text:
Ask a Free Question
Free Case Evaluation
For Attorneys
List Your Firm
Connect Your Firm
Law Firm Marketing Services
How LawQA Works
Free Answers to your Legal Questions by Lawyers.
Did the police perform an illegal search?
Posted on April 29, 2011
The sheriffs dept came to my house today while I was at work. They said that they had a tip that someone they were looking for stayed here. But they didn't tell my sister that don't live here if they search the house they would not come back. So I called the sheriff dept they didn't know what I was talking about. Is what they did or doing legal?
Free Case Evaluation by a Local Lawyer!
Ask a Local Attorney. 100% Anonymous. Free Answers.
Write Your Question Here (120 character limit)
Free Case Evaluation by a Local Lawyer:
Click here
Click to View More Answers:
Popular Questions
Should someone turn themselves in to police before getting an attorney?
(101 answers)
Do I have to answer whether I was drinking or not?
(99 answers)
Can I be taken to jail without my Miranda rights read?
(97 answers)
Related Questions
Under what circumstances can a doctor drug test his or her patient and how many times can a doctor continue to do such test?
What happens if I have the baby and he has turned 16?
What can or should I do to get the charges off?
Ask a Local Attorney
100% Anonymous
Free Answers
© 2017 MH Sub I, LLC. All rights reserved.
Ask a Free Question
Free Case Evaluation
List Your Firm
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
IB Cookie Policy
The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or should be formed by use of the site. The attorney listings on the site are paid attorney advertisements. Your access of/to and use of this site is subject to additional
Supplemental Terms


text:
Succubus Society by Eden Redd
Tale Post Countdown
Only 201 posts until my 4000th post.
Month of the Tale
Monthly Tales
Tale Categories
Recent Tickles
On this day...
- 2016: There's not much to a Fiery Devil Costume is there? — For this, the last peek at costumes before Halloween this year, something a little different. There are not, for some [...]
- 2015: Belle of the Ball By TeraS — It is a week, more or less, before Halloween … As such there needs to be some Halloween stories, I [...]
- 2014: A Review of Succubus Dreams 2: The Bargain by Chastity Swallows — Succubus Dreams 2: The Bargain by Chastity Swallows Sometimes I wonder why it is that some authors insist on releasing a [...]
- 2013: Some music really doesn't suit Morrigan I think… — Another YouTube of Morrigan Aesland to share this week… The video itself is of the anime series that Morrigan appears [...]
- 2012: A Review of From the Bride of Samael by Luther Koon — I do enjoy a good mystery novel. But what I need to see in it is a story that keeps [...]
- 2011: Slightly sexy as a Succubus costume goes… — If all else fails, sometimes you have to, or are pointed in the direction of, finding a Succubus costume for [...]
- 2010: Temptations 83 — When you know that it matters… It simply does. A Succubi Queen knows that… always… ___________________ Temptations 83 By TeraS and JHB She allowed [...]
- 2009: Storm Clouds XXV – An ongoing Succubi Story — This is the continuing story of the Succubi called Storm Clouds… If you want to read previous chapters, please click the [...]
- 2008: Writing a Succubi Story… — I've gotten inspired this past week. And in so doing, I have found myself writing a Succubi story… It's going to have [...]
Tera's TweetsMy Tweets
Tera's Tumblr
Lilith - Vampire Savior - Darkstalkers 3 by Sotherius
As found at:
Just an interesting expression on Lilith…
The Summoning by soranamae
As found at:
Is this the summoned succubus or the summoner now a succubus?
Succubus sister by blind-crow
As found at:
A unique pairing of the Aensland sisters…
Devil by Z.H.Y
As found at:
Wonderful detail in the outfit of this succubus character
Morrigan-quick-sketch by kofab
As found at:
A quick sketch of Morrigan, but all of the smexy…
Succubus Society by Eden Redd
by TeraS
This post has no tag
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
The Queen's Mood is…
There have been…
Tale SwischesTera has written a total of
3799 posts and a total of
8668 comments have been made.
Tale Ranking
As of September 20th, 2016, Succubus.net is ranked 5th of about 8 million sites on a Google search for Succubus. As well, Succubus.net is ranked 4th of about 811,000 sites on a Google search for Succubi.
As of September 20th, 2016, Succubus.net is ranked 4th of about 4.1 million sites on a Bing search for Succubus. As well, Succubus.net is ranked 4th of about 373,000 sites on a Bing search for Succubi.
As of September 20th, 2016, Succubus.net is ranked 6th of about 4.4 million sites on a Yahoo! search for Succubus. As well, Succubus.net is ranked 3rd of about 380,000 sites on a Yahoo! search for Succubi.
SuccuWiki New Articles
Tale Tags
- A Succubus Loves Me
- Aelf.net
- Alectra's Playgrounds
- Callidus MC
- Charon's Boat
- Chrissy Clark
- Colero.ca
- Dominic Marco
- Dreaming Darkly
- Ed Mironiuk's Pinup Art
- Eerie Cuties
- Elaine Hendrix
- Enchanted by Books
- Fzzy's Blog
- Hypno Fantasy Forum
- HypnoPics-Collective
- Incubus Chronicles
- Jay French Studios
- Jonathon Stewart
- Lost Girl TV Series Website
- Lovely Lilikka
- Luminous Shadows
- Lustfall Chronicles
- Many Eyed Hydra
- MC Forum
- NovelTrove
- Pibgorn
- Sinfest
- SleepyMaid.com
- Sue-Chan.com
- Tammy Pryce
- The Art of BDG
- The Atlantis Blog
- The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive
- The Garden Of MC
- The Hypnosis in Media Blog
- The Other Side Blog
- The Realms of Mr. Potestas
- The Submissive Succubus

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Deep ThoughtsView several short films by various American Apparel employees. These videos capture the essence of the company and feature our workers, friends and customers. These videos require either Microsoft Media Player or Apple QuickTime Player.
Fabric Spread
Just one part of the production process.
Made in Downtown LA—Vertically Integrated Manufacturing


text:
Truman Capote
About the Author
Truman Capote was born in New Orleans on September 30, 1924. In 1948 his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, was published to international critical acclaim, assuring Capote a place among the prominent postwar American writers. He won the O. Henry Memorial Short Story Prize twice and was a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. His other works include Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Grass Harp, and the nonfiction masterpiece In Cold Blood. Truman Capote died on August 25, 1984 in Los Angeles.


text:
Log In now to add this Gigapan to a group gallery.
Log In now to add this Gigapan to a gallery.
About This GigapanToggle
- Taken by
- Robin Rohrback
- Explore score
- 11
- Print Pricing
- $8.23 to $518.00
- Size
- 1.92 Gigapixels
- Views
- 2542
- Date added
- Feb 25, 2014
- Date taken
- Categories
- geology, macro
- Galleries
- Print Gallery | All
- Competitions
- Tags
- m.a.g.i.c., macro, geology, sedimentary, Sedimentary rock, sedimentary structures, cross bedding
- Description
Cross-bedded quartzite from the Proterozoic-aged Grinnell Formation exposed in the vicinity of Glacier National Park, Montana.
Gigapan Comments (1)Toggle Minimize gigapan_comment
Reminds me of banded iron. I find myself wondering, how do you get heavily iron coated sand laminated with a pure white sand? They would have to be in the region to end up layered together, but the water would have to be very localized to stain one set of sand grains without ever touching a nearby set.
Where in the World is this GigaPan?Toggle
Stitcher NotesToggleMinimize
GigaPan Stitch version 2.3.0307 (Windows)
Panorama size: 1919 megapixels (46608 x 41188 pixels)
Input images: 286 (13 columns by 22 rows)
Field of view: 25.3 degrees wide by 22.4 degrees high (top=10.9, bottom=-11.5)
Vignette correction on: c1=0.00305 c2=-0.00627
Use BRISK feature detector
Original image properties:
Camera make: unknown
Camera model: unknown
Image size: 5184x3456 (17.9 megapixels)
Capture time: unknown
Aperture: unknown
Exposure time: unknown
ISO: unknown
Focal length (35mm equiv.): unknown
White balance: unknown
Exposure mode: unknown
Horizontal overlap: 31.9 to 36.0 percent
Vertical overlap: 46.3 to 53.0 percent
Computer stats: 8070.8 MB RAM, 4 CPUs
Total time 40:13 (8.4 seconds per picture)
Alignment: 8:04, Projection: 12:02, Blending: 20:07
(Preview finished in 24:03)


text:
Log In now to add this Gigapan to a group gallery.
Log In now to add this Gigapan to a gallery.
About This GigapanToggle
Gigapan Comments (0)Toggle Minimize gigapan_comment
Where in the World is this GigaPan?Toggle
Stitcher NotesToggleMinimize
GigaPan Stitcher version 0.4.3865 (Macintosh)
Panorama size: 64 megapixels (11935 x 5425 pixels)
Input images: 30 (6 columns by 5 rows)
Field of view: 204.2 degrees wide by 92.8 degrees high (top=39.1, bottom=-53.7)
All default settings
Original image properties:
Camera make: Canon
Camera model: Canon EOS 350D DIGITAL
Image size: 3456x2304 (8.0 megapixels)
Capture time: 2009-02-22 22:19:00 - 2009-02-22 22:27:30
Aperture: f/4.5 - f/8
Exposure time: 6
Focal length (35mm equiv.): 35.7 mm
White balance: Fixed
Exposure mode: Automatic
Horizontal overlap: 53.0 to 66.3 percent
Vertical overlap: 53.8 to 71.6 percent
Computer stats: 3840 MB RAM, 2 CPUs
Total time 21:36 (0:43 per picture)
Alignment: 1:09, Projection: 1:35, Blending: 18:51


