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The 10U Rockaway Renegades continued their rampage through the fall season of NY Travel Baseball on Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader from Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Renegades took the first game 18-0 behind the shutout pitching of James Byrne and Chris Koenig, and solid defense and hitting from the whole squad. Game 2 was more tightly contested as OLG played much better and the Renegades held a slim 5-3 lead through the fifth inning behind starter Timmy Connolly. Rockaway broke through for 6 runs in the top of the sixth with big hits from Chris Koenig, Robbie Rose, and Brian McDonald. Robbie Rose then closed it out with a perfect sixth inning. Web Gems were turned in by Jack Mulally at third base, and Brian McDonald in centerfield. The Renegades are now 6-0 on the season, and sitting solidly in first place. The roster includes James Byrne, Jack Casey, Timmy Connolly, Ryan Duffy, Chris Koenig, Liam Malsy, Brian McDonald, Ryan Meade, Jack Mullally, John Resker and Robbie Rose. The Renegades have a big doubleheader this Saturday at Ft. Tilden, 9 a.m. against Amity. Come down to root on our locals.
Copyright 1999 - 2016 Wave Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved


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FF7 Character: Sephiroth
OCs: Kass, Larissa and Ishtar's Touched. Gods: Ares, Femos (his son) and Ishtar
Summary: Sephiroth heads "out" and encounters another Touched in the process...
Setting: Our world
FF7 Timeline: After DoC
Status: Multi-chapter, Complete
Rating and warning:M for violence and language
Pairing: None romantic
Disclaimer: The usual. It's for fun and I don't own the FF7 stuff, Square Enix does.
The New Year had started out easily enough. Sephiroth had honestly lost track of how many people he and Ares had killed. After a while, the numbers and faces all started blurring together which was a pity. Sephiroth sat at the breakfast table, watching the family come and go around him. The kids accepted his presence easily enough and, after Christmas, Sean didn't stay alone with him. That suited Sephiroth just fine. But, for a reason Sephiroth couldn't place, he wanted to stay close. However, he also wanted to continue his outings. Attachments are dangerous, he reminded himself for what seemed like the hundredth time. He picked at the waffle with his fork. Perhaps I'm getting soft, now that I have killed so much . Sephiroth sat and thought about that for a minute. Was he getting soft? The children ran through the halls and something in him curled in annoyance, like a cat confronted with an enemy. No, he decided, I'm not getting soft. His mind flashed over all the people that made up this strange family and he chuckled. Each one had their own place and purpose. Both of the adults went out to work and the children went to school. No. I am simply doing my job and coming home to my family. Accepting this reasoning, he continued to eat the waffle, cutting it carefully with a knife while he thought things through.
He waited until the family was busy with things, whatever it was he really didn't care. He went outside and grabbed the knife, a hungry smile on his face.
Ares showed up faster than usual, a young boy in tow. "This is Femos, my son," he said with pride. "He wants to come with us."
Sephiroth looked the boy up and down. He had his father's reddish brown hair but he was still a youth so his face lacked any facial hair. He was lithe enough, though somewhat bulky. Again, expected considering his parent. The youth had an attractive and dangerous air about him, something that could pull people in and they might find that they didn't like. His blue eyes smoldered with a hint of his father's fire. His clothes were modern, like his father's. Something about the boy unnerved him, in some far off corner of what was left of his soul. Still, he shrugged. He didn't care who Ares brought with him as long as the person stayed out of Sephiroth's way. "Stay out of my way," he told the boy.
The youth nodded. "No problem," he said easily. He jerked a thumb in the direction of his father. "I'm used to workin' with Dad. Normally, I just stay in the chariot anyway. I work better from up there."
Ares clapped the boy on the shoulder, sending the youth forward a step or two. "That's my boy!" he said happily. He turned his attention to Sephiroth, "You ready?"
Sephiroth nodded. "I want to go somewhere different," he said slowly. "I want to go somewhere with a lot of people."
"Like a city?" the boy asked. When Sephiroth nodded, he looked at his Dad and raised an eyebrow.
Ares nodded. "If we do it right, there won't be that big of a deal. Why don't we go somewhere in the Middle East for a day or so?"
Sephiroth considered his offer for a moment. He'd learned that the Middle East meant sand. He could deal with sand. "That's fine. Killing people one on one is getting old. I want a change of pace." He chuckled and stepped into the chariot.
This time things were different. They weren't heading into the middle of some jungle encampment or some backwater town in some distant country. No, today they were putting themselves in the middle of a war.
The chariot descended onto the caravan of trucks covered in some sort of camouflage and the boy in the chariot screamed as he clung to the edge. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. Was this child of war scared? Sephiroth wondered. Then his blood ran cold. The child's scream scared some part of him that still felt fear. It was a small part and easily dwarfed by Sephiroth's battle-lust.
The drivers in the vehicles below swerved their cars before settling back onto their path. For some though, it was enough and they ran over mines along the side of the road. Femos laughed merrily and Ares smiled. Sephiroth shrugged it off. This was a caravan, this wasn't a battle. "I thought you said this was going to be a war," he said idly.
Ares chuckled. "This is just the beginning," he told his companion.
The chariot continued down the path and there was an encampment ahead. It was made up of large sand colored tents and other things that Sephiroth had come to associate with an American encampment in the desert. There were easily 5,000 men and women there. Not a bad start.
The caravan continued onto its destination and Femos screamed again as they rode over the encampment. In the distant hills, people began to stir and Sephiroth grinned. The more the bloodier. They rode over the encampment again as Sephiroth shifted his weight to jump out. Ares grabbed his arm. "Not yet," he said, jerking his head back toward his son. "He can scare Zeus. When you're in here, he won't affect you. We're going to make a couple of other passes." He nodded off into the horizon. "See that shimmer out there?"
Sephiroth looked and saw the thing he was talking about. It had the tinge of a god. "Yes," he said softly.
Ares smiled. "That's another battle god and they're riding out to meet us. They'll bring their own mortal force with them."
Sephiroth smiled and chuckled. "I see. And is the battle going to be at the encampment?"
The fires in Ares eyes flickered to life. "Now you're getting it," he said with a smirk.
