text:
Al Franken vs Diana Furchtgott-Roth of Hudson Institute
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) questioned Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Diana Furchtgott-Roth about medical bankruptcies. Franken asked Furchtgott-Roth — who claimed that moving towards a European-style system of universal health care would increase bankruptcies — about how many medical bankruptcies there were in countries that have universal health care.
Oh man, the look on her face.
I like how she tried to throw in a talking point at the end and change the subject from finance, after she started it.
Then Al Franken shoots down her study, and dismisses her red herring to conclude back on the original topic. Hilarious.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
So now we have proof that Al Franken is a pompous ass.
You say that is if it's a bad thing.
He definitely is a pompous ass, but he's my kind of pompous ass -- he's intelligent and knowledgeable, and he knows it.
"Yes, I seriously believe that consciousness is a product of a natural process. I find that the neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers who proceed from that premise are the ones who are actually making useful contributions to our understanding of the mind." - PZ Myers
So now we have proof that Al Franken is a pompous ass.
He is a politician now, who not only ran for election but will one day run for re-election. Politicians are ALL a collection of pompuses asses!!!! It is their nature!!! Quit reserved intelligence doesn't get votes!!!!!
On election day you go into the booth and vote for the least assinine, we hope.
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
i don't think he seems pompous or smarmy at all. i think he seems angry, and justifiably so. i myself have been angry for many years at the kind of fear-based bullshit that this woman and her ilk are peddling.
"I asked my father,
I said, 'Father change my name.'
The one I'm using now it's covered up
with fear and filth and cowardice and shame."
--Leonard Cohen
I would never vote for Franken but I would fully support Stuart Smalley if he should run against him.
"The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws."
Ayn Rand
So now we have proof that Al Franken is a pompous ass.
I did not see that at all. He was just stating facts which pretty much directly contradicted her assertion, in a straight-forwad, no-nonsense manner.
He didn't even strike me as particularly angry, it was a well-caibrated response to the rubbish being pushed by that woman.
Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality
"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris
The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology
Answers in Gene Simmons wrote:
So now we have proof that Al Franken is a pompous ass.
I did not see that at all. He was just stating facts which pretty much directly contradicted her assertion, in a straight-forwad, no-nonsense manner.
He didn't even strike me as particularly angry, it was a well-caibrated response to the rubbish being pushed by that woman.
Agreed, and I think it is better to call lies out in important discussions like this from lawmakers and lobbyist groups.
Throwing more and more lies and wild claims into the discussion seems to be an all too common tactic these days. It is good to have people that read the actual cited works rather than just letting it slip by and accepting whatever is claimed as fact.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
Al Franken is a liberal, democrat jackass who believes very strongly in a lot of bullshit like free abortions and the outlawing of guns altogether. I think he is a scumbag on many fronts, but he is a lot better than some of this trash that is in office, which isn't saying much.
Most of these politicians should be shot. It amazes me that they are in the positions that they are. I do believe that the US should have free health care to all citizens and that these so-called "insurance" companies should be outlawed, in addition to a lot of other forced entities like property taxes, drivers licenses, passports, social security cards, and all sorts of other nonsense.
it is just a matter of time before there are scanners on every corner sending out electronic signals and anyone who has a warrant, or who doesn't register a signal with the system, will be subject to arrest.


text:
- Home
- How to Rebuild Pontiac V-8s
How to Rebuild Pontiac V-8s
Item #14717 Brand: CarTech Inc
About How to Rebuild Pontiac V-8s
Under the guidance of Semon "Bunkie" Knutson, John DeLorean, and a host of creative and innovative people, Pontiac established its own identity and distinct V-8 engine platform under the GM banner. In 1955, Pontiac's V-8 started out at a meager 287 cubic inches, but it was an auspicious beginning to an illustrious line of engines. The potent powerplant grew and evolved over the coming decades, which included the 389 Tri-Power, 421, Ram Air IV 400, 428, and the Super Duty 455. These V-8s powered a number of legendary cars-the GTO, Firebird, Trans-Am, and many others. This Workbench series book will guide proud owners who will rebuild these engines and give them a new lease on life.
Long-time Pontiac expert and magazine writer Rocky Rotella guides the reader through the entire rebuild process. Drawing on his vast experience, Rotella uses detailed captions and explanatory photos to show each crucial step of the disassembly, inspection, machine work, parts selection, assembly, and break-in process. The book instructs the reader how to skillfully pull the engine and prevent damage to the car. It documents how to carefully inspect the components for problems and fix these issues that could spell doom for a newly rebuilt engine. Finding a reputable and professional machine shop that specializes in Pontiac engines is discussed, as well as aftermarket parts and OEM parts interchange for high-performance, so you can select the best parts for a particular engine. All essential machine shop procedures are covered in detail. Inspection and pre-assembly are thoroughly explained.
Most importantly, the methodical and practical approach provides the insight and vital information required for the task, as with all Workbench series titles. This, the first ever book dedicated to rebuilding the Pontiac V-8 engine, is a valuable addition to any Pontiac enthusiast's library.
144 pages
Customers also viewed:
Capture the excess oil, protect your hands, eliminate the mess!
Starting at: $12.99
Prevents corrosion, gumming and resin build-up caused by Ethanol
Starting at: $1.88
Prevents premature non-roller lifter deterioration
Starting at: $8.99
Removes silicone, wax, polish, grease; promotes paint/powder adhesion
Starting at: $6.99
Maintains battery at full charge while stored...won't overchargeOnly $34.99

subset: commoncrawl


text:
(aka 'The Girls')
Directed by
Mai Zetterling
Sweden 1968
Three actresses prepare to go on the road in a theater production of Lysistrata, Aristophanes' classic comic play about women and war. As they re-asses and deal with the problems of their respective lives, they recognize parallels with the play and begin to realize that it is serious - even tragic - after all.
The Girls is actress Mai Zetterling's fourth feature film as a director and is a key work in feminist cinema, presenting the eccentric, often funny and very positive way the three women's minds work. In Le Monde, Simon de Beauvoir enthused "All the images have multiple dimensions, the theatrical scenes reflect real life... Ironic and comic, this film moves us by the beauty of its landscapes, its poetry and above all subtle tenderness."
Theatrical Release: September 16th, 1968
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: New Yorker Video - Region 1 - NTSC
|DVD Box Cover
CLICK to order from:
|New Yorker Video - Region 1 - NTSC
Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.17 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
|Swedish (Dolby Digital 2.0)
|English, French, None
Release Information:
Edition Details:
• "Lines
From The Heart" (1996), Christina Olofson's 73 minute film homage to Mai
Zetterling that re-unites the 3 stars of THE GIRLS
Another highly textured image from Project X (Oliver Groom) and distributed by New Yorker Video who brought us Peter Watkins - Punishment Park, The Gladiators, The War Game / Culloden and Edvard Munch - plus another Mai Zetterling work - Loving Couples. This new image is clean with thick grain and stunning contrast. In fact for some it might appear too heavy, but I feel confident that this is an accurate representation of the film. Audio was clear and optional subtitles (well rendered) are offered in English and French.
Extras include a 73 minute, optionally subtitled, film homage to director Zetterling - it brings together Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson and Gunnel Lindblom in a kind of ad-hoc nostalgic retrospective about the film and Mai. It is a nice supplement. On top of that are text bios of the cast.
It is a real pleasure to review such competent DVD production work as this. An excellent choice of film, rarely seen in North America, and everything is done with loving efficiency. A strongly recommended DVD!
DVD Menus
Subtitle Sample
Screen Captures


text:
As of Thursday, May 9, 2013
© Copyright 2015 Clayton News Daily
JONESBORO — Where there were just pine trees and shrubs there is now a state-of-the-art playground.
"We've been watching it being built for months and waiting for a chance to play on it," said Naomi Haynes, a child at Kinship Care Resource Center, which unveiled its new playground this week.
Haynes, 8, is a second-grader at Mt. Zion Primary School in Stockbridge and she is being raised by her grandmother, Tiffany Roberts.
The pair are members of the center. It is a resource to the area's grandparents who have become the primary caregivers of a third generation.
Roberts said she raised her children in the 1980s and 1990s. She returned to the parenting role about six years ago.
"I've had her [Haynes] since she was 2," Roberts said. "It's been very challenging but Kinship has made a world of difference."
The Kinship Care program provides grandparents with support in the way of schooling, counseling, financial literacy, recreational activities and health and fitness.
"They give you a lot of support and opportunities for giving kids activities — like tutoring and field trips," said Roberts.
She acknowledged technology has caught up with her in the decade or two since she parented small children. She said that generational gap has been challenging.
"The technology is the biggest thing for me," she said. "They're exposed to so much these days."
The playground, though, is something her generation and her granddaughter have in common. This generation's children appear to enjoy the slides, monkey bars and swing sets as much as their parents and grandparents did.
Photo Gallery
Kinship Care playground
The children ran full out onto the playground following the grand opening ceremony this week.
Thom Snyder, the state's aging services coordinator, gave remarks for the occasion.
"I'm here really to say, 'thank you,'" he said. "There are 100,000 grandparents raising grandchildren in the state of Georgia and that number is growing everyday."
Kinship Care Program Coordinator Angie Burda also spoke during the ceremony. She said the $140,000 playground was funded through a federal Housing and Urban Development grant.
Burda thanked Kompan, the international company that manufactured and erected the seven-component playground. She said the play space is made of earth-friendly materials and recycled plastics and rubber.
The playground is a welcome sight at the center at 849 Battle Creek Road in Jonesboro.
Burda said the Kinship Care program has had to visit different locations in the past to give children access to public playground facilities, traveling as far away as Heritage Park in McDonough.
The center's assistant director, Tori Strawter-Tanks, opened Tuesday's ceremonies by introducing Clayton County Commission Chairman Jeff Turner who gave welcoming remarks.
Other speakers included state Rep. Rev. Mike Glanton (D-Jonesboro), District 1 Commissioner Sonna Singleton, Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, Clayton County Community Development Director Partick Ejike, Clayton County Senior Services Director Mary Byrd and Georgia Human Services Department Aging Services Coordinator Thom Snyder.
More like this story
- Center celebrates 10 years of kinship care ( April 17, 2014 )
- Kinship Care hosts cultural program for youth ( February 18, 2011 )
- Kinship Care produces first college graduate ( May 31, 2012 )
- Camp Kinship - Program provides outlet for children, grandparents ( July 5, 2009 )
- Center celebrates 10 years of service to grandparents ( April 18, 2014 )


