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Chapter 7
The sitting room was much lighter in its colour tones, earthy but more modern than the study. Large full length windows looked out over the rear gardens and Savernake forest, now only visible as a dense black shadow against the starlit sky. The heavy cream drapes were pulled back by fringed golden ties at either side of the windows. By their appearance, Cassie guessed they were rarely closed hanging only for decoration. The cloth beneath the ties was a slightly darker shade, not bleached by the sun like the rest of the curtain material.
A creamy marble, mottled with varying shades of brown, framed the arched fireplace. It was much smaller than the one in the study but equally as stunning. The brass screen was fixed to the outer rim of the fireplace, thin framed brass doors with fine brass mesh allowed full view inside the hearth. The rim was textured with divots into its beaten metal, giving it a rustic finish. The matching brass fire tools stood beside it, their highly polished metal gleaming on the hearth.
Mrs Philpot, having anticipated an extended visit, had prepared the wood and kindling in the hearth. Alaric opened the screen doors and crouched down. With the flick of a match it flared to life, igniting the dry kindling. Trails of smoke spiralled up the chimney as the bark on the wood beneath caught alight.
As Cassie looked around the room she noticed an antique Chinese sideboard, stained a chestnut colour and lacquered with a glossy finish standing along the rear wall facing toward the fireplace. Its top curled up at either end emulating a scroll. The handles on the draws and cupboard doors below had brass yin/yang symbols. A large gilded mirror on the wall above it reflected back the warmth and light from the fire, giving the room a very homely feel.
Cassie and Alex sank deeply into one of two large cream lounges. Alex groaned with pleasure as he spread himself out and rearranged the nest of cushions around him, squashing Cassie against the arm of the couch at the other end.
"This is more comfortable than my bed," he said, turning to Alaric, "I don't think this couch goes very well in this room though. I tell you what, I'll do you a favour. I'd be happy to take it off your hands," he crowed flippantly, offering his best lopsided grin.
Alaric raised himself from his crouched position by the fire, its flames now growing steadily higher.
"I tell you what," Alaric began, in a serious business-like tone. "I'll let you have the couch if Cassie stays here with me," turning his head away from Alex to wink at Cassie.
Alex's smile disintegrated into a scowl. There was no way on earth he was letting Cassie anywhere near this guy...vampire...arsehole...freak. They all watched as his face flushed and the veins in his neck began to bulge. He rose from his seat slowly as if the pressure building in his body expanded in volume forcing him upright, his finger raised pointing at Alaric with a venomous deluge of insults ready and waiting. "Not on your life, you blood sucking perverted low life. If you think ..."
Cassie's giggles distracted his train of thought, redirecting his anger in her direction.
"What the hell are you laughing about," he exploded. "This fuck whit thinks you're a possession that he can trade for furniture," his face turning from red to purple with rage.
"He's kidding. He's just trying to get your goat, calm down," she said, trying her best to keep the smile off her face, pulling on the cuff of his sleeve unsuccessfully trying to make him sit down again.
Although from her perspective, she couldn't see any problem with Alaric's proposal. There was nothing she'd like more than to stay here, not that she was about to tell Alex that though. Not without starting World War III.
Alaric smiled. "Sorry, I was kidding. Couldn't help myself. You're just so easy to bait and there's not a lot of entertainment around here. Please, sit down," trying to defuse the situation he held out his hand to Alex to shake, hoping he would accept a truce.
Alex slowly reached out woodenly and shook his hand with one half hearted brief shake and seated himself again, giving Alaric a glare that was the ocular version of a fully extended middle finger. His scowl furrowed lines so deeply into his forehead they left indelible marks like waves in the sand while his anger simmered visibly just below the surface. If Alaric was anyone other than a vampire, he would've snotted him one. Then again, he still might just for the hell of it, bugger the consequences. For now however, he chose a safer option and took it out on the cushions, punching them into a comfortable position behind him.
What really annoyed him was that he knew it wouldn't take much to convince Cassie to stay at the Manor with the blood sucking leach. It was written all over her love struck face.
Cassie patted him on the knee and gave him the look. The one that he knew meant get over it. Not likely, he thought to himself. He had a memory like an elephant.
The Professor and Lilith occupied the two matching chairs. Alaric began slowly pacing in front of the fire.
"Would you look at that," admired the Professor, rubbing his hands together with delight. "Mrs Philpot thinks of everything." A large platter of sandwiches had been laid out on the coffee table before them along with plates, a jug of orange juice and glasses. "Cheese and cucumber sandwiches. Ooh, and ham and pickles too, my favourites." He exclaimed, reaching forward to help himself.
"Of course she's made your favourites," sniped Lilith. "If fried toad was your favourite food, she would've made that too!" sitting back heavily into her seat she debated whether she was hungry enough to eat Mrs Philpot's food. Contrarily, Alex was hoeing into the platter of sandwiches with as much enthusiasm as the Professor, handing Cassie a token sandwich or two when she made no effort to acquire any for herself. If she didn't know him so well, she'd think his foul mood of only a few moments earlier was seemingly forgotten.
"Well. When do we get to hear about this cup?" Alex asked, gulping down the last sandwich and deliberately brushing the crumbs onto the rug. A fruitless gesture since Alaric's eyes never left Cassie for a moment, which did nothing to placate his pensive mood.
Although the Professor and Lilith were well versed on the relevant history, Alaric couldn't recall a time in his long past when he had shared so much information with humans, any humans. His life had required anonymity and it felt strange and unnatural to suddenly be openly discussing knowledge he had guarded so vehemently for centuries, secrets he'd once killed to protect.
Cassie leaned forward a little, staring expectantly at Alaric who in turn looked to the Professor, nodding and taking his cue to start the discussion.
"Where to begin?" The Professor mulled over the important parts to his story. "You're familiar with the tale of the Holy Grail. The legend tells that it if you drink from the cup you will gain eternal life," looking from Cassie to Alex who both nodded in agreement.
"Well, the Holy Grail is real. It does have the ability to give eternal life but not in the way that the stories tell." He stopped talking, shaking his head, his forefinger tapping his chin in thought.
"No. That's not where we need to start. I think we need to go back further," clapping his hands and rubbing them together, as he often did at the beginning of his lectures.
"About 2,500 years ago lived a man by the name of Siddhartha Gautama, more commonly known as the Buddha. During his life he achieved enlightenment, and at the time of his death his soul ascended to the higher dimensions, one of the lower angelic dimensions, in fact. His was the first soul to achieve this without the assistance of an Angel of Death." He paused when Alex looked confused.
"What does the Angel of Death have to do with this?" He asked, flashing a look at Cassie to see if she understood any better than he did. Religious anthropology was here gig, not his.
"Well," the Professor explained, "There were many Angels of Death on earth back then, born as humans they retained their angelic gifts. At that time, the majority of humans weren't very spiritually evolved, and I'm not talking about religion, that's something completely different," he quickly added to avoid further confusion. "Those whose souls were ready to experience the higher realms were assisted by an Angel of Death at the time of their death. They acted as a doorway for the soul to pass through." Cassie and Alex both nodded silently.
"When Siddhartha Gautama achieved ascension on his own, the Elders recognised this as a sign that the human race was nearly ready to take another leap in their evolution. They saw that soon, many more souls would be ready to transcend to the next spiritual dimension, too many for the Angels of Death to manage. Another, more permanent gateway needed to be created." The professor paused when Cassie raised her finger, something she would have done in one of the Professor's lectures. Habits die hard, she thought to herself.
"You're talking about the so-called 'pearly gates of heaven' that you're supposed to pass through at the time of death, aren't you?" Cassie asked.
"Yes. In a round-about sort of way," he confirmed, quickly continuing on. "When the time was right, about four hundred years later, the Elders implanted a new gene into the embryo of an unborn girl. This girl grew up to become the mother of Jesus, who in turn inherited this gene from his mother. He was unique in this world. He was an upper level angel who had been born as human to create this gateway," The Professor paused again, searching their faces for a sign they appreciated where he was heading. Seeing only puzzled expressions, he decided he needed to elaborate on the topic further.
"A lower level angel can incarnate as human without damaging the body it inhabits, but an upper level angel's soul vibrates at a much higher rate. If an upper level angel occupied a human body and retained all its powers, the vibration required to use these abilities would quite literally vibrate the human body apart. In a short period of time the body would become sick and die. Are you following so far?" he asked.
He could see the cogs churning inside Cassie's mind, processing the information.
Alex, who'd sat quietly brooding, became suddenly animated, scaring the daylights out of Cassie when he jumped from his seat.
"I understand," he exclaimed. "Or at least I think I do," he added, a little less enthusiastically. For a moment his posture mirrored Alaric's opposite him, confident and commanding.
"You're describing physics, more specifically quantum physics" he said. "There is nothing that exists that isn't pure energy when broken down to its smallest particles, each particle vibrates at its own unique frequency and rhythm. These particles cluster together in specific ways to create tangible matter. I guess you could compare it to musical notes. If you arrange particular notes in sequence and frequency, you get a unique song. If you change the notes, you change the song. The same is true with physical matter," he said, arranging the plates and glasses on the table to resemble the composition of an atom, "Particles that make a piece of wood, vibrate at a different rate and frequency to that of water, which is different from plants and different again from animals. If you change the vibration inside a human body, increase the rate, it can't sustain its original form, it would break down," reiterating the Professor's explanation.
"Although," he continued "It's believed that matter can't actually be destroyed, it can only change form." When no one interjected his hypothesis, he expanded on his explanation. "The Greek philosopher, Aristotle concluded that there are five elements: fire, earth, air, water and ether. Ether is supposedly an unearthly, spiritual substance that fills the universe but exists outside the physical Earth, and as such does not undergo change in the same way that everything in our world does," pointing to the fireplace with its fire now blazing.
"Some quantum physicists believe that in the same way a burning log becomes ash and metal can become rust, the eroded matter from the wood and metal doesn't just disappear as the original article shrinks in size, but changes form. Research has shown that the smallest particles of matter, strings, have been observed to vanish from view, presumably into the ether and then reappear again somewhere else.
"As a physical object is influenced by an outside force, the minute strings pull apart. Its physical form breaks down and the strings realign in a new pattern to become another form, either a new physical object or possibly returning to the universe in the form of energy." he explained.
"It's also believed that the energy that creates dimensional barriers is also able to be distorted or changed in some way, like creating doorways.
"Interestingly enough, I am working on a thesis at the moment that involves an experiment that manipulates these strings using electromagnetic energy to test the forces required to change their form." He concluded.
Alex took his seat to a round of applause from the Professor, whose broad smile beamed, lighting the room and lifting their moods momentarily.
"Alex, I'm glad to see your education hasn't been wasted on you. I don't think you realise just how close you are to the truth." Alaric said, complimenting him. Well, it was the closest he could get to a true compliment anyway.
Alex eyed him suspiciously, searching his blank face for signs of mockery.
Cassie held her breath waiting for a snide remark from Alex to undermine the momentary reprieve of ill humour between them, which fortunately never came. For once he held his tongue. Miracles were possible after all.
"Shall we continue then?" asked the Professor, forcibly maintaining his smile now. Signs of strain and fatigue were beginning to show. Each line on his face more deeply etched than Cassie could ever remember seeing before.
"Yes." They both replied.
"Let me know if you want me to clarify anything else won't you." To which they both nodded silently.
"Ok then. This gene that Jesus inherited allowed his body to cope with the vibration of his soul, and also enabled him to retain many of his angelic powers so he could perform all those miracles." The Professor added.
Alaric joined the conversation. "It's believed that at the last supper, when Jesus blessed the cup, he infused some of his power into it. He handed the cup to his sister's husband, a roman soldier and also an Angel of Death called Sammael. Unfortunately Judas not only betrayed Jesus that night, but also his sister. A Jew married to a roman soldier was a criminal offense. They stoned her to death. Sammael was ordered to watch Jesus die and then was to be put to death himself," Alaric took a deep breath before continuing, slowly pacing a track through the shag pile rug in front of the fireplace.
"While Jesus hung on the cross, he called to Sammael. At Jesus' order, Sammael plunged his spear deep into Jesus' side, releasing blood from his body. At that same moment, the Elders poured into Jesus the power to create the permanent gateway. Jesus channelled some of this power into the spear. When he died, it opened the gateway but it wasn't until he rose again on the Sunday that the gate to the next spiritual dimension was sealed open." Alaric stopped pacing, his arms were crossed in front of himself, his expression thoughtful. He poked a log in the fire, a shower of sparks zig zagging their way up the chimney.
"Sammael" he continued "was half mad with grief over his wife's death. A couple of days after Jesus died, he found himself in possession of the cup and a cloth soaked with Jesus' blood. He soaked the blood from the cloth and used the cup to drink the blood." Alaric stated.
"Why would he do that? Drink the blood." Cassie asked. Ew, just the thought made her stomach churn with disgust. It was a form of cannibalism.
"No one knows exactly, but we believe that Jesus or someone else instructed him to." answered Lilith. "The blood that he drank contained the new gene that Jesus carried. The power he had infused into the cup forced this gene to penetrate every cell in Sammael's body, changing his DNA."
"The soldiers were sent to find Sammael and complete his sentence. When they found him though, they discovered that he was no longer quite human although not fully transformed at that point. Using Sammael's own spear, the soldiers killed him, or at least they thought they had. However, the spear contained the Elders power and Sammael rose from the dead as the first vampire. Over time he created new vampires but only he was truly immortal, the only one who had drunk from the cup and received resurrection power from the spear." Lilith finished.
Alaric watched Cassie throughout the narration to assess her thoughts and then Alex, their faces a mirror image of each others, enthralled by the tale. As unbelievable as it was, they were taking it much better than he'd expected. Fortunately.
"After Sammael became a vampire, he hid the cup and the spear realising the power they contained and the power that could be unleashed on the world in the wrong hands," the Professor chipped in. Even then there were those in the Underworld and on Earth who would stop at nothing to get their hands on them.
