text:
Consumer data hacked at Kickstarter site
Hackers compromised two Kickstarter accounts before crowdfunding website closed breach.
The popular crowdfunding website Kickstarter was hacked last week, the crowdfunding destination says.
Kickstarter sent an email to all users Saturday saying that hackers had made off with user data in the security breach. Two users accounts were compromised, Kickstarter said in an update on its website.
No credit card data was obtained in the attack, which began Wednesday night. The hackers were able to obtain access to usernames, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers and encrypted passwords.
"Actual passwords were not revealed, however it is possible for a malicious person with enough computing power to guess and crack an encrypted password, particularly a weak or obvious one," the Kickstarter site said in a blog post. "As a precaution, we strongly recommend that you create a new password for your Kickstarter account, and other accounts where you use this password," the blog added.
Users who use Facebook to log into the site must reconnect the next time they access Kickstarter.
The company, which has 5.9 million users that have pledged $980 million on fledgling projects, said that it was informed of the attack by law enforcement and "immediately closed the security breach and began strengthening security measures throughout the Kickstarter system."
As of Saturday, Kickstarter's site said, "There is no evidence of unauthorized activity of any kind on all but two Kickstarter user accounts."
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider


text:
Finance Department
Tax & Licenses
Tammy Clark - Deputy Tax Collector
310 West Second St.
P.O. Box 5418
Thibodaux, Louisiana 70302
Office: (985) 446-7221
Fax: (985) 446-7242
Occupational Licenses
New Online Services Offered for Occupational Licenses
The City of Thibodaux has implemented new online services to apply for a NEW Occupational License or to renew your current Occupational License. Please do not hesitate to call the Tax and License office at (985) 446-7221 or (985) 446-7207 with any questions or for further assistance to utilize this new service as we aim to make this as convenient as possible for all.
Obtain an Occupational License packet from:
There will be a transaction fee of $1.25 and a convenience fee of $2.25 for all online transactions. The $1.25 transaction fee will appear as a separate charge on bank statement. The total of license fee and $2.25 convenience fee will appear on bank statement as a charge from "INCODE" – Tyler Technologies. The transaction will generate an email confirmation to the customer.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Senator Wyden Says He'll Block COICA Censorship Bill
from the good-for-him dept
"It seems to me the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act as written today, is the wrong medicine," Wyden, the chairman of the Finance International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness Subcommittee, said during a hearing on international trade and the digital economy. "Deploying this statute to combat online copyright and infringement seems almost like a bunker buster cluster bomb when really what you need is a precision-guided missile."Who knows how much one guy can do against a bunch of (quite powerful) Senators, but hopefully this means that at least COICA will get serious scrutiny and hopefully it will make sure that the clear violations of the First Amendment are removed.
Wyden said that unless changes are made to the bill, introduced by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., to ensure it "no longer makes the global online marketplace more hazardous to consumers and American Internet companies, I'm going to do everything I can to take the necessary steps to stop it from passing the U.S. Senate."


text:
Professional football is the nation's most popular sport with most NFL games being sellouts.
For many highly coveted games, die hard fans without season tickets have to tap into the secondary market to score a seat. Although many games remain in high demand, the NFL expects overall ticket sales to be down this year, while at the same time 18 of 32 teams raised prices for the 2010 season, due to the effects of today's economy.
To get an idea of which seats are the most expensive in the NFL, ticket search engine FanSnap.comput together the top 10 average listing prices by game.
Ticket values are as of 9/9/10 and are based on current asking prices from sellers in a secondary marketplace, which may not equate to ticket face values and will fluctuate depending on demand.
So, where are fans paying the most for their seats this season? Click ahead to find out!
By Darren Rovell
Posted 9 Sept 2010


text:
Friday, Feb. 1, 2013: Three Stocks to Watch Today
Barron's Fund Columnist Brendan Conway joins the News Hub to discuss why he's watching stock from Legg Mason, Dell and the Japanese Yen in the markets today. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... their three stocks in particular you're looking to get one looks interesting as Dell DELL was up about seven percent the market ... has been a lot of buyout chatter there ... Reuters is actually reporting that the buyout deal could happen as soon as Monday ... I with the ending of the first for the CEO ... Michael Dell would be the key mover ... I'm the and also on a happy for Silver Lake Partners ... Micra soft playing a role to testing in Finland was also Legg Mason ... yet Legg Mason is interesting ... that stock is down a bit ... of these funds losing just talked about good for asset managers ... didn't show up like last quarter ... they also still do certain sea of late they cannot ... seem to settle a CEO so that stock is down ... the third one I mention the stock could really important ... the yen ... the yen has been weak for couple months now say it's down ... more than half a percent vs Dollar ... big deal ... ah for people who treat currencies that's great news for Japanese stocks think Japan adding a little the SEC success knocking on the currency it sure looks


text:
You are hereHome ›
Narrow Search
Now showing results 1-2 of 2
This lesson incorporates sea surface data collected by NASA satellites. Data for three surface characteristics- height, temperature and speed- are used for several activities. Students examine the differences in speed of currents relative to... (View More) distance from the Equator. Sea surface data anomalies are charted and further analyzed. In addition, surface current data is presented to examine patterns related to El Niño. Note that this is lesson three of five on the Ocean Motion website. Each lesson investigates ocean surface circulation using satellite and model data and can be done independently. See Related URL's for links to the Ocean Motion Website that provide science background information, data resources, teacher material, student guides and a lesson matrix. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free
El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affects weather, climate, and, consequently, humans and their activities. In this investigation, students review and analyze ENSO background info, data and satellite images in preparation for a game. Acting as... (View More) policy makers for Peru, students determine the details of an ENSO event based on information from climate specialists, and then allocate money to manage disaster preparedness and minimize impacts on agriculture and fishing. The URL opens to the investigation directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. This is Investigation 1 of three found in the Grades 9-12 Module 3 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the three investigations in Module 3, while related, can be done independently. (View Less)
Materials Cost: 1 cent - $1 per group of students


text:
Well, it's vacation time, and what better destination than the beach in 1960? My brother snapped me and his Cal Poly college chum Bob (who you may recall from
Christmas Special
) along the Russian River at Guernewood, California in July of that year, just one month before my 14th birthday. I believe my exceptionally stylish swim trunks are 1940s vintage hand-me-downs from my father. Hair by beach towel. 35mm Kodacolor negative.
Click image for Comments.
Browse All Photos


text:
Trademark Fine Art Chris Moyer 'Rockin Sunset' 22 x 32 (ALI0770-C2232GG)
Item #: 901-1727564TMG
Model #: ALI0770-C2232GG
Brand: Trademark Fine Art
Not yet rated.Be the first to Write a Review!
$64.99 Each
Delivery Date:
Enter Zip CodeParcel
Help with furniture delivery, assembly,...Read more + Read less -
protection plans and more.
Plus, you've got choices! You'll find options for those DIYers on a budget, those that want us to do all the work and everyone in-between. Want all the details? Get them right here.
This ready to hang, gallery-wrapped art piece features a sunset over the ocean.Chris Moyer is a landscape and long exposure photographer living in Southern California. Chris Moyer loves the ocean and specializes in shooting seascapes and long exposure l andscapes.
- Giclee Print
- Frame Type: No Frame
- Dimensions: 22 x 32
- Artist: Chris Moyer
|Art Material : Giclee
|Art Style : Decorative
|Art Type : Decorative
|Art Subject : Landscape
|Size (H x W) : 48" x 16"
|Brand : Trademark Fine Art
|Customizable : No
|Weight : 6.00 lbs. per Each
Customers also bought
Was $28.99Carton


text:
A week ago, Oakland Raiders coach Dennis Allen downplayed cornerback D.J. Hayden sporting a walking boot.
It now appears that Hayden's injured right foot -- which he rolled several weeks ago -- might be more serious than originally expected. The injury could keep the second-year defensive back out until training camp.
"It's hard to tell," Allen said Monday, per CSN Bay Area. "Initially I was hopeful (that he would return soon). We're day-by-day with DJ. Hopefully we'll have him out here, because he needs the work."
After being drafted No. 12 overall in 2013, Hayden missed most of last year's offseason program following abdominal surgery. He also missed the final eight games of the 2013 season after suffering a groin injury.
The Raiders expected a bounce-back year from Hayden, whose near-death experience in college offered one of the most heartwarming tales during the 2013 draft.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" picks the best receiver group in the NFL, and goes deep previewing the season with Bucky Brooks.