text:
Magic chef breadmaker manual
Recipes / Magic chef breadmaker manual (1000+)
Chef Paul's World Famous Oyster Dressing
1867 views
green bell peppers, 4 tsp Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic, 1 tsp Chopped garlic, 1
Blackened Chicken And Pasta
1490 views
chicken breast halves, 4 Tbsp. chef paul prudhome's poultry magic, 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
Cajun Honey Wings Kfc(R)
431 views
1/3 x honey, 4 tsp Chef Paul Prudhomme's Meat Magic, 1 Tbsp. canned green chilies, chopped
Cajun Shrimp And Corn Soup
328 views
c. potatoes diced, 1 tsp Chef Prudommes Seafood Magic seasoning salt pepper, 2 can creamed
Chef Mazur's Shore Lunch Walleye
391 views
Chef Mazur's Shore Lunch Walleye, ) Sprinkle of Prudhomme's Seafood Magic, 4 x Green
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic
677 views
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic, ingredients: 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp paprika
Cinnamon n Raisin POMegranate Bread
294 views
bread cookbook that came with my beloved Magic Chef bread machine. After all, this was an
Classic Stuffed Mushrooms
117 views
got to eat them!!! My mom had the old Magic Chef Chateau range (a hot number in the early
Orange Creamsicle Magic Shell
27 views
more Magic Shell? Dark Chocolate Magic Shell from The Novice Chef Peanut Butter Cup Magic
Pecan-Crusted Lemon Pepper Tilapia with Pico de Gallo Cream Sauce...and a Magic Seasoning Blends Giveaway!
83 views
lip-smaking fish dish in your kitchen, Chef Paul Magic Seasonings is going to give one of
Groups / Magic chef breadmaker manual (0)
So. Cal Foodie Home Chefs
10 members
will pair us up with a great chef from my company www.hautechefs.com - Vastly experienced
Professional Chef Recipes
37 members
both inspire and delight. Some of the chefs we've selected represent the next generation
Looking for Professional Chefs for a book
5 members
hearts - and will include a bio of each chef plus a favorite recipe. About me: I am multi
Future Chefs of the World
6 members
thoughts heard. This group is for the younger chefs to share ideas and also for older more
Infra Chef Users
8 members
Infra Chef Users, Anyone who has a Infra Chef
Themes / Magic chef breadmaker manual (0)
Tasty and easy microwave cooking!
a "nuker"wave oven. I may not be a chef but I can make some decent food using no extra
Microwave Magic
Microwave Magic, Microwave ovens can cook food as well as conventional methods
Trusted Results with Magic chef breadmaker manual
Bread Machine Baking: The Basics - Allrecipes
Get tips and advice for getting a perfect loaf from your bread machine. ... I am on my third breadmaker and feel like I finally found the best, a Zojirushi. ...


text:
Select the store nearest you to check available inventory* on item #: NRP463
*We highly recommend that you call to verify the information shown above before visiting the store.
This stainless steel potato ricer incorporates air into your boiled potatoes, making them light, fluffy, and lump free. This commercial-grade vegetable ricer can hold up to 2.75 cups of potatoes. The potato ricer fits over most pots and bowls for a no-mess solution!
Ace Mart™ is a registered trademark of Ace Mart Restaurant Supply Co.
© Ace Mart Restaurant Supply Co. All rights reserved.
Call Customer Service Toll Free: 1-888-898-8079 or
Email Us


text:
New York
Great NY Foodie Photo Scavenger Hunt
Any NY SEers doing this? If you are, let us know how it's going! Sounds like a lot of fun.
Talk is closed, but that doesn't mean the conversations have to stop!
Check out this post for a more thorough explanation, and jump onto our Facebook page or our Twitter feed to keep the conversations going!


text:
Washington County will soon take a stand on synthetic drugs, as Mayor Dan Eldridge's wife, Tammy, will lead a protest with Parents Against the Sale of Synthetic Drugs on Saturday outside Cloud 9 Emporium and Above the Clouds in Johnson City.
From 9 a.m. until midnight, Eldridge said student protesters from Daniel Boone and David Crockett high schools, parents and people from the community will be outside the two shops protesting the sale of synthetic drugs.
Tammy Eldridge said she and PASSD began planning and organizing the protest a week ago after initial reports of a student being removed from Daniel Boone on Feb. 21.
"We had one additional meeting after that Tuesday night and it was at Ferguson Enterprises last Friday," Eldridge said. "I just said whoever is passionate about this, as a parent, as a mother, please come and help organize."
She said the protest Saturday will be organized with assigned team leaders helping out during a specific hourly shift.
"We've kind of assigned team leaders and hours when they're responsible for getting people there," Eldridge said. "Walk-on protesters are welcome, but we've assigned times when we want certain team leaders there with their committed followers."
Eldridge said she would like the protest to accomplish three of their goals: To educate people on the effects of using synthetic drugs, to send a message to synthetic drug store owners that they are not welcome in Washington County and to help push legislation that would ban synthetic drugs in Tennessee.
Eldridge said a subcommittee, made up of committee Chairman Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesborough, along with Rep. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, and Rep. Jon Lundberg, R-Bristol, held a meeting Tuesday in Nashville discussing a bill involving these legal drugs.
"In that bill it provides that should a store sell synthetic drugs or bath salts ... the store will be closed for 60 days," she said.
Eldridge said stores selling synthetic drugs are also known to sell lottery tickets, beer and cigarettes and if they are caught selling these drugs, according to the proposed legislation, they would not be able to sell anything during those 60 days.
"We just really want to take back our community," Eldridge said. "It's such a great place to live."
Eldridge said they have invited officials and state legislators to speak at 3 p.m. at the Cloud 9 Emporium, 411 W. Oakland Ave. A candlelight vigil will be held at that location, as well as Above the Clouds located in Boones Creek, at 9 p.m.


text:
"I became interested in tennis when I was about five or six-years-old from watching Björn Borg play. I used to fantasise about becoming a player although I didn't take lessons. It was one of those childhood dreams, to stand on centre court with people watching. I love to watch the battle between two players, it's interesting how it goes back and forth. For myself, I love to just hit a ball with someone or even just against a wall, to get the hypnotic motion. Without counting, just the ball back and forth. To feel the ball perfectly merge with the strings. It makes me forget all worries, it makes me forget about time."
"It makes me forget all worries, it makes me forget about time"
Anders Edström is a Swedish photographer and film director who lives and works in Stockholm. Edström made his name in the 1990s, where he worked closely with Martin Margiela in Paris, photographing some of Maison Martin Margiela's iconic moments throughout the decade. From there, he began working with Purple Fashion Magazine, Self Service and Dazed & Confused, alongside campaigns for Miu Miu and Ann-Sofie Back. He has also just finished a fashion story for the upcoming A/W14 issue of AnOther Magazine. Here, he shares a beautiful selection of intimate photographs of his family playing tennis in Stockholm.
Text by Mhairi Graham


text:
Description: Wash-Away Toppings are stabilizers that dissolve completely in water. Best for use to hold the nap in place while embroidering such fabrics as; terry cloth, velour and polar fleece.
go to product
Description: This terry knit cloth fabric perfect for lounge wear, baby apparel or accessories, jackets, hoodies, beach cover-ups and robes. It features a smooth side and a brushed soft looped side. It has 25% stretch across the grain.
Explore Fabric.com
We're here to help
Discover Fabric.com
Sewing Center
Give the gift of creativity.
A Fabric.com gift certificate is the perfect gift! Gifts from $10 and up.
#MadeWithFabric #SewInLove


text:
Plunderland for iPhone- app review
Plunderland is Apple's App of the Week this week. Does it deserve it? Yes and no. Developer JohnnyTwoShoes has made a solid effort to bring pillaging across the sea in the hands of eager gamers.
The premise of Plunderland is you are a ghost with pirates that sail across the sea to attack and sink enemy ships, pillage tribes people and take money from their monuments then make it to the next port. Sounds fun? Well, get used to it because that is what you do over, and over, and over again with little variety. Call me a stinker, but I don't see the allure with this game.
Sure, the water physics are nice. You tilt the iPhone left or right to make your boat move in that direction. When there is a storm, etc, the water behaves in a more erratic manor, making maneuvering more difficult. Once you are on the high seas, you come across your enemy; the British warships. You have a couple ways to take them out. First is to use your ships cannon. You have a nifty way of angling the cannon to shoot your targets, just move your finger along the bottom and you will get a reticule via a line that helps your aiming. Release your finger and you fire your cannonballs. Second, you can use the enemies cannonballs against themselves. Before the enemy launches an attack, the cannon will puff smoke, that is your cue to ready your finger and deflect the cannonball back upon the enemy ship and with luck, split it in two!
I know, I make it sound exhilarating, and it is the first two or three times you do it. Sadly, Plunderland does little to keep your attention. Future attacks add blimps and more, but the fun is gone by that point. The attacking villagers is a simple "tap, tap. tap" on the totems to get money and fling some villagers around in an effort to extract some more dough. Again... zzzz...
There is nice upgrade system though, you can upgrade your ship, cannons and bowsprits by earning said money above. The game has excellent promise. The controls, physics and graphical style all lend them selves to a success. However, the bland I really, really wanted to like this game, being highlighted on Apple's App Store, but alas, mateys, I just can't bring myself to recommend this lack-luster treasure.
[$2.99- iTunes Link]
UPDATE: I had a delightful Twitter chat with the developers. I explained that I had played 50% thorough the game and became unchallenged with the levels and objectives. They understood and are looking at a way to unlock the more exciting and complex levels earlier for more "hardcore" gamers. I also said that when I find the time to complete the game 100%, I would update this review to include my findings. I am hopeful that by the time I do this, they will have some new content available. You can follow the developer on Twitter here.
- Great graphics
- Solid frame-rate
- Good physics engine
- Upgrade system
- Very, very, very repetitive
- Takes a while to become a challenge (the end of the second chapter)
[gallery link="file" columns="2"]
Have something to say about this story? Leave a comment! Need help with something else? Ask in our forums!
Reader comments
Plunderland for iPhone- app review
This review couldn't have come at a better time. I was just thinking of downloading this game. I'll give it a try based on the positive part of the review. With it being free, it's not like I have anything to lose.
Thanks for the review. I was glad to see it because I'm in the "same boat", so to speak. It's kind of neat a few times but doesn't have any long-term appeal.
To those noting the demo level, if you listen to the audio I debate what level to pick for the video because it was "easy".
I prefer to have a little more depth in my games. Great graphics and physics can't make up for this. I am looking forward to the new content promised from the developers.
Regarding difficulty. I mention it gets harder too, it's just more of the same that it all.
By all means, buy the game and enjoy. This review is just a reflection of my experience playing it.
As a reviewer on http://blog.appdiscover.com, I can say that it is pretty easy to judge a games longevity after playing it for 10-20 minutes. If after that amount of time you want to keep playing, the game has pretty decent replay value.
I had an interesting chat with the developers on Twitter. I will post an update or this post soon.
I'm not a fan of the game honestly because i think one of the levels is broken, literally. i've done everything and it won't pass me.


