd rather watch over the garden and bestow her sighs and tears upon flowers and sunsets that will never answer back, but he doesn't force her to answer.
Hisana is a mystery wrapped in everyday usual things; the pouring of a cup of tea, tying his obi, bowing her head carefully at his words.
At night, she does search his embrace. Carefully, hesitantly, her rough and scarred hands move over his face and neck and shoulders and he opens his eyes to look at her and then she smiles as she whispers an apology for waking him up.
He does like that smile because even if it's an achingly raw one that kind of breaks her (sometimes he thinks it might even cut him, if he's not careful around its sharp broken edges) it's a real one, an honest one, so he sits down and embraces her, feeling her tears against his skin, and finds comfort on the way her imperfect hands wound themselves over his nemaki and, even if it's only for a small moment, he's able to comfort her in a way nothing and no one else does.
Byakuya never held Ryuka's hands and he didn't let her touch him. At times, when she was sitting over the garden and he was watching her, he wondered if she was whispering her sorrows to a flower or the sunset or to something or someone that he wouldn't be able to know once again.
He never turned to look at her smile, just so he could be certain that he wouldn't be finding an endless blue sadness inside them and if watching her growing up ached, he paid it no notice.
"Nii-sama!" Rukia cries, worry clear over her face as she kneels by his side. It's strange to think that it's the very first time since he adopted her into the Kuchiki family that they're actually this close.
He's surprised to find out that her hands and Hisana's are the same: warm, small and comforting in their non-softness.
Byakuya looks towards the girl that calls him brother, to the girl his wife had entrusted to him and as he feels her holding his hand tightly, he finally closes his eyes and allows himself to rest. | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2997997/1/Broken-Smile | dclm-gs1-208460000 |
0.051342 | <urn:uuid:13b975ab-23f9-4b26-80dc-5cea1dd40502> | en | 0.985482 | Chapter 1: The Titans are Rising
"When there's trouble," Robin smiled with confidence, "you know who to call."
Everyone smiled back at him, everyone, except Raven.
"Who says we have to wait till there's trouble?"
"What?" asked an extremely confused Beast Boy.
"Think about it, two veteran heroes both arrive in a city where an alien race comes to invade? We probably saved a lot of lives and saved this city a lot of damages."
"Hardly call us veterans," Robin mumbled.
"You trained under Batman, correct?" Raven argued.
"Yeah, but-"
"And you worked with the Doom Patrol," she pointedly looked at Beast Boy.
"Yeah," he admitted.
"It's clear you, Starfire, and you, er,-"
"Call me Cyborg, might as well."
"Er, Cyborg. It's clear you two also offer a certain level of strength; you handled yourselves well when we were fighting. I don't know about all of you but there's a possible team here," Raven blushed suddenly. "I'm sorry, I don't usually ramble so much."
"I like it," Beast Boy said, "It would be really nice to be part of a team again, the whole solo hero thing really isn't for me, dude."
"I don't know," Cyborg argued, "I don't really 'do' the whole vigilante justice thing."
"Like I said earlier," Robin agreed, "I just went solo. I'm really not ready to take orders from anyone again."
"Why don't you give the orders then?" Raven reasoned.
"Yes!" Starfire approved, "You had directed us very well in battle, Friend Robin! I believe Friend Raven is making an excellent argument and I am in agreement with her."
"Er, sure," Robin said with a slight blush.
"Cyborg?" Beast Boy begged.
The cybernetic teen sighed, "And just how do you propose we do this whole 'team' thing. You just moved into town and there's no way ya'll are gonna fit at my dad's apartment."
Robin sighed, "Actually, I might be able to pull some strings and get us an actual base-"
"Dude!" BB interrupted, "We gonna get to walk in the Batcave!?"
Robin glared at him.
"What if we were to build this 'base' here, on this island?" Starfire asked.
"That's not a bad idea," Cyborg admitted.
"Dudes! We're totally forgetting the most important part of being part of a superhero team!"
"And what is that, Friend Beast Boy?"
"Team Name!" Beast Boy beamed.
"Teen Titans," Raven suggested quietly.
"What was that Rae?" BB asked.
"Please don't call me Rae, it's Ra-ven, and I said Teen Titans. Could you imagine being compared to such powerful ancient beings? Their only downfall was the birth of Zeus and the Olympians, though I doubt that any of us would be having kids since we're all 'teens' here, I think."
"I'm fourteen, but I'll turn fifteen later this year!" BB said.
"Fifteen" Robin said simply.
"I believe I am approximately fifteen Earth years as well!" Star exclaimed.
"Sixteen" Cyborg said.
"And I'll be turning fifteen pretty soon," Raven added. "Now that that's settled, we could change the name, I mean nothing's set in stone with our little group here."
"I like it," Robin said suddenly. "It's the kind of name that demands respect."
"Plus it sounds cool, too!" BB added.
"Like I said, though, nothing's set in stone here; any of us could back out if we want."
"Do you?" Cyborg accused.
"No," she whispered quietly.
"So we're all in then."
"Um, quick question!" BB raised his hand for effect, "How exactly are we gonna build a base on this island?"
"We'll have to get the right papers, but as far as the construction goes..." Robin's voice trailed off.
"We could build a Tower," Cyborg suggested. "Titans Tower. I used to read 'bout forts and things in school; towers were supposed to be super imposing and could frighten enemies very easily."
"That could work, but let's not try to over use the catchy alliteration, it's giving me a headache," Raven said.
Robin gave a dry laugh, while Star and BB looked confused. "Alliter- what?" BB asked.
"I know just who to go to to help build it," Cyborg said with a grin.
"So that's settled," Robin agreed, "How bout we find a place to stay until then?"
The group, the Teen Titans, all nodded in agreement as Raven got ready to phase them off the island.
Victor Stone, now Cyborg, stood in front of S.T.A.R. Labs of Jump City, recalling the accident that had taken his humanity and nearly his life, so many years ago. Of course, his father's quick thinking was what had saved him, but there were still those days when Cy wished his mother had been the one to be saved, and the resentment towards his father, for not making what Victor thought should have been the right choice, was unbearable some days.
But he was never one to dwell on mistakes of the past for too long. And the building of this tower was the perfect way to start smoothing things over with his father.
Cy walked into the building to be quickly spotted by Dr. Stone.
"Hey dad, long time no see. Look, I got us a project that I need you to help me with."
"What type of project?"
The newspapers had been a-buzz all week with talk of a new team to protect Jump City. The five teens had already been awarded with medals of honor for scaring off the Gordanians, and Jump City was thankful for all the media attention for finally being recognized as an important technology and trade center. Rumors had been spread that Wayne Enterprises was looking into setting up a new West Coast outpost if the arrival of these new 'Teen Titans' had any substance to their rumors, which, as we know, they did.
The Weekly Jump had speculated that Wayne Enterprises was even funding the S.T.A.R. Labs engineers to design the new Titans Tower, but these went unconfirmed, and really, the people of Jump were simply thankful for the protection the superheroes would be offering.
Jump had already had a history of strange villains and lots of crime, but the city had been deemed to small to be of any serious significance, hence, most superheroes opted to protect the bigger cities.
The construction was going much faster than anyone could ever have thought possible, and the Titans had already proven themselves to the police force that they could handle all the really petty theives and common street thugs, Jump City was already cleaned up of any non-metahuman crime, and any of the smart 'baddies' hadn't shown their faces in quite awhile. Of course, the not-so-smart ones did eventually show up to ruin the fun.
Cinderblock had been known to cause some trouble all around Jump, seemingly without any sense of direction or motive other than to simply cause chaos.
Here, the Tower was about two Blocks into its construction, about 2/7 of the way done, and the big behemoth had reared his ugly head to try and slow down the fast working crews.
The crews, being the sensible people that we all know the residents of Jump City to be, cleared out faster than Robin could utter a "Go!" This left the area clear for Cinderblock's path of destruction to be further unhindered by those pesky, yet easily dealt with, bystanders.
Our favorite Titans reached the scene fairly fast, seeing as how they weren't the ones overlooking the construction directly.
"Alright Titans, we need to figure a way to subdue him," Robin stated, watching the behemoth throw some important equipment around.
"Simple," Cyborg offered, "we beat the stuffin' outta him, and send him to that new maximum security prison."
"I think Robin means an attack plan," Raven commented dryly, watching the monster throw some titanium beams together and then into the bay. Now that she had gotten used to her new teammates, Raven wasn't acting as shy as she had first appeared to be.
Cyborg sweat-dropped, "I knew that…"
"I believe the Cinderblock does not appear to be thinking through his actions," Starfire observed as the monster once again rammed his head straight into the unfinished tower.
"Yeah, this dude's got to be a push over. Let's take 'em down!" BB yelled as he lept up to transform into a pterodactyl and commence the battle.
"Wait!" Robin tried to order, but his command fell on deaf ears as Cy and Star joined in.
"C'mon Boy Wonder," Raven said, "If you can't beat them, join them." With that she flew off, hand outstretched toward a black-encased steel beam that was making it's way to Cinderblocks head.
Robin merely glared as he extended a bo-staff to join in the fight.
BB had been knocked aside at first, but was soon back up as a rhino to charge when there was a clear path.
Cy and Star had been using the monster as target practice for their respective sonic canon and starbolts.
Raven's construction beam met it's mark and now their enemy was slightly dazed. Robin threw a couple smoke pellets to further disorient him.
"Beast Boy! Go!" Robin half ordered half yelled across the battlefield.
The green rhino didn't hesitate to plunge headfirst into Cinderblock. After he was down, BB morphed back, rubbing his head.
"Dude, remind me not to do that again!"
"Yeah, wouldn't want to kill what precious few brain cells that might be left," Raven said.
"Yeah, exactly" BB agreed, then realized the insult a moment later with an indignant, "Hey!"
The J.C.P.D. was able to use one of the cranes left over to lift an unconscious Cinderblock onto a containment barge to bring him to the mainland.
Afterward, work continued without a hitch, and by mid-august, nearly a month after the team had first met, Titans Tower was finally inhabitable.
Cyborg was put in charge of giving the other Titans the first ever grand tour.
"May I present to you," Cyborg began, "Courtesy of S.T.A.R. Labs and Wayne Enterprises, the toils of three weeks of nonstop hard work by the great people of Jump City, and yourselves, of course-"
"Take your time, Cyborg," Raven commented.
"I give you, our base, our sanctum, our Batcave-" Robin's mask twitched slightly "-our Hall of Justice, our-"
"Dude! I'm dying over here!"
"Our home, Titans Tower!"
With this the cybernetic teen turned and palmed in the security code.
The gigantic doors opened up with a whoosh and the teens were soon staring into… an empty lobby. A really dusty, debris-filled, empty lobby.
"We're gonna be in charge of cleaning up all the leftover construction stuff, but once we do that we can put some lobby chairs down here."
The team proceeded down a semi-clear path towards the running elevator.
"So back here's the elevator that can take you straight up, nearly all the way to the roof-"
"Dude!" BB interrupted, "Is it like that elevator in the chocolate factory thingy? Y'know, the one that goes sideways and fore-ways and back-ways and any other ways you can think of?"
"Uh, no," Cy said, giving the changeling a look that said 'boy, what have you been tripping on?'.
"Anyways, there's stairs leading to the upper and lower levels-"
"Lower levels?" Robin asked.
"Yeah, the basement for storage stuff, and a hanger-slash-garage area for team vehicles- your R-cycle should've already been moved down there- even a dock area for whenever I get around to building us a T-sub."
"What could we ever need a submarine for?" Raven asked.
"You never know!" Cy said defensively.
Raven merely shrugged in response.
Cyborg started explaining things about the inner architecture and stuff about crossbeams and all the things that would make the impossible T cross section of the tower, well, possible.
BB just looked up in wonder- not even pretending to listen any more.
Star listened intently, but had trouble completely understanding all the words Cyborg was using, she was still very new to Earth.
Raven… was as apathetic as her teammates had come to know her to be.
Robin finally managed to stop Cy's rant.
"How 'bout we just check out the rest of the Tower?"
They rode up the elevator to the 2nd Block.
"This is Beta Block- level 1," Cyborg explained, "Infirmary."
The doors opened to a corridor with several doors running down.
"The Tower's hallway system is fairly simple; the elevator's at the core, so the doors'll open on either side, each corner has a little identifier to remind you what level or block your in, and all the rooms, other than Ops or unused areas, will have the name on the door, like here."
Written out was a simple 'Sick Bay', and inside was enough high-end equipment to run a hospital.
"This is such a waste," Raven said sorrowfully, "It's not like-'
"Duuuude! I really need a bathroom! Now!" BB squeled suddenly.
"Er, down the hall. There's restrooms on every other floor, only problem is, they're only the one person bathtub/shower combo guest types, but our rooms should have private bathrooms for us."
BB was out the door by the word 'hall'.
"Is everything already fully stocked like the infirmary?" Raven asked.
"Yeah, should be. I mean, they left somethings for us to do, like decorate our rooms, and we'll have to set up the Lobby in Alpha Block, but otherwise, it's all taken care of."
"Then like I was saying, it's not like any of us will get sick anytime soon. I have some limited healing abilities, although I can only mostly fix myself, others are harder to heal."
All the rest were staring at her.
Robin shook his head. "You're really full of surprises Raven. Once we get the database running, we should figure out how your powers work."
Raven seemed to pale even more. "I'd rather you not, I know the limit of my powers, thank you very much."
She exited into the hall, so the others felt no other choice but to follow. BB met up with them at the elevator.
Beta Block levels 2 and 3 were also meant to be used as sick bays and they all looked pretty much the same anyways, so the team skipped them.
Levels 4 stored the major medical equipment and Level 5 worked as a crime lab for any major cases the police might hand over to the team.
In Gamma Block, what would've been the first three levels was simply a gigantic gym area full of mega weight lifting equipment and indoor obstacle course stuff. Part of the room was separated into a viewing area near what would've been level 3, so others could observe who's training without interfering.
"This is the 'Danger Room', it's for training exercises inside and on level 2 we have a regular strength and endurance training gym. But here, everything can be set to our own personal work out sessions."
They proceeded to Level 2, which was just as Cyborg said, but there was also a little shower/spa area for after workouts. Level 3, the final level in Gamma Block, was storage for training equipment and replacement/repairs.
"Now to Delta Block."
Level 1 was where the evidence room and other office spaces were set up. Robin had already set aside a space filled with recent news clippings of crime in Jump City and even a few about the Titans that had been printed thus far. Level 2 was entirely dedicated to holding cells and interrogation rooms. Level 3- weapons testing/engineering for Robin's crime fighting equipment and Cy's own update and upkeep. Levels 4 and 5 were security centers, but there was also a special panic room that could be used for psychological testing, this was kept under wraps, though. No one wanted to know why you would ever need to test a superhero's state of mind.
Finally, they reached the top. The Operations-Command Center, A.K.A., the Ops room or Ops, if it needed to be shortened even more.
"We've got the kitchen area here to our right, dining to our left, and entertainment-slash-command center-slash-computer access panels straight ahead. The systems should be online soon, and once they are, we'll be able to contact anyone around the world, or even off world."