The other god ran onto the field. Sephiroth didn't care. He chuckled when he saw a woman running across the sky toward them. She was beautiful, to be certain, but Sephiroth wasn't sure she would be at home on the battlefield. Her long dark hair flowed behind her and her rich brown skin glistened in the sun. Her clothes were brightly colored and tied tightly around her waist. In one hand she carried a long straight stick with a pointed tip, though the tip curved up slightly. In her other was a whip.
She clashed with Ares and the two began to battle. Below them, their people met in a bloody clash that no one was expecting. Inside the encampment, people were grabbing weapons and running into the battle in all states of dress. Many were cut down before they even had the chance to slip on boots. Outside the encampment, the people had a glaze to their eyes as they threw themselves into the fray, hoping to kill the infidels.
Whip cracks snapped and curses flew, the two of the gods seemingly evenly matched. Sephiroth groaned. He was bored. The goddess attacked the god and not him. He glanced over to Femos and watched the youth. Like him, the boy seemed bored. He stayed in the chariot, fiddling with the reigns. Quickly and carefully, Sephiroth made his way over to the boy. "Does your father have earplugs?"
The boy looked up at him. "What?"
"Don't make me repeat the question," Sephiroth growled.
Femos nodded. "Yeah, of a sort. I'm his kid so it doesn't affect him as much as it does anyone else." He shrugged. "Why?"
With a grin, Sephiroth climbed back in the chariot and grabbed the reigns. "Because I'm bored," he flashed a grin at the kid, "and so are you. Let's have some fun, shall we?"
The boy grinned widely. "Hell yeah!" A fierce light came into his eyes. "Let's do this!"
Snapping the reigns, Sephiroth started the chariot and kept the horses under decent control. He wasn't Ares and they knew this but the animals still obeyed and let Sephiroth guide them to the battle of the gods. Femos put a hand on his shoulder and Sephiroth glanced back at the boy. His hair was wild and so were his eyes. Sephiroth nodded, grinning. "Have fun," he told the boy.
It was a long time since he'd seen a youth so happy. Keeping a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder, the boy leaned over the edge of the chariot and screamed, throwing much of his power into it. Humans quaked in fear, suddenly dropping what was in their hands and some just freezing in place. As the chariot passed people rose and began to battle but there was more of a frenzied feel to it. Femos screamed over and over, laughing between the screams.
Something in his scream cut past the discipline men and women on both sides possessed. His scream cut through their resolve and tore at the primal part of their brain. It triggered the desire to fight for their lives and the people did. Unfortunately for them, by the time Femos was done, everyone was an enemy. Each man or woman fought for their own life and every one of them was dehydrated and heavily injured, dying or dead by the end of it. With a final scream, many of the people below who were injured attempted to flee. Their attempted flight only aggravated their wounds and sent nearly all of them on the road to death. The others wouldn't live past the battle of the gods.
Sephiroth turned the chariot one final time toward the dueling gods. He was done here. With a nudge in the ribs to Femos he passed the reigns to him and leapt into the fray. Ares stumbled backwards, cursing a bit as he did so. The woman startled and stood up straight, also backing away. "You're taking too long," Sephiroth said to Ares.
"You think you could do any better hot shot, be my guest," he sneered and held out his sword.
"Humph," Sephiroth scoffed and gripped the handle of Masamune. The woman lunged with the goad, cracking the whip overhead. She may have been intimidating, Sephiroth really didn't know. He'd fought dragons and gods before. They all bled the same. With a graceful pivot he danced out of the way of the whip and brought his sword around, feeling each muscle move in response. Subtle shifts here and there kept him on balance and kept his swing smooth. He couldn't have asked for more as Masamune slid smoothly into her flesh.
She let out a startled grunt as he pulled the sword out. She was beginning to bleed a little now, her immortal essence showing through in the sheen of her blood. Her whip fell to the ground and she used the goad to hold herself upright. Still, when he swung again, she blocked it the best that she could.
It was a pitiful excuse for a defense.
Sephiroth smiled as she grunted and held off his blow. His sword and her goad seemed evenly matched but she was tired and injured and he wasn't. He felt some of the goddess' power flow off of her and off to his left and he smiled. Good. Let her bleed. Their eyes met and Sephiroth chuckled at the fear beginning to take hold there. He leaned in closer, inch by inch taking ground from her.
Air whistled just to his left and Sephiroth ducked, forcing the goddess onto her back. She smiled and said something as more of her power drained away and into something else. Her form began to shimmer and ripple like water and, on instinct, Sephiroth threw himself away from her, shutting his eyes and burying his head, shielding the back of his neck. He felt the release of power as her physical form disintegrated, throwing out remnants to the world. Still the bulk of her power was coming at him.
He rolled away, spitting out dust as he went. Air whistled again as a weapon swung at his head. Masamune came up, blocking the now very real goad. Sephiroth glanced up, momentarily confused, and followed the goad to see who held it. There was a woman, dressed as a man, weapon in hand. Her gun hung at her side.
Guns. I hate guns. So brutish, lacking any skill or finesse. Sephiroth's lip curled into a snarl and he pushed his way upright, forcing the woman back. She uttered something to him, her words muffled by the scarf she wore around her mouth to block out the sand. Not that he knew what she said, or cared for that matter. No, he really didn't.
Back on his feet, he began circling the woman. Something about the woman seemed different but he couldn't put his finger on it. Then, as her eyes flashed and the wind died down, he understood.
She was a Gods-Touched, like Kassandra.
Sephiroth paused and lowered his sword. Is she a Mother? Killing a goddess is one thing. There are so many of them here. A Mother is different. A Mother cannot be replaced. As the thoughts raced through his head, the battle raged around him. Guns fired and bullets whizzed past the pair of them, neither one taking a blow. People screamed and their hearts pounded, fear, blood, and dirt choking the air. The woman opposite him paused when he did, stopping opposite him.
Then she pounced and Sephiroth's world narrowed to the battle at hand. Her goad changed into a sword, smaller and bulkier than the one he had but still one that she wielded with skill. It was well balanced to her and she used it like an extension of her arm. It flowed with her the same way Masamune flowed with him.
She pivoted on her left foot, body whipping around, sword in hand. Sephiroth blocked her blow, dancing backward through various people. She pursued him through them, shoving them out of her way. Her gun bounced uselessly at her side. He still didn't know what to do about her so he gave ground, killing other people if they came too close to him. One man tumbled into him and he shoved the man at her, wanting to see what she would do.
