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Psychology's Richard Burright dies at age 69 and BU freshman killed in car crash
By : Ingrid Husisian
Richard "Dick" Burright, professor emeritus of psychology, died November 29 at Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City. He was 69.
Richard Burright
Richard Burright
Burright is survived by his wife of 46 years, Shirley; his daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and the Rev. Roger Richards; a son, Scott; and a grandson, Zachary.
After earning his bachelor's, master's and PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois– Urbana, Burright began his career at Harpur College in 1963. He remained there until his retirement last year. For more than 25 years, Burright and his colleague, Professor Peter Donovick, researched neural, environmental, genetic, nutritive and life-span correlates of behavior related to the integration and use of sensory information in both brain-damaged and healthy organisms.
Burright and Donovick co-directed BU's Environmental Neuropsychology Laboratory and sought to understand and implement preventive and rehabilitative efforts for victims of central nervous system damage. Through their research, they established working relationships with psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, MRI and sleep specialists in the local medical community.
Among his many affiliations, Burright was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Society, the Behavior Genetics Association, the New York Academy of Science and Sigma Xi. He was also a Hinman Fellow from 1989 to 1992.
Burright taught thousands of students during his tenure, in courses ranging from introductory to graduate seminars. He taught undergraduate and graduate research design and statistics, sensation and perception, history and seminars in biological rhythms. He frequently worked with students in his laboratory and collaborated with them in scholarly publications. Albrecht Inhoff, professor and chair of psychology, said Burright was very dedicated to his department, his research and students.
"He gave his time freely and he served the department in many ways, with the teaching of large classes, with committee memberships, with his steady presence at almost each and every departmental function," Inhoff said.
Norman "Skip" Spear, distinguished professor of psychology, admired Burright's intelligence and humility. "I thought he was one of the smartest guys among my colleagues and the least pretentious, which I thought was the best possible combination," he said. "Dick Burright was one of those faculty who made Harpur College special," said Richard Pastore, professor of psychology and linguistics. "He always had time for students and faculty colleagues, not only tactfully providing them with answers to their questions, but also to the questions they should have asked. He was easy to like and was appreciated by all. He had an excellent sense of humor and his laugh was contagious."
"Dick was a good friend and colleague and an influential figure on this campus for many years. We miss him already," said Harpur College Dean Jean-Pierre Mileur.
BU freshman killed in car crash
Binghamton University freshman Trevor Corde, 18, was killed Saturday, November 29, when the car he was riding in swerved into the oncoming lane and hit a pick-up truck. Corde, from North Salem, was a member of the North Salem Volunteer Fire Department and played varsity lacrosse for John F. Kennedy High School in Somers. A psychology major, Corde was a resident of Mohawk Hall. A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, December 4, at St. Joseph's Church, Croton Falls. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery, Ridgefield, Conn. Directions to St. Joseph's Church may be obtained from Elaine Rapaport at 777-4787.


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Photoshop suck at that, i dont think they did that in photosop, the resultin movie may have been over 1.5 GB of disk space if they tried, Vector game designs are a good point, but is wrong, vector game designers can't corrupt more than 200 KB of video file size, Flash? you must been joking
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Senioritis began in August by Seniors 2011! - almost 4 years ago
"The students voted for the first shirt of the year to be pink because real men wear pink and the seniors are "real men"! The students had a blast designing the shirts and they came out exactly as we hoped- pink and fun! On a scale from 1-10, THEY are an 11!"


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Raleigh began life in Nottingham, England in 1887 and became one of the biggest and oldest bike retailers in the world. Its bikes are still sold in six continents and over 150 countries and they've been getting people on their bikes for decades.
Raleigh pioneered lots of modern bike manufacturing methods – innovations like carbon road bikes in the 60s, Chopper bikes in the 70s and mountain bikes in the 80s – and their bikes even helped Joop Zoetemelk win the 1980 Tour De France.
In 2010, 30 years after TI-Raleigh-Creda's Tour De France win, Raleigh re-entered the world of professional cycling with the goal of taking the Raleigh name back to the pinnacle of the sport.
Find out more about Raleigh by clicking here.
iPro Sport is the new name in global sports brands, a result of 7 years' development in the world of sport, leisure, health and fitness, to grow hand-in-hand with all sports of all levels, and active people of all ages and abilities.
From professional sportspeople to those embarking on a healthy, active lifestyle, with the help of sports professionals, iPro Sport has been genuinely developed 'By Sport For Sport'.
From a complex sports product iPro's mission is simple: To support preparation, inspire dedication and share celebration of global sport, health, fitness and active lifestyles.
Find out more about iPro by clicking here.
Global shipping and logistics firm GAC has been a sponsor of Team Raleigh since 2012. As well as cycling, they also have interests in football, sailing, motor racing, golf, cricket and basketball, making them ardent sports fans. They believe that many of the values that drive top sportsmen parallel what makes a company great - energy, dedication, teamwork.
Find out more about GAC by clicking here.
ŠKODA's heritage with bicycles dates back to the start of the company in 1895 when the founders Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement joined forces and began manufacturing bicycles in their home town of Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic.
Cycling has remained an important area for ŠKODA to support over the years – worldwide they are a partner of the Tour de France, the Vuelta a Espana and other ASO organised races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Criterium de Dauphine.
ŠKODA's cars are loved by cyclists across the UK, and are the car of choice for many pro teams worldwide thanks to both the impressive load capacity and the fantastic range of cycling accessories.
For 2014 in the UK, ŠKODA are once again very excited about their partnership with Team Raleigh, as well as being the official vehicle partner to the Tour of Britain, the Women's Tour, The Pearl Izumi Tour Series, XCalibre, UK Cycling Events and Prudential RideLondon.
Find out more about Skoda and cycling by clicking here.
Based in Slovenia, Unior use their nation's forging heritage to create some of the most advanced, reliable and highest quality tools available. Perfectly suited for professionals, Unior are the choice for the world's manufacturing giants in both the automotive and cycling industry.
Team Raleigh's mechanic trusts Unior tools to perform when he needs them to.
Find out more about Unior by clicking here.
Motorex is Switzerland's premier chemical and lubrication manufacturer. Founded in 1917, Motorex has achieved legendary status amongst many professional sports teams for the quality of their products.
Today, the famous green barrels of Motorex oil are seen in F1 paddocks, Superbike garages and many cycling pit vans around the globe. When reliability is key, professionals turn to Motorex.
Find out more about Motorex by clicking here.
Founded in 2002, e-Careers specialises in delivering a vast array of educational and training programmes to a wide variety of clients in all sectors.
e-Careers is already servicing a huge list of international companies with either off-the-shelf or bespoke training programmes.
With over 200 man years already invested in research and development, e-Careers aim to offer a one-stop end to end e-Learning development solution.
Find out more about e-Careers by clicking here.
Schwalbe are tyre fanatics and the market-leading bicycle tyre company in Europe, producing high performance tyres for use on and off road.
Schwalbe provide the hard-wearing training tyres and super-fast rolling race tyres which power Team Raleigh towards peak performance.
Find out more about Schwalbe by clicking here.
Incremental enhancements. Perpetual improvements. Revolutionary Innovation. This is what SRAM is all about. The SRAM RED group set, the lightest of its kind on the market, is the perfect match for our Militis team bike.
Find out more about SRAM products in the Raleigh catalogue by clicking here.
MOA Sports is part of one of the most famous cycle clothing manufacturers in the world and is a prestigious brand in its own right, having been the supplier of HTC Columbia, the 2010 World No.1 pro team.
MOA were the manufactures of the TI Raleigh and Raleigh Panasonic team clothing, so Team Raleigh feel privileged to be working with them as they attempt to emulate the successes of these teams.
MOA provide Team Raleigh's warm winter kits and light summer race kits.
Find out more about MOA by clicking here.