"Um, dude, I love a sweet view as much as the next green changeling, but… WHERE'S the TV!?"
"Calm down, B, the window is the TV," Cy proceeded to scoop up the remote on the coffee table and turned it on to prove his point.
"Wondrous!" Star exclaimed.
"Sweet!" BB agreed.
"Cool," Robin commented.
Raven remained silent and uncaring.
"Anyways, the hallways to either side will lead to North Block or South Block- pretty self-explanatory- this whole area of the Tower is the Ops Block. There's some room still in this particular area, that I'm thinking of installing an indoor pool, there's already one on the roof with retractable paneling so it can be covered up with the helipad or sport courts. But anyways, North and South Blocks are still mostly empty rooms and extra space we'll have to fill up some how."
With that, Cyborg shut off the TV and proceeded to one of the side entrances.
"Ya'll can go ahead and claim your rooms, I'm off to find mine right now."
Raven floated opposite of where Cy was heading, and was soon followed by Beast Boy. Robin found himself to be similarly shadowed by Starfire as he made his way to where Cyborg was heading.
Soon Raven found herself a nice room; floor to ceiling windows, a private bathroom right within reach, it was about double the size of a normal room in the tower. Raven was already thinking about tearing out some of the wall to make room for built in bookshelves.
"Definitely has possibilities," Raven mumbled to herself.
Beast Boy, seeing that Raven had finally chosen her room, ran down the hall and down a couple flights of stairs till he was at the bottom floor of the block. Knowing that Raven was only a couple stories above him was what reassured him, for now. He rushed to pick out a nice, spacious room, unaware that the one he had decided on was one of the only rooms without a private bathroom.
Robin had decided on a room that was fairly close to the Ops Block so he could be close to all his teammates. The room still had a pretty decent view of Jump City, heck, all the rooms in this Tower did. But the Boy Wonder had a feeling he wouldn't be spending too much time to enjoy it here.
Star had chosen a room fairly close by, naturally. It was very open, about twice as big as some of the normal sized rooms and had a large, floor-to-ceiling window that seemed to take up nearly the whole wall. It was depressingly blank, though, and Star's mind was reeling with the possibilities of adding plenty of bright and happy colors to it.
Cyborg's room had already been set up for him. Filled with all the spare parts and extra tech that only he would ever need to use. He had also moved all his sports memorabilia, from his time at Jump High School, to a corner desk area. It even had a few pictures taking up space on the wall.
The team regrouped back in Ops to discuss the redesign and budget for their own personal spaces. Plans were made for special order items or anything that couldn't be built with their own equipment, and by the end of that night Cyborg, Robin, and Beast Boy's rooms were completed to their satisfaction, Starfire either had everything that she'd need for the night or had already been ordered what she'd need long-term and was having it delivered to Titan Isle by tomorrow evening, and finally, Raven had spent the afternoon on a trip 'back home' only to come back with a couple mysterious, and strangely ornate, trunks.
When they convened for their first dinner together in the tower, BB asked her about it.
"So, what was in those trunks that you brought?" his voice was abnormally expectant, as if he was hoping for a gift of some sort.
"How to explain…?" Raven asked herself aloud. "Beast Boy, you know that cartoon you were watching this morning? Something about the Grim Reaper and two kids-"
"Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy? Sure.. OH! Do they work like Grim's trunk? Where you can put a whole bunch of stuff in it and it'll never run out of room?"
"Not quite, there's a limit to how much I can fit into it, and it only works with one of my cases. But just like with those kids, the stuff in those cases are forbidden and extremely dangerous if handled incorrectly." She spoke to the group as a whole, "My room is dangerous, and I really do need my privacy, so no one should go poking their heads into there. No one goes into my room."
All nodded in agreement, after knowing the mystic such a short time, none really wanted to cross her.
Later on, Starfire insisted that they all try some of her special 'made from home, traditional Tamaranean Glorg', which was meant to be for 'the welcoming of new friends in a new home'. It really just looked like some Jell-O type goop with floating pink… things in it.
"Wait," Raven said when BB and Robin were about to take a bite, "Let me try it first."
"Why? What could go wrong?" Robin asked, trying to be reassuring.
"I can sense things, remember? Just let me see how it is first, I've got a bad feeling about this." With that, Raven picked up her utensil and scooped up a bit of the Glorg to take a bite.
Swallowing, she took a moment before giving her okay. "Not bad-" suddenly, she stopped, her face growing even paler than before.
"Bathroom!" she yelled as she flew out to the hall, to the nearest one from the Ops room.
A chorus of 'Raven!' was heard as her teammates attempted to follow.
Robin was the first to reach the door. "Raven, are you okay?" Sounds of the telekinetic vomiting could be heard as her body tried to dispel what had gotten into her system.
"Food… poisoning," she moaned from beyond the door, in between retching.
"Star, what did you put in that stuff?!" BB yelled.
"I believe I was able to find most of the ingredients or substitutes around the Tower complex," Starfire explained worriedly.
"I think I remember you picking some mushrooms from outside," Cy recalled, an idea dawning on him.
"Mush-rooms?" Star asked.
"The fungus that was in your Glorg," Robin realized, his own train of thought going down the same as Cyborg's.
"Star, I need you to show Cyborg exactly where you found that stuff," Robin ordered, "Beast Boy, get the infirmary prepped for Raven, we need to find out what was in that stuff."
Everyone left to his or her specified mission.
Robin attempted to reach Raven again. "Raven, you okay now?" The sounds of her retching had stopped and all was quiet within.
"I'm coming in now, okay?" he warned as he overrode the access code and opened the door.
Inside, the toilet had the seat up, flushing away the evidence, while Raven was lying on the floor beside it clutching her unclasped cloak tightly to her shivering form while pressing a hot cheek to the cool tile floor. Her face was drenched in sweat and her lips were barely moving as she mumbled inaudibly to herself.
"Raven!" the Boy Wonder cried as he scooped her off the floor and rushed her to the elevator. Her cloak had fluttered away in his rush and as the elevator made it's painfully slow trek down to Beta Block, Robin couldn't help but notice how light Raven was. She really was very petite compared to the tall Tamaranean, yet she had a very nice figure-
'Wait, where's that coming from?' Robin thought suddenly. He shook his head in an attempt to clear the thought.
Right now his main concern was Raven, not those awesome curves she hid under that cloak of hers-
'Stop, she's a teammate,' Robin chided himself. 'Star's a teammate too, but you weren't going to let that stop you…'
His thoughts switched back to Raven as she snuggled closer to his chest, as if for more warmth. But her forehead was burning up, even hotter than what Robin thought should be possible.
'Must be an allergic reaction or flu or something,' he speculated.
The elevator finally dinged open and Robin hurried to the infirmary where BB had set up most of the equipment. He clearly had no idea what he was supposed to be doing, though, so Robin sent him out to get blankets for Raven.
Star and Cy came in just as Robin had finished up taking a blood sample from Raven, he almost didn't have time to notice how her skin seemed to close up on it's own right after he had taken out the needle, leaving no trace of a scab or scar.
"Just like I thought," Cy began, "Star had accidently used one of those poisonous mushrooms, if you or BB would've eaten it, you'd be dead before it could hit your stomach."
"Star, from now on, if your unsure about anything, anything at all, no matter how dense the question," Robin paused so she could get the full effect of what he was about to say, "Please, just ask one of us first."
"I understand, Robin," she nodded solemnly. And so the torrent of never ending questions began. Little did the masked hero know, how much of a torture he had brought upon himself and his fellow teammates.
"Still leaves one very important question," Cy interrupted as he checked some of the monitors, "How's Raven not affected by the bad mushrooms?"
"That's what I'm going to find out."
BB ran in, blankets in hand.
"What did I miss? Is Raven okay yet?"
"She's fine, just sleeping," Robin reassured as he took a blanket from the changeling and laid in gently upon the ill mystic. "I'm gonna need you guys to leave-"
"No way! Raven's sick! We need to know what's up with her!" BB protested.
"And she can't get any better with all of her team cooped up in one space worrying about her. She needs us to be strong for her while she's recuperating."
"Fine," he griped as Starfire and Cyborg shuffled out with him, each throwing concerned glances at their downed teammate.
Raven was still passed out, but in a very fitful sleep from the sound of things.
Robin took the blood sample and toadstools that had been collected and carefully packaged them to send to Batman. He knew the Dark Knight had an extensive lab and database in the Batcave, even bigger than what the Justice League had.
He scrawled a quick note;
Sick teammate with a toxic substance running through her bloodstream. Need help figuring how she isn't dead by now- appreciated if you could look into it.
Sure, he and Batman hadn't left off on the best of terms, but when the Bats had agreed to help out with the Tower, things did get a little better. Besides, Bruce still had Batgirl there to help him, and he did say something about recruiting another Robin to take Dick's place.
But back to the present, Robin sent off the package, knowing that he'd get a reply soon enough from his former mentor.
Raven eventually awoke, but very disoriented and unaware of her current surroundings.
"How'd I get in here?"
"Oh! You're up!" Robin had been busy with the analysis he had been sent. Not only did Bruce confirm the toxicity of the fungus, he had discovered what Robin supposed must have been the big secret that Raven was trying to keep.
'I'm not really the hero type. Trust me, if you knew what I really am…'
Raven was a half-demon.
"Huh? I'm sorry, didn't quite catch that."
"I asked if you guys figured out what was in that stuff."
"Oh," Robin sighed as he collected his thoughts. "Your hunch was right. Starfire accidently used some poisonous mushrooms for her Glorg, but Raven…" he paused, "That stuff should've killed you. I was really concerned so I looked into it and.. well…"
"No, please tell me you didn't find out-"
"Your, erm, heritage? Kinda. Look, none of the others know, but even if they did, it wouldn't matter. We've gotten to know you pretty well, Raven, and-"
"I guess you guys would've found that out eventually, but that's really not the worst thing about me."
"Oh? Well, whatever that is, I'm sure it's not as bad as you're making it out to be," Robin smirked.
"If only you knew, Wonder Boy," Raven sighed as she rolled onto her side, facing away once more from her masked teammate.
An awkward silence hung in the air, neither wanting to be the first to break it. Eventually Robin broke down, pulled up a nearby chair to sit on, and shuffled some papers out.
"Well, while your still awake, we might as well fill out some of these files," he said cheerily.
"Files?" She asked as she turned once more towards the boy wonder.
"Yeah, you think that this city would just accept a bunch of random superheroes to take care of them? Besides, we want to leave a legacy behind, don't we? Best way for future Titans to know how the original core group handled themselves is to look back on what we can leave behind for them," he explained.
"Makes sense. Are you going to upload this into the Tower system, too?"
"Sure, but if you want, we can put certain security clearances on everyone's info."
"That would definitely make it safer from being hacked, but that doesn't mean that someone still won't find a way."
"Guess that's true enough," Robin smirked as he handed a file and a pen over to her.
Raven sighed as she began to fill out the basic information on the first sheet. "If anyone's going to upload my info, it's going to be me. Like I said, there's still stuff that you guys can't know about me… not just yet anyway."
"You know, secrets aren't exactly the best way to keep friends."
"You think I haven't already lost people close to me?" she asked seriously.
Robin coughed uneasily, trying to clear his throat. He clearly stumbled onto a sensitive subject, and he understood how it felt when someone had pushed a little too far.
"I think everyone here's lost something," he confessed.
Raven sighed, "I guess I'll have to tell most of you in due time, and you are the leader. Can I trust you, Robin?"
Robin tried to show that he was looking her in the eye, even with that mask in the way.
"Of course. You're my friend, Raven. Even in this short time that we've all gotten to know each other, I feel like I've known you guys all my life."
"Okay then… See, I was born in a place called Azarath," she started. "It's like no place that you've ever heard of, it's… I guess… " she struggled to find the right phrase, "In between dimensions? Or maybe universes? Either way, I guess I'm about as alien as Starfire, but I'm still half-human. My mother was from Earth and was brought to Azarath after the monks there had learned of my… conception. I really wasn't supposed to be born, but here I am. Because of my heritage, as you so eloquently put it, I was taught to restrain my emotions. My powers are extremely emotion driven. I can't afford to feel anything too strongly, but that doesn't mean I don't have feelings; I'll deny it anyways, that's how I was raised, but those emotions are still there. Obviously, being a half-demon still has some perks; healing, my limited telepathy, telekinesis, I even have some empathic abilities. I was taught plenty of magic spells and forms, mostly light magic, but Azar, the High Priestess in charge of essentially raising me, she taught me a little of each kind. She said it would make me well rounded and aware of the good and evil in the world.
"I had to take quite a few things from Azarath to charm my room," Robin gave her a funny look here, "For my own protection, and yours," she quickly explained, "Although, I should probably add some security to it. There are things in there that, if handled even the slightest bit incorrectly, could kill us… or worse…"
Robin tried to not think of what worse could mean.
"Huh. With all that you've said, I don't really believe there can be much more you're hiding from me, Raven," the Boy Wonder challenged.
"Trust me, Wonder Boy, there's still plenty that I'm not telling you, and if I have things my way, none of you will ever find out more than just this."
She let the comment hang there as she finished up the last of the files to be stored in a filing cabinet somewhere. Yawning, she shuffled them all together into a folder and handed them to Robin.
"I'll store these in the database when I get enough sleep first," she yawned again, "Stupid toxins. I'm sleeping."
She lay down once more to get that extra shut eye as Robin left to find the others and tell them that Raven was going to be fine.
"So man, what did she tell you?" Cyborg asked eagerly after Robin had placated BB's fears.
"There's a thing called Doctor-Patient confidentiality," Robin smirked, "Raven's going to tell each of you in her own time, but for now, she just needs our trust."
"But-" BB tried to ask, but Robin cut him off.
"Like I said, we've got to wait for Raven to come around."
"Yes, friend Raven has proven to be very loyal to us, as we have proven to each other," Star agreed, "I am confidant that Raven will repay us the trust when the time is due."
"Alright guys," Robin yawned, mostly likely infected by Raven's earlier, "It's been a long day. Let's set up a rotation to check up on Raven overnight while we try to get some sleep."
Cyborg had volunteered to go first and with nothing to do but fill out some of the files Robin and Raven had been working on earlier. He worked quietly in the company of Raven's soft snores, which seemed to swallow up the otherwise silent room.
Cy's silent typing was brought to a halt as a thought suddenly overcame him. It was a memory he had long since forgotten. One of those types that are recalled every few years, only very fondly with no real lasting impression from any of the major details of it. But now Cy remembered so much more…
"Mom, Dad," a young Victor, only age 6 or 7, asked very somberly, "Can I have a little sister?"
The doctors laughed softly at the antics of their only son. After a long day at work, his undertakings could be quite amusing at times.
"Vic, honey," his mother said, "I'm sorry, but it doesn't quite work that way. Your father and I have had this discussion before and we really wanted only one, you."
"But I could take care of her and protect her and make sure she's okay and and and I want to be a big brother!"
His father chuckled a little more. "We'll think about it, Vic. For now, push it out of your mind and we'll get back to you."