text:
About Jeff Masters
Cat 6 lead authors: WU cofounder Dr. Jeff Masters (right), who flew w/NOAA Hurricane Hunters 1986-1990, & WU meteorologist Bob Henson, @bhensonweather
By: Dr. Jeff Masters , 2:40 PM GMT on August 22, 2011
Hurricane Irene strengthened into the season's first Atlantic hurricane at 5am EDT this morning as the eye moved over San Juan, Puerto Rico, and crossed into the ocean just north of the island. Overnight, Irene held its own as the eye passed over the most mountainous portion of Puerto Rico, the El Yunque region. Winds in the higher mountains likely reached Category 2 strength, 96 - 110 mph, according to measurements from the San Juan Terminal Doppler Radar, and the hurricane pounded the island with damaging winds and flooding rains, resulting in widespread tree damage and power failures that hit 800,000 people. The San Juan Airport recorded top winds of 41 mph, gusting to 55 mph, and 2.87" of rain, as of 9am AST. Tropical storm conditions affected the Virgin Islands, with St. Thomas recording sustained winds of 40 mph, gusting to 67 mph, and 4.03" of rain as of 6am AST today. At 7am EDT, the ship Horizon Trader measured sustained northeast winds of 69 mph and wave heights of 11.5 feet at 19°N, in the northern eyewall of Irene. Latest observations from an Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that Irene is slowly intensifying, with a central pressure of 989 mb observed at 9:42am EDT. The eyewall is not fully formed yet, with a gap on the south side. This gap will need to close off before the hurricane can undergo rapid intensification.
Figure 1. A direct hit: the center of Hurricane Irene passed directly over the Terminal Doppler Radar at San Juan, Puerto Rico between 4am and 5am AST this morning.
Track forecast for Irene
The computer models show good agreement that Irene will pass along the north coast of Hispaniola today, but just a slight wobble in Irene's track to take it farther offshore--or push it onshore, over the mountains--will have major impacts on the ultimate path and strength of the hurricane. A trough of low pressure is expected to move across the Eastern U.S. on Wednesday and Thursday, turning Irene more to the northwest by Wednesday. The timing and strength of this trough varies considerably from model to model, and will be critical in determining where and when Irene will turn to the north. Irene's strength will also matter--a stronger Irene is more likely to turn northward earlier. The most popular solution among the models is to take Irene to the northwest through the Bahamas on Wednesday and Thursday, then into the Southeast U.S. coast in South Carolina or North Carolina on Saturday. Irene would then travel up the mid-Atlantic coast, arriving near Long Island, New York on Monday morning as a strong tropical storm or Category 1 hurricane. One of the models proposing this solution is our best model, the ECMWF. However, we have two other of our very good models suggesting a landfall near Miami on Thursday night is likely (the GFDL and UKMET models.) NHC forecaster Stacy Stewart gave some good reasons in this morning's discussion to favor a track close to the east coast of Florida, but just offshore. Last years' worst performing major the model, the NOGAPS, predicts that Irene will pass out to sea, missing the Southeast U.S. coast. Keep in mind that the average error of a 4-day forecast from NHC is 200 miles, and just a small deviation in the path of a storm moving roughly parallel to the coast will make a huge difference in where it ultimately makes landfall. The NOAA jet will be flying its first dropsonde mission into Irene today, which should result in a more reliable set of model runs first thing Tuesday morning.
Intensity forecast for Irene
Irene is embedded in a large envelope of moisture now, and wind shear is expected to remain low, 5 - 10 knots, for the next five days. With water temperatures very warm, 29 - 30°C, these conditions should allow for intensification except when land is interfering. Satellite loops show that Irene is steadily growing in size, which will protect the storm against major disruption by its passage along the north shore of Hispaniola today. The storm is lacking much development on its southwest side, where dry air is interfering with development. This dry air may help keep southern portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti from receiving more than 3 - 6 inches of rain. There is at least a 30% chance that passage of the eye over Hispaniola will reduce Irene to a tropical storm tonight and into Tuesday. Due to Hispaniola blocking inflow of moist air from the south, Irene will likely compensate by building an even larger region of heavy thunderstorms to the north, offshore. Thus, when Irene's center finally moves well away from the coast on Tuesday, it will be a bigger storm, with the potential to spread hurricane conditions over a wider area later in the week when it intensifies. One limiting factor for intensification may be in the upper-level outflow pattern. The hurricane is lifting a huge amount of air from the surface to the upper atmosphere, and all that mass has to be efficiently transported away in order for the hurricane to intensify. Right now, upper level outflow is only well-established to the north and east, and the forecast outflow pattern for the coming five days is only moderately favorable. Overall, I think the official NHC forecast of a Category 3 hurricane by Thursday is the right one, though Irene could easily be a Category 2 or Category 4 storm.
Irene's impact on the Dominican Republic
Heavy rains from Irene have already reached the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic, where Punta Cana has seen wind gusts up to 29 mph this morning. The northeast coast of the country near Samana will receive the worst of Irene's wrath, with sustained winds of 50 - 70 mph and gusts above hurricane force likely to cause widespread tree damage and power outages today. Passage along the coast of the island may weaken Irene to a tropical storm by Tuesday morning, and wind damage in Puerto Plata may be less severe than at Samana. The capital of Santo Domingo will see lesser winds, perhaps 30 - 50 mph, with gusts to 60 mph. The main danger to the Dominican Republic will be Irene's torrential rains, which are likely to reach 20 inches in some mountainous regions, causing dangerous flash floods and mudslides.
Irene's impact on Haiti
No nation in the Caribbean is more vulnerable to hurricanes than Haiti, whose northern reaches are expected to receive torrential rains of 5 - 10 inches from Irene. During the 2008 hurricane season, four storms--Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike--dumped heavy rains on Haiti, leaving over 1,000 people dead or missing. The path and intensity of Hurricane Irene are very similar to that of Hurricane Jeanne of 2004, which dumped 13 inches of rains on the nation's northern mountains. The rugged hillsides, stripped bare of 98% of their forest cover thanks to deforestation, let flood waters rampage into large areas of the country, killing over 3000 people, mostly in the town of Gonaives, the nation's 4th largest city. Jeanne ranks as the 12th deadliest hurricane of all time on the list of the 30 most deadly Atlantic hurricanes, and Irene's rains are capable of causing a similar disaster. During 2004 and again this year, ocean temperatures off the coast of Haiti were 1 - 1.5°C above average, one of the top five values seen in the past 100 years. Since more water vapor evaporates into the air from record warm waters, the potential for devastating floods from hurricanes is much higher in these situations. However, satellite images of Jeanne show the storm had much more moisture on its south side when it hit Hispaniola than Irene currently has, so I am hopeful that Irene's rains will not be as intense as Jeanne's were.
Figure 2. Track of Hurricane Jeanne of 2004, which followed a path very similar to what is expected from Hurricane Irene along the north coast of Hispaniola. Irene is not going to do a big loop like Jeanne did, though.
As bad as the hurricanes of 2004 and 2008 were, the January 2010 earthquake was far worse. Up to 316,000 may have been killed, and the capital city of Port-Au-Prince was devastated, leaving over 1.5 million people living under tarps during the 2010 hurricane season. Fortunately, Hurricane Tomas missed making a direct hit on Haiti, and Haiti escaped major loss of life during the 2010 hurricane season. This year, approximately 595,000 Haitians still live underneath tarps outdoors thanks to the earthquake, and these unfortunate people will be at risk of being swept away by flash flooding from Irene's torrential rains. However, Port-Au-Prince lies to the south of where Irene's main rains will fall, and I doubt the earthquake refugee camps will suffer from a major flooding disaster.
Figure 3. Hospital admissions (black bars) and death rate in percent (red line) for Haiti's cholera epidemic of 2010 - 2011. The cholera epidemic surged out of control after Hurricane Tomas dumped heavy rains on Haiti on November 4, 2010, with hospitalizations increasing by a factor of three for over a month. Over 3% of all people who contracted cholera died after Tomas' rains. However, sanitation and medical care improved in the following months, and the death rate fell by a factor of five to 0.7% by the summer of 2011. Another surge in cholera cases occurred in June 2011, doubling after heavy rainy season rains occurred. Cholera deaths doubled during the surge, but the death rate remained constant at 0.7%. Image credit: Pan American Health Organization.
Another danger is that Irene's rains will worsen the cholera epidemic that surfaced after the earthquake. Cholera is a water-borne disease, and spreads readily after heavy rains. As of August 12, 2011, the 2010 - 2011 cholera epidemic had infected 419,000 Haitians, killing 5,968. After Hurricane Tomas passed on November 5, 2010, cholera cases exploded, with hospital admissions more than tripling for over a month. Similarly, heavy rains in June 2011 during the country's usual rainy season caused doubled cholera cases and deaths for several weeks. We can expect that Irene's rains will cause at least a doubling of cholera cases for a month or more. This will lead to several hundred additional cholera deaths, given the disease's 0.7% mortality rate this summer in Haiti (during June and July 2011, 95,212 cases were reported, with 626 deaths.) An increase in cholera deaths due to Irene's rains is also a concern in the Dominican Republic, where cholera has sickened 14,000 people and killed 92 as of the end of July.
Organizations Active in Haitian Relief Efforts:
Portlight disaster relief
Lambi Fund of Haiti
Haiti Hope Fund
Catholic Relief Services of Haiti
For those of you wanting to know your odds of receiving hurricane force or tropical storm force winds, I recommend the NHC wind probability product.
Wunderground has detailed storm surge maps for the U.S. coast.
See my 2010 post, Haiti's tragic hurricane history.
An exceptionally active of hurricane season
Hurricane season is only one-third over, and we've already had almost a full years' activity already. Tropical Storm Irene is the 9th named storm this year, and an average season has just 10 - 11 named storms. Irene's formation date of August 20 ties 2011 with 1936 as the 2nd earliest date for formation of the season's 9th storm. Only 2005 was more active this early. However, the first eight storms of the year have done far less damage than is typical. All eight storms stayed below hurricane strength, making 2011 the first hurricane season since record keeping began in 1851 to have more than six consecutive tropical storms that did not reach hurricane strength. As I discussed in Friday's post, a major reason for this is the lack of vertical instability over the tropical Atlantic so far this year. We've had a large amount of dry, sinking air over the tropical Atlantic, and the usual amount of dry, dusty air from the Sahara, both helping to keep the atmosphere stable and stop this year's storms from intensifying into hurricanes. Hurricane activity typically ramps up big-time by August 20, with more than 80% of all the hurricanes and 65% of all the tropical storms occurring after that date. At our current pace, 2011 will become the second busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record, with 24 - 27 named storms. There are only 21 names in the list of names for a hurricane season, so we may have to break out the Greek alphabet again in late October this year, as occurred in 2005. Ironically, this was the last time the current set of names was used in the Atlantic, so 16 of this year's 21 names are repeats of 2005. I'm not too happy about seeing another hurricane season challenge the Hurricane Season of 2005 in any way, and let's hope we don't retire another five names this year, like occurred in 2005! With vertical instability much lower this year than in 2005, and that year having already seen one storm (Dennis) retired by this point in the season, I doubt that will happen, though.
Figure 4. The annual cycle of average hurricane frequency in the Atlantic. Historically, about 35% of all the tropical storms and 15% of all the hurricanes will have occurred by August 20.
Which model should you trust?
Wunderground provides a web page with computer model forecasts for many of the best-performing models used to predict hurricane tracks. So which is the best? Well, the best forecasts are made by combining the forecasts from three or more models into a "consensus" forecast. Over the past decade, NHC has greatly improved their forecasts by relying on consensus forecast models made using various combinations of the GFS, GFDL, NOGAPS, UKMET, HWRF, and ECMWF models. If you average together the track forecasts from these models, the NHC official forecast will rarely depart much from it, and the NHC forecast has been hard to beat over the past few years. The single best-performing model over the past two years has been the ECMWF (European Center model). This model out-performed the official NHC forecast in 2010 for 1-day, 2-day, 3-day and 4-day forecasts, and in 2009 for 4-day and 5-day forecasts. You can view ECMWF forecasts on our wundermap with the model layer turned on. The European Center does not permit public display of tropical storm positions from their hurricane tracking module of their model, so we are unable to put ECMWF forecasts on our computer model forecast page that plots positions from the other major models. As seen in Figure 5, over the past two years, the GFS and GFDL model have been the next best models, with the UKMET model not far behind. Last year, the NOGAPS model did very poorly, forcing NHC to come up with some new consensus models this year, the TCOA and TVCA, that do not include the NOGAPS model. For those interested in learning more about the models, NOAA has a great training video (updated for 2011.)
Figure 5. Skill of computer model forecasts of Atlantic named storms 2010. OFCL=Official NHC forecast; GFS=Global Forecast System model; GFDL=Geophysical Fluid Dynamic Laboratory model; HWRF=Hurricane Weather Research Forecasting model; NOGAPS=Navy Operational Global Prediction System model; UKMET=United Kingdom Met Office model; ECMWF=European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting model; TVCN=one of the consensus models that lends together all (or most) of the above models. Image credit: National Hurricane Center 2010 verification report.
Next post
There will be 2 - 3 posts per day in my blog this week during Irene, with Angela Fritz and Rob Carver doing some of the afternoon and evening posts.
Jeff Masters
The views of the author are his/her own and do not necessarily represent the position of The Weather Company or its parent, IBM.
Cat 6 lead authors: WU cofounder Dr. Jeff Masters (right), who flew w/NOAA Hurricane Hunters 1986-1990, & WU meteorologist Bob Henson, @bhensonweather


