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brand news
Posted by Dale Buss on August 14, 2014 09:32 AM
AT&T slashes prices on iPads, expands ultrafast GigaPower broadband to Dallas.
Cisco plans to cut 6,000 jobs.
GE talks with Electrolux and Quirky about selling home-appliance unit.
Colgate's use of triclosan in Total sparks debate.
T-Mobile CFO calls Iliad offer "inadequate."
Applebee's teases new burgers with digital campaign.
Burger King drops "Satisfries."
Buzzfeed explains new business model.
Comcast experiments with marathoning TV shows.
Discovery sees debunking Shark Week become a cottage industry.Continue reading...
More about: Brand News, Apple, AT&T, Applebee's, Burger King, Buzzfeed, Cisco, Colgate, Colage-Palmolive, Comcast, CrossFit, Discovery, Edelman, Electrolux, Estee Lauder, Facebook, GE, GQ, Iliad, JCPenney, Kia, Lacoste, Lands' End, Liz Claiborne, Macy's, Microsoft, Momofuku, Nestle, Old Navy, Popemobile, Posco, Quirky, Quiznos, Reebok, Rosneft, SeaWorld, Shark Week, T-Mobile, Total, TRW, TrueCar, Virgin, Virgin America, Walgreen, ZF Friedrichshafen, Amy Poehler, Robin Williams
Posted by Dale Buss on August 12, 2014 09:41 AM
Tata launches new airline Vistara on social media as Jaguar, Land Rover sales boost business.
Chiquita bananas brand sparks bidding war.
Axe goes celibate in ad for new scent.
Uber goes after Lyft and vice versa as they seek to supplant taxi industry.
Robin Williams dies of suspected suicide at age 63 as brands and fans pay tribute and ABC News apologizes.
Aereo could survive on new Senate proposal.
Alibaba poses problems for bankers with IPO.
Alitalia and Etihad Airways finalize investment deal for reinvigorated Alitalia.
Amazon and Disney dispute more than pricing as new Fire Phone ads tout Firefly technology.Continue reading...
More about: Brand News, Aereo, Alibaba, Alitalia, Amazon, Apple, Axe, Barneys, Black & Mild, Boeing, Bon Bake Shop, Bridgestone, Burger King, Chiquita, Cinnabon, Complex Media, Consumer Reports, Cutrale, David Yurman, Dean Foods, Demand Media, Discovery, Disney, Etihad Airways, Facebook, FDA, Ferraro Roche, Intel, Kettle, LG Chem, Lyft, M&M's, McDonald's, Merck KGaA, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Ooyala, Pepsi, Saatchi Art, Safra, Samsung, Ryan Seacrest, Shark Week, Snapchat, Square, Star Wars: Force For Change, Starbucks, Tata, Telstra, Tesla, Tesla Model S, Toronto Raptors, Tory Burch, Treasure&Bond, Vistara, Volkswagen, Rice Krispies, Uber, USPS, Walmart, WWE, Yo, Tracy Morgan, Robin Williams, Tiger Woods
Posted by Dale Buss on January 13, 2014 09:33 AM
GM nears reinstatement of dividend as Chevrolet won both Car of the Year honors for the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and Truck/Utiilty of the Year for the Silverado at the North American International Auto Show.
Target publishes apology letter in national newspapers, offers credit reports, fraud protection to affected customers.
Darden Restaurants sees 20,000 join work-underpayment suit.
AB InBev puts more marketing muscle behind blue-collar brews such as Busch.
Accenture tapped to take over Healthcare.gov fixes.
Airbus posts record jet orders.
BP vows to fight "fictitous" compensation claims in Gulf of Mexico.
Denny's tries to move beyond breakfast.
Discovery ends talks to buy Scripps.
Dunkin' Donuts expands in US west.
Ford introduces aluminum-frame F150.Continue reading...
More about: Brand News, GM, Target, Darden Restaurants, AB InBev, Accenture, Airbus, BP, Busch, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Chevrolet Silverado, Denny's, Discovery, Dunkin' Donuts, Ford, Ford F-150, Google, Groupon, Ideeli, Jos. A. Bank, Lululemon, McDonald's, Men's Wearhouse, NBC News, Neiman Marcus, North American International Auto Show, Obamacare, Overstock.com, Scripps, Suntory Holdings, The Guardian, Toyota, Volkswagen Group, Yum! Brands
games people play
Posted by Sheila Shayon on September 3, 2013 04:38 PM
NBC is going retro in its bid to win back audiences and ratings with a live game show, "The Million Second Quiz," scheduled to debut Sept. 9. But the modern iteration will include digital, dual-screen and real-time trimmings that viewers expect.
It's the first game show series to be broadcast live on US television since the 1960s and lays claim to being "…the first fully convergent television experience, where viewers will be able to play along at home in real-time and sync to the live primetime broadcast," according to a press release.
Hosted and co-produced by television mega-personality Ryan Seacrest, contestants will answer trivia questions from inside an enormous hourglass-shaped cage built on top of a former New York car dealership. The show will air over 10 consecutive nights but the game will run 24 hours a day for 12 days (hence the one million seconds) necessitating that contestants live at the game's studios where they can be viewed 24/7 on NBC's website. Viewers can play the game on a mobile app and possibly secure a chance to compete on the live show, which culminates in a $2 million prize, combining elements of mobile, social, TV and real-time competition.Continue reading...
More about: Media, TV, NBC, Million Second Quiz, Ryan Seacrest, Entertainment, Discovery, Social Media, Second-Screen
media brands
Posted by Sheila Shayon on August 9, 2013 07:03 PM
Almost as soon as actress Lindsay Lohan left her latest stint in rehab, Oprah Winfrey swooped in to snag an interview with the troubled star.
"All I can say about it is this: I believe that she believes that she is ready to move forward in her life," Winfrey told Today Show host Al Roker. "We'll see." With that, Winfrey is clearly willing to invest in Lohan's sober future—or at least document it for all the world to see.
"I've heard a lot of things about me mentoring her," Oprah said. "When I finished the interview, I gave her one of my favorite books ... 'The Untethered Soul.' And I've texted her a couple times since then. I'm anxious to see whether or not this young woman, who is a really, really fine actress, will be able to allow us into her life and let us see the trajectory of trying to put the pieces back together."Continue reading...
More about: Media, OWN, Oprah Winfrey, Lindsay Lohan, Discovery
Posted by Dale Buss on May 23, 2013 09:15 AM
PepsiCo rethinks soda pricing strategy in the US.
Discovery plans to launch online video network.
Sergio Garcia catches serious heat from sponsors Adidas, TaylorMade after Woods "chicken" comment.
Borders customers are stuck with their gift cards, judge rules.
ESPN layoffs show network's vulnerability.
Equal sweetens its look.
Ford plans to exit manufacturing in Australia as it launches new marketing campaign for Europe.
GE weighs selling off large parts of financing arm.Continue reading...
More about: Brand News, PepsiCo, Discovery, Sergio Garcia, Adidas, Borders, ESPN, Equal, Ford, GE, H-P, McDonald's, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Neiman Marcus, Saks, Sony, Taco Bell, TaylorMade, Time, Twitter, Walmart, Yum! Brands
Posted by Dale Buss on April 4, 2013 09:37 AM
Arthur Frommer buys back travel book brand from Google, which acquired it with big plans last August.
Facebook readies for rumored phone event today.
Apple's futuristic campus project runs late and $2 billion overbudget.
BlackBerry turns mobile website into "test drive" of new Z10 phone, kills off BBM music service.
CVS and Rite-Aid target allergy season.
ConAgra boosts ad spending as commodity costs drop.
Detroit Electric launches Tesla rival.Continue reading...
More about: Brand News, Frommer's, Google, Facebook, Apple, Blackberry, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CVS, ConAgra, Detroit Electric, Detroit Tigers, Diesel, Discovery, Dos Equis, Eli Lilly, JetBlue, Lululemon, Netflix, NFL, P&G, Redbox, Rite-Aid, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Tide, Tide Pods, Thierry Mugler, Toyota, Lady Gaga, Nicola Formichetti
Posted by Shirley Brady on April 1, 2013 08:59 AM
Apple loses iPad Mini trademark, and finds a fan in Kim Jong-un as North Korea rattles saber and tensions rise with U.S., while increased China headaches include hacking threat and iPad regulation.
Discovery Communications expands global channel reach and launches scripted programming.
Novartis loses cancer drug patent battle in India.
Amazon buys Goodreads community-driven user reviews website.
AMC reveals new tagline and logo.
Armani hires Cate Blanchett for $10M campaign.
AT&T scores with March Madness Twitter campaign.Continue reading...
More about: Brand News, Amazon, AMC, American Airlines, Apple, Armani, Armani Exchange, AT&T, Audi, Daimler, Discovery, Discovery Communications, Disney, Disney Junior, Domtar, E*Trade, Emirates, Facebook, Foxconn, Gap, Gibson, Gilt, Goodreads, Hermes, Hyundai, iPad, Jeep, Kenzo, KKR, Louisville Slugger, Maje, Mars, Microsoft, MLB, Nestle, Nick, Nick Jr, Nickelodeon, Novartis, Olay, Oxfam, P&G, Panasonic, Pashko, Porsche, Qantas, Sandro, Slim-Fast, Sony, Spotify, TEAC, TLC, Tory Burch, Twitter, US Airways, Volvo, Walkman, Weight Watchers, Xerox, Xperia, Zee TV, March Madness, Cate Blanchett, Cara Delevingne, Patrick Robinson, Prince William, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, Donald Trump, India, China
Architecture Project DirectorInterbrand Design Forum, Dayton
Resource & Financial CoordinatorInterbrand New York
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Associate Creative DirectorInterbrand Cincinnati
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Big Jolly
Conservative politics in Texas with David Jennings
Posts filtered on Tag
Texas Speaker's Race: deja vu all over again
Texas Speaker Joe Straus is focusing on important issues in Texas while his opponents focus on rhetoric. [Read More]
Get the facts on HB41 – Groping Bill – Please?
Lawdy I wish people would take the time to ask around and find out what is happening in Texas politics before they started shooting off their mouths and keyboards. [Read More]