text:
We want you to have a fun, useful and educational experience on MoneyPit.com, filled with creativity, self-expression and problem-solving.
The goal of these Community Standards is simple — treat the other visitors with respect, without harassment, or any other activity that slurs individuals or groups.
We hope that you will follow these simple guidelines:
Harassment: You shall not communicate or behave in a manner that is coarse, intimidating or threatening, constitutes unwelcome advances, or is otherwise likely to cause annoyance or alarm is harassment.
Disclosure: You are entitled to a reasonable level of privacy. Sharing personal information about a fellow visitor beyond what is provided by the visitor in the user profile is a violation of that third party's privacy.
Contributing: We encourage you to read other contributions before making one of your own. This will give you an idea of the topic and tone of things before posting. If you have a question, you may find the answer has already been posted.
"Spamming": The publishing the same post or information multiple times is not allowed.
Hyperlinks: We allow appropriate, topical hyperlinks in our posts as long as they are in the context and include a full URL to the article or press release they reference. URLs should be in the following format: http://www.hyperlink.com. Posts that include only copied articles and/or press releases may be removed without notification.
Removal of Content: Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, SDP and Moneypit.com reserve the unfettered right to remove any and all content at any time as it deems fit.
Disruption: Posts designed to inflame or disrupt ongoing discussions, veer conversations off-topic or that contain offensive material may be removed, along with other posts in that thread. Bashing of individuals, companies, organizations or entities is also subject to removal.
Opinions: You are welcome to voice your opinion on a topic. If you disagree with a comment made, you can post your differing opinion about the topic, but not at the expense of another person, whether present or not on the newmoneypit.wpengine.com.
Masked obscene, or abusive language: Even if masked by symbols or other characters, obscene language and derogatory verbiage, macros or images are inappropriate and not permitted in our communities, especially when directed at another member. You may not target another member or group to threaten harm, harass or cause distress or embarrassment.
Advertising and solicitation: Posts that include any kind of advertising, solicitation or promotion are not permitted. We do not allow promotion of content or merchandise, the infringement upon another's copyright or trademark, or advertisement of commercial goods or auction items. Chain letters, pyramid schemes and business advertisements are not permitted and may be removed without notification. You may not solicit for money, clothing, reward or affiliate programs, either commercial or nonprofit. We do allow links to your business Web site in your post or signature line, but we don't allow posts that solicit other members to click on those links to view products, services, employment offers or business opportunities.
Personal or business information: We love getting to know our visitors, but for safety's sake, please do not post personal or business information such as address or phone number — yours or others' — on MoneyPit.com site.
"Malware" aka Malicious Software or Programs: Sharing or encouraging the use of any software deemed malicious is strictly prohibited, but it is not possible for MoneyPit.com to protect you from those who do this. Therefore, use of any software shared is at your own risk.
Advice and opinion: Do not assume that member-generated advice is correct or reliable; it is your responsibility to do your own fact checking. MoneyPit.com does not endorse opinions or advice found in our community.
Community Standards and Terms of Use enforcement: MoneyPit.com has the right to enforce these Community Standards in its sole discretion. We do not prescreen member-generated content, but we reserve the right to remove, without notification, content that does not comply with MoneyPit.com's Terms of Service or Community Standards. We reserve the right to make changes to these Community Standards or Terms of Service at any time, and we encourage our members to check this document periodically for changes.
You agree that all comments, suggestions, complaints and other feedback that you may disclose or otherwise provide to MoneyPit.com may be used by Squeaky Door Productions, Inc. and its licensors, suppliers and licensees in any manner whatsoever and without limitation of any kind.
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FILTERING SOFTWARE: All users are hereby informed by the provider of this interactive computer service that parental control protections (such as computer hardware, software, or filtering services) are commercially available that may assist in limiting access to material that is harmful to minors. A report detailing some of those protections can be found at: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/ntiageneral/cipa2003/index.html (Children's Internet Protection Act: Report on the Effectiveness of Internet Protection Measures and Safety Policies). SDP and moneypit.com shall not bear any liability or responsibility for any minors seeing, hearing or reading content that may be considered inappropriate, and any use of this site by a minor without the use of commercially available filtering software or hardware is tacit approval of that minor's right to utilize the entire site without regard to maturity, age or appropriateness.
Content removal: Posts and discussions that may be removed without notification include those containing 1) explicit, crude or graphic language; 2) messages or materials which depict graphic or gratuitous violence; and 3) messages which condone, encourage or call for acts of violence against an individual or group. Messages containing member information may also be removed. It is the desire, though not the obligation, of SDP and moneypit.com to enable visitors to utilized this site as a conduit for the sharing and dissemination of the free flow of appropriate ideas.
Posting privileges: Inappropriate posts are subject to removal. Continued violation of these guidelines may result in a loss of posting privileges on MoneyPit.com.
If you post something which is unrelated to the original topic it may be removed, in order to keep the conversation on track. Postings must be made in positive, constructive fashion. Degrading, denigrating, and dismissive comments may be removed.
Policies and Policing
Warning, Suspension, Banishment: Generally, violations of the Community Standards will first result in a Warning. Multiple violations will result in the visitor being banned from the community.
Global Attacks: Objects, scripts, or actions that broadly interfere with or disrupt the MoneyPit.com community, the MoneyPit.com servers or other systems related to MoneyPit.com will not be tolerated in any form. We will hold you responsible for any actions you take, or which are taken by objects or scripts that belong to you.
Reporting Abuse: Users should report violations of the Community Standards. We review these abuse reports, and the identity of the reporter is kept strictly confidential.


text:
Kory L. Meyerink
Kory L. Meyerink, MLS, AG, FUGA, is the editor and primary author of the American Library Association award-winning Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records. A professional researcher in Salt Lake City, he is a Senior Genealogist at ProGenealogists, Inc., where he guides research, writing, and development of Internet genealogy tools. Named a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA) in 2002 for his significant contributions to genealogy, Kory has been accredited since 1980 (Germany, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England states). He joined the Family History Library as a reference consultant in 1986, later serving as an instructional developer and the library's publications coordinator. Later, as part of the management team at Ancestry.com he managed electronic publications and acquisitions. Past president of the UGA and founding director of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, he has also served as trustee and executive secretary of the Association of Professional Genealogists and on conference committees of the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
Kory wrote or co-wrote multiple chapters of The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy. He has also written extensively in magazines and journals and is a contributing editor for Heritage Quest Magazine. A popular lecturer at national, state, and regional conferences, he also teaches for Brigham Young University and Salt Lake Community College and is the German course creator and director at the National Institute of Genealogical Studies at the University of Toronto.


text:
(NewsUSA) – It's been said that, "Home is where the heart is." While this sentiment may be true, that home could also be making you sick.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans spend on average about 90 percent or more of their time indoors, where pollutant levels may be two to five times (and possibly more than 100 times) as high as the levels outdoors.
"Most of us don't think about it, because we cannot see the pollution, and sometimes we can't smell it," says a representative for the American Lung Association in Orange County, Calif.
Which is why, say experts, keeping your indoor air clean is paramount to maintaining a healthy household.
Whether old or new, every home has its potential pollutants, says the EPA.
For instance, homes built before 1978 are more likely to contain lead-based paint and have been built with asbestos insulation. In newer, "greener" homes, the use of energy efficiency makes homes airtight, but also effectively traps in pollutants, causing headaches, nausea and exacerbating allergies.
So, what's a homeowner to do?
Other than dusting and vacuuming on a regular basis, and changing your air filters quarterly, you might want to consider using technology to help clean up your inside air, such as the Air Scrubber Plus air purifier system.
This device — installed into existing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems — uses ActivePure technology to reduce contaminants by up to 99 percent in the air and surfaces of the home.
ActivePure is a variation of the technology used by NASA for the International Space Station and is recognized as the exclusive Certified Space Technology by the Space Foundation in its category.
"There are a high percentage of people with asthma and allergies around the country," said Tom Lozano, executive director of Air Scrubber Plus. "In-depth testing proves that [our technology] can reduce chemical odors, cigarette smoke, dust, pollen and mold."
By using devices such as Air Scrubber Plus, in conjunction with other clean air solutions, you can be assured that the air you're breathing is fresh and clear.
"As people grow more concerned about indoor air quality, we are seeing increased demand for indoor air purification solutions from homeowners all over the country," says Lozano.
For more tips on purifying the air in your home, visit www.airscrubberplus.com.
This article is copyright free. You are free to use it on a blog, website, in a newspaper, or newsletter.
To re-post this, copy the content above, or HTML on the right, and paste onto your site.