"How did the cup end up with the Dalai Lama then?" Alex asked, slowly digesting the new information which spun a new twist on history and religion, and for that matter, reality in general.
"That's a very good question," the Professor answered, pouring himself a glass of juice. "Siddhartha Gautama ascended to the next spiritual realm. He hadn't yet achieved the level of an angel but he was very close. He was given a choice whether he wanted to continue reincarnating on earth or continue his evolutionary journey in the spiritual realms," the Professor's eyes sparkled as he spoke.
Lilith interjected and the Professor took another long swallow of his juice. "Siddhartha chose to continue the path of reincarnation on the condition he could return each time as a spiritual teacher. The Elders agreed with one condition of their own. He must be the guardian for the Cup of Life, the Holy Grail." finishing the explanation for him, eliciting a grin of pride for her knowledge and waved his hand for her to continue the story.
She had never studied Religious Anthropology, the course which he taught, although in the ten years she had worked for him, she had dedicated herself to learning as much as she could. The Professor felt she had earned herself an honorary degree. At times he thought she knew more about the subject than he did.
"Sammael had hidden the cup and the spear for centuries but he discovered that if they remained in one place for too long, people became suspicious of them. Well before the time the first Dalai Lama was inducted in 1391, rumours and legends about the power of the cup had circled the world." Lilith concluded.
"So Sammael gave it to the Dalai Lama," Cassie queried.
"Yes," Alaric said. The Professor and Lilith nodded in agreement. "The cup was hidden in plain sight. At each new incarnation the Dalai Lama is required to choose a number of items from hundreds of objects that belonged to the previous incarnation of himself. One of these items was the Cup. It was portrayed to the world as being an ordinary object having belonged to an extraordinary man."
"But, then how was it discovered after so long. He must have had it for what, at least eight hundred years?" Alex queried.
"Good question," all eyes now back on Lilith. "Jesus isn't the only upper level being that's appeared on earth. Lucifer, one of the original fallen angels, has also made an appearance, along with a couple of other upper level fallen angels including one named Ahriman. Ahriman is obsessed with power and domination. He wants to consume your soul, unlike Lucifer who wishes to live through you by manipulation."
Alex's lips tightened in thought for a moment, concern becoming more evident in his posture. "So, what you're telling us, is that we're mixed up in something really big. You're not talking about someone trying to take over a large international corporation, you're talking about someone trying to take over the world, like Hitler." A rhetorical question based on observation.
"Actually, Hitler was Ahriman's first attempt at incarnation." Lilith chipped in. "We think that's how the Cup was discovered. We know that Hitler used all his resources collecting artwork and religious artefacts and he had a whole division of the SS dedicated to researching every occult document they could get their hands on. He collected a library of information and occult relics," she looked to the Professor who nodded for her to continue.
"We believe that following Hitler's death, his men remained loyal to him, continuing the search for the Cup. They recruited more followers, hundreds, maybe thousands of people around the world who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that Ahriman's next incarnation will see him become immortal. They call themselves the Guild of Ascension. " Lilith stood and moved in front of the fire, a shiver rippling through her, leaving her with goose bumps from head to toe.
"At the time that the Dalai Lama was expelled from Tibet by the Chinese, we believe that the Guild discovered the Cup." added the Professor.
"We don't know for sure, but we think that Ahriman has incarnated again and now either he or the Guild has the Cup. If that's the case, we need to find him and get the cup back before he can use it." Lilith finished, crossing her arms and then uncrossing them again with nervous agitation.
"No doubt he's learnt a few things since his last appearance. He's not going to make it as easy to find him this time. He's one of the upper level fallen with a very bad attitude. As a mortal he is an evil pain in the tuchis but if he becomes immortal, he'll be unstoppable. He'll create hell on earth." added the Professor.
"He wants to rule the world and possess our souls. Is that it?" Alex asked, not sure how much more of all this he could take seriously. But, then again, he just discovered vampires are real, why not everything else.
"Yes and no," pausing to find the right words to explain without confusing them any more. "He wants to change the course of evolution."
"What exactly does that mean?" Alex asked.
"And, what about the spear." Cassie's own curiosity was on fire, a thousand and one questions filling her thoughts. "You said that Sammael hid both the spear and the cup. If the Guild has found the cup and the spear holds just as much power, wouldn't it make sense that they would be after the spear next? Or do they already have it?"
The Professor looked to Alaric briefly, the movement barely discernable. "No. The spear is safe but unfortunately that is a conversation for another day I'm afraid or we'll be here all night." He smiled but the attempt was grim and humourless.
It occurred to Cassie, they seemed to have skipped over a major piece of information. "Where is Sammael now? I'm assuming that truly immortal means he can't die, so where is he and why isn't he doing anything to help in all this? Especially since he seems to be the one who started it all."
The Professor cleared his throat, once again exchanging glances with Alaric. "No one knows where he is. We assume he's still around somewhere but no one has seen or heard from him in over a thousand years," he postulated.
"We're hoping that now that the cup has been stolen, it might induce him to make an appearance again," Lilith quipped with an acidic tinge to her words.
Alex had seen and heard enough for one night about creepy psychopathic megalomaniacal fallen angels with identity crises and an inter dimensional angelic hierarchy who created blood sucking demons to somehow save the world in some debauched way, and hastily changed the subject.
"Right then. Getting back to the immediate problem," Alex looked squarely at Alaric gaining his full attention. "You mentioned before that Jarvis can't glamour Cassie. I take it that glamouring is a vampire skill. In which case Jarvis and his friends are vampires, not just assassins."
"Yes. But I'm not going to let them get anywhere near her. She will be completely safe. I promise you that." Alaric's steely eyes bored into him reinforcing his first impression of him being an extremely formidable opponent, capable of unspeakable acts on his enemy.
Alex shuddered, not from fear, but in eager anticipation.
Alaric recognised the hungry glint in his eyes and although he could appreciate the incentive for his mindset, he wondered if Alex's fearless gung-ho nature would end up making him a liability or maybe his zealous behaviour might even get him killed. He wasn't too fond of Alex but for Cassie's sake he'd need to rein him in,…tomorrow. His priority right now was to keep Cassie safe and to do that, he was prepared to break every vow he'd made.
Alex looked from Alaric to Cassie, his doubt that he could protect her swayed a little more towards Alaric's advantage.
Alex himself, felt inadequate to protect her, he was so far out of his league it wasn't funny. HHHe certainly wasn't equipped to do battle with vampires, he knew nothing about them except what he'd learned in movies, and he couldn't rely on those for accurate information. He had no idea how to defeat a vampire, but he resolved to learn as much about them as he could. In the meantime, he had no other choice but to put his trust in Alaric. Next time however, he'll be ready for those evil blood suckers.
With any luck there wouldn't be a next time. They would deal with this Jarvis character and be done with it. Get back to their normal lives.
His hands knotted into tight balls by his sides, his frustration was as pungent to Cassie as the odour of his week old smelly socks. She slid closer to him and gave him a nudge with her shoulder, cupping his knee with her hand and squeezing it. He attempted to give her a reassuring smile but it came out as a constipated grimace.
"There were others like him at the Phoenix nightclub," Cassie stated flatly. She didn't want to think about Jarvis a minute before she had to but it was unavoidable, there was still information she needed to know. "What is that place exactly?" she asked.
"Put bluntly, it's a smorgasbord restaurant for vampires." Lilith answered.
That made sense. That made a lot of sense.
The Professor checked his watch. "11:30 pm. I think we should be heading back," he said, raising himself from the comfortable chair, slowly stretching out his stiff muscles. "Getting old is a bitch."
Cassie gasped, staring at the Professor. She'd never heard him even remotely swear before, it sounded so, so… wrong, unlike Alex whose vocabulary would be halved if he removed all the profanities, which seemed to naturally form part of his speech.
As the group began to move towards the door, Cassie's heart rate began to climb as anxiety took hold. The Professor, Lilith and Alex made their way towards the front doors while she held back fluffing and rearranging the cushions. Procrastination, she knew, could only delay leaving for a few minutes. She waited for Alaric who closed the fire screen and turned off the lights in the sitting room, blinding her momentarily. Even when her eyes adjusted to the filtered light from the window and the fading amber glow from the dwindling fire, she failed to make out the vague shapes of furniture in the shadowy dimness.
Her sense of orientation was off, banging her knee painfully on the corner of the coffee table. "Ouch. Damn."
Nothing felt as foreign as a strange house in the dark, she thought. But, hopefully she'd live long enough to become better acquainted with the manor and its owner.
Silently Alaric approached her, his hand slipping around her waist to guide her through the room. His hard body pressed firmly against hers.
"I've got you." His voice, sweet and seductive, sent another flush of heat rushing through her, pooling between her thighs.
She remembered being this close to him before, when he'd stepped between herself and Jarvis. Her hands began to tremble as she slid her arm around his waist. Like a child clinging to its mother, she clung to him tightly. His skin was cool, but only a few degrees below normal body temperature. His taught tense muscles beneath his shirt rippled as he walked. If nothing else, his touch certainly distracted her attention from Jarvis. His relaxed countenance and calm optimism bolstered her faltering composure.
"Cassie," he said, stopping at the front doors, turning to face her, his hand slid from her waist. She looked up into his eyes, sparkling in the lamplight outside. The strong lines of his jaw and cheek bones, and the perfection of his flawless skin betrayed him as a vampire, while the strand of hair falling over his left eye as he tilted his head down closer to hers, softened his face to that of an angel.
"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise. I'll be following you all the way home and I'll be just outside your apartment until morning," he said to reassure her, taking her hand in his in the same manner she had done for him earlier.
"You'll be driving right behind us?" she asked.
He gave her a cheeky lopsided smile and shook his head which in a strange way resembled Alex. "No, I can travel much faster without a car."
"Oh. Of course. It's the vampire thing, huh," feeling a bit foolish.
"Yes," he chuckled. "If you're interested, I can give you a demonstration some time. But, right now" motioning towards the car where Lilith and the Professor were fastening their seat belts, Alex stood leaning against the open door, staring indignantly at them both. "It's time to go."
Alaric placed Cassie's hand through the crease of his arm and led her to the car, waving for Alex to take his seat.
"When you get home, do everything as you would normally. If Jarvis is watching you, we don't want to tip him off, Ok?" he instructed.
"It'll be okay," he added. The look of trust in her eyes caused a knot in his stomach. He felt so protective toward her. He had to fight the urge to steal her away to somewhere safe, away from anything or anyone who might harm her. But that, he knew, was not an option. Cassie was special. It was his responsibility to protect her. It was her destiny to marry a human man, and have his children.
He would have to console himself with a few brief encounters throughout her life.
Taking her hand in his, bowing low, his soft lips brushed the back of her hand, a kiss so gentle it felt like the cool caress of a feather. A current of attraction rushed between them, echoing in their eyes with parallel hunger.
She didn't want to leave.
"I guess I'll see you again soon then will I?" she said, revealing a half hearted mischievous grin as an attempt to down play the magnetism that she felt pulling at her core.
Reluctantly Alaric released her hand as she climbed into the car and watched as she clutched it to her, touching the area where he'd kissed it, wishing it was her lips he'd kissed instead.
As Alaric pushed the door closed, Alex leaned across Cassie holding it open, his expression determined and strained. "I'm holding you to your promise. You keep her safe or you'll have me to deal with."
They stared at each other for a moment before Alaric gave a slight nod to Alex and winked at Cassie.
"Trust me," he said as he closed the car door.
As the car moved off, Alaric could hear Alex muttering to himself in the back seat, "Trust me, he says. As if we have a choice. I don't like this one bit."
Alex's words echoed in his head. He could only hope that he could live up to his word and hadn't under estimated Jarvis and his crew.
He watched until they disappeared around the bend in the driveway.
It was up to him now.
Hell would freeze over before he would let her down.
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IN DEPTH: Access to Midwives
Posted By News On February 21, 2014 @ 2:00 pm In In Depth,Today's Local News | Comments Disabled
Should women in Iowa be able to give birth in their homes, with the assistance of a licensed, certified, professional midwife? A local woman and many others think so, but there is opposition in the state legislature.
Join us today as Dr. Bob Leonard goes "In Depth" with Megan Suhr, with Friends of Iowa Midwives, from Knoxville.
Podcast: Play in new window [1] | Download [1]
Article printed from KNIA / KRLS: http://kniakrls.com
URL to article: http://kniakrls.com/2014/02/in-depth-access-to-midwives/
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[1] Play in new window: http://media.blubrry.com/iowaradioplus/p/content.blubrry.com/iowaradioplus/megan_suhr_2014_for_web.mp3
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Banana Crumb Snack Cake Recipe
- 2/3 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
- 1 cup vanilla or white chips
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine almonds and brown sugar; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract.
- Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture alternately with bananas and sour cream, beating well after each addition. Fold in chips.
- Spread into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with reserved almond mixture. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 12-16 servings.
Reviews for Banana Crumb Snack Cake
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"Have found this snack cake to be a ***winner*** with my family!!"
"This is quite possibly the best thing you could ever make with bananas! I substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream this time and liked it even more. It does take a little longer to bake than stated, so maybe two 8X8 pans would be better. Love the almond flavor with banana. It also freezes well."
"Yummy! I needed a new way to use up some overripe bananas and this recipe was definitely the way to go. What a great change from the usual option of banana bread. Took this cake to work and my coworkers couldn't get enough. The almonds add a nice crunch, but you can also leave them off and just use the brown sugar as a topping and it comes out just as delicious!"
"Thiis was better than a heavy banana muffin, nice and light and the crunchy topping is divine! I added 5 bananas and baked it in 2 square pans for 40 minutes."
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text:
Where should I go next fall? / Re: WUSTL or W&L with money?« on: May 01, 2005, 07:11:27 AM »
I really liked the small school atmosphere at W&L and the honor code system of moral uprightness. I also really hated the small town atmosphere of Lexington and the stale nature of many of the student body. Buuuuuut, I guess its a tossup. Right now I'm in at WashU and in at W&L...so i'm totally deciding on environmental factors to make the final choice.