text:
Transplant patients warned of West Nile risk
Organ transplant recipients at much higher risk of deadly West Nile virus complications
SAN ANTONIO - While doctors have spread the word regarding higher risks associated with the West Nile virus among the very young and the very old, new efforts are underway to put all transplant recipients on alert for the potentially deadly illness.
Unlike the general population, transplant recipients, no matter the age of their transplant, remain at much higher risk for not only contracting the virus, but often suffering its lethal effects.
The Methodist Transplant Institute in San Antonio is alerting organ and bone marrow patients in particular because the medications that these patients take can make it hard to fight infections, should they receive a bite from an infected mosquito.
The Head of the Liver Transplant program at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital said, "Transplant patients and patients with decreased immune systems, can't really fight the virus off. The virus will produce an injury to the brain that usually kills them."
Liver transplant patient Patricia Delbosque, 32, received her new liver last year.
She said she's done the research and is well aware of the risks of mosquito bites to her health.
"Once it gets around 6:30 or 7 p.m., I won't go outside," she said. "I take very high precautions because of that."
Her doctor warns that even if a transplant patient survives the attack on their central nervous system, the permanent damage done to the brain will have significant complications for the rest of their lives.
Dr. Foster is advising any transplant patient who is experiencing flu-like symptoms to return to the doctor and be screened for West Nile immediately.
For more information on the illness and ways to prevent infection, log onto www.cdc.gov/westnile or www.texastransplant.org.
For a list of recent stories Ursula Pari has done, click here.
Copyright 2012 by KSAT.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
PINEDALE - Pinedale regional office manager Disney Brunette has retired after more than 21 years of service with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
As office manager her duties included working closely with other office staff, selling licenses, accounting, and assisting the public with hunting and fishing information.
Brunette, a Pinedale native, graduated from Pinedale High School and attended Central Wyoming College in Riverton. After working for the Pinedale Roundup for more than six years, Brunette began her Game and Fish career in 1991.
Brunette's coworkers recognized her value in 1996, when she was presented with the Peer Recognition Award for the Pinedale Region.
"Throughout her career, Des has shown a tremendous dedication to sportsmen, the Pinedale community, and her peers within the Department, and should be proud of her accomplishments," said regional supervisor John Lund. "It's been an honor to have her in the region, and she will be missed by all."
(Contact: Al Langston (307) 777-4540)