She acted like any man he'd ever fought in battle. She caught him and threw him to the side, leaving him to be trampled by the fray around him. With the other man out of the way, she was free to hunt Sephiroth.
Sephiroth, for his part, smiled. Now he knew exactly how to treat her. Like a worthy opponent. He stopped backing away and began to advance, bringing Masamune up to fight. He swung it around, cutting through nearby people who screamed and held their sides. She blocked the blow, grunting as she did so. Sephiroth leaned into it, smiling and eyes aglow. "You are not going to live long," he told her as she grimaced up at him.
She responded with something, nothing he understood. Her muscles strained as she tried to hold him off. With a grunt, she fell backward. Sephiroth took a step forward to keep himself from falling on her sword. Her leg sprung up, kicking him square between the legs and landing solidly in his unprotected groin.
Lights flared across his vision and he grunted. He fought the instinctual response of going to his knees and into a fetal position. It was a long time since he'd been hit there and it still hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut for a minute, willing the pain to pass.
She took the opportunity to force his sword back, pulling her legs to her chest and rolling away. She got to her feet, sand in her free hand. When he brought his head up she brought her hand to her mouth, whispering something into her palm.
He got his footing again and charged her. She flung her free hand at him and sand peppered his eyes, nose and mouth. Fortunately his mouth was closed and so none of it got in. However, it stung his eyes and he cursed, stopping his advance. He shook his head trying to get the sand out of his eyes but it wouldn't budge, no matter how many times he wiped his face.
With him so distracted, she held her sword and the ready and circled around. There was plenty of noise so she hoped it would be hard for him to hear her. She watched as he quit trying to remove the spelled sand from his face and started breathing through his mouth. She grimaced. She should have waited until his mouth was open, then there would have been no way for him to breathe, the filthy infidel who attacked her goddess. Oh well. Things happened that even Ishtar couldn't see. This was one for her, Ishtar's faithful Touched. When she was level with his left side she took a few more steps, placing herself slightly behind him. While it was a shame that she couldn't kill him face to face, she was honestly going to be happy to kill him at all.
Sephiroth heard the pounding steps as they came closer, directly for him. For a normal person, their death would have been at hand. His lips curled into a smile. He wasn't a normal person. He was Sephiroth, the Devil of Wutai. When there were only a few steps between the two of them, he pivoted sharply to the left so that he could face her. Masamune came around and stopped, sticking on something.
There was a gurgling gasp and he could hear bubbling liquid. He smelled blood. A sword fell to the ground and she gasped again, trying to breathe. The sand began to slowly fall out of his nose and eyes, running down his face is a steam. When his eyes were clear, he blinked to get them used to light again. She was standing very close to him, almost near enough to kiss. Masamune was deep into her side, held firmly in between her ribs and stuck in her sternum. She was still trying to pull it out, cursing him as blood leaked out of her mouth.
He chuckled and pulled his wing out. Her eyes widened and she quit fighting. She swallowed once as the last of the sand fell off Sephiroth's face. He pulled his sword free. She fell to the ground, hitting her knees and then falling to her side.
Sephiroth stood staring at her for a moment before he nodded his head. "You fought well. Die in peace." He stood there as she drew her last breath and light faded from her eyes. The power that was given to her by the goddess faded away with her life.
He stood there for several minutes, letting the battle around him finish. As the last mutterings were heard, Sephiroth sighed. The woman at his feet was a God's Touched. He didn't want her coming back to life or something like that. He severed her head from her body and cut away her womb. Those were the two places he had felt the power seated. Now, with nowhere for it to rest, the power of the goddess could not return to the woman. Satisfied he had done what he could, Sephiroth straightened and looked at the sky. Dark rain clouds began to roll in and heavy rain began to fall. Sephiroth looked at the camp, scanning it and the battlefield. No one was left alive, from either force. He smiled and laughed as the rain fell, washing the battlefield in a goddess' tears.
As Sephiroth joined the battle, Ares used the time to regain his strength. The goddess, Ishtar, wasn't usually one for battles. Her area of expertise lay more in the direction of Aphrodite's, in the field of love. However, she was one of the fiercest bitches Ares had ever fought. She certainly knew how to wield that whip.
He knew as much as the next god. No weapon made of anything other than celestial bronze (or one of its many other names) could cut a god. So when Sephiroth cut through her skin, Ares raised an appreciative eyebrow. Ishtar had to leave the battlefield and she knew it so she sent as much of her power to her Touched as she could. Ares would have done the same thing if he was in her predicament. However, Ares didn't expect Sephiroth to stand up to that, Foreign God or not. With that much power, it was like fighting a person who was three-quarters god. When he began to cut the woman to pieces, Ares was wondering how much he was going to be responsible for this since his powers could lead men to do some pretty nasty shit.
The worst of it for Ares was that Sephiroth didn't even seem to be trying. It seemed like he was cutting into the butter for his toast instead of a goddess or her Touched. Whatever the fuck his sword was made out of was some pretty impressive shit.
When it began to rain, Ares stood up. Femos hadn't moved an inch since watching Sephiroth cut the Touched to pieces. The boy probably didn't want to end up the same way. Ares couldn't blame him. Neither did he. Sephiroth walked over, stepping around the bodies like they were nothing at all. Ares waited until he came close. "Uh," Ares began softly, "If you're ready?" he asked and motioned to the chariot.
Sephiroth nodded to Ares. "Of course. I apologize if I kept you," he said as he moved into the chariot.
Ares shook his head and stepped into the chariot alongside his son, blocking him from Sephiroth's direct reach. "Don't worry about it. So are you ready to go home?" he asked. Part of him hoped that Sephiroth was and that Ares could head back to Kass' to talk to her about it.
Sephiroth laughed happily. "Not in the least." He tilted his head back and let the rain wash away the dust and blood from the battlefield. "No," he looked at Ares, his eyes glowing. "I want to continue." He glanced between the two. "Is that a problem?"
Femos and Ares looked at each other. Ares was able to do this because they were bringing down the human populationquickly. He'd lost count of how many people had died. But that was okay. He wasn't good with numbers. Hades wasn't getting on his case and so that must mean that things were all right. Ares arched an eyebrow at his son, "What do you think?"
The boy looked back out over the battlefield and shrugged. "This was the most fun I've had in a long time. I say we keep going for a few more hours." The boy yawned widely. "Or maybe one more," he said with a tired laugh.