subset: commoncrawl


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Does this strike you as strange?
Bethenny Frankel, 43, posed in her 4-year-old daughter Bryn's outfit and posted the photo on Instagram. "This is my daughter's nightgown and PJ shorts. Think we're ready to start sharing clothes yet?
Commenters have started a big debate about the SkinnyGirl mogul's small shape.
One said, "It's not a good message to send."
Another wrote: "More like skeleton girl than skinny girl."
Meghan McCain, on today's View, called it "absolutely irresponsible" to tout it as "some kind of accomplishment." Jenny McCarthy said it was "a little bit cheeky." SuChin Pak, another guest co-host, called it the "worst humblebrag I can think of."
But many followers defended Frankel, saying she was "having fun" and "being silly."
Bethenny responded by tweeting that it was a joke.
BREAKING NEWS! World Scandal: Former reality star, failed talk show host & cocktail maven jokes by wearing her kids' pjs! #itcantbetrue—
Bethenny Frankel (@Bethenny) July 14, 2014
What do you think?


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More Articles for Ike Eisenhower
Kirk Landers, Editor Emeritus
Are We Falling Short of Their Example?
By Kirk Landers
I sat down to write this column on the weekend of 9/11, and like most of us Americans, all I could think about was where I was when, and what it all ... Read More...
Read More...
- Think you're a good driver? Try staying in these crooked lanes [VIDEO]923 Views
- Vehicles covered in oil and grime after construction project gone wrong887 Views
- Turn Around! FDOT seeking ways to alert wrong-way drivers633 Views
- VIDEO: Semi hauling an excavator plows through a guardhouse while pulling onto college campus383 Views
- How to become a more productive highway construction worker336 Views


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Signature Service: Horseback-riding lessons
Established: 2013
Reservations/Appointments: Required
Staff Size: 1 person
Average Duration of Services: 1?2 hours
Pro Tip: Wear blue jeans or riding pants and boots with a heel. Also wear weather-appropriate clothing.
Nestled near the banks of Lake Conroe, La Toretta's 18-hole, par-71 course showcases a mature layout that was spruced up by renovations in 2007. Carried out by course architect Jeffrey D. Blume, the recent project made the course more playable and dramatic by converting two short par-fives into heftier par-fours and stretching a longer par-four into a par-five that promises scoring opportunities to long hitters. Blume also revamped the putting surfaces, which now boast Bermuda grass that provide a truer roll than a shopping cart without any wobbly wheels. Before rounds, golfers can get a feel for course conditions at the full-length driving range or on the practice green.
Sequestered between the 18th green and the first tee, La Toretta's clubhouse overlooks the dramatic waterways that occupy the edges of its majestic starting and finishing holes. Inside, guests unwind over pub far at the Final Putt Lounge, which nestles underneath soaring, wood-panel ceilings.
Shannon Birkelbach](http://gr.pn/OAnPsa) and her trusty staff at Five Horses, LLC are disciples of natural horsemanship, an equitation method that stresses interspecies relationships and self-improvement. Certified through the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association and OK Corral, the team specializes in two services: equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) and equine-assisted learning (EAL). EAP relies on horse-based activities to help people improve their relationships in all facets of life by using horses' natural abilities as truth tellers. EAL, on the other hand, is a learning-focused approach relying on horses' natural abilities to solve quadratic equations. Unlike many other equine facilities that simply offer rides, Five Horses focuses on the ongoing therapeutic effects these animals have on their human counterparts.
Inside Cross Fit Commanders' garage-like gym, trainers work like mechanics to help reshape bodies with the CrossFit method. They lead small groups through intense, ever-changing daily workouts that include gymnastic movements on the rings, twirling heavy ropes, and air squats. When weather cooperates, they take class outside to scale wooden walls, swing through the monkey bars, and run through obstacles courses made of tires. All exercises incorporate everyday movements such as lifting and pulling, meaning the system prepares everyone for all daily, sports, and work activities.
Established: 2003
Handicap Accessible: No
Staff Size: 2?10 people
Parking: Parking lot
Reservations/Appointments: Required
Most popular offering: North Lake Conroe's kayak outfitter
Pro Tip: Fully enjoy the Sam Houston National Forest, paddling
along its' shores and cycling on its' trails
Good for Kids: Yes
What makes your business stand out?
NLCPC is on the shores of Lake Conroe, with a kayak friendly beach.This means rock star parking for customer and kayaks ready for you upon arrival. Paddle and Pedal is a unique program which allows particiipants to really enjoy the forest.
What inspired you
to start this business?
A personal recreational hobby glided to becoming a more serious one.Then, accumulating a "collection" of kayaks lent itself to a loaner program for family and friends,[and] then to a developing outfitting service.
What?s your favorite part about your job?
When [customers] return from their trip with a smile on their faces, and say they never realized how beautiful the Northside of Lake Conroe really is.
Is there anything else you want to add that we didn't cover?
The uniqueness of this paddling and pedaling combination. [It offers] natural beauty in the great outdoors [and a] great workout. [The] participant controls the extensiveness of the trip. Dry boxes and dry bags [are] includedwith package to protect paddlers personal items while on the water.


text: It may be easier than ever to build a new startup company. But it is still exceptionally hard to reach the upper altitudes of success. That was the advice from Mitch Kapor, the New York-born entrepreneur and venture capitalist who addressed attendees as part of the closing session of Startup Weekend EDU last night in… Read More


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Welcome to our home. Explore 25 million acres of timeless traditions, local culture, events, and world-class adventures from Lava Beds National Monument to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Use our Sierra Nevada travel planning map and the Free Mobile App to guide you through breathtaking landscape that shapes our lives and unforgettable vacations.
Get off the beaten path and find our favorite places with our Exploration Tracks or four regional maps - Northern Sierra Cascade, Southern Sierra, Tahoe Emigrant Corridor, and Yosemite Gateway.
Virtual Tour
Museum, Theater,...
Virtual Tour
Connect and Engage
Great Sierra River Cleanup: Downieville School (Yuba River)
Community Involvement
Save the Historic Bridgeport Bridge
Community Involvement
Great Sierra River Cleanup: Oakhurst River Parkway
Community Involvement
Festival or Event
Scofield's Cowboy Campfire at the Red Mule Ranch
06/28/2014 - 09/06/2014
07/12/2014 - 10/04/2014
Virginia City International Camel Races
09/05/2014 - 09/07/2014


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Tale Of The Tape: Baltimore Ravens At Pittsburgh Steelers
Joe Flacco may be the highest paid quarterback in the NFL, but he is not playing like it.
Less Painful: Watching Jacksonville Or Undergoing Invasive, Unnecessary Surgery?
With the Jacksonville Jaguars unable to do anything right, and turning in performances reminiscent of the '62 Mets absent any of the charm, watching their games is beyond brutal.
Tale Of The Tape: Green Bay Packers At Baltimore Ravens
Aaron Rodgers should be turned on to face last year's Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco in what could turn into a great shootout before the game is over.
More Impressive Stats? Denver Broncos Offense Vs. Playing Madden On "Easy"
The Broncos are on pace to break some crazy impressive records. But how do the 2013 Broncos measure up against when I play Madden on easy?
Tale Of The Tape: Baltimore Ravens At Miami Dolphins
Joe Flacco has the arm strength and skills to dominate any game, but he is not infallible. He has the tendency to force the ball into tight windows because he believes in his arm strength and that can lead to problems.
The Giants Losing To Carolina Vs. Little Mac Losing To Glass Joe In "Punch-Out"
Perhaps the most lopsided battle in video game sports is that of Little Mac vs. Glass Joe – the first fight in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! If done correctly, skilled players can knock the beans out of Joe in 42 seconds, flat. Unskilled players can still take him out before three rounds are up. And unskilled players who think too much would wonder – why is a French guy named "Joe"?
In any case, we here at CBS wondered, what was a more lopsided matchup (and subsequent surprising defeat): Mac vs. Joe? Or the recent Super Bowl champion New York Giants vs. the mostly hapless Carolina Panthers? Let's go to the tape. Please note that the "winner" of each category is the more humiliating option:


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Mass. woman accused of driving 101 mphMay 11,2013DUMMERSTON Vermont State Police said an Agawam, Mass., woman was clocked at a speed of 101 mph on Interstate 91 in Dummerston.
State Trooper Matt Hudon said Sybel Gonzalez, 37, was driving a 1999 Mercedes-Benz when she was stopped for speeding Friday morning. Gonzalez was charged with excessive speed and negligent operation and will be arraigned June 18 at criminal court in Brattleboro.MORE IN This Just InTODAY'S WEATHER MINUTE: Researchers studying bones of long extinct gigantic cattle, the aurochs, recovered from a bog in Amesbury, Wiltshire, and tools used to kill and butcher them,declare that place the oldest human settlement in Britain. 0Rutland Herald content editor Rich Alcott shares local weather information and easily digestible... Full StoryWhen she saw a job listing in Vermont, Abby Noland did what a librarian does. Full StoryWHITE RIVER JUNCTION Vermont inspectors are working to track down some 30 vehicles whose owners... Full Story
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- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: Vasco da Gama leaves Calicut, India, to begin his return voyage to Lisbon, becoming the first European to complete a voyage by sea from Europe to India; on this day in 1949, Soviet Union successfully detonates its first A-bomb.
- TODAY'S WEATHER MINUTE: Scientists call for more research on the temporal and lasting effects of nuclear fallout on plants and animals in proximity to Japan's Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station where changes at the molecular level were found.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 410 CE, Visigoths sack Rome and it isn't the first time, either; in 1859, Titusville, Pa., the first commercially viable oil well comes in; in 1918, the only World War I battle fought on U.S. soil in Nogales, Ariz.
- TODAY'S WEATHER MINUTE: Archaelogists uncover artifacts proving that late neolithic Egyptians, pre-dating the Pyramids of Giza, practiced mummification to prepare their dead for the afterlife, far earlier than presupposed.
- TODAY'S WEATHER MINUTE:Chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing that pollute ground water and the air we breathe come under scrutiny by researchers who find at least eight fracking chemicals toxic to mammals.
- TODAY'S WEATHER MINUTE: The craze for Omega-3 fatty acids as a dietary supplement in its most popular form, fish oil, has led to depletion of fish stocks in oceans throughout the world. Is this the beginning of the total collapse of global fisheries?