Look literally provide the platform for Team Raleigh to stamp their authority on the peleton. With their Look Keo 2 Max pedals Team Raleigh has the confidence of maximum reliability and maximum power being transmitted to their bikes.
Find out more about LOOK by clicking here.
Attention to detail and the many years of experience gained from Elite's legendary products have driven the innovative solutions that have set new standards in the market.
Elite help keep Team Raleigh hydrated by supplying us with smart, lightweight bottle cages to match the Militis team bike's striking colour scheme.
Find out more about Elite by clicking here.
Cole offer some of the highest technology available in a bicycle wheel.
Their goal is to achieve a balance of strength and weight, and to do it better than anything else available.
Our Militis team bikes are fitted out with super light, super strong Cole wheels including the T58 Lite, T38 Lite and T24 Lite hoops, depending on rider preference.
Find out more about Cole by clicking here.
For any road rider safety is of paramount importance - that's why Team Raleigh choose to work with Uvex. The team will be protected by Uvex helmets and sun glasses - among the lightest and most aerodynamic performance safety kit on the market.
This year, Team Raleigh are wearing the new Uvex Race 5 helmet - the latest lightweight, top road model from uvex. This model achieved outstanding aerodynamic performance when tested in specially designed wind tunnels.
And keeping our team's eyes protected this year are the Uvex SGL104 high performance variomatic sunglasses.
Find out more about Uvex by clicking here.
Founded and based in Paris, France; Kinetik Compression Gear is dedicated to providing optimum quality compression garments. Kinetik Compression Gear works to provide professional athletes and endurance enthusiasts with the most innovative, biomechanically constructed, temperature regulated, compression garments. Thanks to their association with premier cycling teams like Team Raleigh and Saxo Bank, Kinetik Compression Gear is quickly becoming recognized as the most innovative compression brand in Europe.
Find out more about Kinetik by clicking here.
Full Speed Ahead (FSA) provide the finishing touches to the team's Raleigh Militis bikes - the handlebar, stem and seatpost.
Find out more about FSA by clicking here.
Fi'zi:k is a racing brand. It represents beauty, speed, passion and freedom for those who race against each other, race against the clock and for enthusiast cyclists around the world who identify with the feeling of the fire of competition.
Fi'zi:k provides Team Raleigh with high performance saddles.
Find out more about Fi'zi:k by clicking here.
Team Huub has four decades worth of experience gained in the field of endurance sports. Focussing wholly on the athlete and maximising performance and comfort, Huub explore both the odd and the conventional to create the best. Huub are not slaves to fashion, but to form, fit and performance. We believe quite simply that we have delivered what competitors want.
Find out more about Huub Design by clicking here.
Smith Cooper people pride themselves on working diligently and flexibly in everything they do for businesses and individuals.
Smith Cooper offer a broad range of services - from tax matters to IT systems - responding intelligently, efficiently and cost-effectively.
Whatever your circumstances, Smith Cooper make everything add up.
Find out more about Smith Cooper by clicking here.
Skechers designs, develops and markets more than 3,000 styles of footwear for men, women and children. Skechers' success stems from its employees, high-quality, varied product offering, diversified domestic and international distribution channels, and targeted multi-channel marketing.
Find out more about Skechers by clicking here.
As one of the oldest football clubs in the UK, Derby County FC has an illustrious history, much like Team Raleigh. As well as being a keen cyclist, Derby County's John Vicars is a patron of Team Raleigh.
Find out more about Derby County FC by clicking here.
To provide high quality support to Derbyshire's emerging talented sports performers, enabling them to achieve greater national and international success and in so doing, to enhance the reputation of Derby and Derbyshire.
Find out more about Derbyshire Institute Of Sport by clicking here.


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Cobb County police are asking the public's help in locating a missing man.
Authorities have issued a Mattie's Call for 78-year-old Edward Ronald Smith. Smith was last seen on Thursday on Floyd Road in Austell, and may be traveling in a white 1997 Ford Ranger with Georgia tag BZX 6382.
Smith is 6 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds. He has blue eyes with short, gray hair.
Anyone with information on Smith is asked to call Cobb County police at 770-499-3911.
205 N. Michigan AvenueGround FloorChicago, IL 60601Station Operator: (312) 565-5532Newsroom: (312)565-5533


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Lexington Police arrested Aaron Jackson, 21, and charged him in connection to ten thefts and robberies on the city's north side over the last month.
Click here to read the full story.
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Priority surgery for organ donors
A Midlands doctor is calling for a radical approach to increase the number of black and Asian people donating their organs.
According to Dr Adnan Sharif, a kidney consultant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, the UK should consider a scheme where priority for surgery is given to people already on the organ donor register.
He says there has been a 'huge failure' to boost organ donation rates among Asian and other ethnic minority groups.


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Timothy 'Asti' Austin Davison, 28
POLAND -- Timothy 'Asti' Austin Davison, 28, died tragically on Jan. 4, 2014, while returning from Florida from a family vacation.
Asti was born on May 24, 1985, in Lewiston.
Asti had spent the last two weeks with his sister and best friend, Adele Allocca and her boyfriend, Tyler Merchant of Kissimmee, Fla. They had an opportunity to do many of Asti's favorite things such as playing disc golf, spending a weekend at the beach, and listening to his grandfather, Gene Guidotte, 82, from Ft. Myers, Fla., play saxophone.
He was able to spend time with his mother, Theresa Allocca of Poland Spring along with his aunt and uncle, Joseph and Katherine Rakowski and cousins, Joseph E. Rakowski and Allison Rakowski of Ft. Myers, Fla.
He was able to visit a long-time friend on Marco Island and enjoying boating in the gulf watching a dolphin jumping the wake from the boat he was riding.
Not wanting to face returning to the brutal Maine winter, he was plotting with his sister how to turn his pontoon boat into a houseboat so he could be a snowbird. This was a slight conflict since he had recently been snowboarding at Sunday River with friends and texted his mother, 'Riding was awesome, best snow I can remember in December.'
Asti was always mid-project. From an early age he caught the mechanic bug from his father, Timothy A. Davison of Raymond. He started riding snowmobiles and a motorized jeep when he was only two. As he grew his toys grew and he learned everything he could about engines from his father. His latest project was restoring an antique truck, which you can see on his Facebook page.
His senior high school project at Poland Regional H.S. entailed re-engineering a truck and installing pneumatic lifts. He caused quite a stir when he made the truck start jumping in the school roundabout and sparks started flying. He had become fascinated with low riders after visiting his grandfather, Anthony Allocca along with his long-term partner, Hazel Green of Tampa who had been living in the Phoenix area. While there he took rolls of film fascinated by the Grand Canyon.
Asti had picked up the photography bug from his mother, Lisa Davison, who was a major influence in his life. He fell in love with the area and later attended college there and earned a technical degree as a Certified Harley-Davidson mechanic.
All of his parents including his step-father, Scott Allocca of Poland Spring, were proud of his many accomplishments.
Asti was very close to his sister Adele along with his other siblings, Ezra and
Timothy 'Asti' Austin Davison
Jada Davison whom he never tired of teasing and playing with, whether it be playing video, board games or just hanging out at camp. He had many cousins in Raymond who he would go four wheeling with in his grandmother, Elaine Davison's field in Raymond.
Asti was a family man and extended his love to everyone he shared his life with.
Asti was a good-natured, fun-loving guy who knew how to work hard and play even harder. His job as a pipefitter and commercial welder at Engineered Construction Services, owned by his father, Tim, kept him busy four days a week but Friday through Sunday was Asti-time! Weekends were filled with family, friends and often wild adventures whether it was going mudding in his Jeep with the Backwoods Outdoor Club, canoeing and camping along the Saco River, helping a friend fix a vehicle or move, attending a family BBQ or just having a bonfire in his own back yard with his girlfriend, Jessica Plowman and other friends.