text:
- User Name: OneLastkiss123
- Member Since: Sunday, November 4, 2007, 5:30 AM
- Name: Elvis Dovans
- Studio: Pulverize Productions
- Location: Riga, Latvia
- Homepage: http://www.one.lv/user/elviSQWQ
- Last Login: 2010-11-23 04:27:50
- Forum Info: Profile Posts (57)
- Profile: Hi! ... Hallo! ... Привет!
About me:
Name: Elvis
Age: 16
Things i like ---
I Love Anime - Amv
Footbol . Karaoke . sports . Games , ps2 , ps3 , so eh.... lazy to write more >:))
My Fav Anime ---
One Piece...
Moon phase....
Fullmetal Alchemist...
Soule eater....
There is more but really lazy to write this stuff! who will read it? XD
So eah... I Live in Latvia... who dosnt know where it is - Its somewhere nier Russia;))
My Life is a bit boring... playing computer games, go out with my friendz playing footbol,
Listen music, watching Anime and making Amv, and so on.......oh yea but there is some
smexy girl that i like so my days in school ar not that boring XD
Yea and right Now i'm making new Drama,Romance Amv with Loveless and some kewl song that i found ^,..,^
I Edit With:
Sony Vegas
Photoshop CS 2
Particle Illusion
Contact me:
Just add me if need or want to ask something :]


text:
By Avi Salzman
The banking sector is awash in dividend announcements today, and it's clearly making investors happy. The payouts allow investors to profit off of the stocks without having to worry about sluggish earnings growth in the near term. They also signal that the Fed is confident enough in bank balance sheets to authorize significant dividend increases. The Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) rose 1.1% in early trading, slightly ahead of the S&P 500, which was up 1%.
Comerica (CMA) stock rose 3.6% as the bank posted strong growth in commercial loans, which were up 5%. The company also said it will consider raising its dividend payout to 15 cents per quarter from 10 cents when the board meets later this month. The company also boosted its share repurchase program.
Goldman Sachs (GS) also lifted its quarterly dividend to 46 cents from 35 cents. With a 31% dividend raise, the Fed is clearly confident in Goldman's capital strength.
US Bancorp (USB) confirmed an announcement it made last month — the bank's annual payout will grow 56% to 78 cents per share. In total, the bank returned 66% of its earnings to shareholders through dividends and buybacks in the first quarter.


text:
Too Slippery for a Gecko
Credit: Tim Vickers
Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uroplatus_fimbriatus_(3).jpg
License: CC BY-NC 3.0
This gecko is climbing straight up window glass. Glass is a slippery surface, but it's not too slippery for a gecko. In fact, there is only one known surface that is too slippery for a gecko to climb. Its chemical name is polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE for short. You probably know it by the brand name Teflon®.
News You Can Use
- There's a good chance that at least one pot or pan in your kitchen has a black plastic coating. That plastic is Teflon®.
- Since the 1950s, Teflon® has been a kitchen staple as a nonstick surface for pots and pans because it's so slippery. But Teflon® has other properties that make it useful for a wide variety of purposes.
- You can learn more about Teflon®, its uses, and its discovery by watching this short video: http://on.aol.com/video/learn-about-the-origin-of-teflon-83227122
Show What You Know
Find out more about Teflon® at the links below. Then answer the following questions.
- How was Teflon® discovered?
- What is the chemical structure of Teflon®?
- Fluorine is a halogen, and halogens are among the most reactive of all chemical elements. Why is Teflon® nonreactive? What applications of Teflon® take advantage of this property of the material?
- Aluminum, which is widely used for cookware, has a coefficient of friction of about 0.61. What is the coefficient of friction? What is the coefficient of friction of Teflon®?
- Teflon® is hydrophobic. What does this mean?
- Besides cookware, Teflon® is used to make many other products for the home and for personal use. What are some of these products, and why is Teflon® used to make them?


text:
Aiwa HP-EC101 Ear Clip Headphones (Black/Carbon Color)
Less is more with AIWA's "shellz" ear clip-type headphones. Choose from a variety of colors (gray, pearl white or blue) or go for the glitter. Exciting look, exciting sound.
Q:Electronics Noise-Isolating Ear Buds with Volume Control (Silver)
Designed to funnel pure sound clarity, the Noise-Isolating Ear Buds with in-line Volume Control, create the perfect listening experience with its snug fit padding thats suitable for all-day wear. Replace those old uncomfortable earphones youve used for so long and start listening to clear, unimpeded sound with the Noise-Isolating Ear Buds. The Volume Control gives you the ability to turn down...


text: Illuminate your home with our affordable and diverse lighting selection. Look through our outdoor lighting to find the perfect way to light your porch or patio. Create an elegant setting in your dining room with an intricate chandelier. Whether you want to enrich your bathroom decor with bath lighting or brighten your living room with floor lamps, we have something for you at a reasonable cost.


text:
For his senior thesis, Richie Huynh, an East Asian studies major, traveled throughout China and Taiwan to observe how traditional Chinese medicine -- specifically acupuncture -- has been combined with modern medicine and how both are being used in concert.
Photo courtesy of Richie Huynh
The senior thesis: Quintessentially Princeton
Inspired by learning experiences both in and out of the classroom -- around campus and across the globe -- all Princeton undergraduates tackle a monumental academic challenge by completing a senior thesis.
The thesis, considered the capstone of Princeton students' academic journey, is an independent work that requires seniors to pursue original research and scholarship under the guidance of faculty advisers.
In reflecting on his mechanical and aerospace engineering thesis for the publication "The Thesis: Quintessentially Princeton," 2010 graduate David Kwabi wrote: "The opportunity to delve into a subject that is open-ended by definition carries with it the chance to verify a hypothesis, but for me it also held the promise that, at the end of every week, I'd have something remarkable to think about."
This story is part of a series of four profiles of current seniors who are finding similar opportunities for engagement in their inspiring intellectual pursuits.
Other stories:
Web Stories
Exploring the evolution of traditional Chinese medicine
Posted April 25, 2011; 12:00 p.m.
The cultural and academic combinations that have defined Richie Huynh's experiences at Princeton inspired a senior thesis project that took him across the globe.
Huynh, an East Asian studies major, traveled to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and other locations throughout China and Taiwan to observe how traditional Chinese medicine -- specifically acupuncture -- has been combined with modern medicine and how both are being used in concert.
"Some people in the West look at traditional Chinese medicine as hocus pocus," he said. "But acupuncture comes the closest to bridging the gap between traditional and modern medicine.
"Of all traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has the most research done on it from a modern point of view, even down to the neurochemistry of it. That's where my thesis comes from. I want to look at it from a scientific point of view."
For his research, Huynh spent five weeks visiting a range of medical facilities, including small, local practices and the large Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. (Photo courtesy of Richie Huynh)
The inspiration for Huynh's thesis topic developed during time he spent two summers ago in the Princeton-in-Beijing program, an intensive language training program. While there, he met Mark Jia, a member of Princeton's class of 2010. Jia, whose studies were concentrated in Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, was traveling throughout the country to research his own senior thesis on legal aid and the rule of law in China.
Motivated to pursue research in the field as well, Huynh traveled to China and Taiwan to observe how traditional and modern medicine are practiced. Over the course of five weeks, he spent 200 hours in 15 hospitals and learned about numerous specialized medical practices. He spent time both in high-end hospitals and with local shamans.
Huynh says he learned that the use of acupuncture has mixed with modern science to help refine the practice and make it more effective. (Photo by Brian Wilson)
His overarching goal was to observe how acupuncture is or is not integrated into modern practices in each of these places. Huynh's exploration of the medical procedures of numerous Chinese communities provides important insights, according to his adviser, Benjamin Elman, Princeton's Gordon Wu '58 Professor of Chinese Studies and chair of the Department of East Asian Studies.
"Richie is looking at acupuncture in terms of discrete Chinese communities in Asia," Elman said. "It's interesting to see how some of these things work. In some places, the medical scene is open to traditional practices, in others more modern medicine is dominant. Overall, the traditional has to compete with the modern directly."
Elman pointed out that Huynh's interest in medicine and science has helped him bring perspective to his senior thesis.
"He's interested in the chemistry of acupuncture. He's interested in how the traditional compares with the modern, as well as how there are influences of modern medicine" in traditional practices, Elman said.
"With acupuncture, there has been mapping of the body's traditional entry points for the needles on the modern nervous system, as well as advances in types of noninvasive needles used," Elman noted. "These are modern influences showing how even the traditional isn't so traditional. It's more of a hybrid."
Cultural interests provide early inspiration
While Huyhn's time in Beijing ultimately inspired his thesis, what first led him there was unexpected. Huynh's initial interest in Asia and the path to his thesis research was shaped in -- of all places -- dance studios on Princeton's campus, where he gained new insights into Asian cultures.
Huynh's parents came to the United States from Vietnam. His father came first, shortly after marriage, followed by his mother a few years later. Richie and his twin brother Ryan, who is a senior at Princeton majoring in ecology and environmental biology, grew up in Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Richie Huynh learned about Princeton at a science fair during his junior year of high school.
"I met international students from Princeton, and I didn't even know what it was," Huynh said. "Meeting these students shifted my world."
Of Vietnamese heritage, Huynh's interest in Asian cultures has blossomed at Princeton, both through academic work and extracurricular activities. (Photo by Brian Wilson)
When Huynh came to Princeton, he began connecting with students from many backgrounds and joined a campus dance group called Triple 8, which showcases the art and dance of traditional and contemporary East Asia . That experience sparked an interest in Chinese culture, leading Huynh to participate in Princeton-in-Beijing. He also began to draw connections between his own heritage and Chinese culture.
"I have a lot of Chinese friends because of dance," he said. "I learned to speak Chinese fluently. It changed me. I feel this connection with my American roots, but also with my Vietnamese heritage and the Chinese culture."
Huynh uses these cultural overlays to inspire his artistry. "In my dance and compositions, I like doing fusions," he said. "My pieces are always a collaboration of different music and dance styles, including lyrical, hip-hop and martial arts."
Huynh hopes to become a doctor and to keep building on his connections to Asia. He says that his experiences as a Princeton student and his work for his senior thesis will allow him to bring diverse viewpoints to his medical studies. (Photo courtesy of Richie Huynh)
For Huynh, who plans to go to medical school and originally intended to major in chemistry, this fusion carried into his academic work -- leading him to East Asian studies and to his senior thesis.
"I wanted to combine my interest in medicine with East Asian studies," he said. "It was a chance to major in something out of the normal and apply it to my interests."
Huynh hopes to become a doctor in the United States and hopes to gain professional experience in Asia someday. Through his senior thesis and his time at Princeton, Huynh said he will bring more diverse viewpoints to his medical studies.
"If I hadn't come to Princeton, my perspective would be so different," he said. "I always wanted to be a doctor, and now I bring a different set of ideas and thoughts to this goal."