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Map: Operation Take Down - Generals ZH Mission USA
Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour: All Downloads (406) Patches (2) | Mods (228) | Maps (174) | Others (2)
A new map by ShadowPhantom.
Expand Full Description & Credits
- File Instructions:
- Author: ShadowPhantom
The operation is already in action but a sudden Scud Storm Lockdown occured in the captured territory. Build a base and protect the grounds. Continue the operation by destroying the GLA Major base in the area.
- To make it more fun, please don't move the game camera until all the units have finished moving, don't interupt them.
|File Name: OP-TD.zip
| Author: Admin
|File Size: 34 KB
|Files Added: 11,424
|Downloads: 2,639 (4 last week)
|Author Downloads: 18,940,327 (32,889 last week)
|Posted: 24.03.2009
|Supporters: n/a


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3Jenny McCarthy Did Not Tell Melissa McCarthy To Lose Weight
Did you know that Jenny McCarthy and Melissa McCarthy are cousins? Makes sense, but it still blew my mind. It's pretty easy to blow my mind, actually. Like learning that Jason Biggs isn't Jewish totally blew my mind.
ANYWAY, Jenny is denying reports that she told Melissa to lose weight. She tweeted,
Hey media outlets! The story about my cousin Melissa and I is bullshit. I'm proud of her & would never say such hurtful words. Shame on you.
And also talked about it with PEOPLE, saying,
There is a crazy story going around that I once told my cousin, Melissa, that she would have to lose weight in order to get into show business. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Though she helped cousin Melissa get her foot in the door, she credits Melissa's success to one person only — Melissa.
She has accomplished everything she has accomplished through hard work and her extraordinary talent, and I've only ever encouraged and supported and wished her the very best.
Oh, and one more thing. Melissa McCarthy isn't banned from Jenny McCarthy's upcoming wedding, either:
[It's] ridiculous. Donnie and I are planning a very intimate ceremony that will involve a very small group of our closest friends and that's it – not a huge production with hundreds of friends and extended families.
That seems a little odd — I would absolutely invite my cousin to my wedding, but I guess they're just not as close as we are. So there you go, now you know the whole scoop on the celebrity cousins. The question is, do you care? DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.
July 27, 2014 at 10:30 am by Catherine St. Ives
0Melissa McCarthy On Her Controversial Elle Cover: "Give me a big coat to wear"
Melissa McCarthy was on the cover of Elle magazine in ghastly 1980′s Elizabeth Taylor hair. Other than that, she looked rather lovely, except a lot of people thought she was being "fat shamed" because she was covered up in a large overcoat. But Ms. McCarthy wanted the coat. She doesn't get the fuss and she explains how the shoot went down. From E! News via E Online:
What I found so bizarre is I picked the coat. I grabbed the coat. I covered up. I had a great black dress on but I thought, it comes out in November. I was so sick of summer. I live in Southern California. I was like, 'Give me a big coat to wear. Give the girl some cashmere!'
I picked the coat. They were like, 'The dress is really great,' but I was like, 'Yeah, but look at this.' I was just shocked I didn't steal it. Now I think I really should have the coat. I'm petitioning for that coat. Give me that coat. I earned it, damn it!
Got it, everyone? She picked the coat. She loves the coat. She loves the cover.
Hopefully this will end COATGATE 2013.
October 22, 2013 at 4:30 pm by Catherine St. Ives
12People Are Apparently Flipping Out Over Melissa McCarthy's Elle Cover
People are apparently flipping out over Melissa McCarthy's Elle magazine cover — and not in a good way. God forbid you put a heavy (by Hollywood standards) woman in an overcoat on a fashion magazine cover. The issue (no pun intended) appears to be that she's covered up. People are saying the magazine is "fat shaming" her. Here's more from E Online:
… while the 43-year-old actress undoubtedly looks stunning in the shot, critics are slamming Elle for covering up the curvy actress, who's barely showing any skin while bundled up in a charcoal Marina Rinaldi coat.
Alternate covers for the annual issue feature Reese Witherspoon showing off her figure in a fitted black Versace dress, Shailene Woodley wearing a strappy black swimsuit and Penélope Cruz flaunting her flawless face in a close-up shot. (For the record, Cruz, who just recently gave birth to her second child, isn't showing any skin, either.)
Both Elle and Ms. McCarthy are happy with the cover.
I, for one, am displeased with the cover because holy hell, what in the everloving f-ck did they do to her hair?? It's like they picked Elizabeth Taylor's worst era and used that as inspiration.
What do you think of the cover? Do you like it? Or are you being a total Rex Reed about it?
October 17, 2013 at 4:30 pm by Catherine St. Ives
19Rex Reed Still Isn't Done Talking About Melissa McCarthy
This is one of the more tedious and frustrating celeb tiffs out there. Rex Reed said really mean things about Melissa McCarthy's body a while ago. She didn't respond at first. She finally did, expressing pity for him. He wasn't going to let that go, so he responded, and tried to make it sound like his whole critique of her body, which was hidden inside of a film review, as if calling her "a female hippo" like he did had anything to do with her performance, was out of kindness and concern for her health, and the health of all fat people. US Weekly has the sad exclusive:
I can only repeat what I have said before — that I do not have, nor have I ever had, anything personal against people who suffer from obesity. What I object to is the disgusting attempt to pretend obesity is funny. It is not remotely humorous, and every obese comedian who ever made jokes about the disease are now dead from strokes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. As a critic whose opinions are constitutionally protected by law, I stand by all of my original remarks about Melissa McCarthy's obesity, which I consider about as amusing as cancer, and apologize for nothing.
Does this make any sense to anyone? His statement reminds me of this:
It's like he's really trying to focus on a bigger issue as if it makes him sound like some great activist when really he's a bitter dude who cruelly insulted a woman for no real reason. Some people do not know how to apologize.
June 22, 2013 at 10:30 am by Catherine St. Ives
3Melissa McCarthy Pities Rex Reed
Melissa McCarthy finally responded to some horrid statements film critic Rex Reed made about her –specifically her body — in February. Here's a sample of his "film review":
Melissa McCarthy is a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious.
He also called her "tractor-sized" and "a female hippo." (At least he said female, right? Thanks for specifying, Rex.) He then went on to defend his statements. He tried to make it seem like he was talking about a greater issue, the obesity epidemic, and then praised Ms. McCarthy as "completely classy" for not responding to his statements.
Well gear up your insults, Mr. Reed, because she's decided she's ready to say something, and it's a lot nicer than anything you've said about her.
From The New York Times, via The Daily Mail:
I felt really bad for someone who is swimming in so much hate. I just thought, that's someone who's in a really bad spot, and I am in such a happy spot … I laugh my head off every day with my husband and my kids who are mooning me and singing me songs.
Like most of us, she wondered how his comments even made it into print, asking, "Why would someone O.K. that?" She added that 20 years ago, his words could have had a huge impact:
It may have crushed me. It's a strange epidemic of body image and body dysmorphia.
Melissa McCarthy's career is doing as well as ever. She's starring in a movie with Sandra Bullock, The Heat. And executives must think she's a big enough name to go alongside her Oscar winner costar in ads that say simply, "BULLOCK. McCARTHY. JULY 31″. I've seen these ads on buses and I have to admit, when I see the name "McCarthy", I still think Jenny.
June 14, 2013 at 5:30 am by Catherine St. Ives
7Caption This: This Week's Photo
As for last week's Mike Tyson photo, here's the winner below:
Winner: Jocelyn with "When you hold Mike Tyson to your ear, you can hear the WINNING!"
Runners-up: nicole peach with "You is ear-isistable, Chuckles my man!"
xyz with "Still hungry after all these ears"
So come on guys, get captioning on this week's photo!