Cyborg laughed to himself ever so softly now. It was such a dumb, little kid thing he did and yet, now he had finally gotten those younger siblings, right?
BB was already like an annoying little brother, Robin the headstrong middle sibling, Star was… Star really had her own category, seeing as how Cy hadn't really had much bonding time with her, not yet anyway. But Raven really was like that little sister he had always wanted; heck, he'd already been the first one to reassure her once already, before that huge fight with the Gordanians, and he was the first to volunteer to look after her.
'Never would've figured Lil' Sis would look like this,' he thought to himself. 'And judging from what little Rob gave me 'bout her, well… she may be only half-human, but she's human all the same. She thinks she can take care of herself, but she'll need us, she'll need help, need care, need protection, need someone to check up on her, need a big-'
"…" Raven mumbled suddenly.
Cyborg froze over the keyboard.
Who knew Raven talked in her sleep?
Cy listened for anymore, but was only answered with more soft snores.
"I'll be that big brother for you, Rae. You're already like a lil' sis…"
Starfire definitely found this world to be extremely confusing and at first she was too… proud? Was that the right translation?
Yes, she would not swallow her pride and ask her teammates about the wonders of this new world, but after this incident, Star swore she would learn as much as she could about this world and this new culture, until she knew it just as well as her own.
Setting those thoughts aside, Star kept watch over Raven. Cyborg had explained the basics of the machines and how to read them for signs of trouble. He had also explained how they wanted her to fill out the files, which she had just finished with some difficulty. English was indeed a hard language to write in, and Earth's writing utensils were stranger than the ones Star was used to, but she eventually filled them out to the best of her ability.
Now that she was done, Star checked the monitors for any of those changes Cy had said to look out for, but all seemed calm. 'At least this is a good way to be making the up with Raven,' Star thought, if she was going to be speaking English, she could use all the practice she could get, even if that meant having to think in the foreign tongue. 'X'Hal, I cannot help but feel great…' Star struggled to think of the right word.
"Compunction," Raven mumbled in her sleep.
'Yes, great compunction and remorse for what I have done. Oh, friend, I do hope you could forgive me for this awful accident I have caused.'
"'S okay.. " Raven mumbled as she turned over in the sheets, "…. No big… deal.." She stilled again and fell deeper into her dream.
Starfire found no strangeness in the fact that Raven was clearly talking in her sleep. On Tamaran, it was quite common for small children, though, they usually out grew it. Star figured that on Earth there would be many similarities; the two species anatomies were clearly somewhat similar, so why not sleeping habits as well?
Beast Boy was already bored out of his mind. Sure, he hadn't filled out the files completely and he should probably get on that, but they were just boring him even more. Raven was sleeping so peacefully, her soft snores filled up the silence of the room. Yet, Beast Boy desperately wished that she could wake u-
Raven's eyes shot open suddenly, confusion evident on her face only to be replaced by a glare as she righted herself to sit up.
"Raven?" BB asked tentatively.
"What were you thinking?" she accused in a semi-sleepy voice.
"Just now, what were you thinking about?"
"Oh," he understood what she meant, "I was bored and I really, er, wanted you to wake up?" he finished as if he was begging for forgiveness.
Raven groaned as she fell back into the sheets.
"Great, NOW my telepathy starts acting up," she mumbled to herself.
"Telepathy? You mean you can read our minds!?" BB asked.
"Not entirely," Raven explained, "It takes a lot of my concentration, and usually I can only pick up on the basics of what a person's thinking, but when my powers act up, especially when I'm sick like now, well, my subconscious takes over my telepathic and empathic abilities. It's really embarrassing for everyone."
"Huh, do you know what Cy and Star were thinking while they were in here earlier?"
"No, obviously I was asleep," she cleared her throat quickly as a thought occurred to her, "You guys are keeping watch over me?"
"Yeah, we all wanted to make sure you'd be okay, y'know?"
"That's… nice," Raven commented with a slight blush growing.
The silence lasted a little too long as Raven considered whether or not she should stay and sleep the rest of the night in the sick bay or go to her own room. BB made the decision for her.
"Y'know, they say laughter is the best medicine there is," the changeling started, "I could tell you some jokes I kn-"
"No," Raven interrupted, then continued as she saw BB's crestfallen expression, "Thanks, but I feel a whole lot better. I'm just going to go to my own bed now."
"Oh, okay," BB said, "'Night Raven!"
"Goodnight, Beast Boy," Raven said as she phased out.
"Might as well finish these up," he mumbled to himself, finally getting to work on those dumb files.
Robin came in for his shift, only to find BB struggling to fill out the final file.
"Where's Raven?" the Boy Wonder asked.
"Dude! Don't scare me like that!"
"Where's Raven?" he repeated.
"Oh, I accidently woke her up and she left to go sleep in her room- Said she felt fine!" he tried to add, but Robin had left by 'sleep'.
He made his way up to Raven's room and as soon as he reached her door, he hesitated so he could knock first.
"Raven," he called, unsure as to whether she'd still be up at all.
Eventually, she got up to open the door a crack.
"Much as I love to stay up late into the night, even I need my sleep, Robin."
"Just checking up on you to be sure you're okay," he said.
"Well, I am recovering from ingesting and nearly being killed by a poisonous mushroom, something a normal person wouldn't be living through. I'm pretty sure I'm the best judge of whether or not I'm okay."
Robin smirked, "Well if you're sure you're okay…"
"Goodnight Robin," Raven yawned.
"'Night Raven," Robin replied as she slid the door shut.
Author's Note: Kudos to my awesome Beta: Stormy-chan. I wouldn't be able to do this without you. This first chap's for you! Also, for my friends- you guys know who you are- who usually check over everything I write in "The Notebook" before I even consider typing it up. Thanks guys!
To Everyone, a wise author before me once said- It's a fanfiction crime to read and not review. So drop me a line and tell me how I did!
Update: Okay, I'm obviously a HUGE RobRae person. I can't stand the RobStar pairing. But as a challenge to myself, I'm going to write this story with as much balance between the two pairings. I don't mind BBRae as much, so that will be much easier for me to write. (Don't worry, when the time comes, BBTerra will be dealt with, but that's not for quite awhile, yet) I want this to be a fic that any fan of the series could enjoy. It's all just filling in the cracks and I'm going off of the series as much as possible.
I've recently revised this chap, just more detail added, some grammar mistakes that both my beta and I must've missed (in our defense, this was a really long chap) and little things like that. Hopefully it's a little better than the first time around, but not much has changed.
Well what are you doing still reading this? Tell me how I did and get on with your life! See you next chapter! | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8607014/1/Behind-the-Scene-and-In-Between | dclm-gs1-208500000 |
0.100104 | <urn:uuid:07941508-3ce0-46c2-91c1-249901a9732b> | en | 0.976104 | Author's Note: This is a story that I started a very long time ago for someone. There are a lot of details that will make a lot of sense to that person, and be very meaningless to the rest of you, but that by no means makes it unreadable – it's just cutesy Emily/JJ story. :) (something which I don't do very often.) Oh and the title is a Snow Patrol song – a very good one so you should all go listen. That is all. Read and review, please! :)
Crack The Shutters
I wake to feel you breathing next to me, and for a moment I find myself happily lost in cliché. The single cliché moment where you feel wholly content, and instead of cringing at such a thing, I realise that clichés only exist because they're truths, they do happen.
But then something about this isn't cliché. Cliché defines as trite and familiar, but there's nothing trite about something you've very rarely felt, and there's nothing familiar about waking up next to you. It isn't familiar; it's never happened before now. It's simply comfortable, and I find myself smiling at that.
The previous night, you'd pulled out the IOU I'd given you many months before - the one entitling you to one movie, one pizza, your bed, and me. I laughed when I reminded you that the small print states that it can only be redeemed once, and that you'd already used it several times before. And you took that moment to remind me, with one simple gesture, of the further small print that I'd neglected to take into account: Terms subject to change; depending on the bearer's powers of persuasion.
I smiled inwardly as you sat there with your pouty bottom lip, a slight glimmer in your eye that told me you knew very well that that would get you everywhere. And I tried to keep a straight expression, not allow you the satisfaction of knowing you had me wrapped around your little finger, but soon enough that inward smile of mine visibly made it's presence known on my face, and a smug, satisfied grin formed on your own.
It was all a game, really. We both knew that there was never any question about me wanting to spend time with you, never even any need for you to ask. But perhaps a part of me enjoyed that split second where I could see you really did question that, where you thought that maybe I really did have better places to be. That split second right before you stuck out your bottom lip, and showed me that you did know it was a game, and that you were willing to play along.
That was last night, and this is now. You'd fallen asleep long before the credits rolled, with your head resting against my tummy and your left hand strewn loosely over my hip. I didn't have the heart to move you, and I wasn't uncomfortable, so I flicked off the TV, and let you sleep that way.
I move around in my sleep, and I guess that's the reason that neither of us are still in that same position when I wake up. But you're there, and though you know I don't like sharing a bed, and though I'd never tell you; I'm grateful for that.
I roll over onto my back before freeing my arms from the duvet and letting them rest on top. I take a quick glance at you, sleeping peacefully, and turn my head back and smirk to myself. I think about the ways I could wake you, disturb you from that peaceful slumber. I'm not sure at that point if you'd get pissed off with me for such a thing, but that uncertainty seems to make me want to wake you more. I want to see that initial annoyance reflected in your reaction, before you can't even pretend to be mad at me anymore.
Rolling onto my left side I prop myself up on my elbow, before bringing my right hand back beneath the duvet. It's cool from its brief encounter with the cold air beyond the cocoon of the blankets, and that smirk makes its presence known on my face once again as I imagine your body reacting to the sudden temperature change against your skin.
I could place my hand directly against your stomach, your chest, your neck, but I'm fairly certain that would simply startle you awake. That's not what I want; I want to see every tiny reaction your body has towards me. So instead, I run the back of my fingers slowly, barely grazing your skin, down the right side of your stomach. Your shirt has risen during the night - it likes to do that - so I begin my trail as high up as the material allows me to do so. I move my fingers gently along the side of your breast, your stomach, until I reach your hip, and allow two fingers to dip barely beneath your underwear. Only for a split second, before my hand continues its journey along your lower stomach - but I smile smugly to myself as a subtle movement in your hips confirms to me that I am having the desired effect.
I haven't taken my eyes off of you for a second, noticed every unconscious flicker of your own as my fingers make their way across your body. But the cool of my hand is fading quickly, and before it completely dissipates, I finally lay it flat against your stomach. The gesture is still gentle, barely touching you, but your sudden deep intake of breath assures me that you felt it. Your skin is hot, and my cool hand doesn't stand a chance against it's temperature. But I keep it there for a few seconds more; until I'm fully satisfied that you felt it right down to your core.
My eyes are still on you, watching every slight movement, and I see your eyes flicker once more as my hand, still flat against you, makes its way up towards your chest. There's a sharp intake of breath again as my fingers find your nipple, form a tight grip around it, and you turn your head away from me, slightly burying your face in the pillow and granting me access to your neck. I press my lips against the skin there, gently; a perfect contrast to the actions of my fingers. I make my way from your ear, down to the nape of your neck, before I pull away and watch you once more; every breath you take matches the motions of my fingers, and I can feel the heat between my own legs rising.
There's something incredibly hot about watching your body's response to me. Something incredibly satisfying about seeing and feeling the effect that I have on you, and I find myself craving more. But not just yet; I want to see your eyes as I press my fingers into you.
I remove my hand for a moment, and smile as a whimper escapes your lips at the loss of contact. "Something wrong, baby?"
You don't reply, but I notice the slight smile tugging at the corners of your mouth; I wonder if you realise how adorable you are.
A smile gracing my own lips, I press my mouth to yours, and you waste no time in grabbing a handful of dark hair and holding me to you. I pull away, only when oxygen becomes a definite issue, and you speak for the first time that morning, "Em, please.."
The desire to tease you some more is pretty much overwhelming but the need to be inside you overrides it, and as I press my lips to yours once more, my hand makes its descent further down your body. Your hips move as I reach the top of your underwear, and I smile once again, so fucking hot.
I tug at your underwear, "I don't think we need these," and I can't help but laugh as you hastily remove them as if your life depends on it. All desire to tease you leaves instantly as I run my fingers through liquid heat and hear you moan at the contact, "My god. You're so fucking hot, Jen." The words are barely a whisper against your lips, and I struggle to stifle my own moan as I feel your hips move against my hand.
"Please, baby.. I need you inside me."
Your wish is my command and the sharp tug against my hair as I press two fingers into you simply fuels my own desire even further. I prop myself up on my left arm, my hand tangled somewhere in your hair, and straddle your thigh; my fingers still buried deep inside you, my forehead pressed firmly against yours as our bodies meld together. Your hips pick up an instant rhythm against my hand, spurring me on, and I waste no time in matching your hips thrust for thrust.
You press your free hand to the small of my back, effectively forcing me down further against your thigh as we move together, the other locking its grip further into my hair as you crush your lips against mine. My fingers curl inside you and your kiss ceases as you concentrate on the sensations coursing through your body, but your lips don't leave mine – I can feel the heat of your breath burn against my lips as my thumb rubs circles against your clit, feel the vibrations of your moans right down to my pussy – and I have never felt more alive in my whole life.
I know this will be over long before I wanted it to be, long before I'm ready for it to be, but as my fingers push you to the edge that you're so desperately craving, as the friction of our movements brings me to that very same edge, I am somehow okay with that.
"Em, I'm gona come.."
That is quite possibly the most erotic thing I have ever heard and as I feel the signs of my own imminent orgasm, my thumb moves faster against you, my thigh presses firmer against your pussy. "Come for me baby.."
I feel every inch of you tense up at my whispered command, feel the grip on my hair become stronger as my own body chases that perfect state of euphoria. The air around us falls deathly silent for a moment – a silence that is laced with every word left unsaid between us. And whilst the silence is filled once again with ragged breaths of pleasure and release as we both finally fall over that beautiful edge, I find those unspoken words falling freely from my lips. "I love you, Jennifer. So fucking much."
My face falls to the crevice between your shoulder and neck for a second as I catch my breath, and I feel your hands stroke gently over my hair. I wonder briefly if you heard me and lift my head to meet your eyes. "I'm sorry I made you wait."
"I'll wait forever."
I frown at your words, at the indication that you're still waiting, and a small part of me feels a little angry that your innate uncertainty in yourself is preventing you from seeing the huge step that I just took, from seeing the reality of me finally having the courage to admit my feelings to you. And then a short conversation makes its way to the forefront of my mind – a conversation in which I told you that there's a huge difference between telling someone that you love them and that you're in love with them – and my anger dissipates into a smile. "I'm so in love with you."