text:
Monday, January 14, 2013
TMM like to think that we have seen a 3 stage capitulation on short risk positions over the last couple of weeks. First came the improving Chinese data (though many are again questioning its validity), then came the ironing out of the cliff to a hump and finally Draghi announces Europe cured (well not quite, but that appears to be the market response). With such a huge collective sigh of relief and resurgence of media coverage of upside even TMM (with their view of recovery) are wondering if in the short term things are a little ahead of themselves to the point of having bought puts in SPX on Friday looking for a turn lower in direction and higher in VIX. Much like our languishing USD/JPY puts, this is a shorter term hedge against our longer term trend expectations.
But on to more pressing things - TMM's third Non-Prediction of 2013:
3) EM equities will NOT be able to resist the improving domestic growth & inflation mix as well as the lift in the global manufacturing cycle and should handily outperform their DM counterparts.
Continuing the theme of the past few months, TMM reckon EM Equities have a lot further to go, based upon a combination of:
1. The turn in the global manufacturing cycle driven by a combination of the US consumer & pent-up CapEx-related demand from corporates.
2. Monetary & fiscal stimulus in China.
3. Reduced drag from Europe after the recent stabilisation of the PMIs (last month's dire IP numbers notwithstanding).
4. Food inflation risks overstated, particularly given upcoming reweighting in the Chinese CPI basket, meaning that the easing cycle of the past 12-18months should still be supportive of both liquidity conditions & growth.
5. A return of capital flows into EM (and Asia in particular) as real money underweights enacted in early/mid-2011 on the back of EMU-break up fears are reversed.
The below chart shows the YoY change in MSCI EM vs. DM vs. a proxy for the growth & inflation mix based upon a bunch of PMIs, export figures, money supply & inflation prints and is showing a reasonable divergence right now. TMM would argue that the divergence in 2006-8 can be explained by the BRIC-lovefest which subsequently unwound, and that of 2009 by non-linearities uncaptured by the model. The current gap looks to be around 15-17%, and as discussed above, likely a function of the very strong risk aversion of summer/autumn 2011.
Real exports from the big-3 in Asia (ex-China, ex-Japan) have picked up momentum over the past few months, driven presumably by robust US consumer demand. Post the fiscal cliff agreement, the CapEx rebound TMM have been talking about for a while should provide further gains here as pent up demand is released (though, admittedly, the debt ceiling deadline next month may postpone some of this).
Since late summer, fund flows (see below chart, courtesy of TMM's mates at Nomura) have picked up significantly, powered by the turn in exports, a resumption of appreciation pressures on the CNY - partially due to the PBoC calming market fears of capital outflows & partly due to China's soft landing. Given the real money underweight, above valuation & signs of fundamental strength these should continue to pick up pace.
Given the policy stimulus in China, TMM believe the best place to be is Asia, and within that region, their favourite pick is Korea (but also have the usual MSCI EM vs. DM). Obviously, the recent move in Samsung vs. Apple has been large, but more broadly, Korea seems best place in Asia to pick up inflows (given the currency has become dominated by sticky bond flow it is now far less volatile and thus less risky for equity investors). Moreover, its strong manufacturing & electronics bias make it the perfect candidate for the turn in the manufacturing/services cycle and the coming CapEx ramp up in the US. The one fly in the ointment is, of course, KRW/JPY which has had quite a large move. But as per TMM's first Non-Prediction, we reckon that Japan has permanently lost market share, so 15% on the exchange rate is certainly not going to help them (or hurt Korea) too much - at least not in the coming year.
Trading at just 9.6x 2013's earnings, it is amongst the cheapest of the liquid EM markets (H-Shares only beating it at 9x). In terms of price targets, TMM think the trade has about 15%-20% in it, which corresponds to the overall EM/DM mismatch in the first model chart & the underperformance vs. the S&P 500 since summer 2011:
We will be following up soon with a couple more predictions but for now we really have to add Non-Prediction No.4:
4) The UK media will NOT recognise the difference between Captain Oates' famous walk to oblivion in the South Pole and the minor inconvenience of having to commute to work in a light dusting of snow.
28 comments:
- Charles Butler said...
The Spanish Ministry of Public Works will not realize that if you:
1). Define 'housing stock' as completions less new sales, and
2). Define a new home as one 'less than two years old' for the purposes of calculating sales
that the stock of unsold new homes cannot possibly disappear - ever.
Thank you for making possible this public service message.
- January 14, 2013 at 2:50 PM
LB is going outside now, TMM, and he may be gone for some time.
Thanks for the analysis on EMs. Useful and timely.
- January 14, 2013 at 2:53 PM
- marcusbalbus said...
what a dullard
- January 14, 2013 at 6:43 PM
A tempting pairs trade set up is developing, as FB has massively outperformed AAPL for 3 months or more:
AAPL v FB
Now, neglecting recent momo trends for a second and applying the concepts of value investing and mean reversion to this, who thinks the pair might turn around?
- January 14, 2013 at 8:02 PM
- abee crombie said...
you think a 15% move in the JPY/KRW is meaningless? The Koreans have taken share but I doubt they let thier currency keep appreciating.
And so start the currency wars.
- January 14, 2013 at 9:35 PM
- abee crombie said...
check out the beta of JPYKRW to 5411 JT
- January 14, 2013 at 9:48 PM
- vapour_trail said...
Longtime fan here, many thanks for the education and entertainment over the years. I agree with your positive view on the Korean index. In fact, I had been planning on writing it up for my newly created blog (http://intuitivemacro.tumblr.com), but you guys beat me to the draw. My rationale is similar, although I wanted to add a few more country-specific points:
-Korean domestic demand has been soft, and presidential campaign promises (for both parties) were centered around increasing fiscal spending (including an expanded safety net), which will be incremental money going into the economy versus the previous government which ran a tight ship from a fiscal standpoint. Sell-side expectations feel modest.
-The KOSPI typically outperforms in the year following an election, with a +28% average return over the past 5 cycles (+45% if you exclude 2008).
-Inflation printed +1.6% and +1.4% in Nov and Dec (average +1.6% over H2'12), below the BoK's target range of +2.5-3.5%. While one could argue that inflation was held down before/during the election due to soft price controls, and will likely recover in January (which has been anecdotally confirmed), this still leaves room for the BoK to take action. Also have to take into consideration that Korea has very high levels of consumer debt, which makes inflation more socially acceptable.
-Despite the massive move in the KRWJPY, I generally agree with the thought that lost market share is difficult to recover. I see the share gains in consumer electronics as being pretty sticky. I am more concerned about autos, which is a somewhat price-driven purchase, plus Hyundai/Kia have to face a recovering Toyota and the fuel mileage fiasco. Regardless of the real impact of the FX move, I feel it is very likely that corporate leaders are howling for the new President-elect to take action.
-Given the two points above, I believe that it is likely that we could see more cuts from the BoK, perhaps 50bps in two increments over the next 6-9 months, greater than what has been priced into the curve. I also think that the lack (so far) of an American scolding for Abe's yen joyride may embolden the BoK.
- January 15, 2013 at 3:58 AM
C Says'
I think you and I shall end up on different sides for some of those 2013 projections.
- January 15, 2013 at 10:26 AM
I beg to disagree on some of the points mentioned but that's my personal view. As Ozzy said: "See you on the other side".
- January 15, 2013 at 12:10 PM
Tool of The Week?
Thriller in Palo Alto. Zuck has just revealed a new tool (drum roll), by which Facebook users can.... (drum roll) search Facebook..... (cymbals).
Someone explain to me how this helps them make money? No worries though, the P/E is only 218. (Yes, we are short this name...)
- January 15, 2013 at 6:57 PM
Making money on FB ? Simple... just sell some stocks to the greater fool. This is a tried and tested New Economy feat and obviously worked again. Oh yes, and don't forget to them them up again at or below 5 USD.
- January 16, 2013 at 7:57 AM
C Says'
Or quotes;
"Euro strength threatens Eurozone, Juncker says"
My prediction for 2013 is that I wll definitely sue someone for plagiarism ;)
- January 16, 2013 at 10:17 AM
C Says'
What are the potential outcomes when,in no particular order; UK,US EU,Japan,anybody pegged to the $,all want to have a competitively based FX relationship with their major trading partners ,and their trading partners are virtually wishing to do the same thing at the same time?
- January 16, 2013 at 10:21 AM
Then you sell AUD? ;)
- January 16, 2013 at 11:35 AM
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- January 16, 2013 at 5:05 PM
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- January 16, 2013 at 5:34 PM
- abee crombie said...
I am on the same page. So far its only the Russians making noise but my guess is you will start to see Latin countries (ex Brazil) join the chorus soon (Chile already devalued once i think).
The elephant is really China. They are driving world demand right now, IMHO. A shock, like a big WMP failure is something to watch out for.
Also I think it might be interesting to see if the economy in the US picks up but Big Brother Ben steps in front of the long end to halt mortgage rate increases. The ultimate loser would then be $USD and the real fun and games begin.
But either of those two are still a way off. In the meantime we can watch Japan. I mean if you really want to destroy your currency it is theoretically pretty easy, just ask our friend Robert M
- January 16, 2013 at 10:08 PM
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- January 17, 2013 at 2:20 AM
C Says'
Regardless of concerns about debt levels the unpalatable issue is with a global growth trend of closer to 2% than 3% the combination of fiscal and monetary policies worldwide are too tight.
The obvious conclusion is that Europe is desperately hoping that looser policies in China do the US will do the job for them. They stand to be wrong on that assumption if currency relationship don't work for them. Indeed ironically their tighter policy is being rewarded on the currency and govt debt fronts,but at what cost to the underlying competitive level they require to promote growth via exports?
We appear to be well into a circular spiral here. Too many majors requiring the same thing when it comes to growing via exports which is what a currency battle is really about.
- January 17, 2013 at 7:17 AM
Between Juncker's comments this week and Lagarde talking ECB rate cuts today, it seems as though the run up in EURJPY and EURUSD may be getting a bit long in the tooth.
One last spurt this week to hit USDJPY 90 EURJPY 120 and EURUSD 1,30 all on the same day? Are you diagnosing a case of imminent Big Figureitis, TMM?
- January 17, 2013 at 4:42 PM
Oh and there is a US 3-day weekend ahead of us, an almost perfect time for a switcheroo in FX trends?
LB is presently long but nervous. Show me a silly low volume rally tomorrow on equity Options Expiration, with a peak in investor sentiment and I might come over positively bearish for a while.
- January 17, 2013 at 5:18 PM
C Says'
You must have meant EURUSD 1.35 ?
- January 17, 2013 at 7:06 PM
Exactly. 1,3500. Thanks, Cheltenham.
Today is probably a silly rally, and it is:
a) A great day not to be short the market.
b) A great day to be long the market.
c) A great day for selectively bearish thoughts.
d) A great day to look at inexpensive hedges.
e) All of the above.
- January 17, 2013 at 7:26 PM
f) A great day to take a little bit off some strong fundamental stories (coughnonagencycough), just in case pink flamingoes were to make a reappearance.
- January 17, 2013 at 8:19 PM
Sidenote, I would very much welcome AUD/AGBs opinions from educated folks. They look like optically cheap downside hedges but perhaps I am missing something
- January 17, 2013 at 8:24 PM
- Bretton James said...
Anyone fancy the theory that Japan couldn't manufacture inflation if it tried?
- January 17, 2013 at 8:28 PM
Casual inspection of the landscape does reveal the presence of a few flamingoes, DD. There are the social media flamingoes and the homebuilding flamingoes for a start. Whether they are absolutely flaming pink at this point remains to be seen.....
- January 17, 2013 at 9:34 PM
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- January 18, 2013 at 6:18 PM