text:
Careers in accountancy
Before you start studying with ACCA your ACCA study, you'll need to choose which level you start studying at. This will depend on what qualifications you have already. You will either start at our Foundations level, or with the ACCA Qualification. Read on to find out how to study ACCA and which level is most suitable for you.


text:
By Ben Levisohn
After yesterday's close, Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF) said that it would cut capital spending by $100 million in 2014, its remedy for continued weakness in iron and coal.
Wells Fargo's Sam Dubinsky says Cliffs' management is "doing the best it can" but that "pain is inevitable." He explains why:
While we think the new CEO is doing a commendable job tightening operations, we see no easy way out for CLF shares due to negative long-term fundamentals for iron ore and ongoing cost challenges in Canada. Note we estimate Cliff's recurring EBITDA at ~$500M at today's iron ore pricing, below current Street estimates near $880-$890M for 2014/2015, though the cap-ex cut should keep free cash flow near break-even.
RBC Capital Markets' Fraser Phillips and team thinks Cliffs Natural Resources could breach its debt covenants:
Cliffs' reduction of its capital expenditure will help it to conserve cash during the current weak iron ore pricing environment. While we view the capital outlay reduction as a positive, Cliffs' debt covenant holiday is over, and a breach of covenants is possible if the current weak iron ore price environment persists.
Cliffs must maintain a total funded debt/EBITDA ratio less than 3.5 and an EBITDA to interest expense ratio for the trailing four quarters of at least 2.5. At the end of Q1/14, we calculate that Cliffs' debt/EBITDA ratio was 2.5 and EBITDA/interest was 7.5, and we expect Cliffs to end the year with debt/EBITDA of 3.1 and EBITDA/interest of 6.5. However, our current iron ore price forecast for 2014 is $119.25/tonne CFR China. Our analysis indicates that if the average spot price for 2014 is $114.30/tonne CFR China or below, Cliffs will trigger its total funded debt/ EBITDA covenant. This corresponds to a spot price for the remainder of the year of $110.25/tonne or below.
Shares of Cliffs Natural Resources have slid 3.9% to $15.73 at 11:13 a.m., while other iron miners have gotten hits as well. Rio Tinto (RIO) has dropped 2.8% to $53.04, BHP Billiton (BHP) has fallen 1.3% to $69.18 and Vale (VALE) is off 0.7% at $12.98.


text:
With Perfect Layers rulers you can create Perfect Layers and Mats with NO MEASURING!
Perfect Layers Rulers are designed with a patented "catch lip" that simply "bumps up" against the picture
The rulers 'hook' onto the edge a picture, giving precise straight margin. 10 different border measurements to choose from, even as fine as 1/16 of an inch! The best part is they are simple, low tech and portable!
Perfect Layers Rulers have been the secret weapon of scrapbookers and paper crafters for over a decade. It has been featured on QVC & HSN and consistantly comes in as a 5 star top rated customer pick. It makes it EZ to create Perfect Photo Mats and Multi Layered effects for all your Scrapbook pages, Cards & Paper Craft Projects
Perfect Layers Tools Make The Difference BetweenHo-Hum Pages & Pages that POP!
Check out our Gallery for more examples!
After many years of selling to the cable-TV shopping channels It's now available online anytime! We know you will love Perfect Layers Rulers along with the rest of our Perfect Paper Crafting tools.
But Don't Just Take Our Word For It.. Hear What Our Users Have to say!
Questions?? Please feel free to contact us anytime! Email email@example.com, and someone will get back to you within 24 hours.


text:
Vitra has manufactured furniture designs by Charles & Ray Eames and George Nelson since 1957. Building on this foundation, Vitra has developed a wide range of furnishings for the office, for the home and for public spaces in collaboration with progressive designers. Yet Vitra is more than just a design-oriented manufacturing company. The name also stands for the Vitra Design Museum, for a collection of modern furniture and its accompanying archive, for workshops and publications on topics of design, and for an architectural concept that unites buildings by Frank Gehry, Nicholas Grimshaw, Zaha Hadid, Tadao Ando, Alvaro Siza, Herzog & de Meuron and SANAA at the Vitra Headquarters in Birsfelden (Switzerland) and on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein (Germany).
Product longevity is central to Vitra's contribution to sustainable development; short-lived styling is avoided at all costs. This can be seen most clearly in the classical pieces of furniture that have been used for decades, had several owners and have then even ended up as a part of a collection. For Vitra, the manufacture of sustainable products means intense pre-production development, where the highest-grade materials are selected and tests are carried out that simulate 15 years of use. In order to enforce and monitor sustainable development in all business activities of the company, a work group was formed in 1986 by the name of 'Vitra and the Environment'. Because of this, Vitra can proudly claim that it has been dedicated to sustainability for nearly a quarter of a century.
When writing about the course of his remarkable 50-year career, George Nelson described a series of creative "zaps" moments of out-of-the-blue inspiration "when the solitary individual finds he is connected with a reality he never dreamed of."
An early zap came in the 1930s, when he was an architectural student in Rome. Before returning home, an idea struck him: He would travel Europe and interview leading modern architects, hoping to get the articles published in the U.S. He succeeded, and in the process introduced the U.S. design community to the European avant-garde. This set in motion a sequence of what he called "lucky" career breaks that were really the inevitable outcomes of his brilliance as a designer, teacher, and author.
The first break was being named an editor of Architectural Forum magazine. Working on a story there in 1942, he was looking at aerial photos of blighted cities when--zap!--he developed the concept of the downtown pedestrian mall, which was unveiled in the Saturday Evening Post.
Soon after, another zap led to the Storagewall, the first modular storage system and a forerunner of systems furniture. The Storagewall was showcased in a 1945 Life magazine article, causing a sensation in the furniture industry. Herman Miller founder D.J. DePree saw the article and was so impressed that he paid a visit to Nelson in New York and convinced him to be his director of design, which spurred Nelson to found his design firm, George Nelson & Associates. The warm personal and professional relationship between Nelson and DePree yielded a stunning range of products, from the playful Marshmallow Sofa to the first L-shaped desk, a precursor of today's workstation.
Nelson once wrote that Herman Miller "is not playing follow-the-leader." That's one reason why George Nelson & Associates worked with Herman Miller for over 25 years as they shepherded design into the modern era.
During this same period, George Nelson & Associates also created many landmark designs of products, showrooms, and exhibitions for a variety of companies and organizations.
Nelson said that for a designer to deal creatively with human needs, "he must first make a radical, conscious break with all values he identifies as antihuman." Designers also must constantly be aware of the consequences of their actions on people and society. In fact, he declared that "total design is nothing more or less than a process of relating everything to everything." So he said that rather than specializing, designers must cultivate a broad base of knowledge and understanding.
Prix de Rome for architecture, 1932
Best Office of the Year, New York Times, 1953
Gold Medal, Art Directors Club of New York, 1953
Good Design Award, Museum of Modern Art, 1954
Trailblazer Award, National Home Furnishings League, 1954
Chairman, International Design Conference in Aspen, 1965, 1982
Scholar in Residence, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Design, 1984
Lifetime Achievement Award, American Institute of Graphic Arts, 1991
Permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Nelson did so as few are able, and, with the help of well-timed zaps, he helped define modern, humane design.
- from HermanMiller.comView other products by George Nelson