text:
By Borbála OBRUSÁNSZKY
In the past few centuries many scientists — historians, orientalists — dealt with the questions regarding the Hunnic statehood. Most of the European scholars focused on Attila's European Empire, but they have not enough historical sources in order to describe this Empire as a whole system, because the late ancient Greek and Latin historical sources (4-5th centuries) fragmentally recorded Attila's state and its governance, hence it is very difficult to reconstruct the state of the European Hunnic Empire from these sources only. In order to reveal the managing system of the huge empire, historians and orientalists have worked out a comparative system, from which the reconstruction of the operation of the Hunnic Empire becomes fairly precise. They used the results of several scientific fields like archaeology, history, linguistics, history, numismatics, and ethnography.
Main results
Among the European scientific researchers, the first man, who composed a significant publication about the Huns was Deguignes. He collected and printed those ancient Chinese sources, which recorded the life and history of the Huns. Next to that he wrote analyses about the origin of the great people of that time. Additionally, he listed those, who could be the descendants of the Huns; he listed the Turkic people, the Mongolians and the Hungarians. His great work determined the European scientific way of thinking until the second half of the 19th century. Unfortunately, the positivist historical theory broke with the above mentioned scientific methods, which was based on historical sources, and historians "removed" Huns from the history of the world, and mentioned the Huns a few times and even then as "wild and barbaric" people. On the places the Huns populated these historians put fictive nations, and the Eurasian territory was populated with unknown Siberian people; they called them first "Finn-like people", then Finno-Ugric, at present they are named Uralic. These peoples actually have no historical roots, we do not possess any historical sources about them, which would record their appearance in the past and the archaeological findings do not belong to them.
In the field of Oriental Studies Stein Aurel's expeditions represented a great leap forward. Thanks to his activity, the European scholars became familiar with the documents of the Dunhuang libraries, and it became obvious, what a flourishing civilisations populated the territories of Eastern-Turkestan from the ancient times. In the written documents we read about such local people, as the Scythians2 and the Huns, and then about those peoples, who inherited their heritage. Roughly at the same time, in 1899, the first Hunnic tombs were excavated in the Russian Far-East, and in the course of the 20th century significant artefacts of the Huns ́ material culture were discovered, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The above mentioned large documents were studied by several Sinologists and historians, who researched among others the state structure of the Huns, and they clarified many issues. At present, most scientists recognise that nomadic states did exist, established by the Huns for the first time; they state moreover that later steppe empires, like Chingis Khan's Mongolia was based on the Hun state tradition. Scholars also agree that the tribe structure could be the elementary political organisation of the Inner-Asian "bow stretching" or steppe peoples. Besides the Russians, many Americans also expressed the opinion that the steppe-empire came into existence as the result of inner development, and they did not borrow the model from sedentary people. Previously, Burham thought that nomads had a more efficient organisation than sedentary people, because horsemen had to manage huge territories. Some Russians, as Khazanov, reported that the Scythians were a state organizing people; he proved it with relevant antique sources, and archaeological findings; among the later evidences can be found dignitary insignias, diadems, etc. which refers to the fact that they lived in a developed society, and they had kings and queens as well. Such Scythian coins, on which Greek inscriptions recorded the word basileus, or name of the king, were excavated not only in Inner-Asia, but in Afghanistan and Indian territories, too. The above mentioned objects prove that they had kingdoms, hence formal state structure.
Regarding the questions of Hunnic state we need to turn our attention to a significant problem, which has divided the scholars for years. Some of them stated that the Huns, who appeared in Chinese sources as xiongnu were different from the Indian Hunas or European Huns. Thanks to the huge amounts of archaeological findings and historical evidences, nowadays most scholars recognize that the Huns created a united empire throughout Eurasia and were in contact with each other through diplomacy and trade until the middle of the 6th century AD, when Turks began to dominate Central-Asia.
Chinese scholars also brought new scientific results to light and rewrote entirely the history of the Huns; they also clarified the appearances of the names of the Huns in their own sources. They state, that the Huns have other names in the early Chinese chronicles. Regarding the periodisation of the names, Chinese scholars show that during the Shang-dynasty Huns were called as Xunyun (or Hunor),8 during the Zhou-era as Xianyun. But all these names go back to the following reconstructed form: *hun* or
*hung*;9 that is the same form as later Qin xiong-nu or Indian huna. The worldwide used expression, xiong-nu, began to be used only from 318 BC, when the independent Chinese states began to unite, and many of them used the same name or expressions for the northern horsemen. Besides xiongnu, we can find many other ancient names for the Huns, in the Qin and Han sources, as hu, bei di, xunyun, lu, etc.
Some questions regarding the chronology of the Hun Empire
It is evident from the historical sources, that Huns had significant role in world history. The steppe or bow stretching people – Scythians and Huns – established the biggest empires of the ancient period, which were greater than the Roman Empire or Alexander the Great's occupied territory. The empires of Scythians and Huns had survived longer than the above mentioned two big ones. We know from the historical sources, that the united Hun Empire lasted until the 1st century BC, divided states from Ordos via Northern India to Caucasus existed until the 8th century AD.10 As late antique sources reveal, their power was preserved in the Carpathian Basin, too.11 Therefore it is clearly stated that the Hun state and civilisation determined the commonwealth of the Eurasian steppe belt for at least thousand years.
Some scholars opine that the establishment of the Hun state happened only in 209 BC, when Maodun became the supreme king, or shanyu of the Huns, but the Chinese sources do not prove this. As Shi Ji recorded, the event of 209 BC was only a coup, when Maodun (or Baatar) grabbed the power from his father, Touman. Moreover, Chinese sources recorded that the title of the Hun supreme king, shanyu, existed well before this date, e.g. 265 BC. The great Chinese chronicler, Sima Qian himself recorded several times that Huns had an ancient history. He wrote that the Huns had derived from the ancient Xia-dynasty, whose last king, Chunwei escaped to north and he became the king of the Huns. Sima Qian summarised the early history of the Huns as the follows: "More than thousand years past from Chunwei to Tou-man, during that time tribes divided parts, their numbers increased. That is why it is impossible to record the descendants of Hun leaders."
The above cited dates also show us that the Hun state had already been established before the officially accepted date — 209 BC. It is best possible that we would not get any exact date to determine the beginning due to the lack of accurate historical sources. When the Huns did appear in the Chinese chronicles, they already had a well-developed state.
Tribal organisation
The first significant monograph, which deals with steppe society, was written by B. Vladimircov, who analysed the Early Mongolian social structure.14 According to him, mounted-nomads are engaged in breeding animals like horse, cattle and others, live in round-shaped tents, and developed tribal-clan organisation. They are able to create big empires on the Eurasian steppe belt during the course of history. They have a special way of life, with some variations. István Erdélyi showed samples and he
summarised some of them, and concluded his research with showing what varieties can be found in Inner and Central Asia. We can find "classical" pasture change way of life, pastoral breeding in the mountains, or the semi-nomadic form.15 The life-style greatly depended on the weather conditions of the given place. Present-day Mongolians, who live in the Gobi Desert need to move from settlement to settlement often, e.g. monthly, but those tribes, who live in the northern part of the country, are able to
stay on a particular territory longer, some half a year. Among Huns, as other people in that region, ought to be craftsmen, traders, who lived in settled places and were involved with their profession only in order to satisfy the domestic trade and military requirements.
We need to consider some very important expressions, which were widespread among the steppe people: bow-stretching in the Hunnic era and yurt-walled tribes in the Mongolian period. They designated only those ones, who lived in tents on the steppe and moved between the settlements periodically, but also those ones, who settled down, lived in cities or villages, though they preserved their ancient traditions. The above mentioned expressions help us to identify some tribes. For example, when Maodun captured the cities along the Silk Road in the course of the 2nd century BC, the population of the 26 cities and countries were not considered as foreign ones, but they called them as "bow stretching" people, who had been incorporated into the Hunnic Empire as relatives, and got equal rights with the Huns. They belonged to Sakas or Yuezhi tribes or people, who shared the same civilisation with the Huns. Hence, they did not belong to Indo-Europeans, as most scientist thought. If we consider the Hunnic ideology, and later their successors, e.g. the Mongolians, the foreign civilisations
must be captured and ruled over, but the relatives must be treated as their own tribes.
The steppe people kept track of ancestors orally, and then when literacy spread among them, they recorded tradition in written form. It was an elementary need of the whole community, in order to keep count line of the legal king, who rules for the benefit of all. Among the leading tribes, which originated directly form the Hunnic royal clan – or Maodun in Asia and Attila in Europe, a man had the chance to become the emperor. If we follow the line of Hunnic shanyus in the history, as Friedrich Hirth did, we can see that Attila and the later Hungarian leading clan, Árpád, belonged to Maodun's clan.
When we analyse the nomadic society, we must clarify a further issue. These empires contained lots of ethnic groups, who differed from each other anthropologically. When we talk of the leading tribes of the empire, we must concentrate on the leading allied tribes, which concluded agreements and assigned the characters of the empire, and chose the emperor from among themselves. The whole community got its name after the leading clan or tribe.
Establishment of the state
Sworn brotherhood – the act through which two or more men, who are not relatives, become brothers by mixing their own blood – was the main important act for establishing a state in steppe society. It is impossible to follow entirely the historical process of this custom, because we have no written sources of that time. It is likely that this kind of form was used in the period of tribe-organisations, in order to strengthen the friendship between two or more leaders. When the tribes developed and entered into a higher stage, the leaders of the tribe-alliance concluded an alliance among them and thus created the state, which was regulated in the beginning by spoken oath (oral constitution). They chose a king or princess from a highly respected clan, who had outstanding ancestors as Maodun, Attila or later, Chingis Khan. It was obligatory for both parties to keep the oath. According to the remained texts these alliances served multiple purposes: military alliance, union of clans or tribes, or as I mentioned above, create the state. Because the bow stretching people or steppe people concluded their agreements orally, – when this custom was recorded later, firstly by foreign chroniclers, then by Hunnic people or their descendants themselves – the recorded customs exhibit various forms. The steppe people of the Eurasian steppe belt used the words ant or and for sworn brotherhood ship. The etymological dictionaries defined these words as oath. It is possible to have another meaning, as friend, as the Hungarian dialect shows it. The first mention of the word ant in written sources can be traced back to the Turkic period; in one Avarian tomb in Zamárdi, Hungary, archaeologist unearthed a belt with inscription, where the word ant was imprinted into a belt-hook with runic script. Other evidence for early appearance of this word can be found in Turkic texts in Siberia. They refuted Wang Kuo-wei's earlier theory, that words ant, and originated from the Khitan language.
Among ancient historians Herodotus was the first, who recorded the custom of sworn brotherhood among Scythians. He summarised the elements of the alliance in the following way: they pricked themselves, or cut a wound in their body (mainly arm), their blood was poured into a vessel and mixed with wine. They dipped their sword, bow, bard or lance into the mix, and then the parties proclaimed the purpose of their alliance, and finally drank the mixture of blood and wine. Besides the external
sources there is also an inner one about the existence of sworn brotherhood among Scythians; archaeological findings from Russia contain Scythian artefacts on which Scythian craftsmen portrayed that scene. Among the later ancient writers, Pomponius Mela and Solinus recorded the Scythian sworn brotherhood. Sima Qian and later other Chinese sources dealt with the customs of the Huns, where that kind of alliance can be found, too. Huns offered sacrifices to the Heaven (Tengri) at that occasion and sacrificed white horse on that occasion. If we investigate the friendship alliance among the bow-stretching or steppe people, we can find it at each of them. We do not know exactly how many alliances were established within the steppe state. The Hungarian scholar Hóman Bálint mentioned, that the Hungarian tribes probably concluded lots of treaties through their history, until they established the state of Seven-Hungarians (Dentü Magaria or Hétmagyars).
The blood alliance was an ancient agreement within the steppe community that prescribed the rights and obligations for the concluding parties. They had to say the oath together, in which they listed the purpose of the alliance, including the tasks. At the end, they proclaimed a curse form, which contained the punishment of those who broke the alliance. The orally concluded oath was to be sealed by blood, as I mentioned above.
The sworn brotherhood was an effective protection mechanism for the steppe tribes, and contributed greatly to the establishment of a nomadic or bow stretching state, because the equal tribes-leaders united their powers and elected a khan or king above themselves. This kind of alliance not only helped the unification, but also functioned as a safety-valve against the dictatorship of the ruler. In the course of Eurasian steppe history it can be observed that the elected emperors did not have limitless powers, and those questions, which affected the whole community – like wars, reforms, modifying administration or code, etc. – were decided together at the parliament or kurultay.
The earliest legislative organisation of the bow stretching or steppe people was the tribal assembly, which was derived from an early clan forum. In these meetings, whose early Mongolian name was eye, Hungarian was ser (szer) – the free herdsmen and clansmen took part.25 The word 'eye' means unity, which refers to the fact that the participants of the meeting must decide commonly in significant matters like war or alliance, etc.26 From eye developed the organisation of steppe parliament, which got the name kurultay in the Middle Ages.27 The legislation of the steppe people – compared to other societies in the world – was a democratic one, because the participants chose the emperor, who became the military and administrative leader, they decided in the matter of war and peace, and solved critical questions. The decisions of the assembly had to be accepted by everybody. If the emperor or khan died without nominating his successor, the kurultay had to deal with that issue. The Russian Vladimircov coined the term steppe democracy, which is a very felicitous word, because the assembly was a very effective forum of local political agency.
This kind of assembly can be found in the Hunnic state, as well. In the Chinese ancient chronicle, Shi Ji, it is recorded that Huns had three big parliaments, where they argued the military, political and economical affairs, and offered sacrifices to the ancestors and gods. "During the first month of the year different leaders held a little assembly in the tent of Shanyu and offered sacrifice. During the fifth month
they held a great assembly in Longcheng, where they also offered sacrifices to Hunnic ancestors, Heaven and Earth, and Gods and ghosts. In autumn, when horses are fat, they held a great assembly again. That time they rode horses around a forest and performed other sacrifice."28 Although, the Chinese historian emphasized the religious deeds, maybe he was able to see only that part of the event. We have knowledge from historical and ethnographical analogies, when leaders discussed important affairs there. We also know from later analogy that the country leaders discussed state affairs at the beginning of the year, in autumn when they gathered the duties, and counted livestock. The Chinese chronicles recorded that Huns in this assembly decided about peace and war, and they discussed with whom to conclude alliance. It is obvious from these sources that already in the Hun period the assembly had the right to elect the emperor, so this was the only legal way for a danhu or shanyu to become king of the whole empire. As I mentioned above, the decision of the assembly was compulsory for everybody, and the happenings there were secret to the outside world. The individual, who told about the events at a kurultay to an external person, lost the right to enter there again. After the meeting was completed, the participants drank together, in that way they pledged their word and consecrated the decisions. This
kind of consecration appeared in the Chinese sources. Section 94 b of Han shu recorded that after the death of the Hunnic Hulugu danhu the decision-making Hun nobles elected Hun Yan Di32 as a new emperor, they drank an "oath-cup" together, this way they consecrated the election. The Hungarian legal tradition also preserved this ancient custom. Anonymus' Gesta Hungarorum recorded several times a similar kind of this pledge, when Hungarians lived under Árpád's leadership. The survival of this custom is proved, moreover by the decree of Torda in 1545, which prohibited the application of the above mentioned "pagan" tradition in the private treaties. The decree declares that the Hungarian-Székely (Siculus) leaders kept themselves to this Scythian custom.