Both men in the chariot laughed with him. Sephiroth nodded and turned his attention to Ares. "Another contest?" he asked darkly.
Ares flicked the reigns. "Sure, why not," he said as they rode off over the battlefield. He shrugged. "China's good. Haven't been there in a long time."
"In today's news, hostilities between American forces and Insurgents in the Middle East have exploded. Casualties were high on both sides as Insurgent forces attacked an American base." The newscaster said to brighten up my morning. They went on talking about how things that were looking like they were calming down suddenly exploded into violence with over 10,000 people dying in a single morning with "no apparent reason for hostilities until now".
"If that newscaster was honest, they would have brought up the fact that people have been dropping like flies all across the globe," Larissa said around a bite of cake. I glanced up from my needlework and laughed. She had chocolate cake crumbs all along her upper lip and was trying to look so serious. She wiped them away and looked at me. "What? You know it's true."
I nodded. What else could I do? "I know." I sighed. "Wars have been breaking out all over the place. "I wonder how many people have died," I whispered.
Larissa shook her head. "Don't know. I read a report last night that estimated deaths are around 3 million, just in random people. They say that it could be as many as 15 million or more though because of, like, all the people in the jungles and hard to reach areas. You know, the ones where all the local wars are going on." She shrugged and took a drink of milk. "I'd bet that a certain someone had something to do with it though." She looked pointedly at me. "Where is he, anyway?"
I shook my head, "I honestly don't know."
She coughed and choked on her milk. When she got her breath, she looked at me, shock dancing across her features. "What do you mean you don't know?! Isn't that kind of important?"
I focused on the needlework in front of me. "It might be."
"'It might be'?" she echoed me. Then she sat forward. "Kass, if he's out there killing people you have to stop him. Killing gods and monsters is one thing but"
I brought my head up and looked at her, "Do I? Do I really?" She opened her mouth to say something and I set down my work. "Because I really don't think I do. Things happen for a reason, Larissa. I may not like or understand it but they do. Despite what the gods say, I don't think the Goddess would have let him come here on whim. I think she knew what he was capable of and she let it happen."
Larissa shook her head. "You can't mean that."
"I can and I do." I relaxed a bit. There was no use in making her think she was under attack. "I don't have to agree with it, which I don't. I think that having all the people die is a shame. Every single person who died has a family. Everyone is a son or daughter. And knowing that he is probably the cause for it bothers me." I shook my head. "I know I can't stop him. He's doing what he feels he must. I know he's not starting the wars because too many of them are erupting. I think the gods have taken the chance he's given them. I don't know how he's getting out and around the world. I don't want to know."
Larissa leaned back in the chair, her cake forgotten. "But why would they do that?"
I let out my breath in something between a snort and a sigh. "There are seven billion people on this planet and you have to ask that. Look around, Larissa." My voice became heavy. "There are too many people for the planet to support."
"And you think the gods are letting him do it as a form of population control?" Larissa asked with a doubtful look.
I fought the lump in my throat. "Yes, I do. I think they're using him to get around their own laws and humans are caught in the middle."
Larissa sat quietly eating her cake for a while and then whispered, "You sure you're not trying to come up with an excuse for him?" Her eyes drilled into mine, stabbing me where I was vulnerable.
I shut my eyes and tried to keep the tears back. How did she know? How could she know? She hadn't spent the past several months with him, watching him as he learned to laugh and smile at things that were so small to us. The awkward pause, the unfinished sentence, the questioning look from a child with the hair still a mess from bed. All these things made him smile, more and more as time wore on.
Granted, during his first few months here, he didn't. He was far too guarded and serious, stuck in his old mindset of having to kill the humans. Now, for whatever reason, he was relaxing. Miniscule amounts to anyone who lived a normal life but for him they were milestones. Did I know that he was out killing people? No. Not for certain. Did I have my suspicions? Of course I did. It's a little obvious when he leaves for a time and then, somewhere in the world, people die. But people die all the time, all over the world. I have no idea how he gets around everywhere. I honestly don't. But I'm guessing he does.
These things that I'm guessing he is doing are having some very strange effects on the world. Countries are slinging accusations at one another, preparing for war. It's not going to be the nice, neat wars that we've had if it keeps going like this. No this could potentially end in another world war. My throat tightens as I think about that. Another world war. With the weapons that we now have at our disposal.
A desperate, choked laugh escapes me and the tears suddenly have nothing to hold them back. Nothing at all.
I don't know what to do or say. What can I say to him to make it stop? To make him stop? He's honoring my request and leaving my family out of it. How can I ask the man who's going around the world, killing humans so his mother can love him, to stop?
I set my needlework aside so that my tears won't damage it and hold my head in my hands. Only Larissa is here right now. The strain of the past few months, all the holidays, my mother's death, all the deaths, have finally caught up to me. I can't take any more strain without releasing some of the pain I feel.
What am I supposed to think when the man who so delicately held my daughter so she could put the star on top of the tree kills another person's child? What can I do when the same man will defend me and mine with his own life but take another's simply because they exist? How can I tell my kids that the things their classmates are scared of happening to them is from the man who smiles at them and listens to their stories and helps them with their homework? What would my husband say when he finds out that the man who has been so helpful around the house as of late is probably the reason wars are getting ready to start? Wars that my husband, as a veteran and reservist, may be called to fight in.
What can I say? What can I do?
Larissa has come forward and put her arm around me, holding me gently. Lycoris is supporting me in her own way but she's staying out of it. I don't blame her. I'm not in any danger and my emotions are mine to deal with. She can't shield me from everything though right now I wish she could. I cry for what seems like hours. I don't know how long it is, not really. But eventually the tears stop. I feel hollow and worn out, but lighter.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, I sit up and answer her. "Because I'm not." My voice sounds weary and tired, even to me.
Larissa gives me a small and embarrassed smile. "Yeah, kinda got that." She glances to the floor and back to me. "You okay?"
I smile at her and chuckle a little. "Yeah Well as okay as I'm gonna get for a while, I think. I've got to pull myself back together before he comes home." I take another deep breath and go into the kitchen for a drink of water.
"Which one?" Larissa asks as she follows me to the edge of the kitchen.
I take a deep drink and shrug. "Does it matter? Either one will have a fit, in their own way, if I'm too upset and they weren't here to fix it." I chuckled. "Gotta love 'em but sometimes " I let my voice trail off. Sometimes the guys are more alike than either one of them will ever admit. And I certainly won't be the one to voice that sentiment to the rest of the world.