text:
TFK Kid Reporter Amelia Compton caught up with the stars of Disney's "Phineas and Ferb" in Los Angeles, California (Click here to read Amelia's Q&A with series creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff Marsh). Check out what Vincent Martella (who voices Phineas) and Alyson Stoner (who voices Isabella) had to say about Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel. The special crossover episode premieres Friday, August 16 at 8 p.m. ET, on Disney Channel.
What do you think kids will like about the Marvel crossover episode?
Probably everything! It's really exciting because it's the first time Marvel and Disney characters cross over into each others' universes. So if you're a big fan of Marvel, which I feel like every kid is. And if you're a big fan of Phineas and Ferb, which I hope every kid is. Then you're going to love this episode. It's got the best of both worlds. It's got action, comedy and ingenuity. I really think people are going to enjoy it.
I think kids will love that it's action-packed, and all their favorite characters are there. You get to see the humor of Phineas and Ferb coupled with the action of Marvel superheroes. And my character, Isabella, gets to sing this fabulous song with Candace, so look out for that.
Which is your favorite Marvel character?
I really like Ironman and so does Phineas. Once kids get a chance to see Mission Marvel, they're going to see a fun interaction between Ironman and Phineas.
My favorite Marvel character is actually not in this episode. It's the female superhero Phoenix. Her superpower is telepathy (the ability to read minds). She also has empathy. I love those qualities.
What do you enjoy most about voicing your character?
Phineas is so much fun in every way. It's a real honor (said in Phineas' voice)! "Phineas and Ferb" has been one of the greatest experiences of my entire life. I'm lucky to be involved with such a fun show. I get to come out here and meet all of these really great fans who are passionate about the show, too. I'm a Disney fan in general, so to be part of this incredible family for so long has been really, really cool.
Isabella is strong-willed and confident. I love being a leader of the Fireside girls. I also love that she finds these cute ways to get Phineas' attention and he's still oblivious.
How do you do the voice of Phineas?
I wish I could tell you! I've had people ask me that question before and I don't really have a good answer. I think I'm just really ridiculous. I always messed around with doing weird voices and impressions when I was younger. Luckily that actually served a purpose in my life. Now it's my job so I'm lucky to be able to mess around and have that be called work.


text:
Get breaking and town-specific news sent to your phone. Sign up for text alerts from the Suburban Life Media.
Customer Service: 844-368-1100
Copyright © 2017ĀmySuburbanLife.com. All rights reserved. Published in Downers Grove, Illinois, USA, by Shaw Media.
See how easy building a mobile-friendly website can be with Shaw Media Digital


text:
Alternate name: Comb Hedgehog
Family: Cactaceae, Cactus view all from this family
Description A low, cylindrical cactus girdled from top to bottom by bands of colorful spines, pink, gray, pale yellow, brown, or white; flowers pink, rose, lavender, or yellow.
Habit: native perennial shrub.
Height: 4-12 in (100-300 mm)
Stem: cylindrical, 1-4 in (2.5-10 cm) diameter, with 12-23 ribs.
Leaf: spine, white to pink; radial spines, 16-30 per areole, to 0.5 in (12 mm) long; central spines may be absent.
Flower: pink or purple (rarely yellow), 2.5-5.5 in (63-140 mm) wide.
Fruit: oval berry, green becoming purple; with deciduous spines.
Flower June to August.
Habitat Rocky slopes and flats, commonly on limestone; also cultivated ornamentally.
Range Central and southern Arizona east to western Texas and south to northern Mexico.
Discussion Also known as comb hedgehog cactus, Arizona rainbow. Several varieties have been proposed. The banded colors of spines explain the name Rainbow Cactus. The strikingly beautiful flowers seem far too large for the plant. This cactus flowers on old growth; a fuzzy dot on the side of a stem indicates an old bloom site.


text:
Just passed CEH V6!
For reference I took this approach:
1) took the official 5 day course approx. 1.5 years ago (knew I was not ready for the exam at that time)
2) bought and read the latest Graves study guide.
3) did all of the exam prep questions until I knew them cold
4) went through all of the offical material again and re-read the study guide in the weeks heading up to the exam.
Wrote and passed with a 92!! Feels pretty good.
Now trying to decide whether to pursue Forensic or Pen Test paths (maybe both?)


text:
I love doing things to make my little boys' dreams come true and this was one of those things. A birthday gift for my little guy that blew his mind. Actually, one of my other sons came up with the idea for this. Some of you are going to love this (or at least your sons are) and others of you are going to have no idea what this even is. In my family, this is a bit of an obsession. It's a Ninjago Pillow!
Yes, that's a Lego Ninjago character. Jay to be exact. Ninjago is Lego's latest and greatest (or do they have a new one by now?) and it has been very near and dear to several of my children's hearts in the last year.
For my 4 year old's birthday back in January I decided to make him a Ninjago pillowcase, which he loved, so I thought I might as well share my idea with the Ninjago loving world.
Very easy to make and you could do any color for any of the ninjas.
Ninjago Pillow Tutorial:
Supplies Needed:
- 1 yard of fabric in background color
- Small amounts of yellow, white and black fabric
- Paper backed fusible adhesive (like Heat n Bond)
Start out by cutting your fabric for the pillowcase. See How to Make a Pillowcase below.
Using your pattern pieces, you need 1 yellow mask part, 2 white eyes, 2 black eyes and two eyebrows.
Iron your pieces onto the iron on transfer paper and then iron them in place on your pillowcase. To figure out where you want these, fold your large piece of fabric for the pillowcase in half and center them on one half. Iron them in place and then unfold the fabric to do your applique.
Do a tight zig zag stitch around each piece of the face. I also added the under eye shadow by just continuing my zig zag stitch on a little farther.
Sew the pillowcase together on the bottom and one side. Fold the top down about 3 inches and press, then again 3 more inches and press again. Sew around the top to finish the pillowcase and you are done. (These instructions are also below.)
How to Make a Pillowcase:
Supplies Needed:
- About 1 yard of fabric
Cut your fabric into 1 large piece that is 40″ by 38″ big.
Fold the fabric in half so that right sides are together and it is now 20″ by 38."
Sew a straight stitch up one of the short ( 20″ wide) sides and then up the long side.
Then fold the fabric down a the top of the unsewn side about 3 inches and then about 3 inches again. This will form the top hem of the pillowcase.
Stitch all the way around the hem. Then turn it all right side out and you are done.
Like fun sewing projects for boys? Try these as well:
Superhero Cape Pattern and Tutorial:


text:
The last time the Maine Democratic Party had a competitive candidate in a statewide political race was in 2006, when John Baldacci was re-elected governor. And that was hardly a landslide. Even with Baldacci's incumbency, he got barely 38 percent of the vote.
Since then, not only has no Democrat won a contest for the US Senate or the governorship, none has managed to garner the support of so much as 40 percent of the electorate. With the exception of Baldacci, the most recent Dem to even come close in a statewide vote was Joe Brennan in his 1996 bid for the Senate. The last donkey party member to actually win something was George Mitchell, when he ran for re-election to the Senate back in 1988.
In 2012, the Democrats seem intent on maintaining that glorious tradition established by such party standard-bearers as Tom Connolly, who got 12 percent of the vote for governor in 1998; Jean Hay Bright, who lost her race for the US Senate by more than a three-to-one margin in 2006; or Libby Mitchell, who couldn't break the 20 percent barrier in her 2010 gubernatorial bid.
To keep that streak going, the Democrats this year are offering the public a selection of primary candidates for the US Senate of such little consequence that I'm surprised Chipman Bull (who earned checkmarks on less than 23 percent of the ballots cast in the 1984 2nd District congressional race) hasn't jumped in. At least Bull has an excuse. He's been dead since 1996. Nevertheless, in this field, he'd still be viable.
Having to choose a senatorial contender from among the likes of Cynthia (I use my political action committee to pay myself to blog) Dill, Matthew (I'm not like the other candidates because I live in the 2nd District and I like guns) Dunlap, Jon (I'm more liberal than Ethan Strimling and more pro-windmill than Angus King) Hinck, and Benjamin (I think we should bomb Iran and repeal Obamacare) Pollard isn't going to be an easy task. Nor is figuring out how to sell the voters on whichever one of these third-stringers somehow manages to prevail in the June primary.
Fortunately, the people now in charge of what once was the party of Ed Muskie have decided there's no good reason to do that. The Democrats, in the wake of Republican US Senator Olympia Snowe's announcement that she'd call it quits rather than seek another term, have already decided they're taking a pass on this election, conceding the center-left vote to former Governor King, an independent.
They're not tempted by that open Senate seat.
They're not enticed by the prospect the GOP may nominate an unelectable right-winger or a severely damaged moderate.
They're not fired up about helping their party hang onto control of the Senate.
They just don't dare to run against King.
So, they'll nominate one of the above-mentioned doofuses, make some sort of perfunctory effort at campaigning for their designated loser (suggested slogans: Vote for Hinck 'cause he don't stink; Dill will get us out of this pickle; Dunlap: mostly because he's from the 2nd District; We disagree with Pollard on nearly everything of importance but you might at least consider voting for him anyway — or not) and let this one slide.
Table of Contents
Cover Archive
Masthead | Authors | Contact us
See all articles by:
All Slideshows


text:
Title IX of the Education Amendment Act of 1972 requires that all entities receiving federal funds or financial assistance prohibit sex discrimination and sexual harassment in their education programs and activities. It reads, in relevant part:
"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
-- Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and its implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 106 ("Title IX").
GVSU'S Title IX Coordinator
Theresa Rowland
Responsibilities of the Title IX Coordinator
GVSU's Title IX Coordinator is responsible for monitoring and oversight of the overall implementation of the University's Title IX compliance, including the coordination of training, education, communications, and the administration of grievance procedures for faculty, staff, students, and other members of the University community.
Complaints under Title IX
Grand Valley State University is required under Title IX to prevent and address sexual discrimination, which includes sexual harassment, sexual assault and sexual misconduct, against students, faculty, and staff whether perpetrated by peers or by employees of the institution. The Title IX Officer is responsible for investigating sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. Accordingly, if you have a complaint of sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, or sexual assault, you should file a complaint with the Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Affirmative Action.
Sexual harassment in education is described as any unwanted and unwelcome sexual behavior that significantly interferes with a student's success or access to educational opportunities. A University student with a complaint alleging sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, or sexual assault should report it to the Title IX Coordinator. Complaints may also be reported to the Grand Valley Police Department, the Women's Center, or the Dean of Students office. Complaints of sexual misconduct between GVSU students or where the individual allegedly committing the misconduct is a GVSU student are governed by the GVSU Student Code and applicable state and federal law.
Faculty and Staff
A University Faculty/Staff member with a complaint alleging sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual discrimination in violation of GVSU's Anti-Harassment Policy should report it to the Title IX Coordinator.
Information and Resources for Pregnant and Parenting Students
Title IX provides for equal educational opportunities for pregnant and parenting students. It prohibits educational institutions from discriminating against pregnant students based upon their marital status and cannot discriminate against a student because of childbirth, false pregnancy, or recovery from related conditions.
A pregnant student should be granted a leave of absence for as long as it is deemed medically necessary for her to be absent, at the conclusion of her leave, she must be allowed to resume the status she held when the leave began.
For further guidance, see " Supporting the Academic Success of Pregnant and Parenting Students" brochure. Although this pamphlet focuses on secondary schools, the legal principles apply to all recipients of federal financial assistance, including postsecondary institutions.
If you have any questions regarding your rights as a pregnant or parenting student, please contact the Title IX Coordinator.