You smile and hover your lips millimetres from mine. "I'm so in love with you too, Ms. Prentiss." | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8917794/1/Crack-The-Shutters | dclm-gs1-208510000 |
0.135411 | <urn:uuid:d23d9170-9c65-4053-aa4d-00103d7e2c6c> | en | 0.989885 | Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; the original concept of this story was inspired by 'To Hell & Back' by EventRider87, but I've added my own spin to things and have received EventRider87's permission to use their idea for this
Feedback: Much appreciated
AN: Bonus points to anyone who can trace the origin of Bela's moment of recollection during the séance…
AN 2: No guarantees when the next chapter will be up; I just REALLY wanted to introduce my favourite character…
The Corrupted Innocent
Dean had to hand it to Bobby; when it came to contacts in the hunting and supernatural community, he always managed to get the interesting ones.
The trip of the hotel to this place could have been more comfortable if Bela hadn't been in the back seat of the Impala the whole way, but Dean understood why that wasn't practical; until they'd straightened out whatever had brought him and Bela back, there wasn't any point taking the risk to see what would happen if they were separated from each other or something screwy like that.
Besides, with her decision to catch a rest while they were driving, it had given him and Sam a chance to talk, beginning with Dean removing that stupid iPod thing from his baby- even if he hadn't wanted to start playing any music in case their passenger woke up-, and going on to discuss what else Sam had been up to over the summer. The question of how he had gotten away from Lilith after their last bout raised some questions, but at least they didn't have to worry about whatever agenda Ruby had going on any more, and Sam's freaky powers were dormant and staying that way…
Dean's thoughts were ended when the door of the house in front of them opened, revealing an attractive brunette, maybe a few years older than Dean, with long brown hair and a warm smile, grinning at the three hunters and Bela Talbot.
"Bobby!" the woman who had to be the psychic said, giving the older man an enthusiastic hug, lifting him briefly off the ground in a move that surprised both Winchesters and Bela.
"You're a sight for sore eyes," Bobby said, smiling at the woman after she released him.
"So," Pamela said, stepping back to appraisingly study Dean and Sam with her arms folded, "these the boys?"
"And Bela Talbot," Bela said, nodding briefly at the woman; apparently her rest hadn't done much to improve her mood.
"Sam, Dean, Bela," Bobby said, indicating the woman before them. "This is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state."
"Hey," Dean said, smiling warmly at Pamela, ignoring Sam's awkward greeting; after everything he'd been through, nobody would begrudge him an opportunity like this, right?"
"Mmm-mmm-mmm," Pamela said, looking him over appraisingly. "Dean Winchester, out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."
"If you say so," Dean said; he was trying not to think too much about that part of what had happened to him…
"Come on in," Pamela said, ushering them into her house before she shut the door behind Bela, the house revealing a simple but comfortable style.
"So, you hear anything?" Bobby asked.
"Well, I Oujia'd my way through a dozen spirits," Pamela replied. "No one seems to know who broke these two out, or why?"
"So what's next?" Bobby asked.
"A séance, I think," Pamela replied. "See if we can see who did the deed."
"You're not gonna… summon the damn thing here?" Bobby asked, his expression apprehensive as he looked at her.
"No," Pamela replied reassuringly. "I just want to get a sneak peek at it, like a crystal ball without the crystal."
"I'm game," Dean said with a grin.
"Well… fine," Bela said after a moment's thought, evidently wishing she could offer a better alternative.
A few minutes later, the five of them were sitting around a black table, the tablecloth covered in symbols that did little to comfort Bela; after the way that symbols had failed her before her death, she wasn't comfortable with something that relied on them again…
To take her mind off the symbols, Bela tried to look at something else, only for her eyes to fall on Dean as he gazed at where Pamela was squatting in front of a cabinet, revealing a distinctive tattoo on her back that apparently gave Dean something else to think about.
"Who's Jesse?" he asked, prompting a laugh from the psychic.
"Well," she said as she looked back at him, "it wasn't forever."
"His loss," Dean said, leaving Bela glaring at him for a moment before she realised what she was doing; what Dean Winchester did in his own time wasn't her business…
"Might be your gain," Pamela said, smiling at him as she stood up with various candles in her hands before she turned her attention back to the séance, Dean saying something to Sam in a low voice that Bela already knew she didn't want to hear.
God, how could people who'd defeated Azazel and everything else she'd heard about the Winchesters over the years be so… crude?
Moments like that left her wondering how the Winchesters had become so good at what they did; their approach to hunting seemed so… relaxed at times…
The start of the séance at least gave her something else to focus on, her discomfort at having to hold Bobby's hand after so many indirect threats about the possibility of them shooting her forgotten in favour of the need to get answers about whatever brought her back.
"And," Pamela said, after issuing the instruction about holding hands, "I need to touch something our mystery monster touched."
"Whoa," Dean said, suddenly jumping in his seat. "Well, he didn't touch me there."
Bela might not have been able to see Pamela's hand under the table, but it didn't take a genius to work out what Pamela had been reaching towards even without Dean's reaction. As Dean shrugged off his outer shirt to reveal the handprint, Bela sighed and removed her own jacket before rolling up her sleeve to reveal her own handprint.
"OK," Pamela said, laying her hands on the two prints as the five around the table closed their eyes. "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle."
For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of Pamela's voice as she repeated that command, until the sound of static reached Bela's ears as though something had turned on.
"I invoke, conjure, and command…" Pamela began, before she halted as though she'd just heard something. "Castiel? No, sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easily."
"Castiel?" Dean said (Now that Bela heard it, she thought that sounded familiar; where had she heard it before…?)
"Its name," Pamela clarified. "It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back."
As the static continued and the table began to shake, Pamela continued to repeat the same words, over and over; "I conjure and command you, show me your face."
"Maybe we should stop-" Bobby said, as the rattling become more violent.
"I almost got it!" Pamela said, her tone sharp before she continued her earlier chant. "I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now!"
With that word, there was a sudden sense of heat, Bela opening her eyes in time to see the candles flare up in front of her before a scream from Pamela drew her attention to the psychic. Bela only had time to register that Pamela's eyes had suddenly filled with what she could only describe as white flame before the psychic collapsed, the flames and other effects vanishing all at once.
Oh God… Bela thought to herself, staring in shock at the fallen psychic as the Winchesters and Bobby raced to help her, her eyelids covered with blood and sunken in in a manner that made it clear there was nothing behind them any more.
If whatever had brought her and Dean out of Hell could do that to someone just when they were trying to look at it…
Sitting in the diner, Dean almost wished that he hadn't seen the shaken look on Bela's face when they'd registered what had happened to Pamela.
It was easy to think of Bela as the heartless bitch who'd killed her parents and would happily screw over everyone else in the name of a quick buck; seeing her show that kind of shock and fear for someone else…
Damnit; here he was, about to enjoy his first bit of good food in months or however long it had been in Hell- something he'd read suggested that time went a bit faster in Hell than it did here, or was he just thinking of that Buffy episode he'd seen once?-, and all he could think about was that Bela Talbot had actually shown some sign of concern for someone else…
"What'd Bobby say?" he asked his brother as Sam sat down opposite him.
"Pam's stable, and out of ICU," Sam said.
"And blind, because of us," Dean said grimly (He was not paying attention to the fact that Bela looked upset about that either; she was just upset because they didn't have any answers…).
"And we still have no clue who we're dealing with," Sam said grimly.
"Aside from the name," Bela put in, sipping at her drink (She hadn't ordered any food; probably thought whatever was on the menu here wasn't good enough for her tastes or something like that).
"Exactly; Castiel," Dean said. "We've got the name; with the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us."
"Excuse me?" Sam said, looking at his brother in surprise. "Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you want to have a face to face?"
"You got a better idea?" Dean asked. "After what he did, we need to know-"
"So how about trying to track down those demons I followed here?" Sam pointed out. "They have to know something."
A part of Dean was tempted to admit that Sam made a point, but further conversation was brought to a halt as the waitress they'd spoken to earlier appeared with the ordered pieces of pie, putting them down in front of the brothers before sitting down herself.
"Is this some attempt to ask for a tip?" Bela asked, glaring at the other woman.
"I'm sorry," the waitress said, as her eyes went black. "Thought you were looking for us."
A glance at their surroundings confirmed Dean's worst fears; the diner's other two current residents also showed the black eyes that were a clear sign of demonic possession.
Any other day, he would have commented that at least they didn't have to look very far, but after just getting out of Hell hours ago, this was the last thing he needed…
"Dean Winchester and Bela Talbot," the waitress said, her eyes reverting to normal as a demon in uniform walked over to the door and locked it. "To Hell and back. Aren't you both lucky?"
"We try," Dean said with a shrug.
"So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh?" the demon-waitress said. "Tell me, what makes you two so special?"
"If you've been doing anything, you'd know that we're still working on that," Bela said, glaring at the demon. "We still don't know what we're dealing with here-"
"Except for the fact that it's above your paygrade and you can't do anything about it," Dean said, looking at the demon with a satisfied smile.
"Excuse me?" she said, looking sharply at Dean. "Mind your tone, boy, or I'll drag you back to Hell myself-"
"Except you can't," Dean retorted with a smile.
"No?" the waitress said, looking pointedly back at him.
"No," Dean confirmed. "See, Flo, if you're not enlightening us, that means you don't know who cut us loose, which means that you need answers just as much as we do."
"Which," Bela continued, looking at the demon with a smile as she continued Dean's point, "means that whatever did this is significantly higher up the demonic hierarchy than you are, which means that they're a lot stronger than you, and therefore almost certainly have something in mind that you don't know about."
"So go ahead," Dean said, picking up the explanation once again as the demon swallowed slightly apprehensively. "Send us back. Just don't come crawling to me when they show up on your front doorstep with some Vaseline and a fire hose."
"I'm going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs," the demon said, glaring solemnly at him.
In response, Dean leaned over towards the woman, and then lashed out with a couple of right hooks, which the demon facing them merely sat and took; it was a risky move to make, but after his earlier theory had met with a distinctive lack of denial, he felt comfortable taking the chance.
"That's what I thought," Dean said, grinning as he took in her response to his 'attack'; a hostile glare, but with just enough anxiety behind it to make her reluctant to actually do anything about it, coupled with a distinctive lack of anything else. "Let's go, Sam, Bela."
With that, the three of them stood up and walked out of the diner, the demon unable to do anything but sit and watch as they walked away.
It had been a closer call than Dean usually liked, but they'd survived; that was the main thing.
He'd have preferred it if they'd survived and come out of it with new information, but with things the way they were, he'd take what he could get and chalk it up as a win…
Bela couldn't believe she was going along with this; they were dealing with some unknown entity powerful enough to intimidate three demons into backing down when they didn't know anything about their unknown 'benefactor's' motives or abilities, and after some strange incident involving the glass in her and Dean's motel rooms breaking as the result of some high-pitched shriek, Dean's response was to try and summon it?
Actually, she could believe that of him- considering the circumstances that had led to his deal, Dean wasn't one to give things much thought-; what really surprised her was that she was going along with the plan, which basically consisted of hanging around a warehouse covered in protection symbols with an arsenal including every anti-supernatural weapon they could find- with the exception of the Colt, which Dean had avoided bringing up apart from a brief glare as they spread out the guns on a table-, and try and shoot whatever it was when it showed up.
She'd gone from trying to hunt the creature that had made her deal to buying and selling supernatural items in the hopes of finding something useful because it was safer- to say nothing of more comfortable, and now she was helping Dean and Bobby summon something that scared other demons and nearly killed you if you tried to look at it?
She might be stuck for options, but had she really become this desperate…?
The worst part was that she knew she was.
She'd only just escaped her last deal; if something else had a hold over her now, she was going to cut it off before it could make her do anything against her will.
If only it would actually get here…
"You sure you did the ritual right?" Dean asked as he looked up at Bobby, voicing Bela's own thoughts even if she was grateful he'd done it; Bobby was more likely to take that kind of thing from Dean rather than her.
As it was, Dean's apology had just concluded when the walls of the warehouse started shaking as what sounded like wind blew around the building, the two men arming themselves with shotguns and taking up position at the end of the warehouse opposite the doors while Bela drew her chosen pistol.
"Wishful thinking," Dean said as he glanced over at Bobby, "but maybe it's just the wind."
Bela was saved from having to comment on that statement when the lightbulbs above them suddenly exploded, followed by the doors of the warehouse swinging open and a figure walking through him, his pace calm and casual despite the weapons facing him. Bela briefly noted his somewhat dishevelled appearance- unlike most demons, who always dressed to impress, his top shirt button was undone and his tie hung loosely around his neck-, but the fact that he had odd choice in clothing didn't change what he was. Following Bobby and Dean's cue, Bela attempted to fire at the figure as he approached, casually passing thought multiple devils' traps as though they were nothing, never responding to the shotgun blasts that tore holes in his coat, until he came to a halt as Dean moved over to the table where he had been sitting earlier, his gaze fixed on the new arrival.
"Who are you?" Dean asked.
"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition," the figure said, its voice a hoarse tone as though the man had been a chain smoker.
"Yeah?" Dean said. "Thanks for that."
With that statement, he lunged towards the figure and plunged a knife into its chest- Bela had noted him express a particular interest in that knife, but he hadn't explained why and she hadn't been able to find the right way to ask-, only for the figure to show no signs that he was bothered by the blade sticking out of his chest, looking nonchalantly down at the blade before reaching up to pull it out.
In a moment of uncharacteristic panic, Bela raised her gun and fired a shot at the figure's head, only for the man to turn to face her as the gun fired, before opening his mouth to reveal the bullet held between his teeth. Bobby, evidently stuck for any better ideas, charged onwards the figure with what looked like an iron bar, only for the figure to grab the bar without turning around before he moved to face Bobby, raising his free hand to touch Bobby's forehead and sending the older man crumpling to the ground.
"Dean Winchester, Bela Talbot," the figure said, looking at them both with a brief nod, clearly unconcerned about Bobby now that he had been dealt with. "We need to talk."
"You… you know us?" Bela said, looking uncertainly at the figure as Dean crouched down to examine Bobby (She only realised how stupid that statement was after she'd said it, but panic could make people do foolish things).
"I do," the figure said, nodding at Bela before he looked at Dean. "Your friend is alive."
"Who are you?" Dean asked, looking back up at the figure, obviously unwilling to just accept the situation facing them.
"Castiel," the figure replied.
"Yeah, I figured that," Dean retorted. "I meant, what are you?"
"I'm an angel of the lord," the now-named Castiel said, looking at them both in a solemn manner.
Bela's eyes widened incredulously.
An angel
She'd heard a few rumours that they existed, of course- she recalled one time she'd found a box of what were labelled as angel feathers when clearing out some old storehouse-, but the thought that she was facing one…
"Get the hell out of here," Dean said, standing up from his examination of Bobby, glaring at the creature that Bela was just now reminding herself couldn't be an angel as angels didn't exist any more even if they ever had. "There's no such thing."
"This is your problem, Dean," Castiel said, looking solemnly at him. "You have no faith."
As he moved into a position in the centre of the warehouse, Bela briefly tensed for something to happen, but then lightning flashed from outside, revealing…
Bela's jaw dropped.
The shadows of two massive, feathered wings spread out from Castiel's shoulders, perfectly fitting the image of angels that had so dominated so many cultures…
Oh God… Bela thought, torn between screaming in rage at the being in front of her and falling to the ground in prayers of thanks.