text:
Satire is an indirect form of critique, in that it mocks or attacks an individual or idea by proxy. Satirical speech and literature is generally used to observe and judge the "evils" or morally questionable ideals held by individuals, groups and sometimes entire cultures. The attack itself is derived from what is known as the satirist's social motive--these critiques illustrate what the satirist, within the context of their own world view, believes is "right" based upon what they ridicule as "wrong". Jean Weisgerber's Satire and Irony a Means of Communication states, "Satire is manifestly directed to people. It involves the victim it attacks and the public it tries to persuade, it restores to language its full status as a means of communication, its end is rhetorical." [1]
The purpose of satire is primarily to make the audience aware of the "truth". The satirist makes an argument that relies upon the intellect of the listener to decipher hidden meaning, with the ideal end goal to inform, enlighten, explain and correct the audience. Due to its critical and judging nature, satire is sometimes deemed excessive or in poor taste.
"Satire is unpopular because it is upsetting; instead of healing, it uncovers hidden wounds and leaves it to people to recover their health or to burse the sick. In other words, it is negative rather than positive, for while it makes us aware of some tangible evil, the contrasting good often needs to be further defined and remains in any case a mere idea." [2]
Despite the aggressive, sometimes-personal attacks that are derived from works of satire, it serves a special purpose--catharsis. Satire, particularly in the form of comedy, allows both narrators and audiences to turn outrage, hatred and "other socially unacceptable impulse[s] into socially acceptable and even delightful forms." [3] Neither the victim of the satirist's attack, nor the satirist are subject to physical violence.
The word satire is derived from the Latin word satur, though the word was not used in a critical, literary sense until the Roman rhetorician Quintilian described it as a specific genre of hexameter verse. It was not until the Greek playwright Aristophanes used this form of verse in a series of plays, referred to as "Old Comedy", that satire was used in the fashion we know it today.
Old Comedy was a collection of plays that varied in presentation, depending upon the location that it was being performed, though the troupe remained primarily in ancient Athens. Depending upon current events, political figures and public opinion at the time, their topicality also changed. For instance, at the time that the play The Acharnians was being performed, Athens and Sparta were at war. Aristophanes, in turn, revised his plays to make scathing, satirical jokes about people who would take advantage of the concerned citizens of Athens: political fanatics, false oracles, and war-profiteers.
When the comedy was performed on stage the actors in the troupe would often poke fun at various public officials, consistently comment on or involve the audience, and even parody playwriting and acting itself. In The Knights, Aristophanes transformed the Athenian statesman Cleon into a ridiculous figure of war-mongering and evil, depicting him as a man who would do anything and everything possible in order to maintain his political power. The protagonist of Peace, upon returning from a journey to Olympia, informed the audience that they, "looked like rascals" from his vantage point in the heavens, and that now that he can see them up close they, "look even worse". Old Comedy's focus on local figures and issues immersed the audience in the narrative, while simultaneously mocking it, and effectively illustrated that no one was above foolishness or the mockery it incited. The Roman poets Juvenal and Horace derived further meaning from the term satur, these definitions are still relevant and applicable to the majority of modern day satire.
After the fall of Rome, and before the beginning of the Early Middle Ages, Grecian and Roman satire seemed to disappear from literature and performance. Satire was finally reintroduced into the public sphere around the 12th century, through mocking songs and literature. This period also marked the advent of moral satire, which mocked the un-Christian behavior of certain figures. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is an excellent example of mocking, literary satire.
Though the word satire is derived from the word satur, the Greeks and Romans were not solely responsible for the existence of satire. In fact, different examples of satirical literature and artwork have appeared from as early as 2nd millennium BC. Exploration of Ancient Egyptian archives has turned up a copy of the Papyrus Anastasi, a satirical letter that praises the reader, but then goes on to mock them for their lack of knowledge, understanding and achievements. In the 9th century the Afro-Arab author Jahiz introduced satire through a genre of poetry called hija. In his poems, Jahiz dissected serious thoughts and ideas in the veins of sociology, psychology and anthropology. The Persian author, Abayd Zakani became infamous for his satirical and sexually explicit writings, like Masnavi Mush-O-Gorbeh (Mouse and Cat) and Akhlaq al-Ashraf (Ethics of the Aristocracy).
By the Age of Enlightenment, in the 17th and 18th century, satire had become deeply ingrained in modern society. The rise of partisan politics and conflict between the Whig and Tory parties of the British Parliament fueled the still-growing use of satire as a means of political and social commentary. The Anglo-Irish author, Jonathan Swift, wrote a number of now-famous, satirical essays, pamphlets and novels. Among Swift's more famous works is an essay entitled A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick, or A Modest Proposal for short. In his proposal, Swift outlined a way in which impoverished Irish citizens might earn some money, while feeding the higher classes--sell their children to the rich as fresh meat. This scathing, journalistic satire openly attacked Irish political policies and the overwhelmingly negative attitude towards the Irish poor.
Popular satirical authors of the Victorian era, 1837 to 1901, included Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film The Great Dictator satirized Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. In the 1950s, in the United States, the comedians Mort Sahl and Lenny Bruce introduced a new, cynical form of comedy focused on social and political criticism. Using satire, Bruce and Sahl critiqued popular American culture and political narratives.
In recent years, an increasing number of Western television shows have applied varying forms satire to their programs. In the United Kingdom the programs The Now Show, The News Quiz and Have I Got the News for You regularly utilized critical satire, have been on the air since 1998, 1977 and 1990 respectively and still run today. Satire, political and cultural, is welcomed in American media and culture. Television shows and animations like The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, South Park and The Simpsons use satire as their primary means of social and political commentary.
Satire and its forms can be categorized in a number of ways including: classification by tone, by topic and even by medium. As previously mentioned, the term satire was originally derived from satur, defined by Quintilian and performed by the actors of Aristophanes' Old Comedy. Two Roman poets, Juvenal and Horace, were responsible for further defining satirical works by their literary tone.
The Roman poet Juvenal is credited with the popularization of what is called Juvenalian satire. Juvenalian satire is characterized by its deliberate, abrasive and often-personal critique of an individual or ideal. This form of satire is generally utilized by writers or speakers who see their target as actively harmful to society, or even outright "evil".
Juvenal satirically attacked many of the institutions and public figures in Roman society, highlighting the contradictions or flaws in an opponent's argument through exaggeration and irony, in much the same vein as many of the political pundits of today.
American author Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451 utilizes Juvenalian satire to critique several things, like the rise of television entertainment, growing ad industry, and the censorship of American literature and media. Bradbury's novel is set in an alternate world where the government has made possessing or reading books illegal, as they might offend people or drive them to make "dangerous" decisions. "A book is a loaded gun in the house next door.... Who knows who might be the target of a well-read man?" Special teams are sent to burn any found book at 451 degrees Fahrenheit.
The government of Bradbury's book controls its people by means of excessive television programming without scripts or stories-people shouting and crying, random images and sounds. As citizens view more and more mindless television programming, they begin to care less about knowledge. Traditional schooling is dissolved and replaced with sports programs, "With school turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers, and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, the word 'intellectual,' of course, became the swear word it deserved to be."
Horatian satire, named for the 1st century Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus (or Horace), approaches satirical observations, literature and performance in a humorous and lighthearted manner. Where Juvenalian satire focuses on specific verbal or literary attacks on corrupt ideals or individuals, Horatian satire can act as a gentler alternative, while still making commentary on what the satirist believes is "good". Horace coined a series of phrases, including carpe diem, and his book Ars Poetica was esteemed as the definitive source of poetic form until the mid-19th century. In Ars Poetica, Horace wrote a number of satirical, though lighthearted, poems poking fun at the philosophical and political beliefs of both Greece and Rome.
Even today, Horatian satire has widespread influence in Early Modern and Modern Western literature, performance and art. Benjamin Franklin wrote several works of prose examining the political and social issues of his time in the form of Horatian satire. Amongst Franklin's more popular works was Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America. In the very first line Franklin shocks readers with an observation about the not-so-different cultures of Native Americans and colonists, without aiming to accuse or attack a specific individual or ideal. "Savages we call them because their Manners differ from ours, which we think the Perfection of Civility, they think the same of theirs." [4]
Mark Twain's book Advice to Youth, utilizes Horatian satire through his descriptions of the advice and coaching given to young men through comedy. In this passage, Twain details the almost-tragic story of a grandmother, her grandson and the use of a misplaced firearm:
"A grandmother...was sitting at her work, when her young grandson crept in and got down an old, battered, rusty gun which had not been touched for many years and was supposed not to be loaded, and pointed it at her, laughing and threatening to shoot. In her fright she ran screaming toward the door on the other side of the room; but as she passed him he placed the gun almost against her very breast and pulled the trigger! He had supposed it was not loaded. And he was right-it wasn't. So there wasn't any harm done. It is the only case of this kind that I have ever heard of."
This passage makes abundantly clear the dangers of leaving firearms in a place where children can reach them. Had the gun be loaded the grandmother would certainly have died. In a few short sentences Twain prepared readers to hear a gruesome, cautionary tale about gun safety. When it turns out that the gun is not loaded, the grandmother is fine and that this is the only time Twain has ever heard a story like it, it becomes a humorous anecdote (though still a cautionary one). The passage is a satirical one, but since it does not make a target out of the characters involved, nor does it assert the idea of gun safety as a foolish one, it falls under the realm of Horatian satire.
Since its inception satire has tended to focus on the topics of politics, religion and sexuality (or bathroom humor). These topics were considered largely taboo, and satire served the important purpose of circumventing social etiquette and critiquing "evil" or problematic facets of each topic, without engaging in overt conflict. Modern satire has expanded to include a wider range of experience and information but for the most part, works of satire still focus primarily on those three topics and moderate variants thereof.
Political and topical (current-events based) satire has been the most popular form of satire since Aristophanes' Old Comedy. The satirical critique of political agendas, and of the politicians espousing them, has long provided a way to approach complex subjects and social change through humor. The formation of democracies and of the Whig and Tory parties within the British parliament, political and topical satire returned with force. Political and topical satire is also incredibly popular in American media; The Daily Show and Colbert Report regularly satirize politicians and political strife, as does Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, South Park and many more television and radio programs.
Religious and philosophical satire revolves around the specific critique of the religious or philosophical beliefs of those who practice a certain faith or doctrine. Religious and philosophical satire can be employed to "attack" religion at large, but Renaissance-era works of satire, like those of Chaucer and Erasmus, were often written from the point of view of believers as well those who would critique religion or philosophy from outside that worldview.
A more modern satire on sexuality occurred during a skit called "The Mouse Problem" which aired during a 1969 episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. During the sketch a man is interviewed about his experience as a mouse. His descriptions of "experimenting with cheese" as a young man and realizing, "All of the sudden...that's what you want to be" parodied the experiences and condemnation of homosexual men at the time. Graham Chapman, a gay man himself, wrote the skit and made a direct, satirical critique of a CBS Report entitled The Homosexuals.
Though satire was first defined by Quintilian and given form by Aristophanes, it was not necessarily "invented" by them. Elements of satire had been and would be used in a multitude of manners and mediums including literature, poetry, music, drama, fables, works of art, and eventually radio and television. Each medium allows for a different form of satire and different manner of execution. George Austin Test's book, Satire: Spirit and Art states, "No classification [of satire] by genre or kind has ever succeeded in fully integrating these diverse forms into a system." [5]
Since the loose definition of literary satire by Quintilian, and more concrete outlines given by Juvenal and Horace, literature and poetry have remained one of the most popular mediums by which to employ satire. Famous works of fiction like George Orwell's Animal Farm, Voltaire's Candide, Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels and Joseph Heller's Catch-22 all make satirical critiques of popular culture, social norms and other works of literature.
Satire also appears in a tremendous array of artwork-sculptures, paintings, illustrations, plays, artistic movements and even graffiti. The Dada art movement was centered in Europe during the 20th century. The movement revolved primarily on anti-war and anti-bourgeois commentary, born out of the horror and conflicts of World War I. Participants in the Dada movement often participated in public demonstrations, including musical compositions and plays, and used cheaply-made or found objects to make their critiques.
Dada artists pointed out the bourgeois obsession with preserving and displaying "art" by making things that could be easily destroyed, and created satirical propaganda posters and manifestos mirroring those of the countries involved in the war. The Pop Art movement of the late 1950s meshed the traditions and practices of the fine arts with popular images from the modern age. The result was an eclectic combination of classical art, comic books, advertising and kitsch that formed a satirical critique of artistic elitism. The Pop Art movement was as much a commentary on art and those who disparaged more modern forms of art, as it was art itself.
Television, particularly standup comedy, has become a modern-day vehicle for many satirists and satirical critiques. Standup comedians often challenge mainstream religious, political, and social beliefs by portraying their extremes. According to Satire: Spirit and Art, "Celebrity roasts, mock festivals, and the performances of comics in nightclubs and in concert bear witness to ritual contexts in which satire still occurs." [6]
In both the ancient and modern world, satire has played an essential part in influencing cultural and societal views on a tremendous array of subjects, particularly in political matters. Television shows like The Colbert Report, comics like Doonesbury and the New Yorker's politically-charged cover to "The Politics of Fear" are all examples of instances of influential, modern-day satire.
On his show The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert satirizes the views right-wing politicians and pundits by playing the part of a bigoted and narrow-minded pundit himself. When Colbert defends or explains his "beliefs", he does so in an over-the-top way that satirically critiques the rationale of those who would "agree" with him.
In 2011, Colbert began what would be a long-term satire of both the American presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty as well as the greater issue of money and its corruptive influence on politics. On March 30th, Colbert invited the former Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chairman Trevor Potter on the show to help him fill out paperwork to begin a PAC-a political action committee that allows the use of private money to help influence legislation and elections. The Colbert Report's parent company of Viacom disallowed Colbert from creating his PAC, however. Fortunately for Colbert, as Potter explained, the Citizens United Supreme Court Case allowed Colbert to form a much-less-restrictive SuperPAC.
After forming his SuperPAC, however, Colbert was still upset with the lack of funding and donations. Colbert had Potter back on the show, and Potter explained that though Colbert's SuperPAC was excellent, larger corporations prefer not to openly support political causes. Rather, large corporations support political causes, but prefer to do it anonymously. Potter then helped Colbert do the paperwork to create a 501(c)(4) Delaware Shell corporation, in order for individuals (primarily corporations) to circumvent contribution limits, and donate unlimited funds, anonymously. Colbert named the corporation "Anonymous Shell Corporation"; Colbert later asked Potter what the difference was between his donation process and money laundering. Potter responded that, "It's hard to say."
In the mid-1980s Gary Trudeau, writer and illustrator of the comic Doonesbury used satire to help put an end to a racially motivated law in Palm Beach, Florida. The law in question mandated that all workers or employees, including gardeners, retail clerks, janitors and taxi drivers, who were part of a racial minority were required to register with police and obtain and ID card within 48 hours of accepting a job. In 1985, upon discovering the continued existence of this Jim Crow legislation, Gary Trudeau illustrated a series of comics lambasting Florida's government for its continued support of a racist law. By 1986, local politicians drew up the "Doonesbury Act" and repealed the outdated law.
Shortly after the 2008 election of President Barack Obama, Barry Blitt illustrated a cover for the New Yorker in which he depicted both the president and First Lady Michelle Obama in the midst of a fist bump, armed and dressed as caricatures of Taliban-style, Muslim extremists. Dadlez explained the cover, "Fear-mongering was mocked and sharply criticized by presenting an outrageously exaggerated example of fear-mongering in the form of a cartoon." [7] The cover, however, was taken literally by many and met with significant moral outrage from the American public.
In a press release following the incident, the New Yorker explained that the cover, "satirizes the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign." Blitt went on to defend his cover as well, saying, "I think the idea that the Obamas are branded as unpatriotic [let alone as terrorists] in certain sectors is preposterous. It seemed to me that depicting the concept would show it as the fear-mongering ridiculousness that it is."
Because it sometimes utilizes elements from several other literary terms, along with analogy, double entendre, exaggeration and even burlesque, it is common to misunderstand or incorrectly define satire. The term satire is most commonly conflated with irony, sarcasm, and parody. Irony and satire can be used in conjunction with one another to make critical observations of an ideal, individual, behavior or institution but as a result of their overlapping usage, their definitions tend to become confused with one another. Both forms of writing or speech constitute a theatrical, indirect form of communication that attacks their "victim", and both ironists and satirists rely on the intelligence of the audience in order to interpret what is being "said".
The key difference between the terms lies in the fact that satire implies an intrinsic, moral judgment on behalf of the author or the audience. Irony, by contrast, does not make a moral judgment and can be part of an observation while remaining innocuous. According to Weisgerber, "Satire censures what is wrong; irony intimates that it may be wrong and...discloses vices as well as virtues in an oblique way. The ironist poses as a skeptic rather than a judge." [8]
The use of the terms satire and sarcasm are often confused with one another as well. Like with irony, the two ideas are not mutually exclusive-satirical works often include sarcastic observations or remarks. In this case, the most important distinction to be made lies in the concept of direct and indirect "attacks". Satire, by definition, is a form of indirect observation and critique; sarcasm can be a direct jibe or insult. Another notable distinction between the two is that satire is often prepared at length and refers to specific incidents, while sarcasm can be performed off the cuff.
Satire often includes parodical imitations of other writers, speakers and public figures, but parody is not always satirical in nature. Satire aims to make (often aggressive) critical commentary on humanity and its social and political institutions through imitation amongst other things. Parody is a form of imitation but it is often used strictly for comic effect, without requiring any greater form of analysis.
[1] Weisgerber, Jean. "Satire & Irony as Means of Communication", Comparative Literature Studies Vol. 10 No. 2 Special Issue in Honor of Chandler B. Beall (Jun, 1973), pp. 160.
[2] Weisgerber, Jean. "Satire & Irony as Means of Communication", Comparative Literature Studies Vol. 10 No. 2 Special Issue in Honor of Chandler B. Beall (Jun, 1973), pp. 161.
[3] Weisgerber, Jean. "Satire & Irony as Means of Communication", Comparative Literature Studies Vol. 10 No. 2 Special Issue in Honor of Chandler B. Beall (Jun, 1973), pp. 158.
[4] Benjamin Franklin, "REMARKS CONCERNING THE SAVAGES OF NORTH-AMERICA " In Franklin, Benjamin. The Bagatelles from Passy. Ed. Lopez, Claude A. New York: Eakins Press. 1967
[5] Test, George Austin. Satire: Spirit and Art. University Press of Florida. 1991, pp. 10.
[6] Test, George Austin. Satire: Spirit and Art. University Press of Florida. 1991, pp. 10.
[7] Dadlez, E.M. . "Truly Funny: Humor, Irony, and Satire as Moral Criticism", The Journal of Aesthetic Education Vol. 45 No. 1, (Spring 2011), pp. 12.
[8] Weisgerber, Jean. "Satire & Irony as Means of Communication", Comparative Literature Studies Vol. 10 No. 2 Special Issue in Honor of Chandler B. Beall (Jun, 1973), pp. 164.