text:
KinEmote hack turns Kinect into Boxee, XBMC remote
12/24, 10:40am
Kinect hack lets users control Boxee, XBMC
Two developers, John Simons and Joel Griffin Dodd, have just released free public beta code that will turn their Kinect peripherals into a Kinect Driven Media Control, nicknamed the KinEmote. The trick lets Windows users navigate the menus of their Boxee and XBMC media portals using just hand gestures. The code also supports other, OpenNI-compliant cameras as it's built around OpenNI and NITE middleware from PrimeSense, whose technology Kinect uses.


text:
40% off H&R Block Tax Cut software
Amazon.com's Gold Box deal of the day for 2/4/09 features H&R Block Tax Cut software (model no. 1336600-08) priced at $29.99. That's $20 off the original price of $49.99 and the lowest price we could find on this software by roughly the same price margin. FREE super saver shipping is included and sales tax applies for residents of Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota, or Washington.
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text:
ABOVE: The Man of Steel, as rendered by Winter Park artist Dominic DaSylva, is one the good guys in 'Super Heroes & Villains' show at Eastern Florida State College Planetarium Gallery.
- Filed Under
Eastern Florida State College Planetarium and Observatory Gallery opens its "Super Heroes & Villains" art exhibition with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday.
Artists from 20 to 70 have created "Marvel-ous" images of their favorite good and bad guys. Participating artists include Dominic DaSylva, Maura Emerson, Casey Gardner, Ralph Goodwin, Rob Hough, Fran McLean, Hosea Moseley, Hassan Patterson, Jessie Sibert and Michael Slayton.
The show runs through Feb. 27. ...