Chinese chronicles recorded counsellors of the shanyu/danhu, they created the organisation of the Wisemen Council. According to Shi Ji, their number reached 24, and called them da chen, or ministers. Omeljan Pritsak called them "majesty". According to him they were the main counsellors of the emperor, who helped him in administration and gave advices before the session began in the parliament.
It is likely that logades in Priscos's record had the similar role in Attila's court, because those people had high ranks in the Hunnic state. The above mentioned title is unknown to the scientists. In the Greek language there is no such word or root as "logad" or "lo"; it must be a foreign Scythian or Hunnic word. It would be interesting to investigate the parallel with the Hun descendant Székelys (Siculus), who had the following title as "lófő" (head of horses); they had the same role as logades or dachen in the course of the Middle Ages in the Hungarian Kingdom.
The analysis of the Hunnic administration was not a popular topic in the literature. In the past few years Eastern researchers (Russian, Japanese, Korean, etc.) analysed very deeply that question. They used their own traditions and written sources from various periods, and brought to light new results. They began to analyse this question form the earliest times, and according to them the bow stretching state came into existence in the time of the Huns. The heads of the Hun state as well as their descendants divided territories into three parts (Mongolian: gar, Turkic and Hungarian: kar). The Chinese sources give the exact places of the locations of the gars or wings; according to that, the eastern wing stretched from Ordos to Korea, the right one united people from the right bank of the Yellow River to the yue-zhi land (present-day Chinese Xinjiang).36 The main wing – in the opinion of most scholars – was situated in present day Northern China, it is most likely that that was the Ordos plateau, and sometimes they chose as centre the surroundings of the Yin-shan Mountain. The main wing was managed by the Hunnic emperor, whose title in Chinese sources is shanyu/danhu37; his court being the capital of the empire; the name of the center was called ordu or hordu. As the Inner Mongolian linguist, Uchiraltu, expressed, Chinese recorded the word as yutu, which is the equivalent of the above mentioned ordu. The name ordu can be found later, Turkic, period, with the meaning of tribal or principal court. Later it became the mean military camp both in Mongolians and Osman Turkic. The Turkic word orta as center is similar to that, where the word refers to the main position of the emperor's court. The Russian gorod, or town, center belongs to that group; its ancient form was "ghordos", which derived from the word ordu/hordu. It is doubtful that the city suffix grad in the Carpathian Basin was the heritage of Slavs,
because thousand years before them the bow stretching people had ruled the Eastern-European steppe and the Carpathian Basin as well.
We can summarise from the above mentioned information that the Huns and their descendants held parliament (kurultay) in the main court or ordu and it functioned as administrative center of the empire.
The two main wings were managed by the xian wang (or wise king)41; generally they belonged to the Hunnic ruling clan. According to the Hun tradition, the left wing was the place for the leading prince, the descendant of the emperor; he was the left sided xian wang. The power division was done with purpose, to allow the crown prince to prepare for the later tasks. The leader of the wing had to manage the civil and military administration, and the judicial system. Such a concentrated power was assigned to the Transylvanian gyula and Hungarian bans in the Medieval Hungarian Kingdom. Chinese sources know that wise in Hunnic language is tuqi42. Lots of scholars tried to explain the meaning of the word during the last 150 years. Uchiraltu showed the connection with the Hunnic and Turkic title tegin (prince) and Early Mongolian sechen (wise).
But János Fogarasi thought that the root of the tuqi was similar to the Hungarian "tud" (to know), and its parallel roots can be found in the Mongolian tüsimel or officer, or Mongolian todun (clear, known). He
found connection with the title tudun, which was a high rank among Avars and Turks, who reigned over a huge territory.
Concerning the title wang, it appeared in the history of the Huns, according to some scholars, when the Huns borrowed it from the Chinese. If we check it in the Chinese dictionary of titles, we can find that it is a rank with an unknown origin; it is possible that that title arrived from the steppe and spread over through the wandering period. The Chinese wang has various forms as bán/ban in Parthia, Persia, but also in the Eastern-European states of the Avars, Croatia or the Hungarian Kingdom. According to some Hungarian scholars' point of view, Avars brought that title in the 6th century, but the Chinese sources point to its origins to an earlier period, probably from the Hunnic period. In the Medieval Hungarian Kingdom ban was the leader of an autonomous region. Regarding the origin of ban in Hungary, János Fogarasi showed its connection with Mongolian and Persian. He was the first, who stated that the Chinese wang and Hungarian ban had the same root. According to him the meaning of the title was the following: "lord, leader or prince". His theory was proved by foreign scholars, later Littleton and Malcor thinks that ban was a Sarmatian title in the course of late antiquity.
The Chinese Shi Ji recorded the division of the Hunnic state; there we met the expression of luli or guli wang. It was a fairly high rank: second only to the xiang wang. The meaning and function of this rank remains an unsolved question among scholars. According to the Hungarian scholar Katalin Csornai, the reading of this expression in Old Chinese pronunciation would be gyiukla, and sounds in present-day Chinese as yuli-wang. She found it as guli, kokli, luli and other transcriptions, but the sign has not only "gu" but "yu" phonetics, as well.
The title has parallels among steppe society, the Hungarian gyula, or the Hephthalite gula (or gollas in Byzantine sources)50, which remained in Mihiragula's name. Its parallel can be found in the Jula personal name in the Mongolian Jangar epos, or the Mongolian expression "joloo", which means rein. As previously Gyula Németh showed, the Hungarian gyula has connection with the Old Turkic "yula", or Khitan clan name, Yila. This title appeared earlier as the Turkic Empire was established. The title was known not only by those people, who arrived to Europe, but among those ones, who remained in Asia as well.
In the steppe history the choban or shoban title occurred many times among Huns and their descendants. For the first time the ancient Chinese sources recorded it as zhai-wang, etc., which exhibits similarities with the above mentioned ones. The Han dynasty, which has Southern-Hunnic origins, used the expression zhao-wang as title and ruling epoch, the same one, or supan, appeared among the Persians. Later, through the Middle Ages we find the word Choban in the Persian and Caucasus region.
Some Hungarian scholars thought that those ones were analogous to the Hungarian choban, moreover Géza Fehér pointed to Attila's third son's name, Chaba, a variant of the choban. The antiquity of the title choban confirms the tribe name of the Pechenegs, Choban. Some Hungarian scholars have drawn the attention to other information that nobody used it as evidence. Gyula Moravchik published two variants,
choban or chaban from the 6th century. Later, Louis Ligeti recorded, that an Onogur prince was named Chupan, but nobody used that important data,57 despite the Hunnic origin of the title. Recently, the Hungarian historian Jenő Darko drew the attention to similarities between the personal names Chaba from the Hungarian historical chronicles and tradition and the title choban. The above mentioned scholar referred to the story of Bahram Chobin, Persian king, who fought with Byzantine in the forefront
of the Caucasus.
The historians, who deal with the steppe people, tried to reconstruct the justice system of the Huns. Most of them realised that the provision of justice happened first at tribal level, but after the establishment of an empire, the representatives of the local decimal organisation were given power. Analogously with some historical people in Inner Asia, we can assume that the fundament of the judicial system was the local custom (Mongolian yosun). As we can see from the Chinese historical sources, a central code existed in the Hunnic Empire, which was valid all over the empire. The Shi Ji chronicle, then the later Chinese sources recorded some "brutal" acts regarding Huns, because those legal customs were unknown for them. The Shi Ji noticed that Hun statutes are easy to keep with, so in their view, the governmental deeds are very easy for the Huns.
The 110th chapter of the Shi Ji recorded some Hunnic statutes as the following: "Regarding the Hun statutes, the man who pulls his sword from sheath in peaceful periods more than half sing, is sentenced to death. Who is condemned for theft, all his property will be expropriated. Custodial sentences of minor crimes included the crushing of the ankle-bone. Those who committed serious crimes were always sentenced to death. Nobody was imprisoned for longer, than 10 days, and no more than a handful of people were incarcerated in the whole empire."
As we can see from above, in case of theft, serious crimes, the judges sentenced to death the guilty persons; this legal practice and the philosophy of the punishment is quite similar to the later Mongolian Code, Jasag, which is based on the local custom, too. Probably, the nomadic lifestyle of the steppe empires is not consistent with the practise of imprisonment, and they favoured quick decision: the guilty has to be executed or he had to compensate the victim directly.
In the early period, the head of the Judge was the Hun shanyu or danhu. According to the sources, the eastern wing of the Empire, the Hu-yan, and the western one the Xu-Bu tribe led the justice. The Shanyu orally appointed them and often controlled their work, and in some cases the shanyu judged. In the administration the leader (wang) of the wings was responsible for this task. In the course time, the shanyu transferred these tasks to reliable officers or relatives, so in the decades of the 1st century AD, an independent justice chief was established. The Japanese Yamada thinks that originally the head of the tribe worked as judge, which is underscored by the above mentioned sources, but he refers to Hou-Han-shu, where the leading clans (Hu-yan, Xubu and Lan) took part in judicial activities among the Southern Huns. Regarding the Hu-yan name, Katalin Csornai has found an interesting data. The old Chinese pronunciation of that is similar to the old Hungarian title, horka, which was the leading judge
among Hungarians. Hungarian scholars related that word to a Turkic one, but it is likely to be an earlier, Hunnic version, like the above mentioned titles. Therefore, as we can see from above, for the first time, besides the Shanyu, only the head of the wings got judicial rights in their appointed territories.
In the late history of Huns, regarding its function, other name of the title appeared: gudouhou. As Sima Qian Shi Ji wrote, gudouhou assisted the shanyu in governance. Probably, it was the first stage of those title bearings. Later, the gudouhou became the leading judge of the empire. According to Uchiraltu, the gudouhou took part in judicial activities, and the pronunciation of the name was kutugu; he also found
that from the 2nd century AD the Chinese sources mentioned it as the leading judge, and the name was preserved until the Mongolian Empire, too.65 Some Chinese scholars are of opinion that there are other variants of qudouhou, like kadagu or katagu, etc, among those Huns, who moved westwards. The data of the ancient Hungarian historical chronicles reinforce the above mentioned scholars' point of view. They preserved a very significant tradition concerning the name and function of the Hunnic judge. The
Hungarian Kézai-Simon's Chronicle and the Képes Chronicle, which were composed from ancient sources and traditions, the Huns, after they had entered the Carpathian Basin, chose a chief-judge, who was Kadar, from the Torda-clan. In these stories the title remained in use as a personal name. Besides the Hungarian sources there are many evidences that kadar was the name of the leading judge among Huns and their descendants. Gyula Moravcsik found such a Hunnic tribe as kadourioi in Theophanous'
chronicle; they lived in the 5-6th centuries at the border of Persia. It is very likely that the Khazarian title kadir was derived from it, because they lived exactly at the border of Persia, and they were one of the descendants of the Huns. As the Hungarian historian, Györffy György stated, the Khazarian kadir title is related to the Hungarian kadar. It is an important result, which means that variants of the name for judge existed in Inner Asia. The following list of kadar-like titles shows its significance: there is kadar in the Uyghurian history, as Kharjaubay presented it. When he analysed the Uyghurian names, he realized that one name of the Uyghurian tribe was not kutugu, but we had to read it as kadar. The Secret History of the Mongols recorded some tribal names, which might have connections with the Hun kutugu. We
must notice that the chronicle was written down in the 13th century, but it preserved early customs, and names. That is why we find kutuktu, kutu, kadagin, katagin, etc. forms inside it. Therefore, we have some evidence that the Huns and their descendants preserved the name of the judge in various kinds of forms, as personal or tribal name.
Borbála OBRUSÁNSZKY,
Historian, orientalist. She completed her studies at the University Eötvös Loránd in Budapest between 1992 and 1997 in history and Mongol civilization. This is followed by a postgradual study at the Mongol State University, where she is awarded a Ph.D. degree in 1999. Between 2000 and 2002 she worked as external consultant of the Asia Center at the University of Pécs, and organized the Mongol programs of the Shambala Tibet Center. During this period she participated in several expeditions in Mongolia and China. Ms. Obrusánszky is member and/or founder of several Hungarian scientific associations and she is author of numerous books and articles, and regularly provides analyses on Central-Asia in the scientific press. Next to that she is the editor-in-chief of an educational journal.
(JOURNAL OF EURASIAN STUDIES January-March 2010)
State Structure of the HunsThursday, August 5, 2010
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
GRANDVIEW – A draft of the 2014 Grandview budget totals $16,974,640, but that may change when the Grandview City Council reviews it on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
That's because a few recommended expenditures were not included in the proposal presented by city staff on Tuesday of this week.
The police department would like to fill a vacant detective position, two supervisor positions, complete an architectural study for a new building and start a line item in the budget to maintain its shooting range.
Because the building that currently houses the museum must be vacated in the next couple of years, Parks and Recreation Director Mike Carpenter recommended adding another $25,000 to a fund that has been established for the construction of a new facility at Country Park.
Another recommendation that is under consideration is the construction of new restroom facilities at Westside Park.
City Administrator Cus Arteaga said he wishes to have Grandview Treasurer Matt Cordray calculate the budget with the recommendations. With the recommendations added, the city council will have a better idea of what the budget would look like if it chooses to approve the recommended additions.
Arteaga said of Tuesday night's presentation, "There are no frills."
He said the proposed 2014 budget was prepared by staff, keeping closely to figures in the 2013 budget.
"There are no salary increases," Arteaga said, noting there are currently union negotiations underway and there may be some salary increases in the future.
He said the city will maintain its reserve funding, but water and sewer rate increases are expected.
The city's current expense fund in 2014 is anticipated to increase by 26 percent over 2013.
Included in the increase is $103,400 in additional funding for the police department. Police Chief David Charvet will be retiring at the end of January 2014. He will receive pay for any sick days and vacation days not yet used.
In addition, his retirement will increase the budget for risk management services because he will qualify as a Leoff 1 retiree. Risk management services include all insurance and liability expenditures. The fund will increase by just more than 21 percent.
The police administration budget will increase by $10,400 and patrol services will receive a 5.1 percent increase to account for two new patrol cars and an increase in fuel expenses.
The fire department also anticipates some increases to its budget. There are increases to the cost of medical and insurance benefits, as well as rentals and leases, according to Fire Chief Pat Mason.
Travel expenses for the purpose of training volunteer firefighters have been increased by $500 in the proposed budget, but the overall fire department budget is anticipated to be just $8,430 more than in 2013.
Carpenter spoke to the council about the budget for the parks and recreation department, stating there are a few increases, including an additional $3,000 for recreational services and $330 for aquatics. A $1,500 reduction was made to the budget for senior services.
All told the proposed parks and recreation budget was decreased by $7,750.
The city of Grandview has several enterprise funds, which are funds for dedicated purposes.
The EMS fund is anticipated to have a 5 percent increase in expenditures. Fuel costs, and equipment and lease expenses, as well as more than $5,900 for emergency medical service communications are the reason for the increase.
Expenditures from the law and justice tax fund are expected to be only $800 more in 2014 than in 2013.
With fewer street improvements planned for 2014, Grandview anticipates the budget to decrease by more than 34 percent. Just two projects are currently planned. Improvements will be made to Bonnieview Road and Old Inland Empire Highway.
The capital improvement fund currently has $175,000 earmarked for a new museum. Staff would like to increase that amount to $200,000, although it is anticipated construction could amount to $250,000.
The proposed water and sewer fund is anticipated to increase from $6,806,380 to $6,814,130 (.11 percent), and the irrigation expenditures are anticipated to increase by 4.21 percent next year.
Grandview's Transportation Benefit District fund, because there are fewer road improvements planned in 2014, is expected to have a decrease in expenditures of more than 28.5 percent.
Cordray told the city council the budget is balanced and reserves are healthy.
Arteaga said the healthy reserves may allow the city the option of fulfilling some of the added recommendations from the police, and parks and recreation departments.
Comments are subject to moderator review and may not appear immediately on the site.
Please read our commenting policy before posting.
Any comment violating the site's commenting guidelines will be removed and the user could be banned from the site.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.