Larissa rolled her eyes. "You're the one who lets them live with you," she chides me and we both laugh over the old jab.

subset: commoncrawl


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There was a time when religion dictated what was right. Even if you were a self proclaimed atheist, agnostic with no particular religious allegiance, certain behaviors and morals were rooted in the religious influence in the society's values. And for many of those societies, the religion was the glue that held them together when everything else seemed to fail or was out of control.
When the barbarians were ransacking Western Europe during the 4th and 5th centuries, it was Roman Catholicism that held the course while Rome's emperors and conquerors came and went. When the Middle East came under the power of the European nations during the early 20th century, it was Islam and Orthodox Christianity that helped those people maintain their cultural identities and not become entirely assimilated. This is a role that has not been able to be replaced.
Lately this trend seems to have changed. In western cultures today, religionists have greatly modified their language and practices to maintain a social voice when there's a complaint of prejudice or judgment. Where once it was the church that acted as the moral policeman, being the first to protest public immorality or voice open opposition, now that voice has become largely muted; reduced to emphasizing 'God is love' or 'our religion is about peace'. It's former role now taken by activists groups. It wasn't just religion either that was growing tamer, but every major political, entertainment, and economic institution began mastering silver-tongue techniques to make some of their positions more palatable to us.
In the 1990's and early 2000's, we coined a phrase for this behavior: political correct or 'pc'. Being religious was now called being spiritual. Being a black person was transformed into being African-American, or for that matter anything-American depending on what your ethnicity was! Only the few evangelists, right wing groups, and church leaders dared say anything that was not remotely capitulating to the pc status quo. This resistance is mirrored in the Middle East somewhat by the violent actions of fundamentalists and extremists resisting what they see as corruption by western culture and the injustice and immorality it perpetuates.
For the past fifty years, the society has begun to determine what was acceptable for itself, rather than religious institutions. And at the turn of the century, it evolved from self-determination into determining what was acceptable for religion, at least if it wanted to continue to have a relevant voice. A new generation of apologists like Lee Strobel and Darrel Bock, came to age defending their beliefs as being misappropriated and not being truly followed but somehow corrupted.
This may sound like I am opposed to this turn of affluence. This is not entirely true, and many would argue that given their darker tendencies in the pasts, religions needed to be put in their place and their social power checked. However, it is worth noting that the very religions that secularists try to tame started out the same way they did. Voices in the wilderness against what they thought was wrong, that eventually turned them to activists, that eventually became the status quo and sought to put their ungodly enemies under heel.
I am not saying mainstream religion becoming politically correct is neither right nor wrong. It is a social and global phenomenon that plays a large role in the ebb and flow of our world today. Secularist activist and left wing progressives may celebrate the taming of institutions that once kept them under heel, but like the religions before them, they too risk becoming the very thing they fought against.


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"Catholic Answers Live came along early in my journey through RCIA two years ago, and has been a staple for my spiritual diet ever since."
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"Praised be Jesus Christ."
~ dying words of Johann von Nussbaum, professor of surgery, University of Munich; Consultant Surgeon General to the Bavarian military; life-long Catholic.


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Dad stories, we've all got 'em. Accidentally tearing up the yard, running faulty electrical wire or tricking you into doing work, everybody has a story about dear 'ole dad. Now is the time to cash in those 'precious' gems and get him something he's always wanted. Free stuff!
Hometalk.com is running a fantastic giveaway where telling your favorite father story could win great prizes just in time for his big day. Even if you don't win the contest, you still win with their huge database of great DIY ideas to inspire you to create something Dad can enjoy. Here's a short list of Hometalk's easy-to-do projects that could take you just a small portion of your afternoon, but don't just print these and add them to his honey-do list. It's Father's Day!
Ever the sports fan, Dads have a collection of ticket stubs that have accumulated over the years but hiding them in a scrapbook is the opposite of what he wants. Compiling them into this framed masterpiece where good times will be properly displayed is just what the umpire ordered. And all those colorful stubs will adorn his mans room when the men get together to swill some suds.
Table chairs falling apart and looking for a fix? Well grab some old belts and replace that old chair pad with a nice leather support for his tired ole ass with this Chair fix. He'll appreciate the money saved and it won't cost you a full weekend to make them up. (Goodwill always has plenty of old belts if you need more.)
If ties are your father's penance then this old Coke crate could lift his spirits. Lying down or standing up it makes a nice addition to his wardrobe and is an easy Dad idea for the kids. Also, a simple beer bottle will make this great liquid soap holder for the garage sink. Not only will it clean up in a jif but it also is a simple way to lift his spirits after a hard day of work. (I would use an aluminum bottle just in case his hands get slippery.)
Now if you've got time on your hands and want to really help him putt around the backyard then you should go all out with this Backyard Putting Green project. Every Dad in the neighborhood will line up for a chance to 'que with Pops and it may get him out of the garage every once in a while.
If you want to join Hometalk's amazing site just sign up to follow some of their ever updated topics, my guess is you'll never be able to do them all. Doing something special for a loved one doesn't always have to cost a lot of money and upcycling or recycling items that hold sentimental value is a great way to say you care. The people at HomeTalk.com understand that and the project ideas that fill their pages are definitely worth taking a look at. Have fun and Happy Father's Day!


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This annotated photo exhibition gives you a revealing walk-thru of cultures thru how they regard their flags as exhibited as everyday artifacts, in particular as a piece of swim-wear, and in particular the Anglo-Saxons. (Note to conservative readers: This site contains many photos of naked human body.)
This project is in progress. New photos are added few times a year. As of , it has 618 photos. If you have quality photos to contribute, full credit will be given.
While you are browsing this site, please enjoy these beautiful performances of the Star Spangled Anthem:
See lyrics at: The Star Spangled Anthem
Before i started this project, i'm well aware that there are a lot photos of models wearing USA flag swimsuits, and it always projected a free-spirit image to me. What i did not know is the degree of this infatuation. Since i started this photo collection, i found out, there are in fact a sub-genre of pornography of pussies adjacent to the Red-White-Blue theme. I've collected over a hundred of such photo sets from the web. The following is but a short sample.
Elitist porn: Star-Spangled Playmates and Flag Photogenic Girls.