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Sounds Like: French Montana, Nelly, Pitbull
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Bio: N3wY was born on the date of 10/31/90 in Orange County California. He is 1 of 6 children and now lives in the state of New York,raised in Pittsburgh PA, but grew up in the West Los Angeles area of California; although he has only been rapping since 17 n3wY was inspired into the hip hop scene by... See Full BioMore Info
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To merge or to rebase, that is the question. I prefer rebase. The linear history preserves the utility of
git bisect. Also, rebase forces developers to resolve their conflicts where they are introduced instead of in one possibly big and unreadable merge commit at the end. Of course, rebase can be tricky and cause some headaches. But this is not the next installment of rebase vs. merge. Here I describe the simple rebase-friendly branching model that we use here at Urban Mapping. This process is inspired in part by gitflow, which is a worthy read and beautifully presented. And of course gitflow can work with rebase to some extent. But that beautiful gitflow documentation is written with merge in mind. So to communicate when to rebase, I invited the usual help from Bob and Alice, and their release manager Reggie.
Step 1: Release 1.0
The master branch is where the latest developments go. It's the end of the 1.0 development cycle. A code freeze is declared and intensive testing begins. Once the code stabilizes, Reggie tags the release and pushes it:
git tag 1.0 git push origin 1.0
The release automation scripts can now deploy version 1.0 something like this:
git clone email@example.com:urbanmapping/myproject.git cd myproject git checkout -b release-1.0 1.0
Hooray. 1.0 is out the door. Now on to the 2.0 development cycle.
Step 2: Create new feature branches
Alice is working on a new green feature, and Bob is working on a new purple feature. They start by creating appropriate feature branches locally from the master branch. Here's how Alice does it for the green feature:
cd /path/to/myproject git fetch -a git checkout -b green origin/master [work, git commit, git rebase -i, git commit --amend, etc.] git push origin green:green
fetch grabs anything from the upstream master branch. Then
checkout creates a new green branch in Alice's local tree and checks it out. Now actual work can ensue. Finally, the
push creates the new green feature branch in the origin tree. The point of this last step is to back up the branch, and possibly to share the green with other developers. Bob uses the same commands to create his purple feature branch.
Step 3: Push features to master
After the developers are satisfied with their features, they push them to master. Alice goes first:
git fetch -a git rebase origin/master git push origin green:master
By the way, this all happens with the green branch checked out. As in the above step,
fetch ensures that the master branch is up to date with the upstream.
rebase will set aside the green patches, bring in any new patches from the master branch, then put the green patches back on top. Of course at this moment master does not have any new patches, so
rebase reports
Current branch green is up to date. Finally,
push pushes the green patches to master.
Bob goes next. He executes the same commands as Alice. However, because the green features are already in master, the
fetch grabs them and stores them locally. Subsequently, the
rebase inserts the green patches resulting in the state shown below:
If any of Bob's purple patches conflict with any of Alice's green patches, Bob will be prompted to resolve the conflicts before he can push to master. If Bob attempted to push without first rebasing, his push would fail with a
non fast-forward error. He could, of course, push with the
--force, but this would blow away Alice's green patches. So he shouldn't do that.
Step 4: Release 2.0
Now let's suppose that this represents all the work for the next release. Reggie tags the release and deploys it as described above. Hooray. Another step forward. The green and purple feature branches can now be deleted.
Step 5: Create next round of features
On to the next release cycle! Alice starts up an orange feature branch as described above, and pushes to master to make the next step forward. Meanwhile, a critical bug is discovered in production and Bob is tasked to fix it.
Step 6: Prepare release 2.1, a hotfix on 2.0
Bob must fix the production bug. But where should he push his code? He could fix the bug at the end of master and then push, but Alice's orange feature is not really tested and reviewed yet. And Reggie will not accept that in production! Instead, Bob creates a local release branch based on the 2.0 tag and prepares the hotfix:
git checkout -b release-2.1 2.0 [work, git commit, git rebase -i, git commit --amend, etc.]
checkout creates a local branch called release-2.1 where the hotfix patch will be created. After getting the red patch in place just as he likes it, Bob tags the hotfix appropriately and pushes it:
git tag 2.1 git push origin 2.1
tag creates the tag for the new version, and the
push ensures that the fix is available in the origin tree. Note that Bob never actually pushes this release branch. He only pushes the tag. Now Reggie's release scripts can grab the new version in the same way as before:
git clone firstname.lastname@example.com:urbanmapping/myproject.git cd myproject git checkout -b release-2.1 2.1
Step 7: Push hotfix patches to master
Finally, Bob's 2.1 patch must make it to master somehow. To achieve this, he rebases the release branch to master and pushes it, just like with any other feature branch.
git fetch -a git rebase master git push release-2.1:master
When first discussing this step with colleagues, I was skeptical about having hotfix commits floating around in the origin tree that are not reachable by a branch. We considered some alternatives. One would be to tolerate
git merge for hotfixes. After all, hotfixes are generally made up of a minimal number of small patches. If the patches are many and/or large, then the bug they are meant to fix is probably best addressed by a downgrade instead of a hotfix. This mitigates most of my resistance to merge. Specifically, if the hotfix patches causes a merge conflict, that conflict is probably small and easy to ascribe to a specific patch. So this is one alternative.
Another alternative that we considered was to host permanent release stabilization branches in the origin tree. Under this model, hotfixes would go on the release stabilization branch and be cherry-picked over to the tip of master. For a project that delivers supported software as opposed to a service this may be a sensible alternative because it provides a clean place to succinctly reproduce and resolve customer issues.


text:
Law Firms
International Law Firms Like Riyadh, But Lawyers Don't
Posted Dec 14, 2007 8:59 AM CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The American Lawyer reports that U.K. law firm Norton Rose has established a presence in Riyadh, explaining the reason this way:
"With one-fifth of the world's oil reserves under Saudi Arabia's desert sands, it might seem unnecessary to ask what exactly attracts international law firms to the kingdom--a bit like asking Donald Trump's third wife just what it was that she saw in the billionaire property magnate."
The magazine says that despite the allure of Riyadh, U.S. law firms have had trouble opening there. Norton Rose is entering the city by forming an association with a 12-lawyer Riyadh-based firm that previously was allied with Squire Sanders.
Norton Rose Middle East head Stephen Parish told the magazine that the problem involves persuading lawyers to move to the area. "For cultural and other reasons, there are very limited numbers of high-quality lawyers who want to go and live in Saudi," he said.
Other law firms making inroads in Riyadh include Allen & Overy, which opened an office there in May, and White & Case, which is adding four lawyers to its Riyadh office.
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text:
Man United's revenue rises at start of Moyes era
Manchester United's revenue rose almost 30 percent as the Premier League champions benefit from their global appeal and the soaring value of television rights.
The financial results released Thursday by the club, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, showed little change off the field at the start of David Moyes' reign as manager after replacing Alex Ferguson.
Although United is fifth in the Premier League, the team beat Arsenal last weekend to close the gap on the leaders to five points and leads its Champions League group.
In the three months to Sept. 30, United generated a record 98.5 million pounds ($158 million) - up 29 percent year-on-year - with sponsorship revenue alone soaring by 63 percent as 12 new deals kicked in during the first quarter.
The club said it remains on course to make between 420 million pounds ($673 million) and 430 million pounds ($689 million) in 2013-14 if it finishes at least third in the league and reaches the quarterfinals of the Champions League and the domestic cups.
But there was a loss of 293,000 pounds ($469,000) after the club - owned by the Glazer family - made a profit of 20.5 million pounds ($33 million) in the first quarter in 2012-13.
The gross debt that hit 716.5 million pounds (then $1.1 billion) in 2008-09 now stands at 361 million pounds ($579 million) and the finance costs dropped 21 percent to just below 10 million pounds ($16 million).
''Our unique approach to the commercial business will continue to drive future growth,'' United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward said.
Driving the growth is United's ability to attract commercial backers, with sponsorship revenue up 63 percent year-on-year to 45.2 million pounds ($72 million).
The start of new three-year Premier League TV deals from this season has led to United's broadcast revenue rising by 41 percent to 19.3 million pounds ($31 million).
United is buoyed by the enlarged windfall English clubs can expect from UEFA from 2015-16 as a result of value of Champions League and Europa League TV rights more than doubling to 1.076 billion euros ($1.44 billion) in a three-year British deal with BT Sport.
''We are ... excited by the continuing rise in the value of sports content, evidenced, amongst other things, by the recently announced BT deal for the UK rights to broadcast the Champions League and Europa League matches for three seasons from 2015-16,'' Woodward said.
Under Ferguson, the club won 38 trophies in almost 27 years.
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SOCCER Headlines
Arsenal boss Wenger believes they can handle Chelsea's power
Stoke up to 7th after 1-0 win over Blackburn
Everton beats Birmingham 2-0 to record first win
Spurs beat Aston Villa 2-1 in Premier League
Batista drops Perez from national squad
Eriksson takes charge of Leicester
Wigan out of drop zone with 2-0 win over Wolves
After sex scandal, Rooney admits he's hurting
Austria's Pogatetz to miss Euro 2012 qualifiers
Toffees chief fears losing Cahill


text:
My Lord, seems like people
Submitted by zooamerica on Thu, 01/10/2013 - 23:39. Permalink
My Lord, seems like people are more afraid of swear words than their own government.
Blame the words, not the persons.
-9 ?
Seriously? I thought the pro Ron Paul people were libertarians at heart?
Blame the curse words! Not the message...
How about blaming the message instead of the swearing itself?
Never be afraid to ask simple questions.