text:
A few days we heard about Demi Moore having checked-into the posh rehab center, Cirque Lodge, in Utah. Now info is emerging about how much that treatment center costs and who else has been there. Read on for all the details.
So… here are some of the deets… Cirque Lodge costs $30,000 for a 30 day treatment cycle, so roughly $1,000 per day. The lodge is located in the magnificent mountain setting of Sundance and claims to be "the nation's finest drug treatment centers providing services for alcohol and substance abuse".
What will Demi have on offer?
There is over 100,000 square feet in the multi-story Studio which is surrounded by over twelve private acres. Sleeping rooms for residents are first-class, and amenities include a sauna, exercise and recreation rooms.Stunning views from each room help residents connect with their higher power. The lower level of the drug Cirque Lodge Drug Rehab Center in Sundance and alcohol rehab center contains residents rooms, laundry and a fully equipped exercise room and sauna.
Here is a pic of one of the rooms which Demi might be staying in. Well, at least this is the pic advertised on their website. Demi (and their past celeb patients) might have special deluxe suites…this room doesn't look that posh? and separate single beds? does this mean that Demi might have a roommate? I dont think so…I'm thinking that there is a separate private area for guests that require extra privacy, security and luxury. Hmm….
Other stars that have spent time at this rehab center include Lindsay Lohan in 2007. Mary-Kate Olsen checked into Cirque in 2004 with an "eating-related disorder." Chris Klein has also been there for 30 days in 2010 to take part in an addiction program. Eva Mendes and Kirsten Dunst were both there in 2008 for depression. Kirsten said, "I was struggling, and I had the opportunity to go somewhere and take care of myself…I was fortunate to have the resources to do it."
Kirsten is right, this is a luxurious rehab center (even if the pic isn't) and many non-celebrities would not be able to afford this kind of expensive treatment, so they are very lucky. Many people would never have this opportunity. Given how Chris Klein, Eva Mendes and Kirsten Dunst all benefited from the treatment, I am sure Demi will also come out stronger and healthier for it, which is really happy news.
What do you think of the pic of Demi's maybe room?0


text:
Latest Headlines
Baseball's Midseason Awards
Posted on 27 Jun 2011 by Michael Waterloo.
It seems like just yesterday I was typing up my preseason predictions for the upcoming baseball season. It's hard to believe that we are already at the halfway point. Who says that the baseball season is too long? As per usual with baseball, this season is full of unpredictability and surprises. We've seen two no-hitters within one week to make this the year of the pitcher 2.0, a home ...


text:
Printable View
Usually the first time is enough to discourage a second one. If so, I go the zero route.
And JJB, we're currently at a 175-day year, but we could lose 5-15 more if the state's sales tax proposition fails in Nov. :(
Yes, I think our last day would be May. 15 if the prop fails to pass.
In what other profession (aside from comics or trivia) can a person reference Mr. Mxyzptlk and have it be relevant? :) Teaching has its bad days, but it rocks most of the time!
Well, I reported to Fort Sam Houston on the 10th of August for "Instructor Duty".
I've spent the last few weeks in school, getting certified and earning my Instructor badge. I have to sit through a few courses then test with a 90% in order to certify on the course. After that I will be reviewed and I still have a few prerequisites to knock out (I have to complete everything within 1 year).
The course is accredited, so the requirements are pretty high. The Air Force tracks all our training and hours in a system they call "STARS". Which is good because once I reach a certain level I can simply apply for my teaching certificate and I will be good to go.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to instructing/teaching. Three years of this, I should be able to decide if I want to teach as a career when I retire. If so, this will work out great since I retire in three years. It should be a smooth transition.
Great to hear, sk_99! Any possibility that a certain author of objectivism will squeeze into your curriculum somehow?
We have a window! :D Last year, the powers-that-be finally decided that the inconvenience of having to unlock the staff room door every time outweighed the damage and theft of property inside said room. Today, we got a window put in that very door, so we don't have to guess if someone is behind it or open it uber-cautiously. Quickly installed, too (started after school began, done before lunch was over). I didn't see or hear, but they did not seem to have replaced the door, but inserted the window (and added the frame).
It's parent-teacher conference week for my wife. So far, she's had about a 75% no-show of parents. She called one no-show parent with whom she really needed to speak, and the parent hung up on her right after she identified herself.
More dumbing-down of America....
I'm shocked that Prop. 30 passed here in California. I guess winter break will go back to three weeks this year, where it had been rumored to go to five weeks.


text:
One thing that hasn't appeared in stories about succubi very much is one set in the 1970s. Thinking about that for a moment, it would be the perfect time for succubi to exist, they could hide themselves easily in that time, and feeding wouldb't be that hard to do. But the thing is that while …
Tale Post Countdown
Only 198 posts until my 4000th post.
Month of the Tale
Monthly Tales
Tale Categories
Recent Tickles
On this day...
- 2017: Succubi Image of the Week 484 — One of the things I look for in a Succubi of the Week is style. I like art that seeks [...]
- 2016: So where are the curves in this costume? — There are some long dresses that do lend themselves into being really lovely gowns and so on. The thing is, [...]
- 2015: Taxing By TeraS — It is Spring, when so many things draw a young succubi's fancies in directions that have nothing to do with [...]
- 2014: A Review of Badlands: Temptress by Robert Hatch — Badlands: Temptress by Robert Hatch One of the themes that I have found to be interesting is when Succubi are placed [...]
- 2013: An interesting Heroes of Newerth Succubus Model YouTube… — I've never played Heroes of Newerth, but I know there is a Succubus in the game, I know what it [...]
- 2012: A Review of Disturbia by Niall Teasdale — My favourite book series has another chapter in its story, and so it is time for another review… The series is [...]
- 2011: A Deviantly Devil costume, and not a Succubus… — I have found, to this point, one costume that claims to be Devilish, or Succubus-like that received a zero as [...]
- 2010: Temptations 58 — Choice matters… Whether that choice is to do good or evil… You make a choice every moment of your life… [...]
- 2009: Scheduling Intimacy? — This is something that I heard this afternoon on CBC Radio… An author is pushing the idea that couples should schedule [...]
- 2008: Lazy Succubi Sundays… — Not really much of a post today and I am in the middle of several things for the Collective and [...]
Tera's TweetsMy Tweets
Tera's Tumblr
Morrigan pintada by NeusGeiger
As found at:
Just the cute art of Morrigan here…
Succubus girl~ by ParksArtFantasy
As found at:
I can't help but giggle at this succubus character
Lilith - Vampire Savior - Darkstalkers 3 by Sotherius
As found at:
Just an interesting expression on Lilith…
The Summoning by soranamae
As found at:
Is this the summoned succubus or the summoner now a succubus?
Succubus sister by blind-crow
As found at:
A unique pairing of the Aensland sisters…
Daily Archive: May 27, 2012
May 27 2012
A Review of Loves to be Loved by Phillippa Ballantine
Novels and Books, Random Thoughts, Succubi
by TeraS
The Queen's Mood is…
There have been…
Tale SwischesTera has written a total of
3802 posts and a total of
8670 comments have been made.
Tale Ranking
As of September 20th, 2016, Succubus.net is ranked 5th of about 8 million sites on a Google search for Succubus. As well, Succubus.net is ranked 4th of about 811,000 sites on a Google search for Succubi.
As of September 20th, 2016, Succubus.net is ranked 4th of about 4.1 million sites on a Bing search for Succubus. As well, Succubus.net is ranked 4th of about 373,000 sites on a Bing search for Succubi.
As of September 20th, 2016, Succubus.net is ranked 6th of about 4.4 million sites on a Yahoo! search for Succubus. As well, Succubus.net is ranked 3rd of about 380,000 sites on a Yahoo! search for Succubi.
SuccuWiki New Articles
Tale Tags
- A Succubus Loves Me
- Aelf.net
- Alectra's Playgrounds
- Callidus MC
- Charon's Boat
- Chrissy Clark
- Colero.ca
- Dominic Marco
- Dreaming Darkly
- Ed Mironiuk's Pinup Art
- Eerie Cuties
- Elaine Hendrix
- Enchanted by Books
- Fzzy's Blog
- Hypno Fantasy Forum
- HypnoPics-Collective
- Incubus Chronicles
- Jay French Studios
- Jonathon Stewart
- Lost Girl TV Series Website
- Lovely Lilikka
- Luminous Shadows
- Lustfall Chronicles
- Many Eyed Hydra
- MC Forum
- NovelTrove
- Pibgorn
- Sinfest
- SleepyMaid.com
- Sue-Chan.com
- Tammy Pryce
- The Art of BDG
- The Atlantis Blog
- The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive
- The Garden Of MC
- The Hypnosis in Media Blog
- The Other Side Blog
- The Realms of Mr. Potestas
- The Submissive Succubus


text:
Saavik had probably sold out. She might be a lower production run, too. They can only reuse that body sculpt for Uhura.
I haven't gotten my figures yet. But they are in transit to me.
Meanwhile, I will add some excitement around here by posting some Trek figure pictures.
THESE ARE NOT MY FIGURES - but someone else's photos from ArtAsylum.com's forums. Most of my figures are still carded until I have a large place to set aside a room to display my Star Trek stuff.
I have more WOK figures not shown: McCoy, Scott, Sulu, Chekov, Terrel, injured Khan, etc.
I have a lot more TOS figures not shown here.
I have more DS9 figures than are shown here.