Sitting with his grandfather, Gene, in Maine watching the Red Sox with his mother and her boyfriend, Joel Bicknell of Scarborough, was always a great way to enjoy a summer evening.
Asti was loved by all who knew him.
Asti was predeceased by his grandmother, Irene C. Guidotte and grandfather, Michael Davison. He is survived by many family and friends who have not all mentioned earlier including his many aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents: Mike and Darcy Davison and children, Stephen Davison and son, Shirley Davison and children, all from Raymond; Tina-Marie and Brandon Dietter with their children, Azelle and Drew of Naples, Fla.; cousins, Alyssa Emiliucci Cox and Allison Rakowski of Tampa, Fla.; his grandparents, Donna and Burtt Warren of Portland, Jay and Nancy Allocca; cousins, Zack and Kristen Allocca and their mothers, Renee Allocca and Kathryn Brooks; Gina and John Ferland and cousins, Anthony, Christian and Jason from Nashua, N.H.; Sherri-Lynn Allocca, wife of Scott Allocca from Poland Spring; great-uncle, Joseph Guidotti of Philadelphia, Pa., great-aunts, Rejane Lemieaux and Beatrice Lavertu of Lewiston; and all his second and third cousins in the Lewiston-Auburn area.
A viewing will be held at Wilson Funeral Home, Old Rt. 26, 24 Shaker Rd., Gray on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 1-4 p.m., followed by a celebration of life at Cyndi's Dockside on Rt 26, Poland Spring. Please feel free to 'come as you are' in Asti style. Carhartts, flannel, and beards welcome. Asti would want it that way.
Funeral Home
Wilson Funeral Home, LLC
24 Shaker Road
Funeral Home Details
Published in Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram on Jan. 8, 2014
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The importance of wonder in the spiritual life
Started this post three months ago and just now discovered it in my draft box as the following quote from David Benner's new book Soulful Spirituality. As I look over the quote three months later, I suspect I was thinking how little the evangelical churches I grew up (as an adult Christian) did to cultivate wonder in my spiritual life. But maybe that is a bit unfair?? In meeting with my spiritual director last week, I think I shocked her in describing how little I was looking forward to Christmas and how my advent preparation has traditionally been non-existent. I think this relates to the topic of wonder and mystery. Isn't the incarnation something about which we should experience wonder. After reading the quote, I would be interested in reactions of others.
The person who knows wonder is the person whose soul is deepening and whose spirit is expanding. Wonder enlarges us and draws us out of our self-preoccupation. It attunes us to the sacramental majesty of the world. It softens the ego and creates space within us for awe, surprise, and reverence in the face of the mystery of what is. It is, therefore, the natural source of prayer. But prayer that is born out of wonder is not as full of words as prayer that starts with our needs or desires. In fact, it is often wordless. It is this emptiness that allows it to hold mysteries so profound that the only response to them is silence.
In what way has and does your church cultivate a sense of wonder and mystery with regard to spiritual matters?
The science, math, and physics of sound and music
Although I cannot fully appreciate all that they are talking about in the following video, how beautiful the creation of God–what order, compatibility, what complexity! Originally found the video here
May each of us learn to be present in the moment and embrace the wonder and mystery which surrounds us daily!
A couple of quotes from David Benner's Soulful Spirituality
- "Reason and wonder are not mutually exclusive—just distinct. In fact, we can quite easily use both faculties to encounter the world and, by so doing, know it in ways that neither alone makes possible. Whatever we approach on the basis of reason we attempt to tame and exploit, making it conform to our concepts and control."
- "If we retain this radical capacity for amazement, we may be able to sidestep the impulse to control what we encounter and instead submit to the truly amazing and adjust our concepts to it."
- "Wonder will only emerge in the presence of reverence. If nothing is sacred, nothing worthy of reverence, then nothing will evoke wonder. This is the plight of the cynic. Cynicism is the way we try to minimize the loss of wonder and idealism. It is the mask we hide behind when we choose to despise the simple and wondrous. Wonder may yet exist, but cynics will usually feel too vulnerable to dare to embrace it. Wonder demands openness, and that openness is simply too threatening for those who are cynical."
- "The great mysteries of life—love, suffering, evil, death, beauty—do not need to be figured out in order to be engaged. But they must be befriended if the encounter is to be nurturing to spirit and soul. Any other attitude lacks the hospitality that transforms mystery from being the enemy to being a welcome companion on our human journey."
- "The gift of wonder begins with the awakening of awareness. Our part is then simply being open to seeing the ordinary in a new light—through childlike eyes of wonder."
- "Wonder is more a matter of heart-pondering than mind-thinking. It is rumination that leaves space for mystery, confusion, fear, uncertainty, awe, paradox, and questions."
Check out this time lapse video to be even more awed by the wonder of creation


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it was clean, comfortable, modern; had extras like cell phone chargers and adapters (things i wouldn't have expected.) it was perfect for a lay-over stay. the food at the restaurant was good. check-in was fast and efficient. the airport bus was convenient. - Judith
We arrived late evening as our plane was a later one and we were greeted and shown to our room with no problem. Break fast was great. The place is comfy and you feel at home and the neighborhood was most pleasant to walk about and look over. Every one was great. I would return there on another trip. - Carolyn D
I am not given to saying "excellent" to everything, but your hotel was one of the nicest I have stayed in, large room, lovely bed, very nice bathroom, etc. etc. I would gladly stay there again. A lovely breakfast. Dinner, too, was very nice. with courteous staff. - Dora
This the second time I have stayed at this hotel and once again found the staff very friendly. Room was basically comfortable and very clean. Location is excellent, bearing in mind that there is the Hopper bus service every 20 minutes or so to terminals 1, 2 and 3. - Brian
It was excellent. I loved the newly renovated room. Everything worked sowell. I loved the bath tub and shower facilities, and the wonderful bedwith the duvet cover. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Ijust stopped by over night during my travel home, and it was veryrelaxing. Definitely more than just a place to sleep. - Dorothea
peace and comfort. that bring happiness :) - Vaidya
It is a charming little bed and breakfast with a courteous and friendly staff. The owner, Patricia, was very helpful. She made sure that breakfast was ready early so we could make it back to Heathrow on time. I liked the fact that Oakwood is right on the bus route from Terminal 5 (route 350 to West Drayton, 2 pounds bus fare). There are tandoori restaurants next door. Clean rooms. - Anonymous
Place ok clean tidy - Anonymous
excellent for what we needed, friendly staff, ideal location and all in all a very enjoyable weekend. - Anonymous


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1. Heat oven to 375 degree F. Combine bacon and onions in Dutch oven; cook over medium heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden. Stir in garlic, molasses, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add beans. Bring to a simmer; simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Pour mixture into a deep 2-1/2-quart baking dish. Cover and bak 45 minutes, stirring twice, until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.


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Shinya Aoki's opponent for Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley is set. On April 9th, the Japanese star will be returning to Strikeforce against a guy who is also known for his "fancy pants", Lyle Beerbohm. MMA-Japan has it:
The Baka Survivor Shinya Aoki will be facing Lyle Beerbohm on the April 9th Strikeforce event. This comes from the man himself, Mr. Aoki... Contract signed, i's dotted, t's crossed.
Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm will have a quick turn around from his first career loss against Pat Healy last month, and faced against the #5 ranked lightweight, he has a good chance to rebound in a big way. Aoki on the other hand, took a massive flying knee from K-1 champ and cosplayer, Jienotsu on the last time we saw him compete. Now, he's heading for his second bout in US soil, and he plans to do better this time against a guy with equally colorful tights.