She had been saved from Hell by an angel
"Some angel you are," Dean said, his tone grim as he looked at the man (Bela thought about chipping in, but right now she was content to let Dean ask the questions; as much as she hated to admit it to him directly, he wouldn't have gone to Hell on his own, but she certainly would have, and the last thing she wanted was for the angel to pay too much attention to her and realise she wasn't worth it). "You burned out that poor woman's eyes."
"I warned her not to spy on my true form," Castiel said; to his credit, he actually seemed slightly apologetic about the reminder of what he had done to Pam. "It can be… overwhelming to humans. So can my real voice, but you already knew that."
"You mean the gas station and the motel… That was you talking?" Dean said, Castiel nodding in response. "Buddy, next time, lower the volume."
"That was my mistake," Castiel said, a slightly thoughtful expression on his face as though contemplating Dean's earlier suggestion. "Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong."
"And what… 'visage' are you in now, huh?" Dean asked, glancing over the body in the battered trenchcoat. "What, holy tax accountant?"
"This?" Castiel said, looking at his coat with a slight smile. "This is, uh, a Vessel."
"You're possessing someone?" Bela cried, the words slipping out before she could stop herself.
"He's a devout man," Castiel said, apparently ignorant of the full reason for her shock as he looked over at her. "He actually prayed for this."
"Oh," Bela said, instantly regretting her reaction; her instinctive shock at the hint that demons and angels had something in common had overridden her previous plan to stay silent, but now that she'd been told that there wasn't anything to worry about…
"You know," Dean added, "it might have been easier to show up like this the first time instead of all that 'burning bush' crap."
"I had to recuperate in Heaven after my time in the Pit," Castiel explained, before he glanced over at Bela. "My Vessel is durable, but my Grace needed time to heal after protecting your soul while leaving Hell-"
"Hold on; her soul?" Dean said, looking at Castiel sharply. "Why were you protecting her soul specifically?"
"I was only sent into the Pit to retrieve you, Dean; the recovery of Bela Talbot was an… impulsive decision," Castiel explained.
"Wait…" Bela said, her plan to stay silent completely forgotten now as she walked forward to look at Castiel. "You mean… you just… chose to save me? On your own?"
"I did," Castiel said. "I had been temporarily provided with the power to return Dean's soul to his body at a distance so that I could ensure that he would not be recaptured by demons as I attempted to take him back to Earth, but that power was for a single use; I was required to… carry you through Hell myself and return you to your body personally-"
Bela wasn't sure how it happened, but she suddenly found herself with her arms wrapped around Castiel, sobbing in relief as she held on to the angel.
"Thank you…" she said, her voice barely audible through her tears of relief. "Thank you… thank you…"
From his position behind Bela, Dean was treated to a view of Castiel's face at the hug, and he was almost tempted to smile; for a guy who'd just been through Hell and back, he seemed to be at a complete loss as to what to do when a woman started sobbing over him…
Then Bela pulled away from Castiel, her initial sobs under control, and Dean spoke again.
"Look, pal," the eldest surviving Winchester said firmly, moving forward to position himself in front of Bela in a gesture so quick that it almost seemed automatic, "I'm not buying what you're selling even if she is, so who are you really?"
"I told you," Castiel said, frowning in confusion at Dean.
"Right…" Dean said, a bitter tone to his voice as he looked at the angel. "And why would an angel rescue me from Hell, and grab Bela as a bonus prize?"
"Good things do happen, Dean," Castiel said solemnly, looking at them both with was probably meant to be a comforting manner.
"Not in my experience," Dean said, Bela only able to stand silently beside him while fighting the urge to burst into tears at the memory of how the world had taught her that lesson…
"What's the matter?" Castiel said, looking assessingly at them for a moment before inspiration dawned on him. "You don't think you deserve to be saved."
"Why'd you do it?" Dean asked (Bela was going to owe him a great deal for helping with this mess; she was already feeling uncomfortable about the fact that she'd just hugged an angel while sobbing into his shoulder).
"Because God commanded it," Castiel said, looking solemnly at Dean. "We have work for you, Dean; work where I felt that the aid that Bela Talbot could provide would be of great use to you."
Bela had no idea what to say to that.
An angel had saved her from Hell… because he thought that she could help Dean complete God's work?
She might have given up on religion as anything other than a tool years ago, but when an angel saved you from Hell while acting on orders from God, that was definitely cause to think about what you were going to do next…
But what could Dean be needed for that she could help with?
And why would any angel give her this kind of chance in particular?
She was unbelievably grateful, but she just felt like there was something Castiel wasn't telling them… | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9206296/3/ | dclm-gs1-208520000 |
0.018315 | <urn:uuid:0c3bef9a-d1a8-4e53-b8ec-4ca31dd3cd84> | en | 0.935601 | Play Bracket Challenge
Complete NCAA Bracket
A Dose of Reality for the Big 12 Conference: We Are All a Burnt Orange Nation
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A Zanex and two beers later, I have started to simmer my half-Japanese temper down to its normal heat.
I will be very honest with my readers. I am not happy with how things have fallen into place. My Facebook posts are evidence of that. But my sports commentary side must be a bit more un-biased.
The Big 12 is intact, minus two teams and a conference title game. And according to University of Texas president William Powers Jr., this is in the best interest of the university, their collegiate partners, and the student athletes.
Why Is This Good for Tech?
In 2007, Texas Tech earned $8.2 million in TV revenue. Tech will be earning twice as much with this new Big 12 deal. Yet, still less than Tech’s older siblings.
The rivalries Tech claims to have are staying intact, as are guaranteed TV time and money revenue.
Expensive travel is not an issue. The budget from the last few years is actually lightened with the loss of Nebraska and Colorado. Travel is much more compact and allows fans to follow their teams.
The Big 12 bylaws state that all the remaining teams are going to come together and vote on how damaging the departing teams are to the rest of the conference.
Nebraska and Colorado can lose anywhere between 30-80 percent in funding during their remaining time in the Big 12. This extra money is divided up EVENLY within the Big 12. One must remember that only TV revenue is not divided evenly amongst the members.
Why Is This Bad for Tech?
The University of Texas: In two years, the Longhorns are going to pursue and/or launch their Longhorn Network. UT told the remaining Big 12 that they would have use of this network...but one needs to keep in mind, it's not called the Big 12 Network, but the Longhorn Network.
And that money goes mostly back to UT.
The University of Texas has ultimate control over the conference. This entire fiasco has shown the nation and the Big 12 that UT is a privilege, not a member.
In five years, the Big 12 will be faced with the same issue we have seen within the last month. The Big 12 is in no way stable.
In two years, there will be no conference championship game. This both weakens the conference in a political setting and from a voter’s standpoint. In many ways, the championship game has been a system of checks and balances within a conference.
If a team wins a questionable game within the regular season, there is still one “barrier” it has to pass in order to “prove” itself as a worthy team.
That system is now gone.
Who Is the True Winner?
I would say the Oklahomas. OU sat quietly by and watched everything progress. The Sooners saw what type of political influences they were dealing with. Thus in five years, OU is going to be the presence to follow and not UT.
Also, OSU wins. OSU has a money fail-safe: Boone Pickens. He will always support OSU, and will always help the program whether the Big 12 is there or not.
We can’t forget Baylor and Iowa State. Two small schools and programs that were running around the conference saying, “Wha? Wait ! What about us?! This isn’t fair!” These schools need the Big 12 more than anybody else. They need the money and the protection.
And TAMU. It's not broke anymore.
Some Jerky To Chew On
UT, OU, and TAMU are the only schools getting the “biggest” bite of the Big 12 pot, even though TAMU has not proven itself within the past 10 years as a football power.
UT could have planned this from the very beginning. The Longhorns start some trouble at home, push a few schools out, pocket extra money, gain control over the entire conference, and almost guarantee themselves a spot in the BCS title game. All the while playing the savior of the Big 12.
So What Does This Ultimately Mean?
As much as it pains me to say this: We are all a burnt orange nation...whether we like it or not.
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0.081339 | <urn:uuid:511083d4-c214-4cf4-8b2b-c7f6a99e72fa> | en | 0.96275 | End of a state authority leads to layoffs, labor boycott of state fair
All candidates for statewide office in Albany promise (or threaten) reform to state agencies and authorities, and the labor situation at the New York State Fair is a preview of what happens when the state dismantles administrative structures dating back to the Great Depression.
Last year, the Legislature dissolved the Industrial Exhibit Authority, set up to handle federal money provided in the New Deal era to build and improve buildings at the State Fairgrounds in Geddes. At the time, state representatives made incorrect predictions about the effect that dissolving the IEA might have on the Fair’s employees. According to the Syracuse Post-Standard:
A spokesperson for the state agriculture department said at the time that there would be no layoffs and the public would not notice a difference in the fair’s entertainment and exhibits.
The State Fair laid off 20 year-round workers back in May, and the Syracuse Post-Standard reports that instead of hiring union workers for seasonal jobs, the fair is hiring directly for less pay. Workers represented by the Plumbers and Steamfitters union earned about $47 per hour (including benefits) at the fair. The state is looking to hire people to perform the same work, and other skilled trades, for $17.78/hour this year.
Traditionally, Labor Day is the last day of the fair, and the Greater Syracuse Labor Council holds a parade. They’ve asked members to boycott the fair and the parade.
Boycotting the state fair is a big deal to people near Syracuse. It’s a bleak, unimaginable, Gianelli-less end to the summer and clearly a last resort. (I’m not entirely kidding.)
NY State Fair terminates union workers; thousands threaten boycott [Syracuse Post-Standard]
41 thoughts on “End of a state authority leads to layoffs, labor boycott of state fair
1. XDOH
Well, what are the jobs and what are the union workers skills? Is it a requirement to be in union to get job? Is it necessary to be in union?
Just some questions.
2. Common Sense
Paying a plumber $47 an hour plau benefits exceeds $100,000.00 a year in salary and benefits. I can understand the need to pay this kind of wage when you have a complex issue for the plumber to work on, but if your main function is just sitting around waiting for a sink or toilet to get clogged and then unstopping it the $47 an hour is just to much.
3. Goose and gander
Now, lemme get this straight…we’re supposed to fire all the consultants working for NYS and replace them with state workers to save oodles of money. But when we try to hire cheaper, non-union seasonal workers at the State Fair saving oodles of money, that’s bad?
Folks, you can’t have it both ways.
4. Don Murphy
It’s hard to comment on Ms.Northrup”s article when it is incomplete (or has been edited)but I’d like to know what happened to the members of the dismantled commissions.
I attended the forth of July concert and the people picking up the trash were driving their vehicles into the crowd at the end while the people exited instead of waiting till they left to clean up.If this is an example of the benefit of cheaper labor then it will be a calamity come Fair time
PS [email protected] is my correct E-Mail address
5. Milli Vanilli Groupie
Hmmm….so we can hire the same amount of people to do the same work for nearly 1/3 of the price? That is such an easy decision, its ridiculous. It will be really sad if those parents deny their own kids a family tradition over flawed politics. The union endorsement is a kiss of death now anyway, so there won’t be much sympathy.
Why drag the kids into it? The fair is supposed to be all about them having fun and making lifelong memories. This shows us yet again that the union leaders don’t mind using them as pawns while refusing to concede there is even a problem. Boycotting it takes money out of the local economy and further hurts the “working families” that they themselves swear are the backbone of America and they exist to represent. What they really show with immature actions like this, is that if the union can’t have it, nobody can and they will go out of their way to harm their own kin.
Let the mindless robots sit home like their leaders say if they really are that trained to bark on command. We’ll have a great time without them. I can take comfort knowing many will have more common sense and take their little one on the bumper cars after they eat what they think is the biggest ice cream cone on earth.
Those who get life will get much more satisfaction having their child smile at them and say thanks for a great day rather than hearing somebody complain about their job. Make no mistake, the kids will remember these things forever when they grow up and will seek to relive it with their own children.
Despite the best efforts of the union to hurt their own community, this American tradition will be back next year too. I’d like to invite them off their pedestal to come down and have a fun time with their brothers and sisters. Forget about the politics.
6. Donna H
Common Sense, please show some. Regular maintenance workers take care of clogs, not plumbers. You know, those jack of all trades that fix anything that goes wrong until it’s beyond their skill set and then they call in the plumbers who are, you know, like paid for their extra knowledge and skill.
Or maybe Milli, they care about their children’s future more than they care about a one day outing but, hey, given that you proudly proclaim to like fake music over the real thing… well, enough said…
Thing is unions don’t need to do this. This seems like an invitation to trouble. Instead of paying for the skill the union plumbers possess, they’re going to hire those willing to work that kind of thing for $17.78 an hour!!! Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen to me since anyone willing to work that kind of thing for less money than I make on a seasonal basis, well, ain’t gonna be the someone with the impressive resume, work experience and good skill set.
7. Nassau Nell
But then where will I get my corndogs and jelly apples, and see obese people in stretch pants ?
Seriously: will this mean a boycott of politicians from the Fair?
8. FedUp (the real one)
Stop comparing this to state workers vs consultants. This is apples and oranges.
First of all, there is no reason why the State Fair – which isn’t even SEASONAL – it’s 2 WEEKS out of a year – needs to have any full time year round employees. That is a ridiculous waste. If they wanted to hire seasonal workers, union or otherwise, then that is much better.
The issue with consultants vs state workers is different. These are full time, year-round jobs, where the consultants sit side by side with the state employees, doing the same exact work, but being paid 2-3 times more (even including benefits).
According to the politicians who have been proven to have financial interests in these consultants or their companies, this saves the taxpayers money because “the consultants can be fired at any time”. Theoretically they can, but since they are politically connected, this never happens. Even in the face of gross incompetence. Many of the consultants being paid almost $200,000 a year, do not even meet the minimum requirements to take a civil service exam to get the job that a state employee would get paid $55,000 a year for.
For example, at my agency we have a highly paid “Network Engineer” consultant being paid $180,000 a year with no college degree, even an associates. Only 2 years of attending college with no indication the person even passed their classes, just that they “attended”. This is from the person’s own resume!
9. Mohammad Waheed
I don’t support unions, I never want to be part of one. To me, it is group of low educated workers sticking together so they all get share of the pie, and if one gets smaller share, all have to cause problem for everyone. I agree with the “Common Sense”, $47 is bit too much for some guy who happened to be in a union workforce. Lets find someone who is willing to take $25 or $30. After all, competition is always good.
Just my two cents.
10. Awesome
I would love to know what people do when it comes to their own finances. Oh, wait a minute, we’re in a recession because the housing bubble burst and people were getting more house than they could pay for! We cannot continue to run this state on credit that we can’t pay unless politicians raise taxes to offset the costs. Go ahead, hire the cheaper workers! There are tons of jobless folks out there that would love to work!
11. John
@ FedUp(the real one)
You are incorrect that the fair should not have full-time employees. Yes, the New York State Fair itsself is only two weeks long, however, there are events at the fair grounds year round. RV shows, horse shows, car shows, banquets, etc, etc. Full-time staff is necessary since this iss a year round operation.