text:
There's a mailbox right outside our new home. I can easily see it from the front door. It sits next to the street curb and is shaded by towering pine trees.
You're already wondering why I would even mention a mailbox, but I've never had one so close to our home. In Etta, the mailbox sat beyond the studio adjacent to our drive and a steep hillside's distance from our home. What a treat to have one so close to the front door.
Our mail lady comes by in the afternoon. She drives a "real" postal vehicle, which makes her stops at our box even more official!
Having my own box so conveniently located has actually encouraged my using it to send mail. With the popularity and ease of texting, Facebook, and emails, a stamped letter with a three-line address is a rare commodity. I personally regret seeing the "snail mail" reach such a decline. That's why I try to make good use of our mailbox.
Othel usually checks mail first. If he's away or happens to forget, I check the mail. Neither of us ever lets it stay overnight in the box. If we have to be gone overnight, a sweet neighbor gathers our mail for us.
Opening the bronze lid is always like opening a surprise. Handwritten addresses automatically go to the top of the stack. Usually there's a piece or two of junk mail, an occasional bill and sometimes a window envelope revealing a pastel check. Those are Othel's favorites!
A real treat is opening the box and finding a package. It might be a birthday surprise or a book I've ordered, but a cramped mailbox is always a good thing!
My neighbors would call me strange if they heard me celebrating a mailbox, but that's because they've lived close to theirs much longer that I have. Few would argue with me that we take a lot of blessings for granted.
Our Bibles would certainly fit in that overlooked list. Every time I open it to read and meditate, it's like opening a letter that's filled with knowledge and wisdom for living. It sheds light on dark paths and brings hope where situations appear hopeless. It causes me to want to send messages of hope and encouragement to others. Sometimes the letters are addressed just to me. Other times Othel sees his name on the message. Sometimes they're addressed to Mr. and Mrs.
There's never any junk mail in the Bible's pages. Every line comes from God who spoke through an unlikely list of writers. It's always a daily – hourly – even in minute's delivery time. There are no closed holidays for its operation.
Othel nor I would ever consider ignoring our mailbox for days at a time. When it's delivered we pick it up promptly. How we deny ourselves special blessings when we skip a day of opening the letters that God sends us through the Bible. Be honest; who wouldn't want to get a letter from home?
Camille Anding


text:
« Jens Lekman now playing solo acoustic before Of Montreal | John Roderick playing The Rock Shop TONIGHT »
Bonnaroo Day 2 in pics (Radiohead, St. Vincent, Feist, Ludacris, Laura Marling, Little Dragon & Sharon Jones)
photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin
St. Vincent/Radiohead
Complimenting [Radiohead's] case for its post-major-label forays into art-rock craftsmanship was a stunning stage production that was a work of art in and of itself. With band members backlit by two towering video walls, a dozen tile-like screens shifted shape overhead and changed color with thrilling results. Wild-card set list selections included "I Might Be Wrong," "House of Cards," and "Kid A"; while live staples like "Idioteque," "Karma Police" and fevered-pitch show-closer "Paranoid Android" were among the oldies represented. [Rolling Stone]Day 2 of Bonnaroo went down in Manchester, TN on Friday (6/8) with sets from Radiohead, St. Vincent, Feist, and more. As reported on bvChicago, a song was dedicated to Jack White during Radiohead's set:
Before playing "Supercollider," Thom Yorke took a minute to dedicate the song to Jack White. He said, "This song is for Jack White. We saw him yesterday. A big thank-you to him, we're not going to tell you why but you'll find out." As many have speculated, this could mean that Radiohead have recorded/will be recording a Third Man single. We'll see.More pics of Day 1 are HERE. More of Day 2 below...
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Laura Marling
Little Dragon
St. Vincent
Comments (20)
YTIN.ASNIL > Kreayshawn > Radiohead
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 2:46 PM
Hey YTIN.ASNIL guy, you suck
-Hummus guy
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 2:53 PM
Radiohead and Jack White? I'm asleep already
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 2:55 PM
YTIN.ASNIL > Welch's > Fanta Grape > Radiohead
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 3:01 PM
Radiohead and Jack White - a collaboration that will without a doubt collapse under the weight of its own pretension.
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 3:02 PM
4x ass. I have no interest in hillbilly music fests.
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 3:02 PM
St. Vincent looks like a member of KISS in that photo at the top of this post.
Posted by lp | June 12, 2012 4:05 PM
To many boring pictures of a boring event full of boring people just going through the motions.
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 5:12 PM
yep thank you dana for proving without a shaddow of a doubt...just like that other festival in CA which for what ever reason decieded to have double the pleasure this year...and next year too!!...that bonnaroo is LAME!
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 5:25 PM
more photos of radiohead please!
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 5:28 PM
Looks like Annie was having sound problems yet again. She was pissed at Sasquatch. Just fire the guy already.
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 5:38 PM
Take it from a guy that was actually there: Bonnaroo was crazy awesome. Radiohead alone was worth the trip and the cost. Everything else was just the cherry on top.
Posted by Doc | June 12, 2012 7:32 PM
Bonnaroo sucks, and seeing radiohead 100,000 people deep/camping out all day to be close is HORRIBLE especially with Thumb Yawn's terrible attitude this tour.
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 8:23 PM
Enough with Radiohead already. ENOUGH. Fucking bloated band full of self-important twats. enough.
Posted by Anonymous | June 12, 2012 8:55 PM
lol Thumb Yawn lol
Posted by Anonymous | June 13, 2012 7:44 AM
I heard reports about St. Vincent & sound problems, but why would she give him the finger? Ummm
Posted by wha? | June 13, 2012 11:28 PM
I didn't know Kenny Rogers likes drinking lemonade when he visits Nashville, Tenneseesee.
Posted by Sam | June 14, 2012 9:43 PM
"Radiohead and Jack White? I'm asleep already"
Go back to the Hamptons with that FUCKING BULLSHIT.
Posted by Mr. God | June 15, 2012 5:04 PM
if the people above thought that the festival is so borring and radiohead are so lame- why take the time to announce it to everybody? dont you have better things to do with your time?
Radiohead are timeless and they wil stay here long after anyone will remember you waisted your words to say bad things about them.
find yourself a better hobby - maybe a more positive one
Posted by Anonymous | June 17, 2012 5:12 PM
yummy pizza.
Posted by jordon | July 29, 2013 11:30 AM
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text: Sisters of D.C. chase victim dispute police account Share this story email Share this story «Previous 7 of 20 Photos Next » Read the story « » Capitol Lockdown Emergency personal help an injured person after a shooting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013. A police officer was reported injured after gunshots at the U.S. Capitol, police said Thursday. They locked down the entire complex, at least temporarily derailing debate over how to end a government shutdown. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)