Lyle Beerbohm (16-1):
Loss Pat Healy Decision (Unanimous) ShoMMA 14
Win Talon Hoffman Submission (Guillotine Choke) Rumble on the Ridge XV
Shinya Aoki (26-5):
Loss Yuichiro Nagashima KO (Flying Knee and Hammerfist) Dynamite!! 2010 [k-1/MMA Rules bout]
Win Yokthai Sithoar Submission (Keylock) Round 1 (1:00) Deep: 50th Impact
Apr 9th, live on Showtime from San Diego, California:
Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley [WW title] - [Both ranked Top 10]
Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri [LW title] - [Both ranked Top 10]
Gegard Mousasi vs. Mike Kyle
K.J. Noons vs. TBA
Shinya Aoki vs. Lyle Beerbohm
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. TBA


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£10m factory is opened in Bradford with hope for new jobs (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting TANEWS to 80360, or email
£10m factory is opened in Buttershaw with hope for new jobs
7:30am Friday 18th November 2011 in Business
Bosses at a new £10 million Bradford carton factory which started operations this summer have promised expansion next year, including pioneering the UK production of plastic packaging for foods such as salads, fish and milk products.
The 110,000 sq ft Weidenhammer Packaging Group site at Royds Hall Lane, Buttershaw, was inaugurated by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Coun Naveeda Ikram, at a ceremony attended by 300 people, including the Minister Counsellor from the German embassy in London, Joachim Baron von Marschall.
See Friday's business pages for the full story
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The two main rivers of Central Asia, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, originate in the mountains near China's western border and run into the Aral Sea – or they used to, before the Soviets diverted them to irrigate cotton fields. The Greeks knew the two rivers as the Oxus and the Jaxartes. An islamic hadith holds that they are two of the four rivers that flow into Paradise. TWO RIVERS is Carolyn Drake's photographic record of many visits to this region over five years. Drake's Central Asia is a place where political allegiances, ethnic bonds, national borders, and even physical geography are in such flux as to seem, at times, like fictions. Following the two rivers, she traces a vast ecosystem of stories, nature, money, and history.
16 x 21 cm, 192 pages
Text: Elif Batuman
Design: –SYB–
Linen hard cover with black foil
First Edition 700 copies + Special Edition of 50
2013 The first edition is out of print.


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Woodrow Wilson's Childhood and Education:
Born on December 28, 1856 in Staunton, Virginia, Wilson soon moved to Augusta, Georgia. He was taught at home. In 1873, he went to Davidson College but soon dropped out due to health issues. He entered the College of New Jersey which is now called Princeton in 1875. He graduated in 1879. Wilson studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1882. He soon decided to go back to school and become an educator. He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University.
Family Ties:
Father: Joseph Ruggles Wilson - Presbyterian Minister.
Mother: Janet "Jessie" Woodrow Wilson.
Siblings: two sisters and one brother.
Wife: (1)Ellen Louise Axson - Daughter of a Presbyterian minister. She died in the White House on August 6, 1914. (2)Edith Bolling Galt - Married on December 18, 1915 while President.
Chart of the First Ladies
Children: Three daughters by first marriage - Margaret Woodrow Wilson, Jessie Woodrow Wilson, and Eleanor Randolph Wilson.
Woodrow Wilson's Career Before the Presidency:
Wilson served as a professor at Bryn Mawr College from 1885-88 and then as professor of history at Wesleyan University from 1888-90. He then became a professor of political economy at Princeton. In 1902, he was appointed President of Princeton University serving until 1910. Then in 1911, Wilson was elected as the Governor of New Jersey. He served until 1913 when he became president.
Becoming the President - 1912:
Wilson desired to be nominated for the presidency and campaigned for the nomination. He was nominated by the Democratic Party with Thomas Marshall as his vice president. He was opposed not only by incumbent President William Taft but also by Bull Moose candidate Theodore Roosevelt. The Republican Party was divided between Taft and Roosevelt which meant that Wilson easily won the presidency with 42% of the vote. Roosevelt had received 27% and Taft and won 23%.
Election of 1916:
Wilson was renominated to run for the presidency in 1916 on the first ballot along with Marshall as his Vice President. He was opposed by Republican Charles Evans Hughes. At the time of the election, Europe was at war. The Democrats used the slogan, "He kept us out of war," as they campaigned for Wilson. There was much support, however, for his opponent and Wilson won in a close election with 277 out of 534 electoral votes.
Events and Accomplishments of Woodrow Wilson's Presidency:
One of the first events of Wilson's presidency was the passage of the Underwood Tariff. This reduced tariff rates from 41 to 27%. It also created the first federal income tax after the passage of the 16th Amendment.
In 1913, the Federal Reserve Act created the Federal Reserve system to help deal with economic highs and lows. It provided banks with loans and helped smooth out business cycles.
In 1914, the Clayton Anti-Trust Act was passed to help labor have more rights. It allowed important labor tools like strikes, pickets, and boycotts.
During this time, a revolution was occurring in Mexico. In 1914, Venustiano Carranza took over the Mexican government. However, Pancho Villa held much of northern Mexico. When Villa crossed into America in 1916 and killed 17 Americans, Wilson sent 6,000 troops under General John Pershing to the area. Pershing pursued Villa into Mexico upsetting the Mexican government and Carranza.
World War I began in 1914 when Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. Due to agreements made amongst the European nations, many eventually joined the war. The Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria fought against the Allies: Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, Portugal, China, and Greece. America remained neutral at first but eventually entered the war in 1917 on the side of the allies. Two reasons were the sinking of the British ship Lusitania which killed 120 Americans and the Zimmerman telegram which revealed that Germany was trying to get an agreement with Mexico to form an alliance if the U.S. entered the war. America officially entered the war on April 6, 1917.
Pershing led American troops into battle helping to defeat the Central Powers. An armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. The Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919 blamed the war on Germany and demanded huge reparations. It also created a League of Nations. In the end, the Senate would not ratify the treaty and would never join the League.
Post-Presidential Period:
In 1921, Wilson retired in Washington, D.C. He was very sickly. On February 3, 1924, he died of complications from a stroke.
Historical Significance:
Woodrow Wilson played a huge role in determining if and when America would get involved in World War I. He was an isolationist at heart who attempted to keep America out of war. However, with the Lusitania, the continued harassment of American ships by German submarines, and the release of the Zimmerman Telegram, America would not be held back. Wilson fought for the League of Nations to help avert another World War which won him the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize.


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News: UPDATE: Birdman's Cash Money/EMI $491,000 Problem Flies Away
Monday, Mar 26, 2012 1:00PM
Cash Money Records' co-founder, Birdman, has reason to show off his gold-plated grills these days, with reports claiming that the estimated $490,000 lawsuit against YMCMB is now finally settled.
While details are still slim, both sides have come to an amicable agreement.
EMI has settled its lawsuit with Cash Money Records over unpaid licensing fees that appeared to be connected to Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III. In 2009, EMI had sued Cash Money for "direct, contributory and vicarious inducement of copyyright infringement, unfair competition and breach of contract," after which a judge ordered Wayne's label to pay EMI $1.5 million. Last week, EMI filed a complaint that stated that Cash Money still owed them $491,176.16, and was suing to get it back. At the time, EMI refused comment, while Cash Money merely said it would be resolved "amicably." Today, that appears to be the case. In a joint statement released exclusively to Billboard.biz, the labels said "Cash Money Records and EMI Music Publishing have amicably settled EMI's recent lawsuit and their financial disputes on various record releases. The companies look forward to working together on future projects." (Billboard Biz)
Just last week, details of the lawsuit placed Birdman in the hot seat once again.
Music giant EMI says Cash Money Records, the label that is home to rappers like Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj, owes nearly half a million dollars in royalty payments from a settlement agreement. In November 2009, EMI filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Cash Money in federal court in Manhattan. The licensing dispute resulted in a settlement agreement where Cash Money said it would pay royalties for the EMI songs Cash Money's artists sampled on their own albums. But EMI says it had to sue again because Cash Money stopped making its quarterly royalty payments. (Courthouse News Service)
The label owed nearly $500,000 in damages to EMI.