12. Lenny Barlow
Do you have any idea what it takes to plan a State Fair? Do you think a couple of PTA moms just get together and make a few phonecalls? “Hey, Marge, you call the corndog guy and I’ll give the ferris-wheel guy a jungle”.
The State Fair requires land, insurance, accountants…a whole army of people.
13. FedUp (The real one)
@John – Thanks for that information. I didn’t realize that other events were held there as I live in the Eastern part of NY and have not heard them publicized here. Do the other events coming in pay to use the fair grounds? I would imagine that they do, perhaps the fee should be raised to cover the cost of staff and preparations for the event.
@Lenny Barlow – I realize that there is some planning involved, but it doens’t justify the number of year round, full-time staff.
Once upon a time I was very active in 4-H and went to the state fair every year for competitions. There was very little new there from year to year. Same rides, same vendors, most of the same attractions, etc. which were even positioned in the same spots around the fairground year after year. I really doubt it took an army of year round full-time staff to organize the same thing over and over.
14. K11
Let’s call it as it is, this is the Syracuse fair. Vendors come from all over to set up at any fair – Syracuse is the only area that benefits from this event.
This is taxpayer funded.
I say scrap it, entirely. Stop frying my dough. I don’t attend.
15. FedUp (The real one)
Oh and one more thing. The fair is great. I love fairs, specially the State fair.
That being said, if we’re in a dire fiscal crisis, where people are fleeing NY because of the tax burden being imposed on them, I think that optional recreational things need to be the first things to be cut.
We all know that the politcians will take away things like state parks, pools, and fairs away from the people paying taxes before they dare to cut welfare payments to peopel that don’t work. God forbid they didn’t have air conditioning, internet, and cable like they do now.
16. SomeSchmoe
@Common Sense: Hiring a plumber for $50 an hour isn’t the same as hiring a full time employee for $18. The $50/hr guy goes away when there is no work, so the cost difference between a $50 guy who does something and then goes elsewhere and a $18 guy who is sitting around all year waiting for plumbing to break isn’t quite that simple.
17. Milli Vanilli Groupie
@Donna H, nothing but the real music here, but thanks. My point is that life goes on with or without you and we may as well enjoy the short time we have here instead of being so self-centered. If you don’t have a kid, you’re probably home watching reruns anyway. Caring about your kid’s future is much more than making a paycheck, despite your sweeping generalization. Instilling family values is equally as important and a family day out at the fair is a great time/place to pass it on. That does not ignore reality, but puts things in perspective. I’m fine taking the burden so my child doesn’t have to, even if it means swallowing my pride (hence no boycott) so they can be them. You’re right. Its a short event. All the more reason to quit whining for the day.
Of course jobs are important and necessary, but if you are willing to spit in your brother’s eye, why should folks worry about defending you? The jobs are gone and wont be back in that form. Throwing a public tantrum won’t sway people who are themselves looking for work saying, “I’ll do that job for half what they charge”.
You just look at this the wrong way. There are still people being employed, so while one guy takes a seat, another guy willing to compete steps in. We get to save a bunch on top of it so its win/win. If some feel the pay is bad, they don’t have to apply.
Also, I love how the pro-union crowd will knock the skill of a non-union worker. You’re gonna tell me that the 5 year union worker is going to have the same experience as the guy working out of his house for 30 years thats been in every building in the neighbohood but didn’t take the union course and pay dues? Dont make me laugh. You sum it up like joining up automatically makes you some sort of a guru. It definitely doesn’t and statements like that portray an ignorant tone. Trust me, I’ve met some real geniuses on the jobsite and you wonder how they even manage dress themselves in the morning let alone survive 20 years in the local 41st or wherever. The fact is, private worker with significantly less overhead expense can offer a better rate. Simple as that. Skill has nothing to do with this debate. It’s beginner business economics. How many of those people you look down your nose at CAME from the union and decided to start their own business? I suppose they are the unskilled enemy you speak of too.
If you are going to look down on people, at least use some common sense of your own.
18. DeerJohn
I think ol’ Dan has the Plan, and we should bring him to Albany. Maybe help out the guv, or hey, even run for the job in November. If he can remove all the state workers and replace them for 1/3 the cost, just think of the savings! Maybe we could even balance the budget(if we had one)! Maybe replenish the bottomless Pork Barrel. O’Hara For Governor!
19. kevin
@ Milli Vanilli…I know for a fact that in some of general labor unions, construction workers, they have certain quotas for work to be done, and for the most part those quotas are FAR less than what should really be required; so if anything, the union workers do less work(in that scenario, anyways). You also have to remember that it really comes down to the individual’s own mentality. If a person is in a hard-working mindset, they are going to work until they feel accomplished, which is probably more than a quota would require. It probably all balances out in the end. It’s the same with private contractors…You’re only going to work as hard as you are going to work.
20. rkrough
$47 an hour for a plumber? Anyone got their number? Most plumbers around here charge $75 just to show up.
21. ResidentX
first, the studies have been posted here that the average state worker (union) has a higher level of education than the average private sector worker. Are there some that have little to no education? sure but the overall average is higher than that in the private sector. Many jobs in the state are specialized and thus require that education. Its actually pretty funny because private sector workers with the same level of education want to be paid accordingly but dont want to pay a public employee anywhere near the same for the same or even more education/skills.
I’ll also point to most of the road crews out there doing all that road work are actually PRIVATE contractors contracted to do the work and some even use state equipment. Strangely everyone wants to blame the laziness standing around etc on state workers when most are actually PRIVATE SECTOR workers.
also… with something like Information Technology.. let me know the first person willing to do the job for less than what a state employee is being paid. A state worker being paid 50,000 to do a job is working along side a private contractor being paid 80,000 or 90,000 … or more for the same job. The other side of that is the few contractors who actually make around the same as a state worker to do the job are actually working for an agency who is skimming 20, 30 thousand or more off the top of their contract so the worker may not be making a on more but it costs the state more just the same because the contract agency is being paid huge sums for the service.
a point on contract staff that hasnt been brought up. When a contractor is actually let go due to incompetence etc (which is far FAR from often) they are generally replaced almost immediately with another contractor because the contracting firm has a deal with the agency to place a certain number of contracts in order to achieve a certain profit. So even in tough times when cuts are necessary, its not like the state just doesnt place contractors to help save. They are pretty much forced to place/replace contractors due to the agreements with the contracting firms.
how about the time spent by these contractors looking for the next, more lucrative contract throughout their work day spending large amounts of time on their cell phones etc.
contract staff isnt nearly as cost effective as some seem to think and in fact can cost far FAR more. Much of that cost trickling into management and politicians pockets.
22. K11
“Goose and gander” you are a stooge. Through and through.
It’s not a matter of Union workers are cheaper. It’s a matter of *MATH*.
Union I.T. workers cost 1/2 what contractors cost the state.
Union Plumbers cost TWICE that of seasonal employees.
23. Another Albany Resident
Managing the Empire Expo Center where the state fair takes place would be an enormous undertaking with it’s full season of events and attractions. The logistics involved in the details of planning and contracting for these events is beyond what anyone on this blog can imagine, unless you are a professional meeting/event planner.
When people visit the fair or any of their events, they expect some level of quality. The choreography of the horse events has to meet expectations. The owners of expensive equipment need assurances that their investments are protected.
This does not come cheap. By devalueing hard work, we devalue the quality of the experience at the fairgrounds and we a lowering the economic bar. Why would we want to make peoples hard work worth less? That is bad for society in the long run. We must look beyond this fiscal crisis and ask ourselves what our time and education is really worth. $17 per hour instead of $47? Why try? Why do anything?
24. Clifton Park Voter
It looks like the state government may have tried to cut waste. Isn’t that what all politicans promise to get elected?
You want us to overpay for union work. The union then ‘donates’ money back to corrupt politicans. That is a kickback.
My hard work is worth less because I am forced to give an increasing amount of it to the state so they can overpay union labor. Maybe I should stop trying.
25. Mr Hoffa's Ghost
if it weren’t for unions and the limited leverage they provide, no one would be making more than minimum wage, or less – lets not forget that unions were created to protect workers from unscrupulous employers willing to exploit men, women and even children to make a quick buck – and if you think sweatshops and child labor are things of the past, you need to dig your head out of the sand
and with the plethora of unskilled resident alien workers ready to scarf up every available job for a less-than-respectable wage, I for one am glad to pay my dues to ensure my job isn’t out-sourced to anyone willing to work for peanuts, or less.
unions aren’t to blame for the mess we’re in – we didn’t ask for massive raises when the economy was booming, and since our taxes are based on our income, we raise more income for the state by virtue of our higher salaries, which in turn allows for higher entitlements such as welfare, medicaid, and unemployment insurance – the real reasons our state is fiscally bankrupt, since they account for over 70% of the state’s budget
union proud and union loud – the voice of fair labor practice will never be silenced!
26. Gary Evans
Yes, this NYS Fair is a waste of NYS tax dollars. Fair admission SHOULD and MUST cover all expenses. Period! Yes, the Syracuse area benefits greatly BUT at the expense of everyone else’s tax dollars! Just another bad example of New York State pork-barrel funding.
I’d leave it to the Fair managers whom to hire and whether or NOT they are union members PROVIDING I and others NOT directly benefiting do NOT have to pay.
If Syracuse wants THE fair then let Syracuse pay just a other local fairs around the state do!
27. FedUp (The real one)
I don’t agree with everything unions do, particularly with respect to protecting some bottom feeders within their ranks (which they are obligated to do). Every group will have a range of people that includes excellent to below average.
For the most part, most union workers are honest hard working people. They are not paid “more” than people in the private sector doing similiar work for the most part.
Maybe it is a little harder to fire them. And workign in government, especially NY state government, that is the ONLY way people who are not friend, family, or politcially connected would even be able to work in any state goverment jobs. The amount of political interference and retaliation even WITH union protections is mind-blowing.
You would see much more corruption if employees were living completely under the thumb of their politcial masters and could be fired on a whim. The types of underlying reasons you’d see peopel getting fired would include things like standing up to corruption, someone’s friend or family member needing the job, or someone’s wife being jealous.
28. hockeyguy
With the lengthy list of properties owned by the State of New York I would be astounded if there weren’t already a large number of unionized plumbers on the state payroll. Shouldn’t be too hard to find out what NYS pays unionized plumbers (I doubt it is either $17 or $47 per hour) and make that the rate. Or would that be too simple of a solution?
29. maverick100
@ Hockeyguy:
Here you go – the career ladder for Plumbers with the state:
And the pay schedule:
It looks like these plumbers, however, may have been in “exempt” positions and not true civil service positions, as the pay rates for their guild are a bit higher than the pay rates for those in civil service as listed on the Civil Service site. The guild does not look to be a civil service only guild, but a true trade guild for plumbers in any sector, public or private.
Adding up the hourly rate and benefits on the unions site, and adding the the hourly stipend for being a senior general foreman is what gets these plumbers to that $47/hour mark that was quoted – in other words, it’s $47/hour total compensation if you are in a higher level supervisory position (as I read the chart that is), and the actual hourly pay rate would be $32.48. In other words, plumbers that are members of this trade guild that are working on private sector jobs are making the same as the ones working in the public sector if I’m reading things correctly, as they only list one payscale.
Conversely, the Civil Service website reflects that a “Supervising Plumber” at the max pay rate would be making around $26/hour, and there are only 21 of those jobs statewide. The majority of the jobs (294 of them) are in the “Plumber & Steamfitter” title making from $17/hour as a trainee to $24/hour at the top of the payscale.
In other words, had they used actual “civil service” plumbers, it looks like they would have made a bit less.
Comments are closed. | http://blog.timesunion.com/stateworker/end-of-a-state-authority-leads-to-layoffs-labor-boycott-of-state-fair/615/ | dclm-gs1-208790000 |
0.115814 | <urn:uuid:95ea7b00-f11c-4c00-936e-a1ad542d4ebe> | en | 0.888806 | Human Test (Cavie)
studio Minerva Pictures
director Manetti Bros.
writer Manetti Bros.
trailer 1 Trailer #1
Six people with nothing in common, wake up handcuffed in the back of a truck. Dumped in the middle of a wood, without clues or any food, they’ll have only a box filled with weapons and a book: “How to win in war” by Brian Hill. There’s no way out. They’re not alone. Someone is chasing them and the wood is going to ooze with their blood.
Images, Posters and Photos | http://bloody-disgusting.com/film/112442/human-test-cavie-2/ | dclm-gs1-208850000 |
0.034075 | <urn:uuid:e59e09e4-ec2a-48d1-a8c3-a2d5ca959d22> | en | 0.917453 | Sweet sorghum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A jar of sweet sorghum syrup
Sweet sorghum is any of the many varieties of the sorghum plant which has a high sugar content. Sweet sorghum is a type of grass that thrives better under drier and warmer conditions than many other crops and is grown primarily for forage, silage, and syrup production.
Sweet sorghum has been widely cultivated in the U.S. since the 1850s for use in sweeteners, primarily in the form of sorghum syrup. By the early 1900s, the U.S. produced 20 million US gallons (76,000 m3) of sweet sorghum syrup annually. Making syrup from sorghum (as from sugar cane) is heavily labor intensive. Following World War II, with the declining availability of farm labor, sorghum syrup production fell drastically. Currently, less than 1 million US gallons (3,800 m3) are produced annually in the U.S.
Most sorghum grown for syrup production is grown in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
Horse-driven, antique sorghum-cane juicer being operated at an organic farm in central North Carolina, for syrup production.
Adding freshly squeezed cane juice to a simmering pan of syrup on an open fire. much as it was done in the 19th century.
Madhura sweet sorghum syrup sold in India
Sorghum syrup and hot biscuits are a traditional breakfast in the Southern United States. Sorghum syrup is also used on pancakes, cornmeal mush, grits and other hot cereals. It can be used as a cooking ingredient with a similar sweetening effect as molasses, despite the fact that the nutritional content of blackstrap molasses still has a higher nutritional value than sorghum syrup in most regards. [1]
Sweet sorghum syrup is sometimes called "molasses" or "sorghum molasses" in some regions of the U.S., but the term molasses more properly refers to a different sweet syrup, made as a byproduct of sugarcane or sugar beet sugar extraction[citation needed].
In the U.S. since the 1950s, sorghum has been raised primarily for forage and silage, with sorghum cultivation for cattle feed concentrated in the Great Plains (Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska are the leading producers) where insufficient rainfall and high temperature make corn production unprofitable.
Grain sorghum has also been utilized by the ethanol industry for quite some time because it yields approximately the same amount of ethanol per bushel as corn. As new generation ethanol processes are studied and improved, sorghum's role may continue to expand.[2] Texas A&M University is currently running trials to ascertain the best varieties for ethanol production from sorghum leaves and stalks in the USA.[3]
In India, and other places, sweet sorghum stalks are used for producing bio-fuel by squeezing the juice and then fermenting into ethanol.[4] The crop is particularly suitable for growing in dryland conditions, as it only extracts one seventh of the water used by sugarcane.