text: NAMIwalks 2014 First time here? Use the CustomInk design lab to make your own t-shirts! Is it a winner? Current Score5.0 View full-size image Design Your Own < previous next > "This walk is to create awareness of mental illness and to support NAMI who provides support to families and educational courses." - http://namiwalks.nami.org/MindfulnessWithKindness2014?SID=4374866&LangPref=en-CA - NAMIwalks 2014 (May 09, 2014) Similar Photos: charity | participant teams | nami | nami walk Share this photo: Twitter Facebook


text: THE MALEVOLENT SPIRITS OF STANG VALLEY (BUMTHANG) — A BHUTANESE ACCOUNT* Kunzang Choden Introduction umthang is located in the central part of Bhutan and consists of B four major valleys which correspond to the four administrative blocks namely, Chos 'khor, Chu smad, U ra and sTang. Bumthang is home to one of the earliest Buddhist temples, Byams pa'i lha khang which according to tradition was built by King Srong bstan sgam po (d.649/50) Today, it has as many as ninety eight temples for the popula- tion of about twenty thousand. Bumthang is considered to be one of the most sacred places in Bhutan, blessed by Guru Padmasambhava's presence in the eighth century. Many of the region's legends and folklore have their origins in or are associated with the activities of the great teacher. For the people of Bumthang, he not only introduced Buddhism but also subjugated and incorporated the aboriginal spirits, of the area and included them into the chos srung category. But what seems to have evaded the subjugation are the lowly spirits, shi'dre, gson' dre, the'urang (Bum.1 thaybrang)' khor dang rgyalpo (Bum. korthang gaipo) etc. whose existence impinge on the lives of the people and compel interaction on a daily basis. These spirits were, perhaps, too many in numbers and too insignificant in persona, and yet too dynamic in character to be included in scheme of the Guru's subjugation. No specific mention of these spirits is ever found in any texts nor are they included in the gtor grel (Bum. tordrey) during formal rituals of gsol kha of the chos srung. So, free and beyond the confines of the gtor grel these malevolent spirits have survived like lawless men to cause havoc among the people. The malevolent spirits which are classified as 'khor dang rgyalpo are considered to be part of the retinue of the deity Pehar rgyal po. The more mobile and elusive are the shi 'dre and the gson'dre whose powers and personalities fluctuate but whose malevolency has a tenacity to constantly remind the people of their presence and their influence. These spirits cause a wide range of harm ; from spoiling the fermentation process of grains for alcohol to thedeaths of humans and animals; from superficial scratches on human bodies to causing the roting away of internal organs. The malevolent spirits are not only acknowledged but feared, held in awe and placatory rites have to be performed for them. * This article was originally prepared for the Franco-Austrian Vienna Seminar on local deities (1996) but never published. 1 Bum. means Bumthangkha, the non written language of Central Bhutan. Dz. Means Dzongkha. 314 Tibetan Studies in honor of Samten Karmay Although all the valleys have their own localized malevolent spirits, this article will focus on the spirits who rule the valley of sTang. First of all, sTang has the largest number of spirits and second the beliefs and practice of propitiating malevolent spirits appears most varied here and finally, my personal experiences are generally limited to this area. Informants do not readily talk about the subject and interviewing persons associated with the spirits would not be considered proper by most. Much of the information here has been collected through participation and observation. This paper will look at the basic beliefs, attitudes and practices regarding the malevolent spirits. The characteristics of spirits will be described. Attempt will be made to trace their origins and investigate how they came to be in sTang valley and how they identify themselves to this territory. The symptomatic conditions resulting from the visitations of the evil spirit will be described and the methods of feeding and appeasing them will be outlined. Various methods of divinations to isolate and identify each spirit will be also discussed. Identification: - Who are they and how can we tell? What makes some spirits malevolent? Generally it is believed that when people die if the officiant who conducts the rite of 'pho ba, the transference of the rnam shes (the conscious principle) and performs the cremation rite is not learned or powerful enough and, therefore, not effective, the conscious principle of the deceased loses his/her path to rebirth or liberation from the cycle of births and becomes a shi'dre2 a malevolent spirit of the dead. Other times some people who are dying, cannot severe their attachments to certain objects or belongings. The attachments propel the spirits to a life of restless wandering. As will be noticed later in the paper, some of the spirits are recognized and named after the object or food they were attached to at the time of their death. Spirits today, identified as Chudung 3 (Bum.) and Wali4 (Bum.) were probably results of strong attachments to these particular objects. The astrologer who conducts the divinations and calculations for the diseased, determines, among other things, that the spirit of the deceased is clinging to specific objects and people. In the case of gson'dre a malevolent spirit of the living, it is believed that an evil spirit is housed within the body of certain living people. The people who possess the evil spirit are generally seen be highly ambitious, blatantly envious and fiercely competitive. The question of why 2 In case the officiant who conducts the 'pho ba and cremation rituals is not adequate the rnam shes gets stolen by the bdud 3 Chudung is a pipe of bamboo or metal used for blowing air to kindle a fire in the hearth. 4 Wali is special utensil with a spout for melting and pouring butter into the butter lamps. The Malevolent Spirits of sTang Valley 315 certain people are more susceptible to become the receptacle for evil spirits more than others is simply explained by the virtue of their karma. Usually when a person falls ill or has an accident, the householders consult a diviner to ascertain the causes of the illness or the calamity. As many times as a diviner will advise some known Buddhist ritual, he/she may divine that the cause of the illness to be a gdon, a malevolent spirit. If the remedy or the counteractive measures to the illness or calamity is to be a standard Buddhist ritual the professional/religious people are approa- ched but if the cause is a gdon the villagers themselves perform the propi- tiatory rites. Most times the diviner is the village astrologer, (rtsis pa) but it can also be any religious person and other times even lay people who have established themselves as having the power of divination. The most common way of divination is by using the prayer beads, 'phreng mo. The astrologers or other religious practitioners, take the prayer beads in their hands and rub them between the palms while they chant invocations to their personal deities, then they blow on to the prayer beads. With closed eyes they randomly take a segment of the strand between the thumbs and the fingers and count the beads taking three or sometimes five beads at a time and move simultaneously inwards. Depending on how many beads are left over, a divination is pronounced. Other times sho mo or divination using dice is practiced. Three dices are thrown and the total sum of eyes are studied. Usually, as this method is considered to be devised by 'Jam dpal dbyang (Manjusri), invocations are made to him. Although, diviners say that invocations are just as often made to their personal individual deities before doing mo. While some practitioners refer to a manuscript to pronounce a divination, others simply speak out their findings extempora- neously without any books or notes. Another version of the 'phreng mo is to hold the prayer beads folded in half and hold it on the forehead. If the prayer beads remain still there is no gdon while a swinging motion indicates the presence of a gdon who has to be identified. Some clair- voyants claim to bestow divinations by just studying the face of the person seeking a mo. At times when there are no diviners available, people resort to what they call spra thag ma5, "monkey divination". This method usually involves folding over the outer flap of the man's garment, gos, and measuring with one's hand span certain segments repeatedly following a certain order. Diviners say that they are themselves amazed by the differing measurements they get each time for the same segment of the cloth. 5 Monkeys are believed to imitate human beings. Therefore, people who do divination, without having the required initiations or empowerment are seen as monkeys imitating the real diviners. 316 Tibetan Studies in honor of Samten Karmay The first step of the mo is to see if the cause of the illness is a gson'dre or a shi'dre or a rgyal po. Once these variables are known then the harmful spirit has to be isolated and identified. This is done through a process, whereby, the person seeking the mo thinks of a suspected spirit which the diviner confirms or rejects. If a spirit is confirmed, the specific feeding ritual can commence but if it is rejected the person has to continue to think of more spirits until a particular one is confirmed. The person will, based on the obvious symptoms of patient and the circumstances the patient encountered (like meeting a person from the household of a gdon or being in the vicinity of gdon) or special dreams6 that the patient may have had, isolate and identify the most likely gdon through guessing and elimina- tion, rejection and confirmation. There are some people who are known to be worshippers of the Pang lha Gomo, which I call the spirit of the wilderness. These people are said to obtain every gratification in this life but will be bondaged to this spirit for eternity without any chance of ever attaining nirvana. The Pang lha is said to reside in the dark and deeply forested mountains. According to local belief, those people who dare to make this choice enter into a pact with the spirit. The potential worshipper, must with the utmost secrecy go into the dark and deep forest of the mountains and invoke the spirit. This, they do with a well prepared feast and a game of dice. They have to have a black dice for the spirit and a white dice for themselves. The winner of the game will eat the feast. The dice have to be especially crafted so that the white dice has only the winning number, 'one' on all sides while the black dice has only the losing number, 'six' on all sides. Each time the dices are cast the person gets the winning number and the spirit the losing number. The person eats the feast and challenges the spirit again and again. Eventually the spirits initiates physical contact by putting its huge hairy arms over the shoulders of the person. At this time, without displaying any form of fear or without ever looking back at the spirit the person must clasp steadily around the arm and never let it free. The spirit will struggle furiously to be freed. The person must continue to hold on. Finally the spirit will beg to be released. At this time the person must lay down his conditions of help and protection under all circumstances. The spirit will agree but only after the person has agreed to his terms also. The person must never worship any Buddhist gods or take any blessings or empowerment from Buddhist monks. The Pang lha is then said to take residence on the shoulder of the person, ever ready to help and protect the worshipper.7 Although Pang lha 6 Dreams of kings, lamas and queens represent rgyal po while dreams of yellow dogs, foxes, and babies eggs and nondescript women represent gdon. 7 Some older people recall an incident of a Pang lha worshipper who became quite famous as a reader of the Kanjur text. He could read the text at a tremendous speed. Some people suspected him of being a Pang lha worshipper. Once they invited him to The Malevolent Spirits of sTang Valley 317 worshippers are viewed with