text:
Yes, there is a choice, Mirabelle and Aneal, you can MAKE your own biscuits!! JeanieG is talking about the cardboard tube of quick biscuits found in our dairy cases in the Supermarket. But you can do the same thing with bread dough or biscuit dough. I had a media specialist who worked with me who made them for customers...catered them. She started with sweet dough...let it rise once, punched it down and rolled it into small balls, rolled them in cinnamon and sugar (you can also use honey for more goo) and let them raise and bake in oven.
Grandmothers recipe called for 4 eggs, 1 cup sugar, potato water from boiled potatoes...blanched milk, yeast, flour and salt. Always 'proof' the yeast...before doing all the mixing of ingredients together.


text:
Hunter Manufacturing Medium Dog Collar
Made of 100% Polyester, Woven
Price: $12.99
Dog Collar Medium by Hunter Manufacturing. Get your dog in the game! Root for your team with your best buddy decked-out in team logo wear. Medium is adjustable 14"-18" (3/4" wide)
- Style: 20159210
- Color: Red/Black
- Made of 100% Polyester, Woven
- Pet Supplies
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®by PowerReviews
- Adjustable (3)
No Cons
Best Uses
No Best Uses
- Sizing:
Feels full size too small
Feels half size too small
Feels true to size
(3 reviews)
Feels half size too big
Feels full size too big
Reviewed by 3 customers
- Adjustable
- Comfortable
- Stylish
- Collar Loosens Easily
Best Uses
Comments about New England Patriots Medium Dog Collar:
Overall dog collar was OK, everytime we adjust it to fight the dogs neck, it gradually loosens up to the point of falling off.
- Sizing:
- Feels true to size
- Was this a gift?:
- No
- Adjustable
- Stylish
Best Uses
- Travel
Comments about LSU Tigers Medium Dog Collar:
My dog looks so cool, the collar has changed his life!
- Sizing:
- Feels true to size
- Was this a gift?:
- Yes
- Adjustable
- Breathable
- Comfortable
- Lightweight
Best Uses
- Casual Wear
Comments about New Orleans Saints Medium Dog Collar:
Fits my 50 lb pit/lab mix perfectly!
- Sizing:
- Feels true to size
- Was this a gift?:
- Yes


text:
Certifying Bram boosted him up to Master certification. I don't know Bram personally, but he obviously knows his stuff and has more than earned a cert. So, bumping him up felt good.
Ill Health
Got very sick today. Very sick. Home from work waiting on a doctor to call me back right now, in fact.
My big project that I've been working on at various intensities for the past year (and based on what I did the year before that) is maturing into a beta candidate.
There's a test server running. Be aware that it is live code (not even committed to CVS!!!) that changes as I work and test my work. It goes up and down, especially when I'm working on a new feature or refactoring code. Stil, it almost always works. Only if you get the same error at a one hour interval should you consider it a real bug that I don't know about.
The test server has more information about the system, especially on the About Lampadas page.


text:
Look I could not actually give a crap about miss Cali except for her treatment, Here is a link to obermans 5 minute rant. This kind of name calling tirade would have anyone else fired by now if the same treatment would have been against anyone else that was not a white Christian. I am sorry if you think its tea cup worthy but this sort of crap is what the left is throwing up I mean out at every chance the have 15 seconds in front of a microphone or TV camera.
Here is the link to his and allhose guests commentary
Let me know the diff between this and nappy ho


text:
So there's a new game demo development contest sponsored by Intel going on.
I started to work on something for the previous installment of the contest but failed to finish it before the deadline, even though I got a lot of coding done and, when the going got tough, didn't get much sleep for almost two months (while somehow managing to keep my day job). I shouldn't have gotten derailed experimenting with things that didn't add to the gameplay experience, like dynamic soft shadows.
But the biggest trap I got myself into was trying to work with other people, thinking that I wouldn't be able to handle everything by myself. "Artist" types. Hate them all. In the end they didn't get anything done other than complain and bug me about how they wouldn't be able to do anything unless I implemented normal mapping or whatever. I ended up doing the modeling myself (the player ship turned out okay for a coder, eh?), but by then it was already too late.
I've learned my lesson and will make it this year.
Why am I blogging about this here? It's not even a free software project. Ah well, I guess this is more topical than proclus' political ranting.


text:
Why is Jake Long on the 2013 list JETSJETSJETS linked to?
Because he has no clue as to where we are with our cap!
Stephen a smith just said on espn first take, that schefter told him jets are $36million over the cap.
And that good luck signing a top echelon general manager who doesnt get to bring in his own head coach.
Basically just ran the jets into the ground for a good 8 minutes or so.
here is a link to a more accurate picture of our cap situation
A couple things come to mind.
6 of our top 7 paid players are on defense and total $37M
The top 6 offensive players total $17M
Our top paid offensive player is Richie Incognito, Jeeesh!
It is obvious that we need to spend most of that money on playmakers that can help us score points.
I think the defense did pretty well last year and it shouldn't be much different next year with most everyone that is important back.
I heard somewhere that the Phins will have $48 mil in cap to spend, counting out all the FAs like Jake Long etc.
Draft Wishlist:
1. Patterson WR
2a. Da'Rick Rogers WR
2b. Eric Reid/ Rambo FS
3a. Tharold Simon CB
3b. Chris Gragg TE
4. Brandon Jenkins LB
5. Cornelius Washington DE
5/6. Vince Williams LB
7. Onterio McCalebb RB
7. Collin Klein QB
Tyler Polumbus RT, Starks DT, Bush RB, Grimes DB, Avril DE
What is our real cap number? If you do the math from PBP. We should've had $54M with the $123M cap and $6M roll over. Then Starks $8.5 and Hartline $3.5 cap hit. We're at $42M. Is this correct?
Anyone know where you can find a website that lists all the teams salary cap info?
Where are we on cap today?
we are in good cap shape