A study by researchers at ICRISAT found that growing sweet sorghum instead of grain sorghum could increase farmers incomes by US$40 per hectare per crop because it can provide food, feed and fuel. With grain sorghum currently grown on over 11 million hectares (ha) in Asia and on 23.4 million ha in Africa, a switch to sweet sorghum could have a considerable economic impact. [5]
See also[edit]
External links[edit] | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_sorghum | dclm-gs1-209080000 |
0.105224 | <urn:uuid:65f5f30b-1b7b-44e6-be41-d7f3a9a84800> | en | 0.962539 | First Person: Is Land the Only True Wealth Protector?
Yahoo Contributor Network
With the economy still trying to recover from the recent recession, I've been watching closely for ways to protect what little wealth I have left. It seems like almost every investment option out there is either too unstable, doesn't provide enough of a return, or puts my money at risk of being lost in a bubble or through market manipulation.
Whether it's stocks, bonds, commodities, certificates of deposit, savings accounts, or just plain cash, it's hard to find something that is truly a stable investment that provides a steady and reasonable rate of return that isn't subject to being destroyed by forces outside my ability to control.
I've come up with investment that might actually protect wealth though…land.
Inflation Eats Cash
Cash -- especially the US dollar -- can often be a darn good wealth protector. It's pretty much universally accepted -- either in bill form, check, or credit card -- at home in the US, and in many cases, abroad. However, the downside to cash is -- at the moment at least -- not only low interest rates, which makes returns on cash investments like certificates of deposit, interest-earning checking accounts, and savings accounts rather pitiful, but inflation. While the government currently puts inflation at somewhere near 2 percent, for many of us it's significantly higher. Our family's personal rate of inflation is currently right around 5 percent for this past year, and this means that cash is not a very strong protector of wealth as without earned interest of any real meaningful amount, inflation eats away at it fairly quickly.
Metals are Only Worth What Someone is Willing to Pay
I hear a lot of people talk about having gold and silver on hand to combat higher inflation or even economic collapse. In fact, I've written a number of articles about putting money into silver and gold as a hedge about economic uncertainty. The downside to this type of investing is that a piece of metal is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If our nation's economy collapses, what is a silver coin going to be worth? Will it be worth $100 US dollars? A $1,000 US dollars? A piece of bread? Or absolutely nothing at all?
Well, it depends on what a person is willing to give me for it. I seriously doubt the local grocery store will be open and accepting gold and silver coins for food. And personally, I wouldn't be trading the food that I have on hand for my family to consume for lumps of metal that will do us absolutely no good. So while metals can be an option for wealth protection, it doesn't necessarily mean they will stand up during a truly devastated economy or economic collapse.
Stock Markets and Homes Hit Bubbles
So what's left when it comes to putting wealth to work? Well, there's the stock market. There's the housing market. But both areas are prone to manipulation and bubbles. A home can be a place to store and at times even create wealth, but as we saw during the market collapse beginning in 2007, it's also a place where plenty of wealth can be destroyed as well. And as we saw with the tech bubble and the financial crisis, the stock market can also be a place where wealth is both created and destroyed in quick spurts.
But if cash is out, metals are out, stocks are out, and homes are out; what else is left when it comes to protecting wealth?
The Benefits of a Home with Land
Personally, I think land is a great option for wealth protection. But it's not just land that comprises this option since there can still be carrying costs that eat into wealth while carrying land such as property taxes and maintenance. Owning land with a home upon it though could be the true wealth protector. In such a situation, not only do we have a place to live and possibly protect and even create wealth through a dwelling (which we must have one way or another), but there is the possibility for additional revenues through land usage.
Whether through growing food or hunting, raising fruit trees or grapes for harvest, utilizing the land for fuel through wood, coal, natural gas, mining minerals, utilizing water rights, harvesting lumber, and similar money making -- or at least money-protecting activities -- I'm looking at this sort of investment option as a possible future move in which I can not only obtain a place for my family to live, but to possible work and build a future that is relatively protected from the perils entailed in many other forms of investing and wealth management.
More From This Contributor:
5 Websites that Could Save You Money
How I Differentiate My Blog
Preparing to Publish My First E-book
The author is not a licensed financial or real estate professional. The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial or real estate advice. Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is solely at the reader's discretion.
View Comments | http://finance.yahoo.com/news/first-person-land-only-true-wealth-protector-002100242.html | dclm-gs1-209090000 |
0.367783 | <urn:uuid:60ab90ca-015a-480a-bf4e-e9bc3826fe00> | en | 0.985943 | Last night's episode of SoCal misery involved, as always, fashion. It involved, as always, drinking in big echoing restaurants. And it involved, like never before!, butt bleeding. Yup.
Before we get to the butt-bleed, let's talk about everything that came before it. That's just how you have to talk about butt-bleed.
Gretchen and Slade are still doing their stupid hula-hoop routine with each other. I don't know why I call it that, a hula-hoop routine, but that's what it feels like. They just keep doing the same motion over and over and over again, expecting us to care so deeply about the big Will They Or Won't They Get Married thing. You know what, guys? If I had all the fucks in the world, just a huge vault full of fucks, sometimes I swim around in the fucks like Scrooge McDuck, Scrooge McFuck they call me, I basically have more fucks than anyone has ever dreamed of, I honestly could not give one fuck about whether you get married. I couldn't spare a single fuck. "Nope, just can't give a fuck about that. It can't be done." I seriously could not give less of a fuck if you idiots get married at this point. You've dragged it out too long, you've lost me, I'm done. Go sit in a ditch for all I care. Actually, please, do. Please do go sit in a ditch and hush up your mouths because there are grownups talking.
Hahahaha, no there aren't. There are no grownups talking. We're still talking about Housewives, after all. But yeah, Gretchen and Slade had some stupid conversation about whether they can get married, because Gretchen doesn't really want to marry into all of Slade's financial bullshit. He's so broke it's not even funny and he has child support to pay and Gretchen says "Though I love him, I'm just not sure I want to be paying for his child." Which I don't know. I'm of two minds on that. I totally understand not wanting to have to pay for some random kid. But if she loves Slade so dearly, that kid probably shouldn't be random? I mean, is that kid random, the child of the man you really want to marry? That doesn't sound like a terribly deep relationship then! "I love him so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with him." "That's great. What's his son like?" "Who? Oh, right, yeah, I dunno. Expensive." The truest love.
And here is a whole section of the recap that the publishing software just, for some reason, completely deleted and is gone forever and I'm really really mad but what can you do. I promise you there were funny jokes about Micah and Peggy and about how she looks like a crab and there was stuff about Vegas and Peggy's gross photo book and Micah's general ninnery. I also called their daughters lots of stupid city names like Detroit and Grozny and Bucharest and Brazzaville. And then I talked some about the Las Vegas dinner where everyone made fun of Alexis and how Micah said he ran seven companies and I made a joke about how Micah isn't aware that Micah Inc., Micah Enterprises, and the East Micah Trading Company (among others) aren't actually real companies. I wish I could just rewrite it but I don't have the energy. I'm sorry. My jokes about Peggy getting run over by an ambulance and breaking her face and having to get a new face at CheapFaces of Newport Beach are just going to have to remain eternal mysteries. The point was essentially that Peggy and Micah are silly and Peggy is a seven-year-old for declaring, on camera, that Tamra and Fake Eddie are her new best friends. Anyway.
Then there was a whole thing about Vicki being sad and crying and talking about how Donn never touches her. And, I don't know, whatever, it's just what it is, that whole story. I feel bad for Vicki. I also don't feel bad for Vicki. That's all there is to say about that. Well, there was more to say, but, again, it got deleted.
This was all happening while Alexis was planning a pre-release luncheon for her dress line, Alexis Couture (she's still confused about what that word means). She decided to have the event at a fancy French restaurant called Pascal and went to meet with Pascal to discuss the menu. He was totally just an actor pretending to be French, because all he knew were food words. All he could say was like brioche, vichyssoise, and foie gras. Totally fake. It worked on Alexis, though. She got very scared by all of these French words and said "I love French food, but I was thinking for more like American French food." "Like croissant sandwiches!" some sad weirdo lady sitting next to her chimed in. Yes, like croissant sandwiches. And French fries and French toast and maybe a pie made of cigarettes and wine. Y'know, French things. The fake chef sighed and agreed. He suggested quail and Alexis frowned. Nope. No quail. Not at Alexi's big event. Not at her classy, fabulous party where the guests will be served heaping bowls of French's mustard and nothing else. There's no quail in the Bellino room, end of story.
The day of the party arrived and the cardboard cutouts of Alexis in the dresses were placed by the entrance (those existed because Alexis wouldn't be modeling the dresses herself, but I guess it was important that she still be seen in the dresses? I don't know, don't try to reason with her) and Alexis was very excited but nervous. Eventually all the girls shuffled in and Alexis was excited for a drama-free party. She sat Gretchen and Tamra at two different tables and she was sure everything would go well. She sent her little gay Dylan (a "pocket gay," Tamra called him, complaining about this new fad of carting around a gay, and hey, I actually agree with Tamra on something) up to the middle of the room and he began the Sue Ellen from Don't Tell Mom-esque fashion show.
"This dress is called 'Sex and the City'," he said, pointing to a dress that no one in New York would ever wear. "And this one is called 'A Walk in the Park'," referring to a long maxi dress that Gretchen, loudly and rudely if not aptly, declared way too formal for a walk in the park. Oh shit. This thing was already a mess. Alexis had encouraged everyone to write honest, constructive criticism on little cards she'd handed out, but the paper was too glossy so the pens couldn't write on it, so even the critical part of her fashion party was a bust. Aw nuts.
"This here is 'The Felcher'," Dylan was murmuring when a phone rang and it was Tamra's and it was a phone call from Vicki. Oh, yeah, Vicki wasn't at the party and everyone, well Alexis and Gretchen, were being all pissy about that. So Tamra's phone rang and it turns out that Vicki was at the hospital because... her butt was bleeding. Yikes. Yup. Butt bleeding. Bleeding from the butt. Not something to take lightly! (And it was real!) Tamra was all freaking out and this made Alexis mad because no one was paying attention to her dresses. ("This here is called 'The Cock Gypsy'," Dylan said about a small piece of satin that fell about an inch above the ladyparts.) So Gretchen got all into it and was like "Don't you think it's ironic that this happens the day of Alexis's fashion show?" Tamra blinked at her and said "She's bleeding from her ass, Gretchen." Gretchen smirked. "I just think it's ironic." Ironic is to Gretchen as couture is to Alexis.
Lynne was at Tamra's table and tried to comfort her by saying "Hey it's a party and here's your champagne. Where's your champagne? It's right here. Now put it in your mouth. Worry when you have to worry, but for now, hey, it's a party, right? Champagne. Here have some of that. Want a cuff? That'll be $150. [Those cost that much, btw.] Who doesn't love a cuff? Cheer up, Tamra. Here I'll drink your champagne for you. Ever seen a dog say hello to you? I have, twice. Ever killed a clown? It's the best, you should try it. Hi, I'm Lynne. Do you remember me? I don't remember me. Where am I? What're these dresses? Am I asleep in the Nordstrom's again?" Tamra was, surprisingly, not terribly comforted by Lynn's words of wisdom. She left the room to talk to Vicki's assistant, in the middle of the fashion show. ("This sassy number is called 'The Art Butt'...") Alexis put her head in her hands and sighed. This fashion party was a total freaking disaster. Just a complete mess. You try to have nice things and Vicki goes and blood-poops all over it.
OK guys. I'm sorry. But this is where we're ending. I'm really upset about losing a huge chunk of this, but what can you do. Talk amongst yourselves and we'll get back on the saddle for next week's finale. Thank sweet god for that. Finale. What a wonderful word. | http://gawker.com/5804632/real-housewives-of-orange-county-les-incompetents?tag=recaps | dclm-gs1-209140000 |
0.760702 | <urn:uuid:82ac568c-fb05-41e0-8ad4-3289e1818376> | en | 0.979981 | You are viewing inafoxhole
New Testament...part 3?
reading list
Picking up from yesterday, the second leg of the trip...
This is still acts of the apostles.
My guess with Paul and his vision, is that he was already having second thoughts about what he was doing, perhaps not willing to admit those doubts to himself, or feeling compelled for some reason to stay the course, so when he had his vision, it articulated those doubts better than he was able to do on his own, and so he felt permission to do what he was already inclined to do anyway, which was quit his job. He certainly wouldn't be the first person to go from one end of the debate to the other. In the modern health care debate, for instance, look at a guy like Wendell Potter. Once the guy that did the enforcing and helped to screw people out of their coverage, now advocating strongly against everything health insurance companies stand for, having seen it on the inside.
Now in Romans.
Other than saying that Jesus was the only thing you needed for salvation, what was the motivation for Christians to give up sacrifices? Don't want to sacrifice to false dieties, but Jews sacrifice to the their god, why give it up to be Christian? I don't remember anything in particular except to say that it wasn't necessary. Is this another case of they wanted to stop doing it for other reasons, and Christianity just gave them an excuse to do exactly what they wanted anyway?
They also say that circumcision isn't necessary, but is recommended. Why is it that one was kept and one was abandonned?
The arbitrariness of god's mercy is, in fact, arbitrary. Romans admits that, and they think that's actually good. To people with morals, this is hideous. But that's how they make sense of good things happening to bad people. But how can you say god is good if he's arbitrary?
Corinthians now.
If you are married to a nonbeliever if they want to stay, because they are sanctified through being married to a believer. But, if they wish to leave, let them leave.... okay. So, if you want divorce to be okay, you just need to marry a nonbeliever. I guess nonbelievers are good for something.
Give not offense to neither Jews nor Gentiles? Another piece of advice not taken by Christians.
Isn't it a shame how they follows the rules that are pretty crappy, but ignore the good ones. They are talking about women being covered, and they basically just say the local custom holds. Men should not be covered.
I have to pick this up later... guests have arrived.
Continuing the next day:
Women should have long hair because it helps to cover them, but men should not.
The three greatest virtues, according to Paul, are faith, hope and charity. But of these, charity is the greatest virtue. Not faith.
Speaking in tongues is good, according to Saul, but better if you prophesy, and better still if you "speak with knowledge". Not something most Christians come even close to. He also says that, even in Church, if no interpreter is present, you should keep your speaking in tongues to yourself. If no one understands it, you may lead them astray.
Women should not be teachers, and if she wants to know anything, she should ask her husband. God, what a sexist. Consistent with the culture, but still.
Asking questions about what body will be resurrected, etc. means that you really don't understand what the resurrection is about. He seems to be suggested that you will be resurrected in an incorruptible heavenly body, not a corruptible earthly body. So what happens to the Earthly body is beside the point. Catholics! Donate your organs!
(II Corinthians)
How did the apostles decide who to write letters to and who to travel to. Why the Corinthians, for instance, and not the Athenians? Couldn't stand the philosophical arguments?
Galatians now.
Paul talks about meeting the brother of Jesus, James, a child of Mary by Joseph, who was therefore younger than Jesus? Or is this a child of Joseph by a previous wife (in that case, not actually related to Jesus at all by blood)?