suspicion and skepticism they are sought after for their powers of divination. The accuracy of their divination is attributed to the spirit sitting on the shoulder of the worshipper and whispering divinations to the person Food and ritual: "Whoever you are and where ever you come from" Once a malevolent spirit is identified, preparation for the placatory procedures are made. Each spirit, according to its nature of being and its societal status is treated appropriately, observing a set of standard norms. While some spirits must be accorded respect and deference, others are treated with contempt and reprimanded. Burning of bsang,(fumigation of juniper, azalea branches, wormwood and pine branches) and sur, (dkar sur: meaning white sur contains barley flour with some butter and honey or dmar sur : meaning red sur and meat is added to the previously mentioned mixture) and giving ja, chang, longs spyod (ja-tea, chang-alcohol and longs spyod-abundance of material goods in this case food) is the basis of the feeding ritual. People refrain from feeding spirits before midday because this would increase their powers. Malevolent spirits are preferably fed only after the sun has moved past the midday position. Just as living human beings crave special foods so do the malevolent spirits. While the standard tea and alcohol are prescribed in nearly all feeding rituals the longs spyod or abundance of food is different in most cases. Certain spirits require such specific foods that they are known by the food they crave eg. Keptang 8 (Bum.) and Choedam9(Bum.). When the food is ready the appropriate seating arrangement is prepared and the food is served, using specific utensils. After the service, the food is taken out of the house and scattered. It is this act of scattering that has led to the phrase, "scattering for the malevolent spirits" when referring to the placatory rites to the gdon. Although the scattering appears to be random, preferably it should be scattered in the direction of the gdon's residence or at the crossroads. The person feeding the spirits says, " Who ever you are and where ever you have come from, eat, eat and drink and drink." If at this call, dogs and ravens come to eat the food it is believed that the hungry have responded to the propitiation and are do a public reading to which he agreed. But before he started to read they made invocations to the chos srung who frightened away the Pang lha and the reader could not recognize a single letter of the text. 8 Keptang is an unleavened circular bread made of wheat flour. 9 Choedam is a hard dough preparation made by mixing bitter buckwheat with water, very similar to polenta. This dough is usually eaten as a mid day meal by people who go out to work in the fields or to mind animals out in the pastures. It is also a typical food of this region. 318 Tibetan Studies in honor of Samten Karmay partaking of the food given to them. Before the person who has carried out the rites returns to the house she/he must spit three times onto the ground, so that the spirits do not follow him /her back into the house. Many times the patient feels some relief after the propitiation but sometimes the feeding has to be repeated. In some cases no amount of scattering has any effect on the patient and at these times it is accepted that there were more than one malevolent spirit involved. The divination was muddled and the food has not reached the main spirits. In such cases the ritual of rgyal po'i rgyal mdos dedicated to Pehar rgyal po is sometimes performed as all 'khor dang rgyal po belong to his retinue. Not all people are susceptible to the malevolent spirits, only people whose dbang thang and rlung rta are on the wane are effected by the spirits. Feelings of fear, doubt and hesitation in people also make them more vulnerable to spirit attacks. Spirits in sTang valley Anytime food is being scattered for the malevolent spirits, all the spirits come, so, the experienced feeder says, "those who are responsible, come forward, those who are not responsible move backwards". This ensures that only the spirits responsible for particular situation are fed. There are about 13'000 people living in 250 households spread across some 20 villages in the sTang valley. Most village recognize at least one major gdon each. Coming down the valley, north-south, the first gdon one encounters is (Bum. Keptang) which is an unleavened circular bread made from wheat flour, in the village of Takhung. This gdon is a gson'dre which causes muscular pains, headache and stomachache. Naturally, it is Keptang that is served to the visiting spirit. Butter is spread on the bread and placed on a sieve that is turned up side down. Names of all the dead people the household has ever had have to be included while serving the food. The spirit is said to be the spirit of a royal courtier from Pad tsahal gling in Chos' khor valley who had married a lady from the village of Takhung. The standard litany is, "Of course we know that your village is too high for you to cultivate wheat and that you are cravingwheat. So, we are serving you keptang made of wheat flour. You didn't have to come gleaning10 so far. Now eat all you can and leave." Today one rarely hears of this spirit. Its power has diminished and it does no harm. The reason is that the main people associated with the spirit 10 This spirit is housed in a village located at an altitude of 3000m. and too high for the cultivation of wheat. Traditionally the people of the village would come down to the valley at the wheat harvest to glean and beg for wheat. It is assumed that just as the people crave for this grain, even the spirits crave for the taste of wheat. The Malevolent Spirits of sTang Valley 319 are now dead and the living descendants and relatives have migrated to other parts of the country, thereby undermining the power of the spirit. Table 1: List of spirits, symptoms and remedies Name Type Location Symptoms Remedies Keptang (Bum.) gson'dre Takhung Muscular pain Keptang served Headache with butter Stomach ache Dambrib nang nai gay shi'dre and Orgyan Chos Scratches Sur (Bum.). gson'dre gling Bites (fang marks) gNas skor pa rgyal po Nang Nang and Giddiness Ja, chang, longs Binzibi Body pain spyod Sudden headache Bla ma shi'dre Shel brag Tremors Chang and phuy (Bum.) Ladom (Bum.) shi'dre Sarmed Illness related to the Sur; sometimes head ja, chang, longs spyod Nam lha dkar po gson'dre, Jamshrong Muscular ache, pain Phuy shi'dre, Scratches rgyal po Dislocation Broken bones Takseng (Bum.) rgyal po Pralang , Bebzur Headache Sur, chang shi'dre Vomiting Nausea Tukpo (Bum.) rgyal po Tangsud Vomiting Throdan (Bum.), O rgyan Diarrhea sur and chang chos gling Choedam (Bum.) shi'dre Tasur All kind of illness Buckwheat glud gson'dre accompanied by scratches Chudung (Bum.) shi'dre Narut Sudden headache Feeding ritual accompanied by (rice, meat, vomiting drinks) Wali (Bum.) shi'dre Pangshing All kinds of illnesses Feeding ritual gson'dre Accidents (rice, meat, drinks) A household in the village of O rgyan chos gling was believed to posses the evil spirit of Dambrib nang nai gay (Bum.) or "those who live in the dambrib bush"(Elaeagnus parvifolia). At the height of its power the spirit was dreaded for it was a mixture of both shi'dre as well gson'dre. As in the case of the Keptang this spirit has also disappeared completely. 320 Tibetan Studies in honor of Samten Karmay The spirit of the pilgrim (gNas skor pa) of Binzibi and Nang Nang, also referred to as drag shos11 came to live in the valley of sTang not by choice but through trickery. Many years ago an important person of the royal court, probably with the rank of a drag shos went on a pilgrimage to Tibet. He died while in Tibet and his spirit began to harm the local inhabitants. The Tibetans of the area collected all his belongings loaded them onto his horse and led the horse until it crossed into Bhutan. The spirit then lived for a while in Chos 'khor stod or upper Chos 'khor valley. Once again the spirit began harming the people and they resolved to get rid of him. They collected all his belongings and propitiating him coaxed him to follow them to a nicer place. As the belongings were carried eastwards to Tang, the spirit followed. On crossing the Phephela, the pass that leads from Chos khor valley to Tang valley, the person who carried the luggage put it down on a rock and told the spirit that he had to relief himself. On this pretext, he quietly returned to his village. The spirit remained with his belongings on the rock waiting for his guide to come back to take him to a nicer place. The guide of course never came back for a long time but man from the village of Nang Nang found the bundle of belongings and unknowingly carried it home. The spirit thrived and flourished in Nang Nang. A marriage between the villages of Nang Nang and Binzibi provided dual residences for the spirit who rages havoc in the valley as one of the most dreaded spirits to this day. As in life the status and power of a spirit is also related to its power and social status in the society. Being the spirit of a drag shos this spirit is considered to be powerful, deserving of deference and respect. The spirit has the prefix gNang pa to its name. This perhaps corroborates its historical linkage to having spent some time in the adjoining valley of Chos 'khor stod, more precisely in the village gNang lhakhang where the inhabitants are referred to as gNang pa. As with all spirits their power and status rises or falls with number of times they can cause harm and also by the actual rise and fall of the social status of the living family members with whom the spirit is associated. Legend has it that spirit of the Pilgrim was so harmful that people of sTang beseeched a lama to subjugate it. The lama performed the ritual of bgags dur and entrapped the spirit into a metal container which was sealed and placed in the deepest part of the sTang Chu. The Pilgrim was never heard of for a while. But one monsoon day when the river swelled up, the container was washed ashore and a cow herder found it. The cow herder unknowingly broke the seal and opened the container. Out of the opened container came a weak, dazed and ruffled pigeon who flew away. But as it flew away it said, " I shall 11 Drag shos is a title, traditionally for a male. The title is either inherited in case of the aristocracy/ nobility or earned through merit and bestowed upon an individual by the king. The Malevolent Spirits of sTang Valley 321 never harm you and your kin." True to it's words, to this day the spirit of gNas skor pa never harms the village of Kizom from where the cow herder had come. While the rest of valley sTang must appease and placate gNas skor pa regularly as it causes illness ranging from giddiness, pain from "the head to the toe" and strong and sudden headache, the people of Kizom boast that they never even have to do," so much as burn a sur for gNas skor pa." During the feeding ritual of gNas skor pa, a mat is laid out for the spirit and then it is reverently addressing as drag shos and invited to sit on the mat. It must be ensured that the fold of the mat is in front, unlike in the case of the living people where the two ends of the carpet should be in the front. A small table is placed in front of the mat and ara12, tea and either tsampa or roasted rice (zarpa Bum.) is served as a welcome offering. Reverence and respect are shown as would be shown to a drag shos, thus, using only honorific terms the person doing the feeding will say, "We did not realize that you had come. Please sit down and eat what we have to serve you. We are ashamed that what we have to offer is unworthy of you but this is the best that we have. We hope that you will not be offended or humiliated or by our humble offerings". Then a meal of cooked rice, meat and ara is served, as the server converses with the visiting spirit in whispered tones of humility and hospitality. Names of all the dead as well as the living are called upon to come and eat the meal being served. bLama: Shel brag This is said to be the spirit of a lama who actually came from the adjoining district of Lhun rtse from a place called Brula. This lama who originally came from the western part of Bhutan, probably, Punakha, was a rather accomplished person. He had with him a servant who was also a monk. The lama specialized in death rituals (mi shi bla ma). Upon his death his servant assumed the responsibilities of his master and became the mishi lama. He was probably not as learned or accomplished as his master. When he died his conscious principle stayed attached to a wooden bowl. About fifty years ago a man from the village of Shel brag in sTang who was a servant in the service of the sister of the second king was sent on a special mission to Brula. These missions were called bangche (Dz.) or tax imposed by power, these taxes were levied on individuals or households who had offended the ruling family or were seen as a threat to the ruling household. In extreme cases these bangche tax were called shepya (Dz.) 12 Ara is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grains through the process of distillation. 