According to the parties' agreement, EMI is entitled to a multiplier penalty of 1.25, which means Cash Money owes more than $491,000 in damages. "The sales of Defendant's products have far exceeded the payments that EMI has received," the complaint states. "Once EMI realized that Defendant owed more money under the Second Payment it notified Defendant and explained that due to the increased sales, EMI was entitled to additional compensation," the complaint continues. "It is clear from Defendant's conduct that it has no intention of honoring the Agreement." (Courthouse News Service)
The EMI case is just one of many legal woes Cash Money has experienced in recent years.
Cash Money has a long history of lawsuits, many of which end up settled. The label was served with three lawsuits in the same week last June -- two for unpaid royalties and one for alleged copyright infringement. They've also faced lawsuits over their hit songs "Bedrock", "A Milli" and "How to Love" (alleged copyright infringement, unpaid royalties and alleged breach of contract, respectively); for an alleged sexual assault for which they were claimed to be liable; and several others. (Soul Culture UK)
Check out some recent Birdman footage down below:


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Let's see.Sold for $4.2million.Less 8% seller commission of $336,000.Now you have to figure tax on the capital gain from the profit of $4,199,999.One of my model buddies makes most of his income now from selling things and he says the tax rate on the gains is 40 percent.So old Georgie's gonna net something less than $2 million.
Capital gains is actually 28% for collectible items, but you bring up an interesting point. Here's how taxes differ for collectors. investors and dealers of collectible cars:
"In terms of tax treatments, the distinction between collectors, investors and dealers is of great importance. Between collectors and investors, the tax rule is generally more favorable to the investors. Whereas, being a vehicle dealer may create unique tax advantages...The tax rate on long-term (collection held for more than one year) collectible capital gain is 28%, whether you are a collector or investor."
Moral: If you want to collect and sell valuable cars, be a dealer for bigger tax breaks. A lot of cars pass through the Barris shop, and I would guess he's smart enough to have dealer status, as well as having accountants to work all the tax advantages. If not, he's probably crying all the way to the bank.
Edited by sjordan2, 21 January 2013 - 07:27 AM.


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Chapter 13 - No Regrets for Second Chances
The Old Woman of the Golden Flower walked over to him and reached for his wrist. After examining his pulse for a few moment, she said, "The Mystical Palm Technique of Profound Darkness? Do you mean to say that this technique actually exists? Who struck you?"
"My attacker was disguised as a Mongolian army officer, so I do not know who he actually is," Zhang Wuji replied.
Zhang Wuji was shocked that the intruder was a woman. "Who ... who are you?" he asked as sternly as he could.
The woman did not answer him, for she had been wounded too badly by the palm technique of the E-Mei School to speak.
"Who are you?" Ji Xiaofu demanded. "Why have you harmed me time and again?"
The woman remained silent, so Ji Xiaofu pulled out her sword and placed its tip against her chest.
After a while, Zhang Wuji said, "I am going to check on Mr Hu." He was concerned that Hu Qingniu had fallen victim to the intruder too. After all, she was probably an accomplice of the Old Woman of the Golden Flower. Running over to the physician's room, he pushed the door open and shouted, "Sir, sir! Are you all right?" When no one answered him, panic set in. He quickly reached for the flint-and-steel on the table, lit a candle and saw that Hu Qingniu's blankets had been turned down. But he was not in bed or anywhere else in the room.
Zhang Wuji heaved a sigh of relief, for he had half expected to see the physician's corpse on the floor. He must have been taken away by the enemy, the boy thought. Just as he was about to dash off in pursuit, he heard heavy breathing coming from under the bed. Bending over with the candle in hand, he found Hu Qingniu bound and gagged under the bed. Overjoyed, Zhang Wuji pulled the hapless man out immediately. He had not been able to call for help because his mouth had been stuffed with a huge walnut.
As soon as the walnut was removed from his mouth, Hu Qingniu asked, "Where is the woman?"
"She has been overpowered by Auntie Ji," answered Zhang Wuji as he began untying the physician. "She will not escape. Sir, you are not hurt, are you?"
"Do not worry about me," snapped Hu Qingniu. "Bring me the woman quickly, or it will be too late."
"Why?" asked the boy in surprise.
"Bring her to me quickly," said the physician again. "Wait, you had better take three 'Pills of Bezoar and Daemonorops-draco' (Niu Huang Xue Jie Dan / Niu2 Huang2 Xue3 Jie2 Dan1) with you and get her to swallow them first. The pills are in the third drawer. Hurry!" Hu Qingniu seemed so anxious that he would have rushed out himself if he was not all tied up.
Zhang Wuji knew that these 'Pills of Bezoar and Daemonorops-draco' were very effective detoxicants. Made by Hu Qingniu himself from a variety of medicinal fauna and flora, a single pill was sufficient to counter some of the deadliest poisons known to man. Therefore, the woman had probably ingested an unimaginably strong dose of poison to necessitate the use of three such pills.
Yet, he did not dare to dwell further on the issue, for Hu Qingniu was already beside himself with anxiety. Grabbing the Pills of Bezoar and Daemonorops-draco, he ran to Ji Xiaofu's shed, turned to the woman whom they had captured and said, "Swallow them quickly!"
"Get lost!" snapped the woman at once. "Who needs sympathy from a little thief like you!" Apparently, she had identified the pills as detoxicants from their smell.
"Mr Hu wants you to take them!" said Zhang Wuji.
"Go away, go away!" said the woman again, her voice becoming weaker as her injuries took their toll.
Zhang Wuji could only guess that the woman had been struck by one of Hu Qingniu's poisoned darts while tying him up earlier. Thus, the physician probably wanted to keep her alive, so that he could interrogate her on the enemy's plans. Consequently, the boy forced the three pills into the woman's mouth and down her throat. Then, he turned to Ji Xiaofu and said, "Let us hand her over to Mr Hu, and hear what he has to say."
Ji Xiaofu immobilised the woman by striking her acupoints, before leading her to Hu Qingniu's room with Zhang Wuji's help.
As soon as the three of them appeared, the physician asked, "Has she taken the pills?"
"Yes," answered Zhang Wuji.
"Very good, very good!" said Hu Qingniu in relief, as the boy cut away the ropes around his hands and feet.
Free at last, Hu Qingniu scrambled over to the woman and began examining her. After turning her eyelids to check on her blood, he took her pulse. "How ... how did you end up with these external injuries?" he gasped in shock. "Who hit you?" He sounded both anxious and sympathetic at the same time.
The woman pouted and replied, "Ask your good disciple!"
Hu Qingniu turned to Zhang Wuji and growled, "Did you hit her?"
"She was about to ...," the boy began to answer, only to feel two tight and resounding slaps landing on his face. Golden stars danced before the boy's eyes as he struggled against the dizzying effect of these powerful and unexpected slaps.
Meanwhile, Ji Xiaofu raised her sword protectively and shouted, "What are you doing?"
Hu Qingniu ignored the sharp and gleaming blade. Instead, he turned to the wounded intruder and asked, "How does your chest feel? Does your stomach hurt?" He was so warm and attentive that he seemed completely different from the cold and calculating 'One who Ignores the Dying'. Yet, the woman did not seem to care about his concern. Undaunted, the physician released her acupoints and massaged her limbs. Then, he administered several doses of medicine, taking great care as he fed them into her mouth. Finally, he picked her up, laid her in his bed and covered her with his blankets. Such warmth and gentleness was so unfit for the enemy, that Zhang Wuji began rubbing his swollen cheeks in an absent-minded manner as he tried to make sense of the baffling scene.
The expression on Hu Qingniu's face softened further, until affection and compassion could be clearly seen all over it. "You have other injuries in addition to the poisoning," he said to the woman in a gentle voice. "If I heal you of all these ailments, can we call off the duel for the rest of our days?"