It's easy to see why the Romans wouldn't have been very impressed by the Jews. All this talk about not wanting to eat with the uncircumcised makes them seem like "we're special and you're disgusting"... and given who the Romans were, you can see how that would fly in the face of their own cultural expectations... well, and really anyone's self-respect.
Paul here argues against aseticism. These people won't inherit the kindgom of god, only those about love and peace.
Pick up here on the next long drive. Almost done!!
New Testament...part 2?
So, the continuing saga of Haysoos continues... The new testament has its problems, of course, but it's not as engaging as the old testament, and I fear I tune out periodically. But below are my collected notes. I think I left off at the end of his around Galaticians. I'm getting close to the end. One more long drive should do it.
We pick up in the gospel of John. These notes (the ones at the beginning at least) were recorded on Newtonmass Eve.
This is where the Jewish soldiers are the ones who arrest and attack Jesus in Gethsemene, instead of the version where it's the Romans that do this. It's interesting that Mel Gibson picked this version rather than the other for the Passion of the Christ.
When Jesus is being confronted by Pilate, he goes to a great deal of trouble to talk like a lawyer or a politician, going to a great deal of trouble not to really answer any of the questions put to him. When I grew up, Pilate was portrayed as a bad guy, but in the actual story, he seems to be doing everything he could not to put Jesus to death. He was looking for any excuse at all, but Jesus seemed to determined not to oblige him. Given the story here, it's hard to see how Pilate could be considered the bad guy. It just seems like you would be better off blaming it on the mob and the followers of the chief priest... not the Jews in broad strokes, but just this particular Jew in an effort to preserve his own power.
The detail about not breaking his legs. Not like he was fulfilling a prophecy, but that it was something easily adjusted in the story after the fact. They broke the legs of the other two guys. And decades after Jesus was dead and buried, how could you prove it?
How is it that the disciples would be able to participate in passover when they had just touched a dead body. Isn't that why women were responsible for the dead, because it would make them unclean?
Before Jesus is resurrected, he's appearing to the disciples and Mary... is he some kind of ghost? He hasn't ascended to heaven yet. What's the deal with the three days then?
Doubting Thomas story. Jesus is encouraging credulousness.
What does Jesus see in Simon Peter?
In Acts, Judas died with all his guts spilled on the field, but not that he had hung himself.
All the listeners speak different languages, they hear the apostles speak in their native languages. That's not what speaking in tongues means today. It's gibberish. If someone could really speak so that anyone of any language could understand, like the Doctor with the TARDIS, that would be pretty damn impressive. Doesn't happen, though.
What do they mean they can't be drunk by 9 a.m.?
This glorification of unlearnedness and ignorance is quite disturbing.
How can it be a good thing for one of the apostles that he threatened a woman with something so horrible that he died right there at his feet? Whatever it is that he says is beside the point. Is that really a good thing?
If it's good it will last and if it's bad it will go away... early notion of marketplace of ideas.
Did you notice that one of the first acts of the apostles after the death of Jesus was to cast lots to determine who would be appointed to their number to replace Judas? A very common practice in the Greek world, and they think god has a hand in it... but is casting lots really the best way to choose the best person? To modern ears, this is just crazy.
That makes it sound weird looking at the brother of Joseph thinking of the twelve patriarchs as selfish, bratty kids. Very strange.
Rather than making Phillip disappear, why not just restore the eunuch to wholeness? That would have been impressive. The disciples are wandering around performing miracles and acquire a following, but wasn't it Jesus who insisted that the blessed are those that believe without evidence? What's this with supplying all this evidence? Where is the evidence now?
So first gentile that became a Christian was Cornelius, and he brought a whole bunch of people together to cut off the tips of their penises. Imagine sending out that invitation.
You know easy it would have been for a clever man to fool so many stupid, superstitious people in those days? And you say, it's from god, god told me to do it, and they all say, oh, okay, whatever. Imagine Obama doing that about gays in the military?
Simon Peter says you don't have to be circumcised to be saved. So why is it that so many people in America do this, but not in Europe.... fundamentalist streak in American Protestantism?
Converting gentiles is a neat trick. All the prophecies were from the old testament, the torah, and the jews were more skeptical because they knew the prophecies better, but the gentiles didn't, and seemed more likely to just accept that what they were told about Jesus fulfilling prophecies was true. Interesting marketing strategy.
A follower of Jesus telling other people they were too superstitious? That's funny.
All the men were about 12? Does that mean the mean were 12 years old or there were 12 men?
Oh, and look, encouraging the burning of books. There's that anti-intellectualism streak again.
The translation of "hour" is a bad one.
The way they treat Roman citizens vs. others is always interesting.
I've got some more notes to post, but I am going to pause here for the moment.
I, for one, am not so bound my tradition.
And what about kids getting their ears pierced?
The Ledge
It seems like I dropped off the face of the Earth for a while. I'm afraid that's what happens when I have too many things going on. I'm doing a little less this summer before the insanity of fall quarter (where I will surely work myself to death), so during my semi-hiatus--i.e. 60 hours a week instead of 120--I'm going to try to manage a post here or there, possibly on a semi-regular basis... But there are so many demands on my writing time, like the next novel, we'll see.
However, I want to write about this new movie, the Ledge. I managed to catch it last night on HD on Demand before it hits theatres. What I'm about to say is likely to be a bit spoilerish, so please proceed with caution. This is a thriller and if you don't want the ending spoiled, you should just know it's pretty good: Liv Tyler manages to do a better job acting than in the Lord of the Rings, and not much else. For the rest of you, I'm going to try not to spoil the ending too badly, but I fear what I will say will give it away to any clear-thinking person.
Okay, ready?
So, the "ooh, shiny" thing about the Ledge is that the main character is an atheist. And he's not the bad guy. The fact that he's not a scientist, this isn't science fiction, he's not deeply cynical about life, and he's not a homocidal maniac,... that any of this should be "big", well, that tells you the state of affairs of Hollywood story-telling. Atheists are weird, like black lesbian prison guards. So the fact that an atheist is portrayed as a normal human being is, unfortunately, a big deal.
If you've seen any of the previews, you know the bad guy is a crazy fundamentalist freak. If the first thing--a sympathetic atheist--wasn't enough to spawn crazy right wing hatred, that surely will. Of course, when atheists look at most right wingers, we see carbon copies of that nut in the movie, so from the atheist perspective, there is nothing unbelievable about it. And really, the guy isn't hating on the atheist because he's an atheist, it's because he slept with his wife... his religion is just an excuse.
This isn't the problem, though. The problem is that there is a massive hole in the plot. (Here's the spoiler... stop reading now if you don't want spoilery stuff...) If I'm an atheist, a member of the reality-based community. I also don't just accept my fate. I take advantage of every opportunity to save myself... like tell the police guy trying to talk me down off the ledge what's really going on so they can try to find the crazy lunatic threatening me so that I won't have to jump. You don't wait until the last fucking minute. I'm sorry, but that's just bad writing. You tell the cop about it, and if they don't find him, then you jump. Jesus H. Christ!
As a writer, I'm flabbergasted this got through. Are people that dumb?
Anyway, not a bad movie generally. Go see it. Atheists' Brokeback Mountain? Whatever. I didn't think that movie had gross plot holes, though. But then, I do know gay people who hated it, so what do I know?
Phil Plait at OSU
Phil Plait is a great speaker. If he's ever in your area, go see him. Especially if you are a geek. It's so nice to be around other people who get excited about astronomy the way I do.
Phil Plait OSU 2011 Phil Plait OSU 2011
Phil came and gave his Death from the Skies talk at OSU on 2011.04.28. Here he is talking about Kleopatra, the asteroid shaped like a dog bone.
science wins
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0.021494 | <urn:uuid:f865939b-8836-4519-8060-ee8d2c76e00f> | en | 0.942635 | Pet stores keep cruel animal trade alive
Posted: Wednesday, May 19, 2010
If you care about animals, you should never buy one from a pet store. That may seem counterintuitive, but PETA's undercover investigations have demonstrated time and again that pet shops and the companies that supply them treat animals like disposable objects. No thought is given to the fact that they are living beings.
PETA's latest case proves this point.
Imagine a worker putting hamsters into a plastic bag and bashing them against a table in a crude attempt to kill them. One hamster languishes - panting heavily and suffering - for several minutes.
Unsalable animals are gassed in a filth-encrusted glass tank. Hamsters are killed when careless employees crush their necks between shipping boxes and box lids.
These are just a few of the atrocities that PETA documented during a recent three-month undercover investigation of Sun Pet Ltd., a Georgia-based wholesale animal dealer that supplies small mammals, birds, fish and other animals to PETCO, PetSmart, Pet Supplies "Plus," Walmart and "mom and pop" pet stores across the United States.
At Sun Pet, PETA's investigator routinely found severely decomposed rat, mouse, gerbil and hamster remains in bins containing live animals. Guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, chinchillas and sugar gliders were housed and/or shipped in severely crowded bins, cages and boxes. Sometimes the distressed animals fought, resulting in injuries such as shredded ears and gouged eyes.
A supervisor and employees routinely handled animals roughly. The supervisor said that "you could throw (the mice) against the wall and they'll stand back up again and keep on running" and that you could forcefully squeeze small mammals' abdomens "like a ... PlayStation controller handle" to determine their gender.
In more than three months of employment, PETA's investigator never once saw anyone from PetSmart's or PETCO's corporate offices inspecting the Sun Pet facility. Dozens of PETCO and PetSmart stores shipped sick and injured animals back to Sun Pet without food, water or veterinary care. Some animals were dead upon arrival.
One bad apple? Hardly. The situation at Sun Pet is all too common.
This is PETA's fourth expose revealing the abusive handling and filthy conditions endured by animals who are eventually sold at PETCO stores and our third revealing such conditions for animals sold at PetSmart.
Last year, a PETA investigator spent seven harrowing months working inside U.S. Global Exotics, Inc. (USGE), a Texas-based multimillion-dollar animal supplier that sold animals to Sun Pet and other distributors.
Animals at USGE were routinely confined for days or weeks to pillowcases, shipping boxes and soda bottles without proper heat and humidity or even food or water. Hundreds of lizards who were never unpacked perished inside bags and "shipping cups." Snakes routinely starved, and animals suffering from life-threatening conditions - including an emaciated and dehydrated wallaby who was too weak to stand - were left to suffer and die slowly. Workers routinely put sick, injured and dying animals in a freezer to kill them. Some animals deemed "no good" for sale were thrown into a Dumpster.
As a result of PETA's investigation, Texas authorities seized more than 26,000 animals from USGE last December in the largest animal confiscation in history. USGE's U.S. Department of Agriculture license has since been cancelled, and the company is now closed. Its owner, Jasen Shaw - who is now a fugitive - is wanted by the federal government for violations of the Lacey Act and is under investigation for charges of smuggling, conspiracy and aiding and abetting.
One down, many more to go.
If you share your home with an animal companion, please stock up on necessities at shops that sell only supplies, not live animals. And if you're ready to pour your time, energy, money, attention and love into an animal, visit or your local animal shelter to adopt a furry friend.
Most important, never buy an animal from a pet store. Appalling abuse and neglect are just business as usual for the warehouses that supply pet shops. The suffering will continue until consumers stop patronizing stores that purchase animals from these hellholes.
• Dan Paden is a senior research associate in People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' Cruelty Investigations Department.
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0.547875 | <urn:uuid:a9560215-028d-4f83-97de-7072fe42608a> | en | 0.814849 | Let's Make Robots! - 4L-FRED http://letsmakerobots.com/taxonomy/term/14867/0 en Wavefront Algorithm Mapping http://letsmakerobots.com/node/35133 <p>Hi, LMRians. I've been reading up on this Wavefront Algorithm Navigation and I understand bits and pieces of it, but not everything. I'm trying to learn up on it so I can use it in my next robot : Project 4L-FRED (Alfred), a butler robot. The robot is suppose to navigate around the house from the dining area to the living room and serve drinks to guests. The robot will have pre-recorded messages like greetings and stuff like asking what drinks the guest would prefer.</p><p><a href="http://letsmakerobots.com/node/35133">read more</a></p> http://letsmakerobots.com/node/35133#comments Programming 4L-FRED alfred Algorithm Arduino mapping robot wavefront Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:22:01 +0000 Aaronsuper1 35133 at http://letsmakerobots.com | http://letsmakerobots.com/taxonomy/term/14867/0/feed | dclm-gs1-209440000 |
0.020297 | <urn:uuid:dc0aebe6-eb95-491b-863d-4acfeea13d0d> | en | 0.87803 |
Messages in this thread
Mike Galbraith <> writes:
> Namespaces have something in common with cgroups. synchronize_rcu()
> makes them somewhat less than wonderful for dynamic use.
Well unlike cgroups namespaces were not designed for heavy dynamic use.
Although it appears that vsftp puts them to that kind of use so some
of the design decisions are with revisiting.
> default flags = SIGCHLD
> -namespace: flag |= CLONE_NEWPID
> marge:/usr/local/tmp/starvation # ./hackbench
> Running with 10*40 (== 400) tasks.
> Time: 2.636
> marge:/usr/local/tmp/starvation # ./hackbench -namespace
> Time: 11.624
> marge:/usr/local/tmp/starvation # ./hackbench -namespace -all
> Time: 51.474
CLONE_NEWUSER? I presume you have applied my latest user namespace
patches? Otherwise you are running completely half baked code.
hackbench? Which kernel are you running. Hackbench in some kernels is
really good at triggering cache ping-pong effects with pids, and creds.
So I'm not certain what to say there. In the latest kernels things
should be better with unix domain sockets as long as you don't actually
ask to pass your creds but hackbench is still a pretty ridiculous
benchmark. Oversharing is always going to be bad for performance.
> You can create trash quickly, but you have to haul it away.
Well synchronize_rcu is much better in that respect than call_rcu, which
let's the trash build up but is never carried away.
The core design assumption with namespaces is that they will be used
much more than they will be created/destroyed, and as long as there are
progress guarantees in place I don't have a problem with that. At the
same time if there are easy things we can do to make things go faster
I am in favor of that notion.
Still especially in the case of hackbench I think it is worth asking the
question how much of the slow down is due to cache ping-pong due to
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0.897003 | <urn:uuid:a9b1c0ee-6b9f-4e09-9ee8-e8f06a93e269> | en | 0.938803 |
Gabriel writes in to share his homemade heliostat project. The heliostat is the first step in his solar energy experimentations, and it is designed to keep a mirror aligned so that it keeps the reflection of the sun onto a specific point. Once the energy is focused on that point, it can be harnessed by other devices such as a solar oven. A single unit can be useful, however it gets really fun when you start adding multiple devices to concentrate a bunch of energy on a small spot.
1. Daniel Greening says:
Very cool! I wonder if existing DMX lighting control technology could be applied to link home made heliostats together.
1. Matt Mets says:
Hmm, perhaps, then you could have a solar light show! | http://makezine.com/2009/09/13/diy-heliostat-project/ | dclm-gs1-209520000 |
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