text:
The Graven and Craven Images of the Nihilist
One wonders what possible interest an avowed existentialist (FF) -- which is to say, nihilist -- would have in visiting our site. Indeed, not just visiting, but taking the time to comment and to try to convince Raccoons of the worthiness of his little philosophy. Why would one do such a thing in a meaningless universe? Is he trying to help us? Educate us? Disillusion us? In a universe in which truth does not exist, why try to convince others of the truth? Does he not realize that we already understand existentialism from bottom to bottom and find it to be inadequate to the very task of philosophy and therefore unworthy of the name?
No offense to rappers, but existentialism is to philosophy as rap is to music. Just as rap emphasizes rhythm at the expense of the two other key ingredients of music, i.e., melody and harmony, existentialism emphasizes an extremely narrow band of egoic consciousness and elevates it to the totality. FF sets out the premise of his philosophy:
"Existentialism is not for the faint of heart. You have to feel yourself as alone in a large, uncaring universe in which there is no God, and other people can't be really be depended on."
One could equally say that existentialism is for the faint of heart, the egocentric among us who are too proud to surrender to the higher consciousness that gave birth to them. And to say that one must "feel" oneself alone in an uncaring universe is to emphasize that this pseudo-philosopy is grounded first in a deicidedly schizoid "feeling" of cosmic abandonment, which is a psychological issue susceptible to treatment, not a properly philosophical issue belonging to the arena of the intellect properly so called.
Moreover, it sounds as if one part of the self must bully another part into submitting to this bitter philosophy. Why live in such a divided state, one part bossing around the other part in order to believe something it doesn't believe and cannot swallow, much less digest?
In fact, how is it that this cosmos has produced a detached and dispassionate center of consciousness which is able to will itself to believe or disbelieve this or that? There is no materialistic philosophy which can, with materialistic assumptions, account for such an entity. Of this we may be certain.
The first ascertainment which should impose itself upon man when he reflects on the nature of the Universe is the primacy of that miracle that is intelligence -- or consciousness or subjectivity -- and consequently the incommensurability between these and material objects, be it a question of a grain of sand or of the sun, or of any creature whatever as an object of the senses. --F. Schuon
I do agree with FF that 1) truth exists, and 2) truth is what we must believe. But a true existentialist must affirm the opposite, that 1) no one can know the truth, and 2) it doesn't matter anyway. FF even says so:
"Everything you've ever done will come to nothing, as time erases all things in due course. And even if something was 'accomplished' it all comes to nothing because the entire thing is an absurd and empty gesture done for no end. There is nobody and nothing watching the performance of your life."
Here truly is the "voice of the nihil." As you can see, just as this detached voice emphasizes the ego at the expense of all other levels and dimensions of consciousness, it absurdly posits time in the absence of eternity, freedom in the absence of any ground and therefore goal for it, falsehood in the absence of truth, absurdity in the absence of meaning, and subjectivity in the absence of a Subject. It is completely incoherent and makes no sense at all. You could summarize it by saying that it uses the vertical to annihilate the vertical, like a tree that grows more leaves in order to prove that the roots and soil -- not to mention the Sun -- do not exist. Once again, he even says so:
"All pleasures and pains eventually lead to one thing, the annhiliation and nothingness of death."
In short, Death is God -- even though death can only exist as a local side effect of a nonlocally living cosmos.
I don't know how one could know that Death is God unless one is omniscient -- or perhaps just emotionally dead and omnipotently projecting this unnatural state into the cosmos. And if they are omniscient, then this is a category that most certainly transcends existentialism. I myself have no difficulty believing that human beings are "omniscient," albeit in a limited way that reflects the axiom, "as above, so below." In other words, seeing as how human beings are made in the image of the Creator, it follows that we have a divine spark at the center of our being which is able to know truth and to know it absolutely. You will notice that I do not have to "force" myself to believe this. Rather, it is obvious.
It is also personally bobvious because people far wiser than Bob have told him so, and the B'ob places far more trust in them than in somenone who tells him up front that he "feels" truth doesn't exist and that I must believe that he is being truthful about this. I suppose he's being truthful about his feelings, but that hardly means his feelings are true.
For one thing, truth is generative. It flowers, it grows, and it nourishes the soul. It is literally like a tree, the Tree of Life. In this regard, revelation is like an O-perating system for the soul. Once installed, you will find that it is effective on various planes, including the plane of epistemology, i.e., what we may know and understand about existence, both individual and cosmic. In short, it allows finite beings to think properly about the eternal, the infinite, and the absolute, which otherwise remain impenetrable mysteries. I could never blog on a daily basis using the operating system of existentialism, for I would only be able to say nothing over and over, like my critics.
But existentialism is not "organic." It as not made for man. Rather, it is a wholly unholy manmode philosophy -- obviously -- that cannot account for the one who invented it and has decided to believe in it, because such a one ipso facto transcends his philosophy. Thus, existentialism is ultimately a self-limiting cognitive and spiritual dead end that truly does produce nothing, for it is the philosophy of nothingness. It is the very substance of nothing. So yes, if you are an existentialist, I agree with you: you are a nothing, a nihil, a worm, and an absurdity. But you have only yourself to blame and nosoph to bloom.
Naturally, such a one has a need to evangelize. But this is not out of a generous spirit of truth sharing -- for how could it be? -- but out of a bad spirit which you might say represents the cold hand of death reaching out to comfort you. Have you ever seen René Spitz's famous experiments using monkeys to study maternal attachment? He removed the babies from their mothers and placed them in a cage with two mother substitutes. One was a wire monkey holding a milk bottle, the other was a cloth monkey with no nourishment. The baby would feed from the wire monkey but otherwise ignore it. Most notably, when frightened, it would jump into the arms of the cloth monkey for comfort and security.
As I have mentioned before, both psychoanalysis and Christianity take seriously the idea that we are embodied beings, and that our mental life takes place in a human body. A philosophy such as existentialism is a non-starter for me, because it again begins with this abstract, detached ego hovering in subjective space with no theory to account for how it got there. But if you take the trouble to truly deconstruct your mind in the generative sense of that term, you will discover that your self is not made of "food" but that it is made of love -- or, conversely, that you have internalized various mind parasites in the space where the love should have been.
Of course, I know nothing about FF's developmental history, but existentialism is the philosophy of the wire mother, so that may or may not provide him with some food for thought from Petey's ample bosom as to how and why he believes what he does. There is nothing human about it; it is like trying to use Marx to understand Shakespeare. And like something made of wire, existentialism is a cold, dry, and lifeless thing, whereas truth is warm, loving, flowing -- ah, manna from above!
Thank you our MotherFather who art in heaven!
Why thank you?
Because it is simply the spontaneous expression of gratitude for something so precious. Gratitude is one of the unmistakable seals of truth. Something like this:
Not the god of the philosophers and scholars.
Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace....
Forgetfulness of the world and of everything, except God....
Greatness of the Human Soul.
"Righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee, but I have known Thee."
Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy....
Let me not be separated from Him eternally.
"This is eternal life."
Renunciation, total and sweet....
Eternally in joy for a day's training on earth.
Yes, even Donovan knew that love is hot and truth is molten. This is what Truth feels like to a pascally pundit but not to a wascally wobot. If you have never shed real tears upon hearing truth, you probably haven't heard it. Such tears occur when one has touched the divine plane.
What does existentialism feel like to a lover of truth? -- for there is no transcendent truth that is not lovable. It feels entirely contrived and artificial, like an ideology made of cardboard and baling wire. It is certainly not for human consumption. But being that we are what we eat, it will gradually convert your soul into its image. It leads to such nonsense as this:
"The existentialist summons forth his free will, and fortified with nothing beyond that, decides to feel 'meaning' in whatever he or she decides. It could be a pair of Argyle socks or a committment to a book club. It doesn't matter what it is, it only matters that the person has made the choice."
Brrrrr! The human mind was no more made to believe such an absurdity, than the human body was made to live at the north pole. I mean, it is possible, but don't make a virtue out of it.
"This is as high as one gets. There is a dignity in facing against the absurd emptiness that is this cosmos and spitting in its face. Defiance is the hightest virtue available. Like Nietchze, we bite off the head of the snake."
Respectfully disagree. This is as low as one gets, and there is no dignity whatsoever in it, except for the delusional and compensatory kind. It is, however, the outcome of a diet consisting of unctuous, hypnotic, and seductive snakes and their oil -- not to mention wire monkeys and their loveless milk. What I am saying is not complicated. It's just simple gastrophysics.
"The way of the existentialist takes a huge amount of discipline and self-mastery. For him, the easy path of religion is not good enough. He takes the hard road."
The way of existentialsim is the quintessence of a lack of self-mastery and an admission of defeat. It is by definition the lazy man's path, for it ends precisely where religion begins. It is like -- exactly like -- saying, "the path of quantum calculus is not good enough. I will take the hard road of basic arithmetic to understand all of reality." FF abuses religion beyond all recognition, and then rejects it because it is so ugly. I don't blame him for the latter, only the former, for it is a monumental sin of the intellect to treat Sophia in such a shabby manner.
"Even if he is wrong, and God exists, he has still shown the manly virtues of fortitude and forbearance; few other paths offer such a baptism in naked fear."
Correction. If he is right, there are no virtues, manly or otherwise, because Man does not exist.
As I said, I do have a certain respect for the intellectual honesty of an existentialist who truly has the courage of his absence of convictions, such as Nietszche. Reading him is still a bracing experience, for he is the most poetic voice of the nihil. He is the anti-Christ, and for that he deserves a certain kind of respect -- as does the poisonous snake to whom we give a wide berth. Nietszche knew that in the absence of the divine there is only the will to power:
When one gives up Christian belief one thereby deprives oneself of the right to Christian morality. For the latter is absolutely not self-evident: one must make this point clear again and again, in spite of English shallowpates. Christianity is a system, a consistently thought out and complete view of things. If one breaks out of it a fundamental idea, the belief in God, one thereby breaks the whole thing to pieces: one has nothing of any consequence left in one's hands.... Christian morality is a command: its origin is transcendental;... it possesses truth only if God is truth -- it stands or falls with the belief in God.
As does existentialism, which could only have occurred in a thoroughly Christianized world. For existentialism is simply a reactionary parasite on a magnificent organic structure that existentialism could never have built, for existentialism builds nothing, precisely. As like is drawn to like, who could love nothing, except a nothing with no love?
I had intended to get into the second commandment of nihilism, but got carried away. However, my post definitely addresses that commandment, which is that you must acquiesce to manmade graven images, just as FF tells us -- i.e., that we must feel ourselves to exist in an absurd and loveless universe in which nothing and no one can be trusted. Here is a review of some of what I wrote last summer about the matter:
The reason why it is necessary to acknowledge the Absolute prior to the relative is that, in the absence of the Absolute, all transcendent values are bleached out and ultimately wiped away. Values can only exist in a hierarchy (i.e., some things are more precious and valuable than others), and any hierarchy is conditioned from top to bottom. There can be no higher or lower in an infinite horizontal wasteland. Rather, in such a case, the world is simply a brute fact, with nothing to spiritualize it. Matter is elevated to the "ultimate," so that the world shrinks down to our most primitive way of knowing it. In fact, it is precisely because there are degrees within the relative that we may prove the Absolute, in that these degrees of relativity reflect the Absolute either more or less adequately.
Although secularists like to think that their's represents a sophisticated view of the world, in reality, no philosophy could be more provincial and monkey-bound. As Richard Weaver has noted, it substitutes facts for truth and logic for wisdom, elevating the world of the senses above the antecedent reality that can only be known by the intellect. Man becomes the center of authority, which makes him no authority at all, for no fact speaks for itself and no experience can tell us what we are experiencing.
The secular materialist attempts through endless induction to assemble the cosmos from the bottom up, but you can never get there from here. No one has ever seen this thing called "cosmos," and no one ever will. Rather, it is accepted on faith, as it is an inevitable shadow of its unitary creator. In other words, we all intuit that there is a strict totality of interacting objects and events because we were built to do so (unlike any other animal). To say "cosmos" is to say and even praise "God," for God is the cosmos, even though the cosmos is not God. It is a "reflection" of God, and therefore cannot help but to be One.
In reality, beauty is another inevitable "residue" of its source, an exteriorization of the Universal Mind. To the extent that ugliness exists -- and it surely does -- it does not represent a fundamental reality but a deprivation of such. It is a measure of distance from the divine archetype, the full brunt of which reality could not bear. Thus we have degrees of beauty just as we have degrees of goodness and truth. And no one could plausibly argue that this beauty is perceived by the senses, but only by the uncreated intellect that mirrors it.
Two things that the uncorrupted mind cannot not know: that the world is intelligible and man is free. Take away either, and the world is simply an absurdity, a monstrosity, a mistake. For to say that we may know is equally to say that we are free, otherwise it is not knowledge at all. Knowledge proves freedom, freedom proves knowledge, and both prove the Creator, for the hierarchy of being disclosed by the free intellect leads back to its nonlocal source above.
Behind the idolatrous secular impulse is a persistent, vulgar materialism that collapses the hierarchy of being and reduces the Absolute to some tangibly manifest idea or object that can be "contained" by the lower mind. But these are truly "mind games" for the childlike secularist, for no fragmented detail at the periphery of existence can explain the mysterious whole, much less the infinite interior center that represents its beating heart.
"The universe is a tree eternally existing, its root aloft, its branches spread below." So says the Katha Upanishad. We know this tree, for it is the same tree that appears in Genesis. It is a Tree of Life for those whose wood beleaf. For the grazing herdhearted woodenheads who wouldn't, they are the sap. Or perhaps a wire monkey.


text:
TRU Los Feliz had a bunch of Legends figures, including a number of Boba Fetts. They also had more wave 4 straggler guys - Luke Jedi, Umpass Stay, M'iiyoom Onith - in the new "why would anybody put this here" section left of the entrance. They also had some TFs - Dead Jazz, Payload, Longarm, Dreadwing.
Target Pasadena 2-story had a Luke Jedi and a M'iiyoom Onith.


text:
I am a c++ hobby game programmer of about 6 years. I just code engines and graphics stuff for the fun of it. I am now at the stage where I want to start applying for some studios. Does anyone have a recommendation for some books that cover the common C++ test questions in these companies? For example I know roughly how a linked list works, did I ever need to code it? hell no I just use std::list. So I guess I am somewhat a lazy programmer. I need some book which covers all the basic stuff that they could ask me to catch me out.
Edited by RGBA++, 08 December 2012 - 09:41 AM.


text:
Last night was the Women In Film Crystal & Lucy Awards, which is a mouthful to say but apparently a sort of big deal! We say "sort of" because if we didn't know any better, we'd think this was some sort of TV/Broadway/music event, since there seemed to be less movie stars around than people like Busy Philipps (Freaks and Geeks) and the chick who played Brenda on Six Feet Under. Not that we're complaining! It's fun to see semi-celebrities pose uncomfortably around Vanessa Hudgens, no matter what the occasion.
(Photos via WENN and Getty)