text:
DETROIT - A lone winning ticket in the $337 million Powerball drawing has been sold at a Michigan gas station but the identity of the lucky owner was still unknown.
The winning numbers in the Wednesday night drawing were 6, 27, 46, 51, 56 and Powerball 21.
"It turns out that it was the third largest Powerball jackpot ever and the seventh largest jackpot in U.S. history. It ... (had a) cash value of $241 million," said Michigan Lottery spokesperson Andi Brancatto.
The Michigan Lottery says the ticket was sold at a Sunoco gas station in Lapeer, about 45 miles north of Detroit.
In addition to the jackpot-winning ticket, there were eight tickets that matched five of the winning numbers to win $1 million. Two of those tickets were sold in Indiana. The others were sold in Kansas, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
There was also a ticket sold in Nebraska that added the Power Play to win $2 million.


text:
Find out how to add stylized dropdown menus in Dreamweaver using HTML, CSS, JavaScript.
Find out how to add stylized dropdown menus to your web site using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
"This $25 was the BEST I could have ever spent! I have spent hours relearning things I had forgotten and solidified my confidence in what I do know." —Claudia W.
more from our members »


text:
Waste of time.
The mod you are trying to view has ceased development and consequently been archived. If you are a member of this mod, can demonstrate that it is being actively developed and will be able to keep this profile up to date with the latest news, images, videos and downloads, please contact us with all details and we will consider its re-activation.
0 comments by metroid5 on Jul 11th, 2005
We got the armcannon for samus complete and skined.Pics will be up soon.We really need an animator!THIS WILL BE THE MOST EASYEST ANIMATION JOB EVER!so please help!
e-mail:firstname.lastname@example.com and yes i do use msn messenger.
Waste of time.
maybe you could hand over the project to another group of developers, to continue this the work you have already done looks great and would be a shame if it went to waste.
I was actually really anticipating for a Metroid mod. It would be the first of its kind. Well maybe it will be picked up or continued later.
Bleh.. Meh... Bleh... Meh..
...i sort of was expecting this >>
Why update this page when the mod is dead?Why don't you just delete the whole mod profile?
Lol, you´r realising my dream ....... I ever dreamed of a Hl2 Metroid Prime Mod.
But first I buy Metroid prime 3 (corruption) for my Wii.
We want updates? :P
is the mod still on? i hope so, i am a big metroid fan and would like to see a metroid mod. hope it finishes.
Terathon.com heres the link so check it out
Promote Metroid:revolution on your homepage or blog by selecting a button and using the embed code provided (more).


text:
Indian Astrology comes with an excellent and proven approach to horoscope matching according to nakshatras (birth star),that is known as Ashtakoot Milan or just Guna Milap. This Kundali matching method assigns points for factors that influence a marriage. And the success rate for the possibility of the wedding ceremony to be steady. Though this process isn't limited to marriage only and can be used as compatibility analysis between boy and girl with slight modification, it is mostly used for marriage compatibility analysis.
Previous to marriage most of the families consult a astrologer for matching the horoscopes of the boy and also the Girl to be wed. Indian Astrology is known for its tested traditional Horoscope Matching or Kundli Milan matching system where the positioning of planet moon in both birth charts is considered. These eight parts of Indian horoscope matching are:
• Varan
• Vasya
• Tara
• Yoni
• Grah Maitri
• Gan
• Bhakoot
• Nadi
Each one of the above features has its own significance and a fixed number of points. All of these equal to 36 points. A score below 18 isn't considered a great match based on traditional astrology. We're giving a free Kundali matching tool to calculate the astrologycharts of boy along with a girl with regards to marriage through traditional approach to Kundli Milan (Gun Milan).
Janampatri Milan is in reality an only one of its type and very old 8-fold Indian test of horoscope matching from a girl and boy's charts for marriage. The Natal Chart from the boy and also the woman are matched and moderately examined for compatibility in eight a variety of methods. Each and every test comprises a score. As the utmost points that may be achieved under each test will differ, the complete 8-fold test acquiesce a most favorable score of 36 points which preferably judges how compatible the two of you are by observing the zodiac signs and astrological forecast A score of 16 is considered to be the minimum for any reasonable match. Partnerships aren't appropriate for any consequence underneath 18 points. An additional tremendously imperative facade of Marriage Compatibility is Manglik Match (Mars). This is indispensable for matrimonial compatibility in Janampatri Milan and wellness of both partners. In Indian astrology the moon sign is considered as enormously significant, it descriptions for our feelings, emotions and infatuation. Manglik or Mangal Dosha is computation of position of planet Mars in a few positions in a native's birth chart that is considered as significant.
Janampatri Milan is necessary if you wish for to match a couple's birth charts based on Indian astrology. You can obtain a free Janampatri Milan making account with psychiatry by using this online horoscope matching calculator. Indian Astrology has an outstanding and established technique of Janampatri Milan based on Lunar Constellations, which is called Ashtakoot milan or merely guna milap. This Janampatri Milan way allocates points for features that influence marriage, more the points, more chances of success of the marriage. With the help of this method is not restricted to marriage only and can be used for compatibility analysis between boy and girl with slight amendment.
Astrology consists of detailed study of all the zodiacs, planets and their movements that further affect earth and its inhabitants, which are us. Each planet symbolizes a certain force or energy; each of the 12 astrological signs represents a different mode or style in which that energy is articulated. Astrology can be successfully put to use of predicting the future of any being, his health, career, his relationship. In case of relationships, who wouldn't want to know the predictability lest to avoid ups and downs in case of inappropriateness. One can hold things better if the probabilities are known.
From the very beginning of the civilization, man has been mesmerized by brilliant, shiny, colourful shells, stones and crystals. Their tenure made him more vital than others. Gems have always been regarded as bringers of peace, prosperity and happiness. Constructive gemstones bring on the subject of name, reputation, power as well as create life easier and simpler. Antique scriptures from athwart the world have admired gems as influential managers of liveliness that sway human destiny and fortune, persuade good power and drive out the unenthusiastic energy that manufactures illness and anguish.Contact Us


text:
- Molecular particle-core model and its application to 13C-13C scattering (1978)
- On the basis of the two-center shell model a theory is developed for the excitation of loosely bound nucleons in heavy ion collisions. These nucleons move in the two-center shell model potential generated by all the nucleons and are described by molecular wave functions. The model is applied to calculate the cross sections for the elastic and inelastic 13C-13C scattering. The cross sections show intermediate structures caused by the excitation of quasibound resonances in the molecular nucleus-nucleus potential. NUCLEAR REACTIONS 13C(13C,13C) molecular wave functions, dynamical two-center shell model, quasimolecular resonances, radial and Coriolis coupling, coupled channel calculations for σ(θ).