text:
Andrew Bynum has a request for Coach Phil Jackson, something that's more than a minor favor to ask -- he wants more playing time in the fourth quarter.
The 21-year-old Lakers center has sat out the final minutes of the team's last three close games.
He did not play the last 3:49 against Phoenix, the last 6:12 against Sacramento and the last 5:41 against Washington. He also sat out all but 12 seconds of the last 5:32 against Indiana.
"I don't understand why I'm not in at the end of the game," Bynum said. "It doesn't make much sense to me, but it's something I have to deal with. I haven't been in foul trouble the last couple of games, so I have no idea."
Bynum has struggled with pick-and-roll defense, and Jackson believes there is no margin for error in the late stages of tight games, of which there have been many for the Lakers.


text:
OTORex needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 87 designs submitted by 19 freelance designers.
Learn more about OTOnetworks @ http://www.otonetworks.com
The site is an information source for anyone researching options for places to retire.
- A clean logo that works with or without the full domain name next to/below/above it
- Creativity beyond simply our name with a couple letters stylized
- A color palette which includes multiple colors (to support the full layout of the site which will be lead by the logo). We recommend you include the recommended color palette with your design, but it is not necessary (it can be added after the design is chosen as the winner)
- Additional shape(s) which could stand alone without the URL
don't wants:
- Boring designs that looks too staid
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
Welcome to OnSale at FOXBusiness, where we look at cool stuff and insane bargains.
Continue Reading Below
Find a great gift for the T-shirt lover in your life and do good at the same time. A $5 stocking stuffer adds a little extra flavor to any beverage. Keep your ears warm while rocking around the Christmas tree. And get a great deal on fancy photos.
Los Angeles company Upperatus makes one-of-a-kind, limited edition T-shirts designed to promote a specific charity on a monthly basis and they are great gifts for the person who has everything.
The organic T-shirts, made right here in the USA and shipped using environmentally-friendly materials, are priced at $24 and up. The designs are created using PVC-free, water based ink and a portion of the proceeds go to supporting a select charity. Last month's charity was Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay, a non-profit determined to clean up the beach. This December, Upperatus is supporting Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles.
Gift a T-shirt this year for Christmas and help build a house for a needy family. The shirts are on sale until Dec. 31st so pick yours up soon!
Added Flavor
The folks at AllModern.com have a unique – and cheap – stocking stuffer. The Umbra Sombrero Bottle Top Juicer lets you add a little lemon or lime to your bottled beverage.
AllModern has something for everyone, from Techies to Pet Lovers to Chefs. Right now, the site's offering price discounts on lighting, furniture and toys. Each bottle top is $4.99 and purchases over $69 ship free.
Surround Sound
Footwear company UGG Australia has a great way to keep your ears warm while you listen to music on the go. A great gift idea, the one-size earmuffs feature ribbed knit on the outside and Ugg's signature shearling on the inside. The Great Jones Earmuff with Speaker Technology come in black, white and camel and cost $85 per pair. You can order them at UggAustralia.com and Nordstrom.com.
Frame Job
Send a special keepsake with your holiday card this year. Aluminyze takes ordinary photographs and turns them into frameless, standalone artwork that's scratch-resistant and waterproof.
This great gift idea comes in a variety of shapes, from squares and rectangles to hearts, and can be displayed a variety of ways on a white or silver surface. Right now they're offering some great deals for the holiday season. Between now and December 9 you can get 40% off your entire order with code Holiday40 and between December 10 and 16, take 30% off your order with Holiday30. OnSale readers get an extra bonus – free shipping with FOX4012FS now through Dec. 9 and FOX3012FS Dec. 10 through 16. Check it out at Aluminyze.com.
Know of a killer deal or insane bargain? Email the goods to firstname.lastname@example.com or follow us on Twitter and share the wealth.