The woman smiled and answered, "These light injuries are nothing to worry about. But do you know what poison I took? If you can really heal me of it, I will submit to you. But I am afraid that the abilities of the Sage of Healing are not necessarily as great as the prowess of the Sage of Poisons." She concluded by eyeing the physician with a coquettish smile.
Although Zhang Wuji did not understand much about the intimate relationships that could occur between a man and a woman, he could tell from the scene that the physician and the woman had a great deal of affection for each other.
"I have already declared ten years ago that the Sage of Healing is less able than the Sage of Poisons, but you have refused to believe me," Hu Qingniu went on. "Sigh, there are many ways to fight this out, but how can you use your own body to prove your point? Now, I really hope with all my heart that the Sage of Healing is better than the Sage of Poisons, or I will not carry on living any longer."
The woman smiled again and said, "If I poison other people, you will pretend to be a mediocre physician and let me gain the upperhand. Hee hee, now that I have poisoned myself, you have no alternative but to do your very best."
Hu Qingniu sighed and stroked the woman's hair. "I am very worried about you," he said. "Please do not talk anymore, for you need to close your eyes and get some rest. But if you decide to harm yourself further by exercising your internal strength in secret, you are not being fair to me at all."
"Victory and defeat must naturally be decided in a manner that is open and aboveboard," the woman responded with a smile. "I will not act in such a despicable way." She closed her eyes as she was told, but the smile remained on her lips.
As Ji Xiaofu and Zhang Wuji reeled in disbelief over what they had seen and heard so far, Hu Qingniu turned to the boy, bowed deeply and said, "Little Brother, I offended you greatly in a moment of haste and emotion. Please forgive me."
Zhang Wuji shot an accusatory glance at the physician and snapped, "I really do not understand a single bit of what is going on! What exactly you are doing?"
To his surprise, Hu Qingniu raised his hand and slapped himself twice across his cheeks. "Little Brother," the man said, "I owe my life to you. But I was so worried about my wife's health that I ended up offending you just now."
"She ... she is your wife?" asked Zhang Wuji in surprise.
"Yes, she is," answered Hu Qingniu with a nod. "If you are still angry, please give me another two slaps, or I will have to kowtow before you in apology. Having my life rescued is no big deal, for it is more important that my wife is saved. Now, she owes her life you as well."
The physician had always been such a strict and dignified man that Zhang Wuji regarded him with a mixture of respect and fear. Therefore, his willingness to slap himself clearly indicated the sincerity of his apology. Furthermore, the woman was really his wife. As the anger in his heart dissipated, Zhang Wuji said, "I do not dare to accept your kowtows of apology, and I am not particularly bothered by the slaps that you gave me. But I really do not understand why things have turned out this way."
Inviting Ji Xiaofu and Zhang Wuji to sit down, Hu Qingniu replied, "I guess the truth cannot be kept hidden any longer. My wife's surname is Wang, and her maiden name is Nangu. We were originally apprentices in the same school. Besides learning martial arts from our master, I chose to focus on the study of medicine, while she decided to pursue the study of poisons. She felt that the ultimate reason for learning martial arts was to kill others. Since the art of poisoning served the same purpose, the two skills complemented each other. Being well-versed in the art of poisoning could only multiply the effectiveness of one's pugilistic skills. On the other hand, the practice medicine cures illnesses and saves lives, opposing the goal of martial arts. I admired my wife's views, for her knowledge was ten times better than mine. However, I was so bent on doing good that nothing could change my mind. As a result of my folly and the reluctance to take her advice, I neglected her loving and painstaking efforts to help me see her point.
"Our differing pursuits did not affect the good relationship we had between us, so our master eventually arranged for us to be married. As time went by, we built reputations for ourselves in the realm of the rivers and lakes. I became known as the 'Sage of Healing', while my wife was referred to as the 'Sage of Poisons'. Her skill in the art of poisoning was beyond comparison, for she was the indigo that had come out of the blue, surpassing our master by leaps and bounds. Her nickname alone testified to the extent of her abilities. Thus, I can only blame myself for acting without sufficient thought and consideration in curing her victims on several occasions. I was even singing my own praises without realising that I was being undevoted and unfaithful to my beloved wife. Such disregard was so terrible that even the phrase 'wolf's heart and dog's lungs' was insufficient to describe it. Think about it: The victims of the Sage of Poisons were saved by the Sage of Healing. Besides going against my beloved wife's intentions, did this also not indicate that the Sage of Healing was greater than the Sage of Poisons?"
Ji Xiaofu and Zhang Wuji shook their heads quietly in their hearts, for his train of thought sounded very incorrect.
Hu Qingniu went on: "She has always been gentle, submissive, loving and devoted to me. There is no one else like her in the entire world. Yet, I carried out my selfish acts time and again, belittling my wife and putting her down by healing her victims. Finally, I realised that I had hurt her too much, so I swore an oath never to provide treatment for anyone whom she had poisoned. As time went by, my reputation as the 'One who Ignores the Dying' was established.
"She forgave me after seeing that I could change my ways. A few years later, I ran into a case of poisoning so strange that it could only be the work of my wife. So I stepped back and refused to be involved with it. Unfortunately, the victim's condition was so unique that I lost my self-control after a few days and proceeded to cure him of his ailment.
"Somehow, my wife did not kick up a fuss about it. Instead, she said, 'All right! The Healing Sage of Butterfly Valley Hu Qingniu has indeed turned out to be a marvellous physician. But I, the Sage of Poisons Wang Nangu, absolutely refuse to submit to you. Let us both pit our skills against each other, and see whether the Sage of Healing is more brilliant, or the Sage of Poisons is more formidable.' I tried my best to apologise, but how could her anger be appeased so easily? Then, I found out that she had poisoned the man not because he was her enemy, but because she had discovered a new method of poisoning that might render the victim incurable. She had executed it on the man just to test the validity of her findings, but I had ended up spoiling her experiment with a few misguided medical techniques and a stroke of sheer good luck. I did not even show the slightest regard for my beloved wife, so how could I still be considered a man?
"For many years after that incident, she concentrated on finding new techniques of poisoning, often sending me her victims for treatment. We went on pitting our skills against each other in this manner, until I began to fail in my work. There were two reasons for this: First, there were indeed some shortcomings in my abilities, and second, I was really unwilling to anger her further. Unfortunately, my wife became more angry than before. She accused me of belittling her, allowing her to gain the
upperhand without giving my best in the competition between us. Subsequently, she left Butterfly Valley in a huff and refused to return.
"Although I did not act rashly again, I found too much enjoyment in healing ailments that I could not pass up any opportunity to deal with strange illnesses or weird poisons. I knew that my wife's victims would show up time and again among my patients, but she had become so good that I could not identify her work with certainty on a number of occasions. As a result, I ended up curing her victims again. Sigh, I should be named Hu Chunniu (Stupid Cow) instead of Hu Qingniu (Black Cow). I am very fortunate that a woman like Nangu would lower herself in marriage to me, but I did not know how to love her and care for her. Instead, I made her so upset that she walked out on me in favour of a life of wandering between the skies and the cliffs, suffering the hardships of being beaten by wind and frost. Furthermore, the hearts of the people in the realm of the rivers and lakes are deceitful. How then could I rest at ease, when a fragile woman like her is living alone amidst so many wicked people?"
As remorse appeared all over Hu Qingniu's face, Ji Xiaofu cast a glance at Wang Nangu and thought: This Mrs Hu is known as the 'Sage of Poisons', for who else is better than she when it comes to the art of poisoning? Poeple would probably be thanking the Heavens and the Earth as soon as she sat still, so who would dare to touch her in return? It is really funny that Mr Hu fears his wife as if she is a tigress.
"Thus, I swore another oath," said the physician. "Henceforth, I will not provide treatment for anyone unless he or she is a member of our Ming Cult. I did this to prevent myself from unwittingly destroying Nangu's handiwork, for both my wife and I belong to the Cult. Therefore, she would never harm any of our brothers and sisters."