USA flag decorated women's apparels include swim-wear, panties, shoes (flip-flops, heels, sandals, boots,…), purses, sweaters, dresses, gowns, skirts, hot pants, leather jackets, ear rings, hair pins, brooch… and there are even toe-nails so painted. You can often find them in photos of women's magazines, mail-order magazines, and stores, especially around summer because of July 4th. Often, you'll also find Union-Jack decorated ones.
US Federal Government, State Governments, and big corporations, don't hesitate to use the Red-White-Blue theme, because Americans love it.
Here, you'll find the love of the stars'n'stripes as exhibited by your neighborhood Joe and Jane.
Look around. There are star-spangled things all around you.
Flag adorned fashion & pop is predominantly a culture of UK & USA. Then, some Western states. Though, they almost don't exist for Asian countries. For most Asian nations, wearing flags is usually a crime and can arose angry mobs.


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Can you think of situations, currently in your life, when you give your attention whole-heartily? I am talking about certain times when you are not multi-tasking, moments that devour you in a good way. Why might this be something of interest to you? Because if you are having a hard time coming up with these special scenarios, then I might challenge you that you are not living mindfully in the present moment.
We are all human, and of course, we think of the past (maybe regretfully at times) and the future (maybe with worry on occasion) but the more you can practice being fully present in the moments of your life, the better you will feel.
I recently passed a man walking his dog and as I watched his loyal, furry friend, I could feel its appreciation. This dog kept glimpsing at his owner and when they connected, his tail would wag with gratitude. It was precious. I got the feeling that the dog kept the owner present and I am sure, this connection benefited them both.
I often see this with grandparents. They may reflect the essence of "feeling old in general" but when his or her grandchild (especially a toddler) is present, this person lights up. He or she is energized and suddenly these precious moments wash away any aches and pain.
Think about these moments in your life, what gifts you with this type of bliss?
Once you can figure out what does this for you, practice owning this feeling and surfacing this awe-inspiring devotion during other times or activities in your life, things that may feel mundane.
Deepak Chopra offered this quote by Thick Nhat Hanh during his 21 days of inspiration and it touched me:
"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if this activity is the axis on which the whole earth revolves. Live the moment. Only this actual moment is life."
I want to ensure my life has these pockets of bliss instilled within, what about you? It really is mind over matter. Make your moments count!


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Ecclesiastes 6-12 [Clear Word]
Ecclesiastes 6:1 There is still another terrible thing I've noticed in life that weighs people down. 2 God allows a man to become wealthy, to own property and to be honored so that he has everything his heart desires, but God does not let him live on and on. So his descendants or even strangers end up enjoying the man's money. This is the kind of thing that makes life so meaningless, and it just isn't right. 3 Even if a man has a hundred children and lives many, many years, he will eventually die and be buried and won't be around to enjoy the fruits of his labor. A man may be poor all his life, then die and be buried. In one sense it's almost better not to be born because there's nothing that lasts. It's all so useless. 4 A baby who dies at birth is in one way better off. It's like coming out of the dark and going back into the dark. The baby is born and then it's gone. 5 A baby who dies at birth, who never sees the sun or learns what life is all about, in one way is better off. 6 Even if a man lived a thousand years or twice that long and eventually died, he would still have to leave his thousand years of earnings for others to enjoy. So what good is it? He and the baby who died at birth end up in the same place. 7 All man's efforts are to keep himself going. He works continuously for his food, but he never stops eating. So he has to keep on working. And that's the way it is. 8 Does a wise man have an advantage over a fool? What does a man gain once he's trained himself for life? Nothing really lasts. 9 A man might as well learn to appreciate what he has and what he can see, rather than always longing for something more. It's like chasing the wind. There's nothing in this life that lasts. 10 Everything that happens to a man is already known. There's nothing new. Man is made out of dust and there's nothing he can do about it. How can he contend with something stronger than he is? 11 The more you argue about all this, the more useless your argument becomes, because no one can solve the problem. There is no use arguing with God about it. If you do, you're still no better off. 12 Who really knows what's good for man to do during the few years of life he has? His life is like a passing shadow that moves slowly across the landscape and then disappears. Man can't really plan for the future because he has no way of knowing what will happen after he's gone.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good reputation is better than fine perfume. The end of life is better than the beginning. 2 It's better to visit those who are grieving and to consider the beauty of life than to visit those who are always feasting. Everyone needs to think about what it means to face death. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter because sorrow teaches things that laughter can't. 4 A person who laughs his way through life is a fool. A wise man thinks about the end of his life as well. 5 It's better to have a wise man rebuke you than to have a fool tell you how great you are. 6 When a fool laughs, it's like a crackling fire. It doesn't mean a thing. 7 When a wise man cheats, he's acting like a fool. If he takes a bribe, he pays for it with his reputation. 8 The end of something is better than its beginning because you know where you've been. Patience is better than pride because pride can't be trusted. 9 Don't get upset and let your frustration turn into anger because anger sits in the lap of fools. 10 Don't talk about the good old days because only fools live in the past. 11 Wisdom is like an inheritance; it's only useful to those who receive it. 12 Wisdom is like a shelter in a storm; it gives greater security than money. Wisdom is better than knowledge because it protects those who have it. 13 Stop and think. Who can straighten things out better than God? 14 When things go right, be glad and thank God. When things go wrong, go to God for help. You never know what will go right and what will go wrong. 15 In this life I've noticed two things that are hard to understand: A righteous man suffers and dies before his time, and a wicked man lives a long life of sin. 16 Don't be smugly righteous and don't act like you know it all. 17 Don't be a fool and live a life of sin. Don't overwork and die before your time. 18 Don't go to extremes on anything. Make God the center of your life and you'll be content inside.19 One wise man can do more for a city than ten government agencies. 20 There is no one alive who does everything right. There is no one alive who never makes a mistake. 21 Don't try to listen to everything everyone says. You might hear your own servants saying things about you. 22 Remember that you've also said things about people in public or private that should not have been said. 23 I have tested everything I'm saying and this is what I've decided: Above everything else in life I would choose to be wise, but I finally realized that wisdom is not something you can earn. 24 Whatever wisdom is, it's hard to define and hard to grasp. Where can you go to buy it and how do you make it part of you? 25 I decided to study and research to understand how things work and to learn as much as I could about everything. Maybe then I would be wise. The first thing I discovered was the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of playing with sin. 26 The next thing I discovered was that to be caught by the charms of a scheming woman is worse than death. She can bind a man like a chain. Her love is like a trap in which a man is caught and can't get out. 27 The only way a man can be free from her is to determine to put God first. I found this out little by little as I was looking for answers. 28 I looked for other answers but found none. I found only one man in a thousand who was good and could be trusted, but such women were even harder to find. 29 The one thing I have learned is that God made man to walk uprightly and to live a simple, honest life. But man has made life so complex that in the process he has lost his simplicity and uprightness.
Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who then is wise? Who knows what things really mean? Wisdom makes a man smile, his face shine and his hard look disappear. 2 Listen to your king because you promised God that's what you would do. 3 Don't act as if you're in a hurry when you visit the king. Don't stand for an evil cause, for the king has the authority to do what he likes with you. 4 The king has full authority in the land. No one can challenge him and say, "What are you doing?" 5 As long as you keep the king's laws and are a good citizen, you'll be safe. A wise man knows how and when to carry out the king's command. 6 There is a right way and a wrong way to do things, but we know so little about how to always do things right. 7 No one knows what's going to happen tomorrow. Who can go to the king and tell him what's coming? 8 No one has power to hold on to life to keep himself from dying. There's no winner in this battle of life, and death will not release her prisoners of war. 9 The other things I discovered when I studied life and thought about it all was that when some men have power, many innocent people have to suffer because of it. 10 I have seen wicked men being buried, and on the way back from the funeral people talk about them and their wickedness as if they were heroes. They become legends in the very city where they committed their crimes. This, too, makes no sense. 11 Whenever the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people think of many ways to fight the law and get away with things. 12 Even though a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and gets away with it, things are still better for a good man who respects God and does what is right. 13 Things generally do not go well for the wicked. A criminal usually dies young and his life is gone as quickly as a shadow. 14 Now there's something else that happens in life. Good men sometimes get what the wicked deserve and the wicked sometimes get what the righteous deserve. This, too, doesn't make sense. 15 A man should be happy and enjoy his family, his friends and his food. These things will cheer him on his way through all the days God has given him. 16 When I studied to become wise, I discovered that a man can work at it day and night, lose sleep over it and still not be wise. 17 No matter how hard a man tries, he can never fully understand why things happen the way they do and why God permits certain things and not others. Even a very wise man can't come up with the answers to everything.
Ecclesiastes 9:1 So I concluded that what a man knows and what he does that lasts rests in the hands of God. No one knows what lies ahead or whether love or hate awaits him. 2 The end of life is no different for the righteous or the wicked, the good or the bad, for those who are religious or those who are not, for those who sacrifice for the cause of God and those who don't. When it comes to dying, a good man is no better off than a sinner and a man who keeps his word has no advantage over one who doesn't. 3 The great evil in the world is that the same destiny awaits everyone, the righteous and the wicked alike. Men's hearts are full of evil and devoid of reason, then afterward, they die. 4 But there's one thing in life that doesn't change--that is hope. Even a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 Yes, the living know that someday they will die, but the dead know nothing. They are no longer rewarded for their work and after a while, no one even remembers them. 6 Their love, hatred, and jealousy are all gone and buried. Never again do they have a part in anything that's going on in this world. 7 So enjoy life with your family and friends. Eat with them and be happy. God designed it that way. 8 Dress in such a way that you look nice; use a little perfume; smile and be happy. 9 Enjoy life with your wife and children, your family and friends as long as you live. Life by itself is a meaningless round of activities, and without some happiness it's not worth living. 10 Whatever you do, give it everything you've got and enjoy it. Once you die, there's no activity, thought, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave where you'll eventually go. 11 There's something else I've noticed about life. The fast runners don't always win the race, and the brave don't always win the battle. Wise men don't always make the right decisions for their families; capable ones don't always rise to the top, and brilliant ones don't always make the most money. Time and chance are factors that affect them all. 12 No one knows when he's going to be faced with evil times or even death. It will happen when he least expects it. It's like birds that are hopping along the ground looking for food but unexpectedly become entangled in a snare, or like schools of swimming fish that are suddenly trapped in a net. 13 There was one thing that happened which greatly impressed me about the power of wisdom. 14 There was a little city with very few people in it, and a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and was ready to break down its walls. 15 In that city lived a poor man who was wise. He saved the city by his wisdom, but after he died, they all forgot about him. 16 When I saw this, I decided that wisdom is better than strength, but no one thinks of a poor man as being wise or having much sense, so no one pays attention to him. 17 It's better to listen to the quiet words of a wise man than to a loudmouthed leader of fools. 18 Wisdom does more good than weapons of war, yet one sinner can cause a lot of damage and undo a lot of good.