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Crispy duck pancakes are one of our favourite dishes in chinese restaurants in the UK, but not many of us would dare to make them at home. Get the recipe at http://sortedfood.com/crispyduck
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The thicker, puffier version of a French Crepe really hit the spot as a brunch... served sweet or savoury. Our version includes some mashed banana and blueberries to cram in extra fruit and makes them really moreish. Get the recipe at http://sortedfood.com/americanpancakes Share your cooking results with us: http://facebook.com/sortedfood
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Registration 2013 Information for First Year Students
Friday August 9, 2013
8:00am –12:30pm
Check-In and Move-In Residence Halls
All new students should report to campus according to their designated arrival times. Students and parents are asked to report directly to their assigned Residence Hall for Check-In and Move-In.
Students whose last name begins with letters A-G move in from 8:00am—9:30am
Students whose last name begins with letters H-N move in from 9:30am-11:00am
Students whose last name begins with letters O-Z move in from 11:00am– 12:30pm
8:00am-12:00pm-Taking Care of Business
12:00pm-5:00pm-Registration - Martin Luther King, Jr. Conference Center (upstairs)
- After you complete registration and receive your new Saint Augustine's University (SAU) ID card, please put your school ID card on your lanyard so that the Peer Mentors can identify you and escort you to the next station.
- If you have any questions regarding the status of your records, please see the staff at your Check-In station.
11:30am - 1:30pm (?) Lunch (no cost to students, parents and family can purchase meals for $5.00) MLK, Jr. Dining Hall
5:30pm– 6:30pm (TBA) President's Welcome & Recognition of Parent's Association Members (All Students and Family are expected to attend) - Emery Gymnasium
Students are welcome to bring their families to meet President Dianne Broadley Suber as she welcomes the class of 2016 at Saint Augustine's University for an amazing semester and first year. You will also be introduced to The Superior Sound Marching Band and Saint Augustine's University "Blue Chips" Cheerleaders for the very first time. Come enjoy this momentous occasion as we celebrate you!!!
5:00pm - 7:30pm Dinner (no cost to students, parents and family can purchase meals for $5.00) MLK, Jr. Dining Hall
7:30pm—9:00pm Residence Hall Community Director (CD) Meeting Designated Residence Hall (Latham, Weston, Boyer)
It's your first night with your roommate, suitemates, hallmates, and floormates. At the first meeting with your CD they will share highlights of house rules and expectations for behavior, as well as give you a chance to get to know one another. This is a great time to ask questions and hear realistic answers. Relax, it's fun. Just think, you are all in the same boat, so share the ride together.
9:00pm - 11:45pm First Night at SAU Seby Jones Auditorium
First Night is a Saint Augustine's University (SAU) tradition, in which the class of 2017 will unite for the first time for a night of fun and games, and the opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow classmates.
12:00 am SHARP!!! Curfew -All students are to report to their assigned residence hall Residence Halls


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Lily walks in steaming mad to confront her daughter Alex, who is in the shower, regarding her wrecked car that she just saw when she got home. Alex admits to crashing it into another car, but does not seem to understand the seriousness of the situation, saying, "It's ok, we have insurance!" Lily does not see it as "ok" and makes Alex get right out of the shower and march to her bed, taking the heavy wooden bathbrush from the bathroom to her poor sensitive wet bottom with no warm up whatsoever! The spanking is so intense that Alex sobs throughout and can be seen wiping her tears at the end. Great hot and severe 100% action no nonsense domestic discipline scene filmed in HD.This is beautiful up and coming spanking model Alex Reynolds' first time appearing fully nude in a spanking video, enjoy! Full video and lots more available at www.lilystarr.com. Alex is available for spanking shoots and is soon opening her own clips store, to stay updated visit: www.alexinspankingland.blogspot.com. Lily offers paid private spanking sessions in Southern California and is also available for modeling work or trade work, etc. Contact Lily: firstname.lastname@example.com
My wife spanked me for the same thing when I was 52 and our insurance adjuster witnessed everything when she came over to photograph the car. My wife told her to take a seat as she was just about done explaining the importance of paying attention at all times when driving.
IF i was her mum i would cane her hard for wrecking the car not a spanking
Reminds me of a story a friend told me once, except she was about 12 at the time.
Ma'am I love the spanking you gave Alex on her wet bottom. I wish it was me geting the spanking.
Love the scene, I love to give a good brushing to a wet bottom. Very nice clip!


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|uTorrent Turbo Accelerator
uTorrent Turbo Accelerator is a newly added software in the family of the popular p2p client uTorrent plug-ins. The highly developed architecture behind this app allows you to download movies, music, games and other files you want at the highest possible speed. With uTorrent Turbo Accelerator not only the bandwidth of your Internet connection is managed noticeably with more efficiency but you will have the advantage of locating more sources to download from.
Click to download latest version!
The program enhances uTorrent's download features; though powerful, it remains unobtrusive with regard to other activities you might conduct on your PC so you won't be bothered by it nor will it eat up your resources, so again rest assured.
These are uTorrent Turbo Accelerator's main characteristics:


text:
Office of Budget, Finance and
Award Management (BFA)
Deputy Office Head: Joanna Rom
Ms. Rom has been serving in the Office of Budget, Finance and Award Management (BFA) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the role of Deputy Office Head since 2000. BFA, through its five divisions, has responsibility for NSF's key business functions, including financial management, budget development, grant and contract policy and award operations, audit resolution, as well as strategic planning and performance reporting. As Deputy, Ms. Rom is responsible for coordinating the management and oversight of BFA operations. She also represents BFA as its Conflicts Official and as liaison on GAO (Government Accountability Office) and OIG (Office of Inspector General) matters.
Within NSF Ms. Rom has a number of duties beyond BFA. These include service, since 1997, as Executive Secretary of the National Science Board's Audit and Oversight Committee (the National Science Board is the Presidentially-appointed policy-making body of the NSF), as well as work with the Accountability and Performance Integration Council and a number of other senior leadership teams. She is also NSF�s designated Acquisition Ombudsman.
Beyond NSF Ms. Rom is active in several key interagency activities. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) of federal research agencies and over 100 research institutions. She is FDP Membership Committee Co-Chair as well as founder of the FDP�s Emerging Research Institution initiative. She was also a founding member of the Research Business Models Subcommittee (under the National Science and Technology Council), a group which seeks to harmonize government research grant practices across agencies.
Since joining the Foundation in 1975 as a management intern, Ms. Rom has undertaken a variety of responsibilities, including grants and contracting officer with unlimited signatory authority; Head of the Grants Policy Office; and Deputy Director, Division of Grants and Agreements (DGA). From 1995 through 2000 she was Director of DGA. In that role she oversaw the negotiation, execution and management of tens of thousands of grants and cooperative agreements for research and education in science and engineering. She was also a key participant in the working group that developed FastLane, NSF's pioneering and award winning web-based grants application and management system that was initiated in 1994.
Frequently invited to speak at regional, national and international events, Ms. Rom is valued for her broad knowledge of NSF operations and policy and interest in continually improving NSF�s service to its community. She has also written many articles on grants policy and related topics in professional publications. In November, 2008 she was awarded the prestigious Joseph F. Carrabino Award by the National Council of University Research Administrators in recognition of her achievements in furthering the Federal-University partnership.
Ms. Rom is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and earned an MBA at The George Washington University, where she was named to the business honorary society, Beta Gamma Sigma.


text:
|Assessing the effectiveness of intuitive eating for weight loss - pilot study.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 23139388 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher
|The obesity epidemic is widely recognized as a major public health issue resulting in chronic diseases. Calorie restriction (CR) is frequently used for most weight loss programs. The intuitive eating (IE) approach uses an individual's response to internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite and replaces CR. The study was a randomized controlled trial with two groups that assessed the anthropometric measurements of obese adults using CR and IE to achieve weight loss . The participants were sedentary obese individuals with no history of chronic diseases. They engaged in physical activity three times per week for 30 minutes and recorded their daily food intake in a food diary. Instructions were given for the CR and IE at the start and midpoint of the study. The duration of the study was 6 weeks. Weight and waist circumference were measured and body mass index calculated. total weight loss was significantly (p=0.03) lower in the CR group than in the IE group. The CR group lost weight consistently throughout the study, whereas weight loss in the IE group was significantly less at the endpoint than at the midpoint. Calorie restriction is a superior approach to weight management than IE.
|Judith Camele Anglin
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Publication Detail:
|Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2012-11-7
Journal Detail:
|Title: Nutrition and health Volume: - ISSN: 0260-1060 ISO Abbreviation: Nutr Health Publication Date: 2012 Nov
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2012-11-9 Completed Date: - Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 8306569 Medline TA: Nutr Health Country: -
Other Details:
|Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: -
|California State University, College of Health and Human Service, CA, USA.
Export Citation:
|APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex
|MeSH Terms
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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|Background lead and cadmium exposure of adult women in Xian City and two farming villages in Shaanxi Province, China.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 10721138 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
|The objectives of the present study are: (a) to clarify the current levels of environmental exposure to lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in Shaanxi Province in China in comparison with levels in other parts of mainland China; (b) to examine if there is any urban-rural difference in Pb and Cd exposure; and (c) to quantify the role of cereals as the dietary source of environmental exposure to these metals. For this purpose, triplet surveys on lead and cadmium exposure were conducted in the provincial capital of Xian and two farming villages A and B in Shaanxi Province, China in 1997. The grand geometric mean for lead (Pb) intake via foods (Pb-F), Pb in blood (Pb-B) and Pb in urine as corrected for creatinine concentration (Pb-Ucr) were 30 micrograms/day, 33 micrograms/l and 5 micrograms/g creatinine, respectively, with significant differences among the survey sites, e.g. Pb-B being higher in Xian (43 micrograms/l) than in the two villages (38 and 22 micrograms/l). The counterpart values for cadmium (Cd) intake via foods (Cd-F), Cd in blood (Cd-B) and Cd in urine (Cd-Ucr) were 6.1 micrograms/day, 0.46 microgram/l and 2.8 micrograms/g creatinine, respectively, with no substantial inter-survey site difference. Thus, it was possible to conclude that, from comparison with the values reported in 1990s literature, the exposure of Shaanxi people to Pb and Cd is no higher than, and even possibly lower than, the levels reported for people in other parts of mainland China. The exposure to Cd was almost exclusively from foods, whereas the exposure to air-borne Pb was large enough in Xian to explain higher Pb-B and Pb-Ucr than the level in Village B despite lower Pb-F in Xian than in Village B. Cereals (wheat, rice, maize and foxtail millet) contributed 26 and 84% of dietary Pb and Cd intake, respectively.
|T Watanabe; Z W Zhang; J B Qu; W P Gao; Z K Jian; S Shimbo; H Nakatsuka; N Matsuda-Inoguchi; K Higashikawa; M Ikeda
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Publication Detail:
|Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal Detail:
|Title: The Science of the total environment Volume: 247 ISSN: 0048-9697 ISO Abbreviation: Sci. Total Environ. Publication Date: 2000 Feb
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2000-04-11 Completed Date: 2000-04-11 Revised Date: 2006-11-15
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 0330500 Medline TA: Sci Total Environ Country: NETHERLANDS
Other Details:
|Languages: eng Pagination: 1-13 Citation Subset: IM
|Miyagi University of Education, Sendai, Japan.
Export Citation:
|APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex
|MeSH Terms
Cadmium / adverse effects, analysis*
Environmental Exposure / analysis*
Food Contamination*
Lead / adverse effects, analysis*
Rural Population
Women's Health
Reg. No./Substance:
|7439-92-1/Lead; 7440-43-9/Cadmium
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) RadioShack plans to close up to 1,100 of its underperforming stores in the U.S. and reported a wider loss for its fourth quarter as traffic slowed during the critical holiday season.
The stock tumbled more than 24 percent in Tuesday premarket trading.
The store closings would leave RadioShack with more than 4,000 stores.
For the period ended Dec. 31, the electronics retailer lost $191.4 million, or $1.90 per share. That compares with a loss of $63.3 million, or 63 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding items, RadioShack Corp. lost $1.29 per share. Analysts expected a loss of 16 cents per share.
Revenue declined to $935.4 million from $1.17 billion. Sales at stores open at least a year fell 19 percent on weaker traffic and the soft performance of its mobility business. Analysts expected revenue of $1.12 billion.
KKCO firmly believes in freedom of speech for all and we are happy to provide this forum for the community to share opinions and facts. We ask that commenters keep it clean, keep it truthful, stay on topic and be responsible. Comments left here do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of KKCO 11News.powered by Disqus