Ji Xiaofu and Zhang Wuji exchanged a glance: So this is the reason behind his refusal to provide treatment for anyone who is not a member of the Ming Cult.
Hu Qingniu resumed his tale: "Seven years ago, an elderly couple came to Butterfly Valley to seek treatment after falling victim to a terrible poison. Owners of Lingshe Island in the Eastern Sea, they were known by their nicknames as the Old Woman of the Golden Flower and the Old Man of the Silver Leaf. They took every care to adhere to the courtesies of making a visit, but the Old Woman ended up revealing her pugilistic prowess by accident. I was very shocked by the display. I did not dare to
make an outright refusal to provide treatment, but how could I return to my old ways after recognising that those ways were wrong? Therefore, I took their pulses and said, 'Sir, you and your wife may be elderly, but your pulses move as if they belong to people in the prime of their lives. This is the first time that I have seen such an amazing condition, so credit should be given to your rich internal strength.' The Old Woman said, 'You are very brilliant.' Then, I said, 'Sir, your poison-wrought ailment is different from your wife's. Your condition is incurable, but you will live for several more years to come. As for your wife, her poisoning is not serious, so she can treat herself with her internal strength.'
"Prodding further, I found that they had been poisoned by an old foreign monk(1) from the Western Regions, who was employed by the Mongolians. I was relieved that my wife was not involved, yet I was bound by my oath to provide treatment only for members of the Ming Cult. I could not make an exception for this couple. The Old Woman offered me a great reward, and asked me to save her husband's life. But I chose to ignore their request for the sake of my relationship with my wife. To my surprise, the elderly couple did not use any force against me, preferring to walk away in sadness. Before leaving, the Old Woman said, 'Ha ha, Ming Cult, Ming Cult ... so it is still all because of the Ming Cult!' I knew that my stand had made me many enemies, and would continue to do so for the rest of my life, but I could not allow outsiders to spoil my deep and loving relationship with my wife. Do you not think so?"
Ji Xiaofu and Zhang Wuji kept silent, unwilling to lend their support to his reason for ignoring the dying.
"Recently, my wife heard that the Old Man of the Silver Leaf had passed away," said Hu Qingniu. "As a result, the Old Woman of the Golden Flower is now on her way here to make trouble for me. My wife rushed back to stand with me against the enemy, but she found an outsider in our home. Thus, she used some medicine to knock Wuji out for one night."
Suddenly, the boy understood: I had slept all the way past noon because Mrs Hu had drugged me, and I actually thought that I was falling ill. The Sage of Poisons is formidable indeed, to work in such an undiscernable manner.
Hu Qingniu went on: "I was very happy that my wife had returned. She wanted me to pretend that I had been struck by smallpox, to avoid seeing anyone. Then, both of us stayed in the room, looking for ways and means to overcome the Old Woman of the Golden Flower. After all, she was so highly skilled that we would never be able to escape from her clutches. A few days later, Xue Gongyuan, Jian Jie, Ji-guniang and the other twelve patients arrived.
"Descriptions of your ailments told me immediately that the Old Woman of the Golden Flower wanted to test me, and see if I was really going to stick to my oath and treat no one, except for members of the Ming Cult. I enjoyed the challenge of medicine as much as life itself, so I could hardly control myself at the sight of one strange ailment. So you can just imagine how much these fifteen cases tugged at my heart. But I knew what the Old Woman was up to. As soon as I had any one of these patients cured, she would increase the torture that she had planned for me by a hundred times. Therefore, I had no choice but to stay quiet and ignore the itch in my hands, until Wuji asked me how these ailments could be healed. But I took great pains to declare that Wuji is a disciple of the Wudang Clan and that he had no relationship whatsoever with Hu Qingniu.
"Unfortunately, Nangu became upset when Wuji found success in my instructions. So, she started adding poison to the patients' food, drink and medicinal brews. This meant that she had resumed pitting her skills against mine. At the same time, she was also protecting me from the wrath of the Old Woman of the Golden Flower, for Wuji's success would probably be blamed on me. These fifteen patients were all highly skilled pugilists, so how could they not know what Nangu was doing? It turned out that she had knocked them out with drugs first, before proceeding with the main task of poisoning them. Such prowess will probably be lost when Nangu is gone."
Ji Xiaofu and Zhang Wuji exchanged another glance, for they finally understood why the boy had to shake the sleeping woman so hard before waking her up several nights ago.
"Ji- guniang has been recovering well in the past few days," Hu Qingniu added, "so Nangu's poison has not been producing the desired effect. After some investigations, my wife realised that Wuji had uncovered her secret, so she decided to harm him as well. Sigh, it is easy to transform the physical face of our land, but it is difficult to change a man's natural disposition. At the end of the day, I am still not entirely devoted to my beloved wife. I was unwilling to be involved in the first place, but after Wuji advised me to take a trip and avoid the impending doom, my heart softened. As a result, I gave him a prescription with the Chinese angelica (dang gui / dang1 gui1), the dried rhizome of rehmannia (sheng di / sheng1 di4), the root of the narrow-leaved polygala (yuan zhi / yuan3 zhi4), the root of the Saposhnikovia divaricata (fang feng / fang2 feng1) and Angelica biserrata (du huo / du2 huo2). I could not speak plainly then because my wife was with me.
"But Nangu was very intelligent. She knew the properties of each herb well, so she could tell that the prescription was too strange to be true. After some thought, she broke the code. Then, she tied me up, swallowed some poison and said, ' Shige, we have been married for more than twenty years. The oceans can dry up and the stones can break down, but the love between us will never change. Yet, you have always despised my skills, for you have always been able to cure my victims, regardless of the poison I use. Now, I have taken a deadly poison myself. If you can heal me, I will submit to you for the rest of my life.' I was so shocked that I admitted defeat at once, and begged her not to harm herself. But she gagged me with a huge walnut. You know what took place after that."
Ji Xiaofu and Zhang Wuji looked at each other, feeling exasperated and tickled at the same time. After all, this couple was so eccentric in their ways that it would probably be very difficult to find another pair like them. It was not really a big deal that Hu Qingniu loved his wife so much that he gradually became fearful of her, but it was unimaginable that Wang Nangu would be so eager to put her husband down that she ended up poisoning herself to prove her point.
"Think about it," said Hu Qingniu. "What other alternatives do I have? If I succeed in healing her, I would just be declaring that my skills are better than hers. She will be very upset. But if I fail, she will die! Sigh! I wish the Old Woman of the Golden Flower would appear soon and kill me with a stroke of her walking stick. Then, Nangu would no longer have to fret over me. Furthermore, her skills have advanced so much in recent years that I cannot figure out what poison she has ingested. So I
do not even know where and how to start treating her."
"Sir, can you really not tell what poison Shimu has taken?" asked Zhang Wuji.
"Your Shimu's skills have reached the point of perfection in recent years," answered the physician. "So I am likely to fail in my attempts to heal her. She has probably ingested a deadly poison made from three pests and three weeds, but I do not have a single clue as to how these six ingredients are combined." As he spoke, he used the index finger of his right hand to write a prescription on the surface of the table. Then, he waved a hand and said, "Please go out. If Nangu dies, I will not carry on living alone."
"Please take care of yourself and do encourage Shimu with kind words," said Ji Xiaofu and Zhang Wuji in unison.
"What should I say to encourage her?" Hu Qingniu retorted in frustration. "It is all my fault!" He burst into loud sobs after that, prompting Ji Xiaofu and Zhang Wuji to leave the room at once.
With the two outsiders gone, Hu Qingniu struck several acupoints on his wife's back and waist. Then, he said, " Shimei, your husband is useless, for he is really unable to heal the poison wrought by the three pests and the three weeds. The only alternative left is to follow you in death, so that we can still be husband-and-wife in the afterlife." He put a hand into Wang Nangu's pocket and pulled a few small packets out. Opening one of these packets, he found that it contained a multi-coloured mixture of powders that were obtained from the grinding of three pests and three weeds.