text:
Hi Everyone! It's been fun knitting with you these past few weeks! Time really flies!
Today's post is my last, and will focus on the second round of increases, casting off, and sharing an FO (finished object in knit-speak)! My FO is a little bit lopsided, since I added about 10 stitches to only one sleeve (so that I could show you how that looks), but I still think it looks awesome and will actually wear it! (You can't even tell that one sleeve is about an inch wider!)
Increase round 2 is performed much like increase round 1. It just brings us back to k1 p1 ribbing. You simply work a M1P (Click here for a video for M1, but instead of knitting the bar between the stitch just knit and the next stitch on the needle, you'd purl it.) between the two knit stitches in every wide rib between the sleeve markers.
Then, for the finale, we switch to seed stitch (also called moss stitch in the UK) and work a few rounds, then cast off. I recommend casting off in stitch pattern (if you are supposed to purl, purl, then pass the cast-off loop over, and vice versa if you're supposed to knit.) Click here for a video. This will create a more elastic cast-off edge. I also recommend casting off with a needle size that's 2 sizes (1 whole mm) larger than the needle you used for the rib…so…use your "body" needle to cast off. I cast off my shrug a few rows early, your seed stitch border will be a few rows wider than mine.
When your shrug comes off the needle, the seed stich border may seem a little bit wavy. You'll just want to lightly steam this edge, so that it will lay flat. If you find that your edging seems too loose (this may be the case if you've added a large number of stitches at the under arm) your best bet is to mist the ribbing lightly with water and stretch it lengthwise. Let it dry like this, and it will be tighter and less floppy.
In my photos, I'm wearing my shrug pinned at the front to show what this looks like, since we've had a few questions about adding a button. If you want to add a buttonhole to the front edge, a good point to do that is in the first few rows of the seed stitch border. You could just do a "yo k2tog" which will make a small hole.
Here's the back. My husband took the photo and didn't tell me that the collar wasn't lying exactly flat…but you get the idea! I could block this so that the back is flat, but I like the ribs that the Textured Stripe pattern creates, so I'll probably leave it like this.
This has been a lot of fun! I can't wait to see all of your FO shots in our Flickr Group! Or share them with us in the Customer Gallery (like this one from Mary Jo).
Look out later this summer for our charity KAL/CAL!
Related links:
Posted in Community, Knit-Along, Knitting | 32 Comments » Comments
Hi Everyone! I hope you're having a great week!
In our last installment of the Textured Circle Shrug KAL, we picked up all around the neck opening and started working on our ribbing.
In this installment, we will proceed to Increase Round 1. In this round, we work a few RLI (in every other knit rib) between the markers that we placed to denote each "sleeve" portion of the shrug. (The pink arrows in the picture below show the stitches over which the increases are worked.)
You work your ribbing from the beginning of round marker to your sleeve marker, then begin the increases. Work increases all the way around to the second marker. Then, work normal ribbing across the top / back neck of the shrug, all the way to the second sleeve. You'll work increases all the way across this second sleeve section, and then work regular ribbing across the back.
I talked a little bit about the RLI at the end of last week's post, if you're just joining us, be sure to check it out.
Here, again, is the link to the video on www.knittinghelp.com that shows how to do a RLI. In this pattern, RLI means to knit into the right leg of the stitch below the next one on the left hand needle, and then knit the next stitch.
I took some photos of how this looks in our shrug:
Here is how the stitch pattern starts out, with a k1 p1
Next, we knit into the right leg of the stitch below the next one on the needle:
Next, knit into the next stitch on the needle. (Once you do this a few times, this step will become very fluid.)
Here is what the ribbing looks like after this step. Every OTHER knit rib (between the markers that denote our sleeve sections) has two knit stitches.
Now, just proceed in this new rib stitch until we get to Increase Round 2. Next week, we will work this second round of increases and FINISH THE SHRUG!
How are you coming along with your shrug? Where are you up to? Let us know!
And, for those of you who are finished already, share your project with us in the Customer Gallery.
Related links:
Posted in Community, Knit-Along, Knitting | 47 Comments » Comments
Hi Everyone!
I've been on the road teaching a workshop for the last few days, so I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos in today's post. Since I was teaching all day, most of these were taken at night in the hotel.
Thank you to everyone who stepped up to answer questions since the last post! I was traveling and didn't have my laptop, so I really appreciate it.
Today's post will focus on picking up stitches and knitting the ribbing along the neckline of the shrug.
I tried to get some good photos of where / how I picked up my stitches, but this is actually a very individual process. (Here is a video from www.knittinghelp.com that shows how to pick up stitches.)
I tend to use the stitches along the outermost edge of the knitted fabric, while some teachers will tell you to pick up a little farther into the fabric. Wherever you choose to pick your stitches up, you'll be fine, as long as you pick up the number of stitches recommended by the pattern. The two kinds of stitches that you will find at the edge of the fabric are what look like bumps (first arrow) and lines (second arrow.) You can pick up into either of these.
You just insert the needle into the fabric and draw the working yarn through the loop that you've created.
Begin picking up stitches at the right back section, and continue around the right front.
At the cast-on edge, you just pick up one stitch for every cast on stitch, and then continue down the left front, and end at the left back right at the spot that your stitches are waiting for you on the scrap yarn.
Transfer these stitches to the needle. Now you're ready to work your ribbing in the round.
For people who have added stitches at the under arm, you will fold the little flap of extra stitches up, and pick up sts along that top/cast on edge.
Place markers like I have in the photo below, so that you remember which sts are added, and which are part of the original pattern. This way, you can still follow the original pattern instructions for your size when you are ready to do your increases.
The pattern instructions themselves are fine, but the way that RLI is described in the pattern notes makes the increase section not quite work out.
My next post will describe the increase section in detail.
Related links:
Posted in Community, Knit-Along, Knitting, Tips & How To | 47 Comments » Comments
Time to move on to to the SLEEVES section. This week's installment is pretty easy, technique-wise, but there's a lot of knitting to do (both sleeves).
The last time we talked about the sleeves, we had placed them on a length of scrap yarn to be worked later:
Now transfer the sleeve stitches back onto your US8 needle.
When all of the stitches are back on the circ, the sleeve will look like this:
If you are happy with the width of the sleeve, you'll just attach your yarn here at the beginning of a RS row. Continue with the pattern, just following the directions as indicated. You'll begin working in Textured Stripe wherever you left off in the stitch pattern. On my sleeve, before I put the sts on the scrap yarn, I had completed 5 rows of reverse stockinette and so now I'll start right in on 8 rows of stockinette stitch.
The instructions say to work 2 rows even, this just means to work two rows straight (no increases or decreases) whether you should knit or purl according to the stitch pattern.
Sizes 40-42 (44-46, 48-50, 52-54) begin working decreases to narrow the sleeve as it goes down the arm. If you don't want to narrow the sleeve, just work straight (no increases or decreases) in textured stripe until the sleeve is the length indicated in the pattern, or to desired length.
Other sizes just work straight (no increases or decreases) in textured stripe until the sleeve is the length indicated in the pattern, or to desired length.
The length indicated in the pattern is FROM THE UNDERARM…so measure from where you are starting TODAY, not from the very top of the sleeve.
You simply cast on a few stitches at the underarm.
I've cast on about 10 st (using the "knitting on" method) at the under arm, to show those who want to modify the sleeve width how this would look.
To see how to cast on sts, check out the "Cast on" videos at.www.knittinghelp.com.
Here's what the sleeve with extra stitches looks like as you knit it:
You can cast your stitches on where I did, at the beginning of the first RS row, or you can cast half on at the beginning of the row and half at the end, or all at the end. It depends, really, on how many extra stitches you need. The more you cast on, the more the seam will move around the arm. If you're casting on more than about 10 sts, I'd cast on half at the beginning of this first row, and half at the end, so that the seam stays in the center of the sleeve.
Here is what my shrug looks like with the sleeves finished. (I've lightly steamed mine, just so that you can see how it looks; you do not need to steam your knitting at this point.)
You can see that I've done two different sleeves. The one on the left is done "normally" without increasing at the under arm. For the sleeve on the right, I've added extra stitches at the under arm. I've done this so that I can work the next step of the pattern as an example for everyone. Your sleeves will (hopefully) be the same. Your sleeves may also be longer or shorter than mine, depending on how you prefer them to look.
Next week, we'll pick up stitches and start working on the ribbing.
Related links:
Posted in Community, Knit-Along, Knitting | 45 Comments » Comments
Just to recap: last week we cast on for the shrug, knit the yoke, and tried on the shrug to make sure it fits.
In today's post, we will go through some of the possible fit problems that you may have run into while trying on your shrug after last week's installment.
Once we do that, we will make fit adjustments, place our sleeves on scrap yarn to be worked later, and finish the body of the shrug.
Next week we will finish the sleeves, and in the following post we will begin the neckline trim.
This is the point at which you have an opportunity to try on your shrug (if you have not done so already) and make any adjustments in the size before continuing with the project.
In my last post, I transferred my whole shrug to a long piece of yarn so that I could show you how the project looks at this stage, and also to show how you could make sure that your shrug fits. (See last post for photos.)
There are several possible fit issues that might come up at this stage, and we will discuss possible solutions to them in today's post.
Some possible fit problems:
Fit issue #1 will be handled next week when we get to the section of the pattern marked "SLEEVES." Since we are simply finishing up the body for right now, and your body section fits properly, we don't do anything different at this point.
Fit issue #2 is corrected by just working a few more rows of the shrug, continuing on in both Textured Stripe AND increasing every RS row. You can simply knit a few rows, try the shrug back on, see if it fits, and repeat that process until you get your custom fit…
OR you can figure out figure out exactly how many more rows you need to complete by doing the following:
Working these extra rounds will also increase the width of my sleeve by one inch. If that isn't quite enough extra width at the sleeve for your fit issue, you can add more stitches next week when we get to the "SLEEVES" section of the pattern.
Fit issue # 3: For this fit issue, you will need to rip back a few rows, until the fit across the back feels good to you, and then add more stitches to the sleeve next week when we get to the "SLEEVES" section of the pattern. You can use the steps in the example above to determine exactly how many rows to rip back in order to get your exact fit.
Fit issue # 4: For this fit issue, you will just rip back a few rows until the back fits you the way you like it, and should not need to add stitches next week when you get to the "SLEEVES" section of the pattern. (Since both your back and sleeves were too big) …but you can if you do need to!
The arrow on the left in the photo below shows how ripping back a few rows will make both the back and sleeves smaller, while the right arrow shows that adding a few rows will make both sections larger:
Now that you've solved your fit issues (if you had any) let's move on to finishing up the body of the shrug.
At this point, the pattern reads:
NEXT ROW(RS): Place next 50(58, 66, 69, 77, 85) sts for first sleeve on scrap yarn to be worked later, rejoin yarn and work to marker, place last 50(58, 66, 69, 77, 85) sts for first sleeve on scrap yarn to be worked later.
So, what you do is just thread a darning needle or tapestry needle with a length of yarn (abot a foot long or so) and use the darning / tapestry needle to remove the 50(58, 66, 69, 77, 85) sts from your circular needle. Then, you knit or purl (whatever you should do according to the Textured Stripe pattern) across the back, then just place the last 50(58, 66, 69, 77, 85) stitches onto another length of yarn.
It will look like this:
Skip ahead in the post to: NEXT ROW (RS)
Step 1:
The entire shrug is on a length of waste yarn. Run your circular needle through ONLY the back section (section between the 2 markers.)
Step 2:
Cut the scrap yarn at center back, pull the cut end out of the back stitches, tie.
Now just tie the ends of the scrap yarn.
Now, the pattern says to "work one row even." This just means to work one row in Textured Stripe pattern without doing any increases or decreases. From this point in the pattern until we begin the next section, you will only be working with the stitches used for the body.
So, work your one row, then go on to:
NEXT ROW (RS): Continue in textured stripe, bind off 3 sts at beg of next 10(8, 0, 16, 0 0) rows. Then, 4 sts at beg of next 6(8, 14, 4, 16, 16) rows.
Stitches are decreased here in order to give a curved shape to the back of the sweater, so that it slopes inward and will help the ribbing to hug the wearer's lower back, rather than hanging loosely around the body.
Here is what my shrug looks like at this point:
(See my flickr set for more photos)
Here's how to transfer the stitches onto scrap yarn. You can do this same process to save the sleeve stitches:
Thread a darning needle loaded with waste yarn through the stitches on the needle.
Remove the sts from the knitting needle onto the darning needle.
Transfer sts from darning needle to yarn.
I'd like to invite everyone to post your progress shots to the flickr pool for this KAL. And, if you're still having any "so…what am I doing wrong here?" questions, this would be a great place for you to post photos of what your knitting looks like, so that your fellow "KALers" (including me) can help out.
Related links:
Posted in Community, Knit-Along, Knitting | 50 Comments » Comments
In this week's post, we will cast on and work through the YOKE of the shrug. The yoke of the sweater is the part that contains the cast on edge, the beginnings of the sleeves, and the top part of the body.
Now that you've found the perfect yarn, the correctly-sized needles, made your swatch, checked your gauge, and breathed a sigh of relief…LET'S CAST ON!
Gather up your yarn, needles, two stitch markers, and cast on 60 (60, 60, 68, 68, 68) stitches. (I'm making the 3rd size.)
Do not join to work in the round. Even though we are using circular needles, because the shrug is left open at the front, we work back and forth.
RAGLAN SET-UP ROW (WS):This is the portion of the pattern in which we place our markers and set up the placement of the raglan increases.
The instructions say to begin working in stocking stitch or stockinette (which looks knit on the RS of the fabric.) Because row 1 is a WS row, we need to purl. So, purl along, placing markers as indicated in the instructions. (pm = "place marker")
RAGLAN INC ROW (RS): [KFB, work to 1 st before marker, KFB] twice, work to last st, KFB — 66 (66, 66, 74, 74, 74) sts.
Written in this shorthand notation, these instructions may confuse the beginner knitter. Written in longhand, they would look like this:
In other words (because even written out longhand, it's a lot!): Increase in the first stitch, increase one stitch on each side of every marker, and increase in the last stitch. (Increases 6 sts.)
NOTE: KFB = knit into both the front leg and the back leg of the next stitch on the needle. This increases one stitch. Here's a video at www.knittinghelp.com showing how to KFB (continental) (English).
Work this whole section (13 rows) in stocking stitch, so that all of the RS rows are knit, and all of the WS rows are purled.
Here's what my knitting looks like after finishing this section:
Here's a closeup of how the raglan increases look:
NEXT ROW (RS): Begin textured stripe stitch pattern, and at the same time, continue working your raglan increases until you have 180(204, 228, 242, 266, 290) sts.
Here's what my shrug looks like (on the needles) at the end of this section:
When you break the yarn at the end of the last row, be sure to leave a tail. Any time in knitting when you cut or break a working yarn, you MUST leave a tail so that that end can either be tied off and woven in, or attached to a new length of yarn and worked later.
TIP: At this point, I suggest that you thread a darning needle with a long length of waste yarn and place the whole shrug onto the waste yarn. You can now try on your shrug and make sure it fits you properly.
This may sound like a lot of extra work, but it's so much better to take the time to check fit now than it is to find it doesn't fit later!
Here's what my shrug looks like on a length of waste yarn:
You an see that we've formed (from L to R) the cap of the left sleeve, the back of the shrug, and the cap of the right sleeve.
To see if your shrug fits, try it on, matching the points indicated with arrows in the photo above at the under arm.
Next week, we will separate the sleeves and continue to form the back of the shrug.
Related links:
Posted in Community, Knit-Along, Knitting | 80 Comments » Comments
Hello and welcome to the Textured Circle Shrug Knit-Along! This is one of my favorite patterns from my newest book, Glam Knits, and I'm so happy to get to share it with you here.
Before we get started with the knitting, let's take some time to gather up our materials and all of the information we'll need.
First, you'll need the pattern, which can be downloaded here.
Once you have printed out the pattern, start on page 1 (page 83 in Glam Knits,) and read through the information section.
The first thing you need to do is choose a size to knit. The pattern is sized for a range of bust measurements 32-34 (36-38, 40-42, 44-46, 48-50, 52-54). You can simply choose the size that is closest to your actual bust measurement. The shrug doesn't actually cover the bust, so if you want to double-check that the size you choose is the right one for you, you can check out the schematic on the second page of the pattern.
Take a look at the measurements given at the bottom edge of the drawing (for a larger schematic, click the drawing or refer to your pattern): 17.75 (19.5, 21.25, 23, 25, 26.75)" This is the cross-back measurement of the shrug. (The measurement of the shrug across the back, lying flat.) You can measure across your own back, from under arm to under arm, and compare these numbers to your own measurement, then choose the size that you think will fit you the best. Because this is a top-down knit, you will be able to adjust the size as you go. (We'll talk more about adjusting the size in a later post.)
Now that you have chosen your size, go on to the next section: YARN
You will need aproximately 882(1078, 1176, 1470, 1666, 1862) yards of worsted weight yarn. I have chosen to knit the shrug in LB Collection Organic Wool in the Toffee color. You can knit yours in any worsted weight yarn, and will get a great result, as long as your gauge is the same as given in the pattern.
Some alternative Lion Brand Yarns are:
Now that you've chosen your yarn, take a look at the next section in the pattern: NEEDLES
The needles that I recommend are given as a guide. You'll need to knit a swatch and make sure that the gauge that you come up with is the same that is given in the pattern (18 sts and 26 rows in 4″ of textured stripe pattern using the larger needle.) If you end up with more stitches per inch, you may need to choose a larger (US9) needle, and if you end up with fewer stitches per inch, you'll choose a smaller (US7) needle.
The larger US 8 (5mm) needle is used to knit the body and sleeves of the shrug, and the smaller US 6 needle is used to knit the trim. Do not worry too much if you can't find the exact lengths given in the pattern. Needles from 24″ to 40″ will work just fine.
Once you have located your needles, gather up your NOTIONS
Now that you've got all of your stuff together, start on a GAUGE swatch.
The gauge is given in the pattern as 18 sts and 26 rows in 4″ (10cm) in textured stripe. SO, when you knit your swatch, you'll want to knit it in the stitch pattern as written on page 84.
I usually try to make a nice generous swatch, so I cast on 25 sts and work in stitch pattern until the piece looks approximately square.
Here's my swatch hot off the needles (you can click on the images to enlarge):
In the next blog post, we'll cast on together for our shrugs and work through the yoke!
We're also happy to annouce the two winners of our random drawing for a copy of Glam Knits, commenters #743 Zora and #1017 Mette. Congratulations and enjoy your book!
Related links:
Posted in Community, Knit-Along, Knitting | 66 Comments » Comments