322 Tibetan Studies in honor of Samten Karmay which literally means "sweeping up the property." So this man from sTang had gone on such a mission. He confiscated the property of the household who possessed the bowl and handed over everything to the princess as he was expected to do but kept for himself this particular wooden bowl. The spirit of the monk who had become inseparable from the bowl followed him and came to live in his house. The man responsible for the act is long dead but the spirit continues to live in the house and associates itself with the members of the family. The symptoms of illness caused by the spirit of the lama are usually tremors. As it is the spirit of a lama, bsang 13 is burnt and he is greeted with bang- chang 14 (Dz. B) and singchang 15 (Dz., Bum.). As he is an outsider he is served a typical Bumthang pa dish hand rolled bitter buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) noodles called lakgri puta (B). The spirits usually inflict on the patients the same physical ailments as they themselves suffered from. The symptoms of tremors is considered to be associated with the nervous systems, foods which have an adverse effect on the nerve diseases have to be avoided. Thus, garlic, onions and pork must never be served. Using the terms of honor and conferring the due reverence, the lama is served, "You have not visited us for so long. You have come a long way. The food that we serve you are the best foods of Bumthang." Pointing out the items, the server says, " Here are bang chang and sing chang. This is lakgri puta (Bum.) Please eat and drink all you can and go back to your cattle." Addressing his companions and his retinue, comprising of both the living and the dead, the server again says," If it is the spirit of the dead, don't feel any attachments. If it is the spirit of the living, please don't be jealous of us. We are no better than yourselves. Go away now. If you leave by the mountain pass, block the pass with snow and if you leave by the lower paths block it with thorny bushes." Ladum (Bum.) (Short arm) : Sarmed The short armed spirit is said to be the shi'dre of a man who had an injured arm. The symptoms of this spirit is repeated yawning with any kinds of illness related to the head. This is a lowly spirit who does not 13 A cattle herder suddenly became ill after a person from the household of the lama had visited him. As suspected the divination confirmed that it was the spirit of the lama who had caused him to become sick. After the placatory rites the patient got worse. Later it was found that instead of offering bsang someone had inadvertently burnt sur and offended the lama further. After offering bsang the patient did get better. 14 Bang chang is an alcoholic drink made by pouring hot water into a mass of fermented grains, usually wheat or barley. 15 Sing chang is an alcoholic drink made by straining the liquid from the fermented grain mass. The Malevolent Spirits of sTang Valley 323 warrant any deference or respect and he is treated with contempt verging on open hostility. Usually sur is burnt and is sufficient but other times ja, chang longs spyad is given. The litany is openly hostile, "You owe us nothing and we owe you nothing. Why have you come? Eat and drink what we are giving you and go away. We have nothing more to give. If you don't release our patient we have no choice but to shame you . We may be compelled to bring the food and pour it into your water container. Imagine what all the people will say." 16 Nam lha karpo (White divinity in the sky) Jamshrong is believed to be a deadly combination of gson'dre , shi'dre and rgyal po . Recent improvements in the economic status of the family who hosts the spirit is said to have increased the malevolency of the spirit and currently it is one of the most harmful ones in the valley. The presence of the spirit is recognized by muscular aches, pains and scratches and it inflicts upon the victim. It also causes sprains, dislocations and even and broken bones in both humans and animals. The spirit is fed food consisting of rice with meats served with tea and ara. A phuy, (Bum.) a container for measuring volume (750 gm), is placed upside down on a sieve that is also turned upside down. Food for the main person is served on the phuy while the food for the associated persons and the retinue/ followers is served on a sieve. As this village is located at the southern end of the sTang valley, the spirit is first greeted : "You have come far up the valley. You have come a long way". Then referring to all the members of the household, the person feeding the spirit says: "All those of you who are here eat all you can, take with you for those who are not here. Why have you come? We are neither related in any way or dependent upon each other. You are wealthier, and more able than us, so why are you jealous of us? Just as you have come all the way, now, go back all the way." Names of all the living and dead, all who are related to the family are mentioned saying, " See we do not discriminate anyone. Eat, drink and go away." Takseng (Bum.) (Yoke) : Pralang and Bebzur. The spirit known to be associated with a 'khor dang rgyalpo. Specifically it is said to be a spirit attached to a yoke. The yoke is believed to be an ordinary one save for a small turquoise which is embedded in it. Legends 16 The malevolent spirits like human beings are highly sensitive to shame. 324 Tibetan Studies in honor of Samten Karmay claim that the spirit caused harm and the embarrassed householders cast away the yoke. But a man from Pralang found it and took it home and of course the spirit followed the yoke to Pralang.17 Nobody knows for sure where the original yoke is today but both the villages are generally associated with the spirit. The most specific symptom of the spirit is heaviness and pain on the neck similar to the stress and discomfort inflicted to a bull under a yoke. This spirit causes headaches, vomiting and nausea. The standard food served is cooked dough of wheat or buckwheat with butter accompanied by sing chang and sur. The server says, "Now go away. If you know how to come you must also know how to go away. Eat, drink and go away". Some people feed the spirit with buckwheat pancakes. A large girdle is placed on the fire and different sized pancakes are cooked for the spirit and his retinue. The size of the pancake is in accordance with the status of each follower. An effigy of the spirit is believed to be kept in a cupboard in a house in the village of Bebzur.18 he effigy is said to be that of a small man with a round hat and riding a ram. This spirit has to be clothed in a new garment every year. The garment is very special in that it has to be produced in one day. A sheep is washed, sheared, the wool cleaned and carded and the yarn spun and woven into a fabric and stitched into a garment and put on the effigy, all in one day! There is a similar tradition in the adjoining valley of U ra. According to the U ra tradition the spirit is quite accommodating and at times when the people are unable to offer him a new garment they invoke him and beg to make his own garment. Legend has it, that at such situations, a small dwarf in a torn woolen garment can be seen plucking wool from the sheep. This dwarf, they believe, is the rgyal po heeding to his patron's pleas and making his own garment. This spirit is supposed to be so keenly aware of the problems of his patron that he will even stoop so low as to steal manure for his householders. There is a commonly cited story that at one time the householders did not have any cattle but the cattle shed was always full of manure while neighbor who had many cattle had no manure in the shed. Suspicious the neighbor stuck a feather into every cow pat in the shed. Next morning he saw that all the cow pat with 17 There appears to be some confusion as to where the yoke originally belonged. Some informants say that a man from Pralang found the yoke which was cast away by Bebzur while others say the opposite is the case. 18 Opposite to the village of Bebzur is the village of Kun bzang brag in which is located a spirit associated with the padding of cloth that goes under the yoke. This spirit called Takor (B.) is not known outside of its village. Over the recent years many residents of Kun bzang brag village have relocated further down the hill to be closer to the road. Although the particular household which hosts the spirit has remained in the old village the spirit causes harm among those who remained as well as those who have shifted. The Malevolent Spirits of sTang Valley 325 the feathers still stuck in them were in his neighbor's shed. The rgyal po had done it. There is one version of a legend that says that the householders of Bebzur were so ashamed by the presence of the spirit and the social victimization which they had to endure that they decided to get rid of the spirit. The householders took the effigy down to the sTang river and cast it into water. But as time passed the spirit avenged this misconduct by causing the family members to die one after an other. The remaining members panicked and went to the spot where the effigy had been thrown in, asked forgiveness and beseeched the spirit to come back to the house. The spirit apparently did come back but it never forgave the householders completely. It no longer helps them as much as he used to before the fall out. Today the people from this household have to look after their own cattle and sheep and guard their crops against wild animals like the rest of the villagers. The spirit is said to have taken charge of these chores in the past. "Go away like dirt washed off, go away like you have been plucked off": Tukpo (Rags) (B .): Tangsud and O rgyan chos gling. The spirit of Rags is a khor dang rgyal po and is presently considered to be one of the most formidable of the spirits in the valley. This spirit has now spread to two villages through matrimony. It is said that the spirit is housed in one of the houses in the village of Tangsud. This spirit induces vomiting and diarrhea. Throdan (Bum.) which is cooked tsampa or buckwheat with butter on a brey (Bum.) — a utensil for measuring volume for grains and flour —, is served. Sur is burnt and singchang is served with these admonition: "You have not come physically but your mind has come and is harming us. You should be ashamed of yourself. What will the people say if they know that you are being fed like this? Now, eat, drink and be gone. How can people of your intelligence do such things, hurting dumb animals (a mithun19 was suffering from diarrhea and eventually died) who cannot speak nor describe it's pains. You do know that this animal is very costly, if something should happens to the bull, you can be sure that the owners will not leave you in peace. Release the animal now." Some people say that the quickest and the most effective way to appease Tukpo is to mix some wheat or barley flour with butter rub the mixture over the body of the patient and burn it as a sur. 19 Mithun is a semi wild bull (bos frontalis) brought from the north eastern regions of India for cross breeding with the local cow. It is an expensive animal and therefore highly valued. 