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It wasn't a secret that Kang Dong-won was planning to report for mandatory military service this month, but he did go out of his way to make his enlistment as quiet as possible on November 18.
That means that Kang bypassed the usual fan and press sendoff — which is generally a star's last chance to be seen in the public eye for two years — and rode in to the army training grounds in a vehicle provided by the military. He arrived an hour and a half past the expected time (usually 1pm) in order to evade the press outside and keep his profile low.
Two other entertainers also enlisted on the same day, Go Joo-won (Kim Suro) and V.O.S. singer Choi Hyun-joon, who did speak with the press per the norm, outside the same Nonsan training facility.
While doing the press rounds for his latest movie, Psychic, rumors circulated about Kang's upcoming enlistment plans, but he and his management stayed strictly mum and avoided giving concrete responses. The general belief is that Kang wanted to keep particularly quiet because he will be assigned to the civil service sector — which is to say, a less strenuous job than active duty.
(Civil service positions, desk jobs, entertainment units — these are considered favorable assignments in that they're less demanding than active duty, but due to the complex issues and implications embedded into the whole draft issue — including bitterness at celebrity favoritism, schadenfreude, and envy — they also carry some stigma. Some accuse celebs of abusing their status to score cushier positions, but on the flipside, active duty can be glorified excessively when really, maybe the guy tried to opt out but his excuse just wasn't strong enough. In any case, you can see that military service is fraught with controversy no matter how you look at it. I've even read a few nasty pieces from media outlets that are usually pretty balanced, casting Kang's departure in a negative light. I guess the bigger the star, the bigger the target… In any case, arguing about the way in which a celeb serves in the army is pretty much a lose-lose in my book. Bottom line is: Whether graciously or not, the men serve.)
Well, goodbye to Kang Dong-won, Choi Hyun-joon, and Go Joo-won — see ya all in two years!
Via Star News
- Kang Dong-won gets wings in High Cut
- Thriller film Psychic releases character posters and stills
- Kang Dong-won and Go Soo in Psychic
- Psychic showdown between Kang Dong-won and Go Soo
- Additional preview for Secret Reunion
- Foreign interest heats up for hero movie Jeon Woo Chi


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I went to the Jenny Holzer media event and I'll be editing down the audio for Bad at Sports (some of it is too hard to hear). But I talked to her in the cafe, and just so everyone hears it here first, for those 2,839 people who subscribe to Jenny Holzer's Twitter page… it's fake. She has no idea who that is. She's really cool about it, she's not angry or anything, she just described it as 'one of those anyonmous internet things.
6 Responses to "Jenny Holzer is Not on Twitter – Kathryn Born Does Actual Investigative Journalism"
[…] Jenny Holzer's Twitter page: apparently, not for reals. […]
I'm crushed.
But I'll keep her as a friend until it turns into speed dating spam.
November 5th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
[…] that up to the digital medium of her choice (Ok that's a stretch I know). But, it turns out she is getting a little help on the side. She can't even take the time to write her own Twitter page (whatever the hell that is), let […]
[…] And we totally fell for it. Jenny Holzer's not doing her own Twittering. […]
Alicia Eler Says:June 25th, 2009 at 10:47 am
I don't care if it's not Jenny. This is a brilliant Twitter page!
[…] wisely decided to do a bit of research first and I've found out that the account is actually FAKE. The words are indeed hers, but the owner of the account is not Jenny Holzer. The strange thing is […]
Point of Origin
- No results yet!


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Those poor f^*&ing kids.
Yes,the kids havent exactly been born into the lap of a wonderful,loving home where they will each get individual attention and one on one time with their mom,good educations etc..but you have to admit that having 14 kids is not easy.I have 3 and at the end of the day Im EXSAUSTED (physically and mentally),so I can only imagine what it must be like to have 14 kids (8 of which are under the age of 4) running around and screaming all day.Just looking at these pics made me hyperventilate.
I dont doubt that she has serious regrets and wonders what the heck she was thinking…what mom has never had a really shitty day and thought "OMG! What on earth did I have kids for again??".We all have.Of course,its much better to out on a happy face,slap on some make up,have a glass of wine and pretend that everything is just peachy isnt it?? Kids are HARD WORK.They´ll suck your body and mind dry and spit out the peices lol.


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Anti-inflammatory effect of antidiabetic thiazolidinediones prevents bone resorption rather than cartilage changes in experimental polyarthritis
1 Laboratoire de Physiopathologie et Pharmacologie Articulaires (LPPA), UMR 7561 CNRS-Nancy Université, avenue de la forêt de Haye, BP 184, 54505 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
2 Centre Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire, Service d'Endocrinologie/Médecine E, rue du Morvan, 54511 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France
Arthritis Research & Therapy 2008, 10:R6 doi:10.1186/ar2354Published: 16 January 2008
Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone are high-affinity peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ agonists with potent anti-diabetic properties and potential anti-inflammatory effects. We compared the ability of a range of oral doses of these thiazolidinediones, including those sufficient to restore insulin sensitization, to inhibit the pathogenesis of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA).
AIA was induced in Lewis rats by a subcutaneous injection of 1 mg of complete Freund's adjuvant. Rats were treated orally for 21 days with pioglitazone 3, 10 or 30 mg/kg/day, rosiglitazone 3 or 10 mg/kg/day, or with vehicle only. The time course of AIA was evaluated by biotelemetry to monitor body temperature and locomotor activity, by clinical score and plethysmographic measurement of hindpaw oedema. At necropsy, RT-PCR analysis was performed on synovium, liver and subcutaneous fat. Changes in cartilage were evaluated by histological examination of ankle joints, radiolabelled sulphate incorporation (proteoglycan synthesis), glycosaminoglycan content (proteoglycan turnover) and aggrecan expression in patellar cartilage. Whole-body bone mineral content was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
The highest doses of rosiglitazone (10 mg/kg/day) or pioglitazone (30 mg/kg/day) were required to reduce fever peaks associated with acute or chronic inflammation, respectively, and to decrease arthritis severity. At these doses, thiazolidinediones reduced synovitis and synovial expression of TNF-α, IL-1β and basic fibroblast growth factor without affecting neovascularization or the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor. Thiazolidinediones failed to prevent cartilage lesions and arthritis-induced inhibition of proteoglycan synthesis, aggrecan mRNA level or glycosaminoglycan content in patellar cartilage, but reduced bone erosions and inflammatory bone loss. A trend towards lower urinary levels of deoxipyridinolin was also noted in arthritic rats treated with thiazolidinediones. Rosiglitazone 10 mg/kg/day or pioglitazone 30 mg/kg/day increased the expression of PPAR-γ and adiponectin in adipose tissue, confirming that they were activating PPAR-γ in inflammatory conditions, although an increase in fat mass percentage was observed for the most anti-arthritic dose.
These data emphasize that higher dosages of thiazolidinediones are required for the treatment of arthritis than for restoring insulin sensitivity but that thiazolidinediones prevent inflammatory bone loss despite exposing animals to increased fatness possibly resulting from excessive activation of PPAR-γ.