text:
Height: 20.500 cm
Length: 25.500 cm
GR 1885.3-16.1 (Terracotta C 529)
Room 22: Alexander the Great
Terracotta group of two women
Hellenistic, around 100
Probably from Myrina, western Asia Minor (modern Turkey)
The two women lean together on their comfortable-looking couch with its finely turned legs, rugs and plump cushions. They seem deep in conversation, and perhaps represent a mother (the older looking woman to the right) advising her daughter.
Groups of two
women, usually standing, were a popular subject at Myrina. They may
have been intended for ordinary people, perhaps even members of the
family to which the dead person belonged. The figures may also
represent the underworld goddess
colours on this group are unusually well preserved. Both the
underlying white
R.A. Higgins, Greek terracottas (London, Methuen, 1967)


text:
Scholars Academy Speech & Debate Team is presently planning to attend the tournaments that are on the calendar for 2013-2014.
Each team member should schedule themselves to attend at least five (5) tournaments. A minimum of three (3) tournaments is required to be eligible for team membership, state tournaments, national tournaments, and special travel opportunities. The 1st/2nd year state tournament is scheduled for February 7-8th at Lassiter High School. We will make arrangements to attend other tournaments on the calendar if team members express interest. The full GFCA calendar can be viewed at http://thegfca.org/tournaments/calendar/. All team members should plan ahead to attend as many tournaments as possible (minimum of 3, preferably 5 or more).
2014 Nationals
Successful team members may attend one of the following national events if qualified:
NCFL (National Catholic Forensic League) – Chicago, IL – May 23-25, 2014
NFL (National Forensic League) – Overland Park, KS – June 15-20, 2014