326 Tibetan Studies in honor of Samten Karmay The spirit of Tukpo has spread to two other households through marriages. Recently I witnessed a propitiatory rite during which the person feeding the spirit said, "Look at the poor daughters of your household. They are pretty and able but no man dares to marry them for the fear of the spirit. Restrain yourself a little, don't send your spirit out freely." Soon after this incident a young man who began to have a relation- ship with one of the girls was ostracized by his family because they were so afraid that they too would be included in the feeding rituals. For, during the feeding ritual anyone remotely connected to the family is included, "Eat, eat, drink, drink, all of you, Phaskai: everyone connected through the father Boska : everyone connected through the son Maskai: everyone connected through the mother Sonkai: all the living ones Shinkai: all the dead ones Gawathunsh: friends and well- wishers Aro: male friends Romo: female friends" Choedam (Bum.) (Buckwheat dough): Tasur. This spirit was at it's peak a decade or so ago due to one of the women from the household being connected an important personality from the area, but now as the people associated with it have moved away after the death of this important person its power has diminished considerably. The spirit is a deadly mixture of shi'dre and gson'dre and it caused all sorts of illness usually accompanied by scratches on various parts of the body. The dangers of the scratches are that they could internalize in which case that patient can suffer greatly or even fatally. The scratches become internalized if certain foods like milk and cheese are eaten. There are methods to bring out the scratches either by applying the liquid extracted from the creeper (rubia sp.manjitha roxburghi.) or rubbing the aching body parts with grains that have been fermented for alcohol distillation. Application of snags dmar (butter blessed with mantras by lamas and used for wounds, pains and aches) is considered detrimental to the condition of the patient and must be avoided on all accounts. The feeding ritual for this spirit is as elaborate as it is specific. Glud are made of a dough known as choedam which is made of buckwheat flour and water. The glud are then arranged in a winnowing basket. The main spirit is given a three tiered pedestal and around it are placed smaller triangular glud to represent all the relatives, associates and friends. The triangular The Malevolent Spirits of sTang Valley 327 tips of the glud are bent down to ensure that they do not become too ambitious or powerful. Cooked rice or even uncooked rice, in case of emergency, with pieces of meat are placed around each effigy. Some members of the household only drink tea while others drink alcohol. Therefore, while feeding this spirit each member of the household has to be identified by name and told that the drink of their preference is being served. Chudung (Bum.) (Blow Pipe): Narut This spirit often referred to as Aei Jaimo's blowpipe is probably her rnam shes which stayed attached to pipe for blowing air onto a fire to kindle it. This spirit is recognized by the suddenness of headaches accompanied by vomiting. Although the spirit is called chudung, the pipe does not feature in any part of the feeding ritual. Rice, meat, drinks are served, the spirit is welcomed and coaxed to eat and drink all it can and to take with it as much as it can. It is coaxed and cajoled but at the same time subtle and brazen threats are given and the spirit is warned not to harm the patient any more. Wali (Bum.) Pangshing A Wali is a special utensil with a long handle and a spout for melting and pouring butter into the butter lamps. This shi'dre obviously stayed attached to a wali. Traditionally sweet buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) dough had to be cooked in this utensil and be served to the spirit. A resident of Pangshing recently complained that as the society's economic status is improving the spirits too are becoming more demanding. The spirit is no longer appeased by buckwheat dough but with rice served with meat.20 This spirit is not very well known outside the village but the villagers complain that it is harmful and they have to feed it regularly. "It is an intangible thing that we have not touched or seen": people who are accused of possessing the spirits display different reactions. Some take it with good humor and even joke about it and tease saying, "Be careful, my spirit can give you terrible stomachache and I'll send my spirit after you." Others are defensive and are angered if they know that the spirit 20 In the cool temperate regions of Bumthang rice cannot be grown. Traditionally only the nobility and the rich people could afford to bring rice from the warmer subtropical valleys while for the common people it was a rare luxury. Today rice is more readily available and it is the preferred staple food even in Bumthang. 328 Tibetan Studies in honor of Samten Karmay associated with their household is being fed. Still others get aggressive and demand that the food should not be scattered behind them but given to them personally. Some years ago, villagers of a particular village took to court a family whose spirit was believed to be causing repeated harm. The villagers wanted the particular family evicted. The case, however, was dropped when the victim pleaded, "What can we do? We have not harmed you personally or intentionally. They say the spirit is with us. But as it is an intangible thing that we have neither touched or seen, we are, victims as much as you are." Although the characteristic of intangibility is definitely associated with the malevolent spirits, some people claim to have actually seen them. The descriptions of the usually intangible beings conform to the same descriptions conjured in everybody's minds as learned imageries which have been reinforced as standard appellations of the spirits. The general color of these spirits seems to be gray which causes them to sometimes be called the, "gray ones." They are said to be small in stature, dwarfs and cretins and the most distinguishing feature is their mouth which is said be prominently big and some look like tea strainers. The tea strainers are conical so that the narrow tips like the proboscis of insects can be inserted into the victims' bodies to suck up the blood. The shi'dre are recognized by the harm they inflict and when they speak out through the medium but the gson'dre are said to appear in darkness of the night as they appear in real life. For the fear of being recognized they hide their faces by turning away from direct view or by covering their faces with scarves. Some of them haunt the nocturnal spaces as ghost fires. Travelling in Bumthang one can often see branches of the berberis bushes or nettle branches pressed down with boulders at the entrances of bridges and cross roads. People who are accused of possessing spirits cleanse themselves off the malevolent spirits by symbolically brushing their bodies. Other travelers do it to cleanse themselves of spirits that may travel with them clinging on to them.21 While the shi'dre are said travel with people the gson'dre are more independent and travel as whirlwinds during the day and ghost fires in the night. People usually spit into a whirlwind and say pha la la la. Some people even call out the name of the person they suspect may be the whirlwind to shame them. There are stories of how people have put a stake at the spots where the ghost fires disappear and caused physical injury to the people responsible. Traditional beliefs assert 21 Sometimes when a medium speaks out in a trance the spirits identify particular people they traveled with which causes much embarrassment Therefore travelers must be cautious not to be the transporters of malevolent spirits by taking the proper precautions. The Malevolent Spirits of sTang Valley 329 that every ninth women is considered to be a potential gson'dre while only every hundredth man is a potential malevolent spirit. Women with sharp incisors are looked upon with fear and suspicion while men with same kinds of teeth are considered as a potential hero. Reclaiming and identifying a malevolent spirit After a family member has died and his/her shi'dre is suspected to cause harm the living members sometimes perform a ritual to reclaim and identify the shi'dre. Usually when the rnam shes of dead people which have been taken by other malevolent spirits such as bdud the spirit of the person becomes a harmful shi'dre. For this ritual a qualified lama who can perform the sbyin sregs ritual and a medium, dpa' bo/dpa' mo are required. The medium recalls the shi'dre from bdud and then goes into a trance. The shi'dre identifies herself/himself and speaks of it's miserable conditions often crying for help. The zan ngo ritual is conducted. Food and drinks are offered to the spirit of the dead person and it partakes of the food. The lama then conducts 'pho ba on the spirit after which the medium comes out of the trance. This ritual remedies any inadequacies during the time of the 'pho ba or the cremation and the spirit of the dead finds its path and is freed from being a malevolent spirit bondaged to a bdud. Gson'dre can also become freed if those possessed by evil spirits take special blessings and empowerment from powerful lamas. Conclusion: Changes and Territorial Continuity Traditionally the belief in spirits was shared by all the inhabitants of the region especially at a time when there was little else in form of curative methods to treat illnesses. Today the rites and rituals for feeding and placating malevolent spirits is practiced in nearly all the villages but the knowledge and skills appears to be confined to the elderly and the women. While the educated youth may not actually perform the rituals, they condone the practices and help. There are, however, skeptics who openly declare their disdain and disbelief in the custom and dismiss the whole thing as backwardness and superstition. And the spirits themselves? They are as accommodating and versatile as the people today are. The foods and utensils they accept are becoming more as contemporary in tune with the times they live. At one feeding ritual, I heard a server say, " Serve Britannia biscuits and make sure to serve coffee, the drag shos used to like coffee better than tea." The traditional utensils are being replaced by more contemporary ones. The bamboo sieves are replaced with nylon and 330 Tibetan Studies in honor of Samten Karmay plastics ones and the empty cheese and butter cans find reuse in replacing the phuy. Today the changes taking place are obvious in every aspect of the Bhutanese societies. People's attitudes, behaviors and life styles are chang- ing, and the people of sTang are surely not an exception. But the spirits of sTang are still very much associated to the territory and the livelihoods of the people of the valley. Their specific but continuing preference for particular foods eg. hand rolled buckwheat noodles, buckwheat dough etc. affirm their special association with the specific territory of sTang. While changes in the preference for particular food as in the case of the Wali spirit for rice and meat as opposed to the traditional sweet buckwheat dough is surely reflective of the changes in the economic realities of today, the traditional foods associated with the individual spirits are the typical foods from grains that are still the major crops grown in the valley. Even the spirit of Takseng's needs a woolen garment which has to be processed in one day; from shearing the wool from a sheep to a ready-to-wear garment is reflective of the sheep rearing and wool processing traditions typical of this territory. Although the spirits are known to travel outside their territories either on their own or with human travelers, irrespective of the place where they presently/ temporarily are, they always identify themselves, during traces of dpa bo/ dpa mo , as spirits of sTang. References Choden, Kunzang, 1986. "The valley's demons are easily displeased". Kuensel, August, 30. Choden Kunzang, 2007, Chilli and cheese. Food and society in Bhutan. Bangkok, White Lotus. De Nebesky-Wojkowitz. R., 1993. "Oracles and Demons of Tibet". reprint by Tiwari's Pilgrims Book House, Kathmandu. Karmay Samten.G., 1998. " The Arrow and the Spindle". Mandala Book Point, Kathmandu.


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