Although Wang Nangu could not move, she could still speak. So, she said, " Shige, please ... do not take the poison ... " But Hu Qingniu turned a deaf ear to her pleas and poured the powder into his mouth. Mixing it with his saliva, he proceeded to swallow the poison.
"How can you take such a large dose at once?" cried Wang Nangu in shock. "That was enough to kill three people!"
Hu Qingniu smiled wanly and sat down on a chair beside the bed where his wife lay. Just then, he felt as if a million knives were slicing through his stomach. This was the work of the Gelsemium elegans (duan chang cao / duan4 chang2 cao3), the first of the six ingredients to take effect. The remaining two weeds and three pests would soon follow.
" Shige, there is a way to cure the poison," cried Wang Nangu.
"No ... I ... I do not believe ... I ... I am dying ...," Hu Qingniu replied as his body shook and his teeth chattered. "Take a combination of the Pill of Bezoar and Daemonorops-draco, and the Powder of 'Yulong-Suhe' quickly," said Wang Nangu again. "Then, use acupuncture to dissipate the poison."
"What ... purpose ... will ... it serve?" gasped Hu Qingniu in retort.
"I took only a little of the poison," answered Wang Nangu, "but you took too much. If you do not do anything now, it will be too late!"
"I have ... loved you ... with all my heart," said Hu Qingniu. "But you insisted ... on fighting with me. There is no more joy in living ... but ... when I die, everything will ... be ... over ... a-yo ... a-yo..." By then, the venom of the Pallas pit viper and the spider -- two of the three pests in the poisonous six-ingredient concoction -- had begun to attack the physician's heart and lungs. Hu Qingniu weakened until he lost consciousness altogether.
" Shige, Shige, it is all my fault!" Wang Nangu wailed loudly. "You must not die ... I will never pit my skills against yours again." Although they had fought each other for decades, the love between them had remained strong. Wang Nangu was not afraid of death, but she panicked when her husband decided to kill himself with the very same poison that she had taken. With her acupoints blocked, she could not do anything to rescue him.
Fortunately, Zhang Wuji heard her cries and rushed into the room. " Shimu, what must I do to save Shifu?" he asked, finally acknowledging himself as a student of Hu Qingniu.
Wang Nangu brightened up at once. "Give him a combination of the Pill of Bezoar and Daemonorops-draco, and the Powder of 'Yulong-Suhe' quickly," she answered. "Then, prick his Yong Quan and Jiu Wei acupoints with gold needles ... "
At that moment, a series of coughs sounded outside the door, appearing to be clearer than usual in the stillness of the night. Ji Xiaofu rushed into the room with a face as pale as a sheet of paper. "The Old Woman of the Golden Flower ... the Old Woman of the ...," she stammered in fright, but before she could finish her announcement, the door-curtain parted silently.
A crone with a hunched back appeared, with a young girl about twelve or thirteen years old by her side. The fearsome Old Woman of the Golden Flower had finally arrived.
Focusing her attention on Hu Qingniu, the Old Woman was taken aback to see him holding his stomach in pain. His face had darkened and his breathing was weak. In fact, he looked as if he was about to drop dead. "What is wrong with him?" she asked.
Before anyone could answer her, Hu Qingniu's legs stiffened. He was finally dead.
"Why did you punish yourself in this manner?" wailed Wang Nangu. "Why did you poison yourself to death?"
The Old Woman of the Golden Flower had travelled all the way to the Central Region from the Isle of the Gifted Snake for two purposes: to seek redress from the enemy who had caused the death of her husband, and to terrorise Hu Qingniu. Yet, she had not expected the physician to ingest a deadly poison just before she showed up. As an expert on poisons herself, she could tell from the colour on the faces of Hu Qingniu and Wang Nangu that both of them had been so seriously poisoned that there was no longer a cure for either one of them. Since the physician had probably committed suicide in fear of the Old Woman herself, she quickly decided that the objective of her visit had been accomplished. "He has sinned, he has sinned!" she mumbled with a sigh as she walked out of the room with the young girl in tow.
Moments after leaving the hut, her coughs were heard coming from a distance of more than ten zhang (33.33 metres) away. The speed at which she moved was really beyond imagination. Feeling safe once more, Zhang Wuji placed a hand on Hu Qingniu's chest. His heart was still beating, but its pace had become very faint. The boy quickly fed the man a Pill of Bezoar and Daemonorops-draco, and a dose of the Powder of 'Yulong-Suhe'. Then, he pushed a gold needle each into his Yong Quan and Jiu Wei acupoints, before giving Wang Nangu the same course of treatment.
More than an hour later, Hu Qingniu regained consciousness. Wang Nangu was so happy that she burst into tears. "Little Brother, thank you so much for saving our lives," she said to Zhang Wuji between sobs. Then, she wrote up a prescription that would expel the remaining poison from their bodies.
Unfortunately, her skills at detoxification were not particularly brilliant, so her prescription could not remove the poison in its entirety. When Zhang Wuji took the prescription away for decoction, he quietly substituted some of its contents with what Hu Qingniu had written earlier on the surface of the table. However, Wang Nangu was never told about it.
"With the Old Woman of the Golden Flower thinking that Mr Hu has poisoned himself to death, one big problem has been solved," Zhang Wuji declared. But the thought of the crone and the ghost-like manner in which she appeared and disappeared was still frightening enough to send shivers down his spine.
"People say that this Old Woman of the Golden Flower is very cautious in her ways," Wang Nangu remarked. "Although she has gone, she will return again to check on us. My husband and I must leave this place immediately. Little Brother, please erect two graves for us, with our names clearly inscribed on the gravestones."
Zhang Wuji agreed.
After Hu Qingniu and his wife had drunk their detoxifying decoctions, they packed the things hurriedly. Then, they sent the two pages back to their respective homes with ten liang (500 grams) of silver each. Finally, the couple hopped on to a mule-drawn carriage and vanished under the cover of night.
Zhang Wuji sent them all the way up to the entrance of Butterfly Valley. Having spent the past two years in each other's company, neither the boy nor the physician could bear to part with the other.
Hu Qingniu pulled out a handwritten book and said, "Wuji, all the things that I have learnt about medicine and its practices are recorded in this book. I have kept it hidden from you in the past, but now, I would like you to have it. I feel very bad for failing to expel the toxins of the Mystical Palm Technique of Profound Darkness (Xuan Ming Shen Zhang / Xuan2 Ming2 Shen2 Zhang3) from your body, so I hope that you will eventually find a way to do so by studying this book."
Zhang Wuji accepted the gift with thanks.
Then, Wang Nangu said, "You saved our lives and enabled us to be reconciled with each other. Thus, I should pass all my knowledge and skills to you as well. But I have focused only on the methods of harming others with poison, so there is little purpose in your learning them. I hope that you will achieve complete recovery as soon as possible. As for your reward, I will have to make up for it in the days to come."
Zhang Wuji waited until the mule-drawn carriage had disappeared from sight before returning to the row of huts. Early the next morning, he built two graves beside the huts by piling earth and stones. Then, he left the valley to engage the services of a stonemason. The stonemason erected two gravestones: one inscribed with 'The grave of the Healing Sage of Butterfly Valley Hu Qingniu' and the other with 'The grave of Mrs Hu, nee Wang'.
Jian Jie and the others sighed when they saw the graves, for the story of Hu Qingniu being seriously ill had proven to be true.
With Wang Nangu gone, there was no one left to poison the patients in secret. Consequently, their injuries began to heal under Zhang Wuji's care. Less than ten days later, they took their leave with thanks. Ji Xiaofu and her daughter did not have anywhere to go to, so they decided to accompany Zhang Wuji for a few more days.
To be continued...
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- In the 2nd edition, the culprit was a "mute medicant monk".