text:
|View Poll Results: Psycho-Pass - Episode 11 Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 103. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2012-12-22, 08:58
|Link #101
Senior Member
|2012-12-22, 09:03
|Link #102
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Age: 27
The shotgun in her right hand representing the political Right Wing whilst the Dominator in her left hand represents the political Left Wing?
A choice she has to make?
I don't quite know what he's getting at either. Sorry dude but you're gonna have to spoonfeed us there.
|2012-12-22, 09:08
|Link #103
Prefectural Magical Girl
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Paris, France
|2012-12-22, 09:09
|Link #104
Sensei, aishite imasu
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Hong Kong Shatterdome
Mind, you'd think at least the Inspectors would have the discretion to stun whomever they wanted.
|2012-12-22, 09:56
|Link #105
Senior Member
In fairness, some aspects of the society of Psycho-Pass are a bit of a work in progress. Sybil itself can't be that old, because Masaoka seems to remember a time before it.
|2012-12-22, 10:10
|Link #106
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2004
Don't know. While watching Akane with the shotgun I thought that if she would have shot him her PP would have increased (well, if she was not Akane). Well to be honest my first constant thought was SHOOOOT, drop the dominator, take aim with both hands, and SHOOOT!!!!
Anyways, I thought that the main reason there is no manual override is due to the fact that shooting would increase PP value risking the inspector to go latent criminal. So the system prioritizes inspector's state of mind over everything else. The flaw here is that if the override would enable only the stun mode there's no way that someone PP value would increase. So, why not?
|2012-12-22, 10:47
|Link #107
Kana Hanazawa ♥
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: France
Age: 32
The big problem is that Sibyl's judgment is completely trusted, so much so that they haven't even envisioned a situation where it would be useful to rely on a human being's judgment. That's how excessive their over-reliance on machines is. It has reached a dangerous point. Ironically, Makishima might just be the sanest person of the cast since he was the only one able to realize that.
|2012-12-22, 15:38
|Link #108
Hiding Under Your Bed
Join Date: May 2008
|2012-12-22, 16:08
|Link #109
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Age: 27
|2012-12-22, 17:31
|Link #110
Kana Hanazawa ♥
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: France
Age: 32
I'm sure it's had tons of positive effects, but I don't like that this seemingly comes at the price of people's freedom.
|2012-12-22, 17:54
|Link #111
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Austria
A couple of points, I'd like to address:
1. Makishima's disappointment: I think that's one of the more important points, here, since, if I'm right, it opens up interesting possibilities:
First, I think his disappointment stems from Akane's unwillingness to let go of the dominator. This disappointment then removes her from Makishima's radar, since she's just an uninteresting Sibyl puppet.
This is where he's wrong, though, and it's what turns Akane into the wild card in the Makashima vs. Kougami conflict. Akane certainly still believes in the Sibyl system, but we've seen her override a dominator in the very first episode, by stunning Kougami, nonetheless. So why does Akane hesitate?
I think, she's by nature more of a pacifist, and killing/hurting people doesn't come easy to her. She's got good marks from law inforcement, because that part's being handed over to the dominator: she doesn't need to make these decisions. So, clearly, being faced with having to take responsibility for a kill (no stun-mode on a shotgun), Akane isn't quite in control. She's not a blind puppet of the system; but what if the system is right and Makishima's not going to hurt her and this some strange suicide tactic? (Very unlikely, but if you have to do something that's against your nature [and Akane is decidedly not a killer], you start to rationalise things, and the little chance that she's wrong and the system is right can make her hesitate.)
Makishima has told her that, if she doesn't use both hands to aim the gun, she won't hit him, and yet Akane holds on to the dominator. Disappointing. But he misreads her, I think (as outlined above), something that might to a pleasant surprise later on.
Pleasant? On to number 2.
2. Makishima's Motivation: For some reason, and that's really wild speculation, I see him as a spoiled brat; intelligent, clear psycho pass, so he always got away with anything. That leads him to (a) distrust the system, and (b) to use it to his advantage. He looks down on anybody who trusts the system, and throws cogs into the wheel, wherever he can. I think he's looking for someone to understand him; and that ultimately entrails punishment. Clearly, what he's doing is wrong. He knows it, but the system won't acknowledge it. I think, deep down he wants to be punished. As a child, he probably felt misunderstood and lonely, because he was never punished (while others were punished for something they haven't even done yet).
So his motivation is two-fold: (a) He dispises the Sibyl system, and this guides his actions. People who don't just follow the system draw his interest, but if they really just follow some other system, that's not really better is it? First guy was good at impersonating online celebrities, but lacked a personality of his own. Slave to a self-opposed celebrity system. School girl was just copying her father (without real understanding). Not sure if Mr. Cyborg disappointed him or not; I lean towards not.
(b) A possibly unacknolweged but probably conscious urge to be punished for his crimes, not out of a sense of justice, but out of a sense of jealousy. For him, not being punished isn't a breach of a moral code, but an indication that people don't actually pay attention to him. (Other people get all the attention, but they don't deserve it, because - if they're justly punished in accordance with some system - then they're boring.)
It's a kind of narcissism: your smart, you get away with anything - you're special.
So the only person allowed to punish him is someone who can by-pass the system. He never expected Akane to shoot him, but if I'm correct, he'd have been pleasantly surprised if she actually did. I honestly think he wouldn't have minded dying like that.
If Akane shot him, would Makishima just have "passed on the curse"? On to (3):
3. Crime Coefficient: So how does the CC relate to the psycho pass? I'd say, one half of it is the Psycho Pass, which represents the mental state. But since the dominator connects to the Sybil system, I think there's a biographical aspect, too: what have you done? Surely, someone who actually comitted a crime in the past is more likely to committ another one, even if the psycho pass comes out clear? Surely, if you defy authority, you're more likely to commit a crime (since you don't respect authority)?
Is it time to put the name Makishima into quotes now? Remember that "Makishima" is a stolen identity and the attached biography is not his own. A low psycho pass reading and a clean biography, hm... Will we know him as "Makishima" throughout the entire show, I wonder? (A possible weak-point in that line of thought is that the identity might not be all that clean. I have a vague memory that they said something to that effect. I can't check right now, so does anybody remember?)
Of course, it's not that simple, either. Take the current situation. Could the Sibyl system construe the present situation as self-defense? Akane never pointed the dominator at Yuki, so there's no data, there. But what if Yuki's CC is higher than Makishima's? Would Sibyl conclude that Makishima acted in self defense? If so, what about the lack of expected stress? (Surely, someone killing someone else whithout any stress is suspicious?)
What does Makishima's decreasing CC mean? Submitting to the fatalism of having to kill? Could he be a reluctant killer, who - the closer he comes to the necessity of it - submits to a fatalism? (This goes back to blackwhite67's interesting speculation: what if he acts in accordance with the system? Calm killings that cull the overly emotional? And what if he finds that out?
Now, I'm not nearly convinced this is true; it's just an interesting path to pursue: submission as a key point to a low crime coefficient. We have seen the cathartic effect killing can have on the psycho pass in the drone episode. That's why I think the psycho pass alone can't be enough to calculate the CC. But "Makishima's" record doesn't fit the person. So what now?
It's sort of odd, though, that nobody comments on it in these terms. Basically, the CC confuses me, which is probably why I'm rambling now.
Finally, I was surprised about how little I was drawn into this episode. An example, when they played Beethoven during the hunt, I found this cheesy. Yet, I'm normally susceptible to this sort of thing. The entire episode seemed to me a bit overwrought. (I also felt, they "celebrated" Yuki's death a bit too much - not as something good, but in a this-is-important manner.) I couldn't really get into this episode as much as into the others so far. Why?
|2012-12-22, 17:58
|Link #112
SIBYL salesman
Join Date: Feb 2011
Dominator or not, do people believe Akane has actually killed anyone before?
I am of the opinion that even if the Dominator was working and set to explode mode, Akane would be still be somewhat hesitant take someone's life regardless of Sibyl's authorization to kill.
As depressing as this episode is, at least it didn't go the route of, say, Makashima starts licking Yuki's face, then the creator of Sibyl, having been impressed by Akane in the past, allowing her to unlock the Dominator's mode through temporary elevated permission...
Last edited by Quadratic; 2012-12-24 at 01:52. Reason: Fix typos
|2012-12-22, 18:13
|Link #113
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: UK
Age: 27
|2012-12-22, 18:25
|Link #114
Senior Member
|2012-12-22, 22:13
|Link #116
Sisterhood of the Desu
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: in a van by the river
WOW. That was intense....
Had a feeling that the Hunter Guy was going to die, as well as Yuki. Makishima don't give two shits.
On the other hand, I sort of get what Makishima's trying to say: Why let the Sbyl system determine who's fit for society and who isn't? Why not go with one's free will? I have a feeling that he's not done with Akane yet...especially since Akane and Ko are getting very, very close each episode.
And poor Akane....that's probaly the first time ever that she was in a situation like that. Like someone said, it's not in her nature to kill...unless this is how she winds up maybe getting into a situation similar to Ko's in the end? And she's been ingrained with the Sbyl System since she was probaly younger...so I can totally see why she couldn't shoot Makishima with the gun.
|2012-12-23, 02:59
|Link #117
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: DP 原画 --> ヨハネ
Surprised the hunter is lower rated than Rikako.
Anyway, it seems that the mode the Dominator uses on organic brain targets is different from the one used on targets lacking an organic brain.
As for the ep itself...yeah, proves what balless shit this society is. They are such cowards that they rationalize blowing people apart with a machine judgement....exactly because they cannot have that burden on themselves. Filth indeed. If you cannot muster the will to slay someone in execution then don't. Not have a machine do it for you as if it suddenly makes killing right.
It's so crappy to the point they can't even pull a trigger on their own anymore when it's really needed. If Akane were afraid of becoming a latent criminal...well, her Hue will darken either way but one offers the chance of saving her friend...sigh
Does anyone else find Makishima suicidal? Or at least tired with his life in such a crappy world?
He also says that being convinced of his being free of evil as being important but well...Rikako also thinks that way, yet she still reads 400+
Last edited by Cosmic Eagle; 2012-12-23 at 03:20.
|2012-12-23, 09:59
|Link #119
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Not sure if the right hand/left-hand detail was meant to be significant...
|Thread Tools