text:
People often ask me what I do around here, and it's a valid question, since so much of what I do is not publicly visible. Needless to say, there's a lot of weird stuff that Giant Bomb has going on in the background that other sites in the CBSi family don't have to deal with, largely because many of them don't feature subscription services, nor do they have storefronts through which they sell merchandise. So I figured I'd start writing the occasional blog about what keeps me busy on a day to day basis.
Lately it's been monitoring our store. You may have used the store in the past to get a t-shirt or poster or something, and if you did, then thanks! We don't make a huge amount of money from the store, since we generally try to offer merchandise of a decent level of quality without making the prices too crazy, which means our costs are pretty close to the list price of most of the items we offer. We make some money on each order, but no one's taking baths in Cristal or anything.
Normally, that's all fine and good, except when we start getting people trying to make fraudulent orders, as has been happening with increasing frequency of late. Our store is run through Shopify, which automatically takes a look at each order and pops up various flags based on suspicious activity, such as billing address not matching where the credit card's registered and CVVs not matching.
EDIT: To be clear, none of the below should be taken as an indicator that Giant Bomb has any kind of security issue with its store. We don't even have access to your credit card numbers; everything we do is through third-party vendors that keep all that stuff locked up good and tight. People are using credit card numbers they've stolen elsewhere; felt like a good idea to make that clear.
Those are both pretty good indicators that someone's using a stolen credit card to place an order, especially the mismatched CVV. The CVV's the little three-digit code on the back of the card that you're usually asked to enter when placing an order online; the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard prevents it from being stored, so when credit card records are breached, hackers usually just get the card number but have to make a guess at the CVV. It's pretty rare that anyone using a valid card won't know or be able to access their CVV, since it's right there on the back of the card, so mismatched CVVs are usually an excellent indicator that an order is fraudulent.
(As an aside, I'm also the guy who has to report on our PCI compliance, which involves wonderful things like payment data flow diagrams and something called a PCI DSS SAQ. It's pretty thrilling stuff.)
Anyhow, there are enough steps in our ordering chain that sometimes a fraudulent order will slip through, which will generally lead to a chargeback later on down the line. Since we keep records of where we ship, we can supply those to Paypal to prove that an order was shipped and signed for, which usually result in Paypal contesting the chargeback with the credit card company, after which I have no idea what happens. I presume that credit card companies simply eat a certain number of fraudulent charges as part of the cost of doing business.
Recently, though, there's been a bit of an uptick in fraudulent orders to the store, mostly being placed from Venezuela with shipping addresses in southern Florida. From what I can tell, it looks like there's some kind of well-organized credit card scamming gang that rip off tons of credit card numbers and convert them into physical goods before the numbers are shut down. That might sound paranoid, but googling some of the shipping addresses have led to things like Yelp listings for the businesses there, which in turn lead to plenty of reports of other merchants reporting the addresses being associated with stolen CC numbers. I guess someone in Venezuela or Miami really likes Giant Bomb, because they've been ordering plenty of merchandise over the past few months. Or they just use it to smuggle cocaine, or something. Edit: Someone on Twitter suggested that they might just be trying to place small orders to see which credit card numbers were still active before using them for large purchases elsewhere, which makes sense.
So, I've been trying to keep track of all the orders that are coming in and have been manually cancelling anything that looks suspicious. That hasn't stopped the orders from coming in, of course, even though I make sure to send emails back indicating that the orders were cancelled because they're suspected to be fraudulent. Not that anyone's reading them; I'm pretty sure the email addresses are as fake as the orders themselves.
What's interesting is that the orders from southern Florida have mostly subsided (with a few exceptions) in favor of orders from places like Lithuania, Tunisia, Albania, and other exotic locales. It's interesting to see the purchasing habits of people who're playing with other people's money. One order was for a single t-shirt and a hoodie, but still managed to be $236 thanks to a mammoth $181 shipping charge. (If you're ordering from eastern Europe, you might want to opt for something cheaper than overnight shipping.) What's curious is that a lot of these new orders are passing the CVV checks. Presumably this means that these orders are being placed from credit cards that were actually physically stolen, or perhaps issued by legitimate vendors based on fraudulent applications.
I've been refreshing the orders page pretty regularly lately, examining all of the orders coming in, and cancelling all the fraudulent ones; at this point I'm pretty sure that I've pissed someone off, because the frequency has increased to the point where over half of all orders coming in are fraudulent, with over $1200 in fraudulent orders in the last couple of days alone. I'm not going to go into the criteria I use to detect suspicious orders, but suffice to say that the "is this order legitimate" game is pretty fun sometimes, especially since I rarely play actual games at work nowadays. Undoubtedly there'll be a legitimate order that I accidentally cancel at some point, so if you wind up getting an order cancelled mysteriously, let me know and I'll look into it. I'm looking into some Shopify apps that add a second level of protection against fraudulent orders in the meantime.
And that's one of the things that I've been up to. So there!


text:
My family lives in Collinsville, Ill I get warm and fuzzy feelings when I think of gooey butter cake. My Grandma would make sure we had a bite of the cake. During one of the many meals we would eat together. It was the best. I wish you could deliver it to the Oregon coast
Best Bakery St. Louis 2001 - Kruta Collinsville Bakery
I love Krutas. Ilive in the suburbs of Chicago, IL but will always deem Krutas the best bakery for their Gooey butter cake!!! My grandmother lived in collinsville for most of her life, she died suddenly a couple of years ago, and she always spoiled her granddaughters with Gooey butter cake when we would visit! Grandma Barton gave us the best treats GRANDMA and GOOEY BUTTER CAKE!!!!! We miss Krutas everytime we miss our grandma which is VERY OFTEN!! You should open a bakery out here or at least ship out Gooey butter cakes, because they are a little slice of heaven and a wonderful memory of our dearly loved grandma!!
Oh Kruta's, how I love thee! You'll also find that not only are the Kruta goods unbelievably tasty, they are very inexpensive!


text:
Tax problems arise when a person fails to identify some common problems. In order to avoid these things, you have to be familiar with the common tax mistakes. To start with:
1. Not filing on time
Paying on the deadline can cause panic to the taxpayer's part. Interest and penalties pile up fast for late filers. Learn to be updated in filing to avoid additional charges.
2. Missing or incorrect information
You might wonder, you've gathered all your records, filled out paper works, and sent it to the right address, but still you have not received your check refund. Then, only to find out that you had given wrong information.
Perhaps you were able to fill out incorrect information, or there might be some missing lines in your information forms.
3. Wrong calculations or math errors
Careless mistakes. If you accidentally enter a wrong figure, surely you won't get any reply from the tax department. Filing electronically can surely help, since the tax software will do most of the calculations for you. But be sure to enter correct data required. The tax software may not be able to respond to you and can't help you out.
4. Falling behind on the latest tax news
You can miss out on some major privileges if you fall too far out of the loop. Do not be mislead, talk to tax professionals about your situation, for sure they can help, and they should be. If they're equipped with the proper knowledge on the latest changes if you're paying them, they can tell you about rebates or credits that may apply to you.
5. Not Keeping a Copy of Your Return
If the copy of your return has been missing, then you have a problem. There are times that you need to reduce paper garbage. If it happens that a copy of your return has been included there, it's going to be a gigantic headache.
It is beneficial to have a filing envelope of your own, and it should be placed in a safe closet, or in a filing steel cabinet.
6. Faking your death
A lot of people have been tried for tax evasion cases. Do not be an example of it.
7. Missing a Tax Break
Missing tax credits and deductions can sting in a different way since you have to pay too much when you start filing.
8. Filling the Wrong Tax Forms
If you will not be careful in choosing tax forms, you might end up filing a wrong form.
9. Filing under the Wrong Status
Make sure you choose only one status.
1o. Not Filing at All
Even if, you have no funds to pay your liability at the moment, be encouraged to file.
The most noteworthy thing a tax payer must not forget is their obligation to the government in terms of taxation. By doing so, you will help build your nation out of the money you give from your taxes. It can also be stressful when we fail to observe the right way of handling it.


text:
First and foremost it is important to speak about the qualities of these weapons on their own. The first thing that comes to mind is: By the Gods that is a lot of sharp edges. I mean just look at the focus for crying out loud! Why do we need a knife on a focus? The shield alone looks like it could cause more trouble for the person defending with it than for the attacker. Oh and that pistol. Who puts a bayonet on a pistol and not on a rifle? So many questionable decisions the weapon smiths made here.
Other than this these strange design decisions one must be aware of the qualities of the weapons if you wish to dress to match. The main colors of these weapons are a strong, deep steel gray while it has filigree of gold and an enchantment that shines a bright white. So that is a majority of a steel gray, a secondary of gold and just the tiniest hint of bright white.
This means, my lovelies, that if you got with a solid white you are doing a disservice of the colored qualities of the rest of the weapon. If you stick with only a steel grey you are not acknowledging those unique colorful characteristics of the gold and white. To go with solely steel and gold will be close, and can be used, but it neglects that white that is there for a reason and deserves just the smallest bit of acknowledgment in your gear.
So here I found a warrior lugging around one of those new weapons and made him stand still as I gave him proper makeover. We finally settled on what you see here after listening to him complain for the thirtieth time about how he doesn't think a shirtless approach is appropriate
The colors we went with are Celestial, Gold, Antique Gold (for the cloth part of the leggings) and Iron. Now I understand, dears, that Celestial is a terribly expensive color and I can't expect just anyone to have it. You can use Mithril or Icing as an alternative but you won't get that strong white glow in your armor without Celestial.
Now for the armor that entirely depends on the person who wears it and what armor. I do know that some people will think that the Radiant armor pieces are going to match well with these weapons and I want to strongly warn that those armor pieces will be so terribly gaudy with those weapons. Not to say it can't be done but you have to be careful with the rest of the attire so you don't overpower yourself with too much glowing white.
Now do keep in mind that by no means do you need to make your armor match those weapons. After all they are little more than deadly accessories. You can't be expected to match every set of clothes to just some accessory. It just looks a little bit nicer if you do.
Here's a small gallery of some of the best outfits I could find today of such gear. Hopefully these will get your inner fashionista stirring and setting you on the path of something truly marvelous. If you're feeling brave maybe you could show off your outfit?
Agree with Vichan's taste in these new weapons or think he's so totally out of it? Let us know in the comment section below or send us a message at @TenTonHammer or @CanadasMathlete. Make sure to include in your tweet #Vichan so we know who to get the message to!