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|By Kian Terani | January 31, 2013 | Comments
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- Impact begins with a video recap of the Bully-Brooke storyline. "Will Hulk Hogan un-suspend Bully Ray?"
- We go to crowd shots from the UK. It's Open Fight Night. Tonight, Kurt Angle faces Mr. Anderson in a Steel Cage. Plus, Dixie Carter will have a huge announcement.
- Daniels & Kazarian makes their way to the ring in kilts and face paint. They get a huge 'You Suck' chant. Kazarian says it's Throwback Thursday and they are going all the way back to the 13th Century. They want to pay homage to the Scots, "the true warriors of the United Kingdom." Kaz introduced Daniels as the crowd continues to 'boo.' Daniels cuts a promo on Jeff Hardy and calls the crowd 'tossers.' They are interrupted by Magnus who comes to the ring and poses in the corner.
Magnus cuts a promo on them and calls them disrespectful Muppets in need of a good slap. He says if Daniels wants to fight an Englishman he can fight him. They drop their mic's and Daniels pushes Magnus. Magnus strikes Kaz and falls victim to the numbers game. Magnus comes back and throws Daniels out then clotheslines Kazarian out. Magnus then calls out Devon from Aces & 8's. Devon comes through the side by himself as we go to commercial.
Open Fight Night: Magnus vs. Devon
The bell rings and Magnus attacks Devon and throws him over the top. Magnus goes out to drive Devon into the security rails several times. Magnus throws him back in but Devon kicks the ropes into Magnus' groin on the way back in and takes control. The crowd is hot for Magnus. Devon keeps control of Magnus after spurts of a comeback and antagonizes the crowd. Taz puts Devon over from commentary. He says the attack Magnus was random. Devon misses with the headbutt out of the corner and Magnus builds momentum. Magnus hits a big flying knee and a clothesline. He hits a sit-down slam as Aces & 8's members DOC and Knox enter the ring. Magnus takes care of them as the bell rings.
Winner by disqualification: Magnus
Taz says Magnus escaped by the skin of his teeth.
- A video for Joseph Park is shown.
- We are reminded about Dixie's announcement and Mike Tenay says, "It's gonna be a big one."
- We're back to shots from the UK.
- We go to Bully, Brooke, and Sting in the back. Bully says he's texted 'him' four times and asks Sting if he's heard of him. Sting says that he said he'll "be there." Brooke says her dad always comes through and tells Bully to try from her phone.
- We go to the ring where Joseph Park announces the ruckus crowd. He is interrupted by Robbie E. with Robbie T. before he can call someone out for Open Fight Night. Robbie E. says Park is not a wrestler but just a hamster like everyone else in the UK. Robbie T. turns and glares at him. Robbie says he's basically American now so it's OK. Robbie E. takes Park's wrestling notebook and wipes it on his butt. Robbie says it's Open Bro Night; Park accepts Robbie's challenge and here we go.
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WWE Network Adds New NWA Section, New Guests For Chris Jericho, Eden On WWE - Indianapolis
WWE Coach Comments On A Session, Sheamus - ESPN Video, What Happened After SmackDown
Spoiler: WWE Intercontinental Title Match Set For WWE TLC, Other Possible Matches
Sheamus Talks ISIS Terror Threat At WWE Survivor Series, TLC, Roman Reigns And More On ESPN
Tyrus Explains Why He Takes Shots At John Cena In Videos And Interviews
** SPOILERS ** WWE SmackDown Results For This Week
Ryback And Charlotte On WWE Main Event, "Emo" Brad Maddox Loses Dark Match, WWE NXT Preview
Rumors On Two Possible RAW Returns, WWE Fans On Roman Reigns - Triple H, The Undertaker Update
WWE Monday Night RAW Results - New WWE World Champion Arrives, Superstar Returns, New Day, More
** SPOILERS ** WWE SmackDown Results For This Week
WWE Star Dealing With Personal Issues, Backstage WWE Breaking Ground Note, Nikki Bella On John Cena
Backstage Talk On Sheamus, Roman Reigns And The WWE World Heavyweight Title At Survivor Series


text:
Picked up an 07 Camry LE a week ago (signed the papers at 10:30 pm on a Friday! Some late working sales guys!). Only issue I have with it is a moderate front tire imbalance that jitters the heck outta the steering wheel at about 60 mph and up. The car replaces my wife's old [and crappy] Saturn SL1, so she won't let me do any projects on the car that aren't immediately practical. "Fog lights?" "Fine...but the switch inside better be pretty." Women.
I was looking at something like this to put in place of the blanks in the bumper. Am I going to have to remove the front bumper completely to get the blanks out? I have a 2-ton floor jack, but I don't think I can get it under the car far enough. For the switch, there's a small, rectangular blank in the dash below and to the left of the steering column. Anyone know what's made to go there? I assume I can pull that lower portion of the dash down to get at the backside of it somehow. Any help would be great!


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Posted by: MTI Showspace Host (August 5, 2009)
MTI is thrilled to announce that performance rights for THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE are now available!
For the MTI ShowSpace page for Spelling Bee click here.
For licensing and more information, visit MTIshows.com.
Copyright © 2015 MTI ShowSpace L.P.
MTI ShowSpace is presented by Music Theatre International. To license a show,
view new titles and browse our extensive theatrical resources, visit www.mtishows.com.


text:
Cessna 175 Skylark
|Model 175 Skylark
|Cessna 175A Skylark
|Light utility aircraft
|Cessna Aircraft Company
|Number built
|Developed from
|Cessna 172
The Cessna 175 Skylark is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing airplane produced between 1958 and 1962.
Production history[edit]
The 175 was designed to fill a niche between the Cessna 172 and the faster Cessna 182. The engine of the 175, a geared version of the O-300 used in the 172, is rated at 175 hp (130 kW), or 30 hp (22 kW) more than the 172 engine. Between 1958 and 1962, a total of 2,106 were built. The basic airplane was marketed as the 175, and the plane with a package of optional equipment and overall paint (a partial paint scheme was used on the basic model) was marketed as the Skylark.
The airframe of the 175 is all metal, constructed of aluminum alloy. The fuselage is a semi-monocoque structure, with exterior skin sheets riveted to formers and longerons. The strut-braced wings, likewise, are constructed of exterior skin sheets riveted to spars and ribs. The landing gear of the 175 is in a tricycle arrangement, with main gear legs made of spring steel, along with a steerable nosewheel connected through an oleo strut used for shock absorption.
While it incorporates airframe changes to accommodate an increased gross weight, the 175 is very similar in appearance to the 172 of the same vintage. The most noticeable difference is the distinctive bulge in the cowling of later series airplanes to accommodate the gearbox of the engine. Although externally identical to the CE172, they are built to different type certificates, and almost no parts are interchangeable. (The 172XP and the L-19 (TO-1) share the CE175 type certificate.)
The GO-300 engine[edit]
An unusual feature of the 175 is the geared Continental GO-300 engine. Whereas most single-engine airplanes use direct drive, this engine drives the propeller through a reducing gearbox, so the engine runs at 3200 rpm to turn the propeller at 2400 rpm. The GO-300 engine suffered reliability problems and helped give the 175 a poor reputation. Some Skylarks flying today have been converted to larger-displacement direct-drive engines[1][2] though almost 90% still retain the GO-300.[3]
The GO-300's tainted reputation was largely undeserved, since its problems were the result of pilots who were unfamiliar with gear reduction engines simply not operating the engine as specified in the C-175 Pilot's Operating Handbook. Pilots unfamiliar with the engine often operated the engine at the low RPM settings (2300-2700) appropriate to direct-drive engines, while the 175's Operating Handbook called for cruising at 2900 RPM. The low RPM caused harmonic vibration in the reduction gear between the quill shaft (that turned the propeller) and crankshaft, and the low power resulted in low airspeeds that prevented the engine's air-cooling system from operating effectively . . . resulting in chronic reliability problems for engines not operated at the recommended power settings.[1]
Many of the higher-powered versions of the 172 in fact belong to the 175 type design, such as the P172D Powermatic; the military T-41B, -C, and -D; the R172J and R172K Hawk XP; and the retractable-gear 172RG.[4]
- 175 Skylark
- Powered by the 175 hp (130 kW) Continental GO-300A or -300C engine, gross weight 2,350 lb (1,066 kg), certified 14 January 1958[4]
- 175A Skylark
- Powered by the 175 hp (130 kW) Continental GO-300C or -300D engine, landplane gross weight 2,350 lb (1,066 kg), seaplane gross weight 2,450 lb (1,111 kg), certified 28 August 1959[4]
- 175B Skylark
- Powered by the 175 hp (130 kW) Continental GO-300C or -300D engine, landplane gross weight 2,350 lb (1,066 kg), seaplane gross weight 2,450 lb (1,111 kg), certified 14 June 1960[4]
- 175C Skylark
- Powered by the 175 hp (130 kW) Continental GO-300E, gross weight 2,450 lb (1,111 kg), certified 18 September 1961[4] Constant speed propeller standard. Base price $14,125[5]
Specifications (Cessna 175A)[edit]
Data from FAA type certificate sheet[4]
General characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Capacity: three passengers
- Length: 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
- Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
- Height: 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m)
- Wing area: 173 ft² (16.07 m²)
- Airfoil: NACA 2412
- Empty weight: 1,339 lb (607 kg)
- Loaded weight: 2,350 lb (2,450 seaplane) (1,066 kg (1,111 seaplane))
- Useful load: 1,011 lb (459 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 2,350 lb (1,066 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Continental GO-300C six cylinder engine, 175 hp (130 kW)
- Never exceed speed: 176 mph (283 km/h)
- Maximum speed: 148 mph (238 km/h)
- Range: 598 miles (962 km)
- Rate of climb: 850 ft/min (4.32 m/s)
- Wing loading: 13.58 lb/ft2 (66.32 kg/m2)
See also[edit]
- Related development
- Cessna 172
- Aeropilot Legend 540 - scale version built from carbon fiber
- ^ a b Perdue, Scott. "A Lark That Won't Quit".
- ^ Christy, Joe: Engines for Homebuilt Aircraft & Ultralights, pages 60-63. TAB Books, 1983. ISBN 0-8306-2347-7
- ^ Of the 1382 Cessna 175's listed in the FAA's civil aircraft database, 1226 (89%) list a GO-300 series engine as of January 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Federal Aviation Administration (May 2007). "TYPE CERTIFICATE DATA SHEET NO. 3A17 Revision 46" (PDF). Retrieved 15 March 2010.
- ^ Flying Magazine: 14. December 1961. Missing or empty
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