text:
Welcome, April! Glad you could join us. :D
Please consider joining a group to meet people and talk about anything that's on your mind, Hang With Friends. You might also like Young Atheist Women, Women Atheists, Female Atheists, and possibly Feminist Atheists.
I also recommend Eco-Logical and Climate Concerns, since the climate is changing so drastically.
After you've searched for topics of interest in "Groups" above and in the "Forums", don't forget to look at recent activity which hides along the right margin of the page all the way at the bottom.
On a personal note, I've developed an animated gif technique, sort of "pull quote marries slideshow". Samples are scattered across various groups, but you can find them easily by going to my twitter account. Each tweet has a link (after the description and before the hashtags) to a visually rich example here at Atheist Nexus. If you like them, please follow me
Welcome, April. I was so touched by your story as well as that of your husband. My story more or less parallels yours minus the church career. I am very confident in my disbelief because as you have said, too, I have no choice. The first confirmation of my deconversion came when a church career lifetime friend of mine deconverted. I don't know why but this always seems to carry more weight as does your story. I would still be a disbeliever but it is always encouraging when someone validates my truth. Best wishes to you and yours as you adjust to your new life. You will make new like-minded friends and I know you will find many of them here.
Hello April
Well done. What adventure. Welcome to this world of rationality and peace, where pure common sense is enough to lead to the open freethinking wisdom common to non-believers.
We invite you to join the busy group "ORIGINS: Universe, Astronomy, Life, Earth, Humans, Religion, Gods, Atheism, Evolution, Darwin..." with 700 discussion topics and 3600+ members.
Welcome aboard! =) Hope you're doing great today...
© 2019 Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: The Nexus Group. Powered by


text:
Illinois MatSE 280 Introduction to Engineering Materials, Lecture 9: Mechanical Failures
Additional materials available (2)
Licensed according to this deed.
Published on
Mechanical Failure: temperature, stress, cyclic and loading effect
- How do cracks that lead to failure form?
- How is fracture resistance quantified? How do the fracture
resistances of the different material classes compare?
- How do we estimate the stress to fracture?
- How do loading rate, loading history, and temperature
affect the failure behavior of materials?
- Fracture, Fatigue and Creep
- Fracture mechanisms: Ductile vs Brittle Failure
- Stress-Strain Behavior versus Temperature
- Charpy Impact Testing
- Charpy V-Notch Impact Data: Energy vs Temperature
- Famous example failures: Liberty ships
- Ductile Fracture: distinctive features on macro and micro levels
- Fracture Surface under Tensile and Shear load
- Brittle Fracture Surface
- Brittleness of Ceramics
- Porosity and Temperature Effects in Ceramics
- Nucleation and Propagation Of Cracks in Ceramics
- Crazing during Fracture of Thermoplastic Polymers
- Ideal versus Real Behavior
- Flaws are Stress Concentrators!
- Concentration of Stress at Crack Tip
- Modes of Fracture which Operate on Cracks
- Griffith's Criteria for Fracture and Failure
- Fatigue: Failure from cyclic stress
- S-N Curves Failure
- Fatigue Behavior of Polymers
- Fatigue Mechanisms
- Improving Fatigue Life
- Anelastic Effects
- Creep Failure and Secondary Creep
- Creep RECOVERY and Vacancy-assisted Climb
- Major recover mechanism is non-conservative climb
- Design Examples, Design Strategy, Case Studies
Sponsored by
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:


text:
Wisconsin - it's about democracy
As demonstrators in the tens of thousands flooded the Capitol in Madison, Wis., a sign captured the spirit: "I didn't think Cairo would be this cold." Even conservative Republican Rep. Paul Ryan saw the parallel: "It's like Cairo moved to Madison."
Got that right. As the demonstrations for workers' rights head into their second week, Madison has become ground zero in the battle for democracy in this country.
Don't fall for the dodge that this is about money, the pay and perks of public employees. This is about basic democratic rights, and the balance of power in America. This is a fight in which every U.S. worker has a direct stake.
Wisconsin faces budget deficits in the wake of the Great Recession, although not nearly as severe as in many states. In the 2010 election, Republicans captured control of the statehouse and both houses of the legislature. Scott Walker, the newly elected, self-declared "Tea Party" governor, signed off on tax cuts for businesses and then demanded harsh concessions from public employees, forcing them to pay more for pensions and health care. He coupled this with a direct attack on teacher and public employee unions, seeking to ram through legislation curtailing their right to bargain collectively, limiting any pay raise to the increase in the cost of living, and requiring an annual vote of members to continue the union. These measures aren't about the budget crisis; they are about eliminating the unions. And to make the power grab blatant, Walker exempted those unions - police and firefighters - that supported him in the last election. This is straight ugly, folks.
And it isn't limited to Wisconsin. Corporations and their right-wing allies have launched a final offensive against America's unions. With unions representing less than 7 percent of the private workforce, the target is public employee unions. With Republicans now in control of 21 states, hundreds of bills have been introduced seeking to cripple unions, if not ban them completely. States that are considering either weakening or removing entirely the ability of public-sector workers to bargain collectively include not only Wisconsin but also Ohio, South Dakota, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Oklahoma. (See "Labor's Last Stand", Jane MacAlevey, the Nation, March 7-14, 2011.)
Unions, described by right-wing gadfly Grover Norquist as one of the "five pillars" of Democratic strength, have been central to the rise and fall of the American middle class. There is a strong correlation between states with right-to-work laws that outlaw majority rule on unionization, a worse quality of life for workers and a more hostile climate to any progressive cause. The average worker in a right-to-work state earns $5,333 less than his or her counterpart in a pro-worker state. Twenty-one percent more people lack health insurance in right-to-work states. In a country which, by some measures, suffers greater inequality than Egypt or Tunisia, the stakes in Wisconsin are high.
But they are more than economic. At stake is the strength of our democracy itself. The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United opened the floodgates for the money of corporations and billionaires to corrupt our elections. The unions provide virtually the only counterbalance for working Americans. It is no coincidence that America has grown more unequal and the middle class has declined as union representation has been weakened.
In Wisconsin, stunningly, workers drew the line. The public employee unions agreed to accept Walker's economic demands, but rallied against the union-busting provisions. State Democrats joined, leaving the state to block the vote on Walker's legislation and allowing the demonstrations to gain traction. Students and activists rallied to the workers' side. The demonstrations swelled to levels not seen since the Vietnam War protests. Yet other than former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), joined by the President Obama, national Democrats have been virtually invisible. More Green Bay Packers have spoken in support of the demonstrators than national Democrats.
The alternative press, the social media, MSNBC and other outposts of progressive journalism have been aflame with stories of the resistance. MoveOn, Organizing for America, the Campaign for America's Future and US Uncut, a new protest movement inspired by a recent article in the Nation, have called on activists to join.The resistance has spread. On Feb. 26, a national Day of Action is planned. The goal is to go after corporations - symbolized by Bank of America - whose tax avoidance contributes to the squeeze on basic social programs.
The teachers, nurses, police officers and public workers in Wisconsin, in the spirit of their progressive and populist forebears, have stood up against the assault on basic rights. Their fight poses a classic question: Whose side are you on? With basic rights at stake, it is time for outrage.
Katrina vanden Heuvel is editor and publisher of The Nation. She writes a weekly online column for The Post.


text:
Answer Some Trivia Questions To Get A Free Copy Of Year Zero; The Epic Sci-Fi Story Of What Happens When Aliens & Copyright Intermingle
from the answer-some-questions dept
That means we're still left with four books to give away, and this time we're going about it a bit differently: posting four trivia questions/scavenger hunt items, and the first people to answer each of them in our comments (with some key conditions) get the remaining books sent to them (the first correct response to each question wins -- so if someone gets the first question right, and you answer the same question before someone else answers one of the others, you don't get the book). In order to get the book, not only do you have to get the question right, but you have to leave your email address with your comment (in the email field, not publicly) so we can reach out to you. You also have to respond within 24 hours of us emailing you (check your spam filters!) or we move on to the next person on the list. Yes, again, you have to be in the US or Canada (sorry about this one, but I believe this is due to Random House only having distribution rights in those two countries). Also, you can only win one book. So even if you can answer more than one question, there's no reason to do it, other than to be that guy... and no one likes that guy.
Okay, here are the questions. Get answering:
- Link to a Techdirt post that mentions the person who narrates the audiobook version of Year Zero? (Feel free to name the individual too).
- Year Zero is frequently compared to a famous sci-fi series that was a "trilogy" in five books. A few times on Techdirt, we've paraphrased a famous saying by the author of that series. What's the famous saying he said, that we've paraphrased multiple times?
- The excerpt we posted includes the protagonist in the story, Nick Carter, reciting the "standard terms" that show up in "almost every" major label contract. He notes that most people think he's joking when he tells them that language, but he's not. Of course, Carter is just a character in a funny novel... but he's not joking. Point to three news articles/blog posts (anywhere, doesn't need to be Techdirt) that point to very similar (does not need to be identical) language in actual music contracts.
- Rob has cleverly made sure that he cannot use the most obvious title for a sequel to this book. How?


text:
In the world of professional wrestling, there are many unwritten "rules" and "laws" that promoters and wrestlers have followed for years. In some instances, these "rules" and "laws" are created to benefit an individual or a company at the expense of others.
However, there are basic principles that can never be changed due to the nature of the business. What would this basic principle be, you ask?
Drawing power.
If a promotion doesn't have a true drawing card, chances are their existence will be short-lived. This has been proven time and time again in professional wrestling.
Now while the WWE may be a promotional machine and can pack the houses at most live events, they too know the importance of their performers having a following. With the fans supporting their top characters, their business improves. If the fan interest declines, business obviously begins to drop. It's a neverending balance in an enigmatic business.
In most cases you can look at specific moments in time when a top star really began to generate a following. Whether the character was a heel or face at the time, is irrelevant. The fan reaction is key in these instances. Let's look at a few examples:
Gorgeous George: No wrestler in the "Golden Era" really incited the fans like George did. However, as wrestling lore has dictated, George never really gained traction as an "ordinary" wrestler wearing tights and a pair of boots. The story began when George was stricken with an eye infection. He began to disinfect the mat with an aerosol pump to avoid this in the future. Every time he used the pump, he was booed. Knowing he had something, he began to use this every match. Slowly he developed into the bleached blond, robe-wearing wrestler who fondly encouraged cheating in every arena he wrestled in.
Sure there are many cases that can be used as examples -- Steve Austin's King of the Ring promo, The Rock calling out the fans for wishing him dead, Mick Foley's dangerous bump off the Hell in the Cell -- but the key fact to remember is that a performer's alignment (heel or face) is irrelevant in most cases. A great heel can eventually become a beloved face and vice versa. Gaining the following is of the most importance.
So, what really drives a following? The wrestlers themselves do. It's up to them to make a connection with the crowd. If they can't do that, they may not be around for too long.
Each of the names mentioned earlier allowed the fans to relate to them on some level. Whether they made you hate them based on ego, jealousy, or by cheating another wrestler, there was a connection. If you became a fan of a wrestler based on morals, being a champion, or by defeating the biggest bad guy in the company, a connection was made.
So, on that note. Who will drive the next big following?


text:
Traverse City's Seth Adams commits to Ferris State
Family, friends, and fans of Traverse City North Stars forward Seth Adams won't have to travel far to see the rangy winger play his college hockey. Adams, a Big Rapids native, signed on to play collegiately at Ferris State University, which is located mere minutes from Adams' home.
"It's definitely exciting," said Adams, who played for Big Rapids High School last year. "I've always had a great relationship with (FSU coach) Bob Daniels, I played with his son growing up, and been around the Ferris program. It's good to be headed somewhere that you're comfortable and excited about when you get to that next level."
Adams, a 6-3, 195-lb. forward with a deft scoring touch, was tendered early on by the North Stars staff, and wowed everyone during the summer camping season before a lower-body injury sidelined him for the rest of the summer and into the early season.
"Before he got hurt, he was head and shoulders above the field at a couple of those camps," said Stars head coach Chad Fournier. "But Seth has worked his way back from that and is just starting to get some traction. With a kid as talented as Seth, we're just starting to see the tip of the iceberg."
Adams, a two-time All-State selection at Big Rapids, registered his first career junior goal back on Oct. 12 at Port Huron, and has earned a regular shift among a veteran-laden forward cast. He has appeared in 10 games so far, including the last six TC outings.
"He's big, strong, and knows where to put the puck," Fournier added. "He skates well and can move the puck, and he can score. I think Ferris was right on the money in getting Seth. They probably didn't want to let a local kid with this much talent get away."
Adams plans to study biology upon his enrollment at FSU – presently slated for the 2013-14 academic year – and has the scholastic chops for it: He boasts a 3.8 grade-point average and rocked a 25 on the ACT. A senior at Traverse City Central, Adams has his eye on a career as an orthopedic surgeon.
"I'm not necessarily looking to play hockey forever," he explained. "But getting to play college hockey is a great honor; It's something to really work toward."
Adams says the pace of the North American Hockey League is a bit accelerated compared to high school hockey, but that he's growing more accustomed to it every day.
"At this level, if you make a mistake, you'd better make it fast," he said. "Junior hockey features a lot more strength and speed, not to mention the hockey skills. It's a very good (brand of hockey)."
While his skates and sticks have carried Adams to the proverbial 'next level' of the game, he says that at least a few people helped him get this far.
"My old coach in Big Rapids, Tim Blashill, was a big influence on my hockey career," Adams added. "And I'd have to thank my parents for always keeping me motivated. They taught me respect, getting along, and working hard at everything."
Fournier says that Adams' on- and off-ice makeup will translate to good things in both arenas. "Seth is a great kid and a great teammate. He's got the talent and the smarts. It's not a stretch to say that he'll be a success in whatever he does in life."