Ecclesiastes 10:1 Just as a few dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume stink, so a little stupidity here and there can spoil a reputation for wisdom and honor. 2 Just as it's natural for a wise man to do the right thing, so it's natural for a fool to do the wrong thing. 3 A fool's lack of common sense is quickly evident, even to those who walk with him along the way. 4 If your leader or ruler becomes angry with you over a mistake you've made, don't get upset and leave your post of duty. Listen quietly to what he has to say, then go back and do your duty, and your mistake will soon be forgotten. 5 I've noticed that there is another injustice in life caused by leaders and rulers. 6 They give stupid people positions of authority that they should never have, while those who have the ability to do the job are passed by and ignored. 7 I have seen servants favored and riding on horses, while princes were stripped of their dignity and made to walk. 8 Whoever digs a pit as a trap for someone else takes the risk of falling into it himself, and he who breaks down stone fences takes the risk of being bitten by a snake. 9 Whoever works in a stone quarry takes a risk of being hurt by falling stones. Whoever works in the woods takes a risk of being hurt by a falling tree.10 If the ax is dull and you don't sharpen it, you'll need more strength to do the same amount of work. So it's wise to think things through before you do them. 11 What good does it do a man to know how to charm a snake if the snake has already bitten him? 12 A wise man speaks graciously and is honored, but a fool destroys himself by his own words. 13 A fool starts out with silly talk and ends up saying things that are pure madness. 14 A fool talks on and on and doesn't know when to stop. No one can know what will happen next, much less a fool. 15 Only a fool overworks himself; he's like a man who doesn't know his way to town. 16 A country is in trouble when its king is very young and when its officials come to work in the morning already thinking about feasting that night. 17 Blessed is that country whose king is mature and whose officials eat for strength and not just for pleasure and to get drunk. 18 When a man is too lazy to fix his roof, it will continue to leak. Eventually the wood will rot and the whole roof will come down on his head. 19 Feasting makes people happy and drinking cheers them up, but you can't do either without money. 20 Don't criticize the king in private or curse the rich in your bedroom, because when you do this, it's as if a bird flying by overhears it and then goes and tells the matter.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 Invest your money wisely; do some good with it when you draw it out, and one day it will come back to you in profit. 2 Invest your money in seven places, or even eight, because you don't know what will fail and what will succeed. 3 If clouds are dark and full of water, there's no doubt that it will rain. Once a tree falls, whether it falls toward the north or the south, it won't move. Only things like these are certain. 4 Whoever waits for perfect weather will never go out and plant. Whoever sees rain in every cloud that comes his way will never go out and reap. 5 Just as you don't know everything about the wind or about a baby in its mother's womb, so you can't know everything about God who makes everything work. 6 Get started on your day's planting in the morning and keep going until evening, because you don't know which plants will do well, whether one kind or another. 7 It feels good to see the light of a new day and enjoy the pleasantness of a sunny afternoon. 8 Let a man be grateful for every year God gives him because no matter how long he lives, he will die, and the years he spends in the grave will be years of inactivity and silence. 9 Young people, enjoy life while you can. Be happy and let your heart bubble over with joy. Follow your heart's desire, but remember that every deed has its consequences, either good or bad, for God will one day judge everything you have done. 10 Don't do things that will hurt you, because you're not young very long. Old age and pain will come soon enough.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember your Creator while you're still young and can enjoy your youth. The years pass quickly, and soon you'll be old and will say to yourself, "I surely don't enjoy life anymore." 2The days will come when your eyesight will grow dim, and you will see little difference between a bright sunny day and a moonlit night. The stars will fade from your view, and each day the sky will seem overcast and dark, filled with clouds of rain. 3 Your arms that were so strong and quick to protect you will shake and tremble. Your legs will grow weak. Your teeth will be few and it will be hard for you to chew. Your eyes will be looking through half-drawn shutters. 4 Your ears will not pick up the noise on the streets, and you will barely hear the mill as it grinds out the wheat or the music of young girls. You'll no longer hear the sound of birds or wake up in the morning at their singing. 5 You'll be afraid to climb heights and it will be dangerous for you to walk the streets. Your hair will turn as white as the blossoms of an almond tree, and you'll drag yourself along and rest after each step like an old grasshopper rests after each hop. Your desire for everything in life will fail. You'll be heading for your last resting place. People will mourn for you just as they mourned for others before you, and there will be no turning back. 6 The silver chain that holds you to your loved ones will finally break, and the golden lamp of life will go out. The rope on the pulley of life's well will finally snap, and the pitcher full of the water of life will fall and break. 7 Your body will decay and return to dust, and the spark of life which God gave you will go back to Him. 8 Life is futile because nothing lasts. Let the teacher say it again: Life is futile because nothing lasts. 9 When I carefully considered this, I decided that there is nothing more important for me than to be a teacher and pass on to others what I have learned. So I have given serious thought to life and have written out many proverbs. I pray that others will learn from them. 10 I searched diligently for just the right words, and what I wrote was honest and true. 11 The words of wise men are like goads that shepherds use to prod their sheep, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given to them by the Shepherd of Israel. 12 So be careful, my son, about other teachings. There is no end to new books, and too much study will wear out your body. 13 After all is said and done, there is only one thing that really matters: Respect your heavenly Father and do what He says. That's all that matters. God knows what's best for you. His will for us is written out in the Ten Commandments. 14 He will eventually judge everything we have done in this life, including every secret thing, whether it was good or bad.


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Evaluating the Potential of Solar Technologies
Posted September 2009
Solar power is gaining ground as a viable, low-carbon alternative to traditional energy sources. A number of technologies are competing to be the lowest-cost and the most efficient choice: photovoltaics (including silicon-wafer based and thin film) and concentrated solar thermal (CST) power both have advantages and disadvantages depending on the application; other technologies are still in the nascent stages of development.
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Antinatalism is a philosophical position that assigns a negative value to birth, standing in opposition to natalism. It has been advanced by figures such as Emil Cioran, Peter Wessel Zapffe and David Benatar. Similar ideas can be seen in a fragment of Aristotle's Eudemus as "the wisdom of Silenus" and were discussed by Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche. Groups that encourage antinatalism, or pursue antinatalist policies, include the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement.
- The idea of bringing someone into the world fills me with horror. I would curse myself if I were a father. A son of mine! Oh no, no, no! May my entire flesh perish and may I transmit to no one the aggravations and the disgrace of existence.
- Gustave Flaubert, Letters to Madame Louise Colet (December 11, 1852)
- If children were brought into the world by an act of pure reason alone, would the human race continue to exist? Would not a man rather have so much sympathy with the coming generation as to spare it the burden of existence, or at any rate not take it upon himself to impose that burden upon it in cold blood?
- Arthur Schopenhauer, Studies in Pessimism: The Essays On the Sufferings of the World,
- I could have done even better, miss, and I'd know a lot more, if it wasn't for my destiny ever since childhood. I'd have killed a man in a duel with a pistol for calling me low-born, because I came from Stinking Lizaveta without a father, and they were shoving that in my face in Moscow. It spread there thanks to Grigory Vasilievich. Grigory Vasilievich reproaches me for rebelling against my nativity: 'You opened her matrix,' he says. I don't know about her matrix, but I'd have let them kill me in the womb, so as not to come out into the world at all, miss.
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (1879–1880)
- Sleep is lovely, death is better still
not to have been born is of course.
- It is best not to have been born at all: but, if born, as quickly as possible to return whence one came.
- By rights we should issue a decree not to get married and have children, and let the seed of Abraham come to an end of its own accord.
- The Talmud, during the Hadrianic persecutions, as quoted in: Peter L. Berger, The Desecularization of the World, 1999
- Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? It is because we are not the person involved.
- Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894)
- Being born is like being kidnapped. And then sold into slavery.
- Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (1975)
- Heaven and happiness do not exist. That's your parents' way to justify the crime of having brought you into this world. What exists is reality, the tough reality, this slaughterhouse we've come to die in, if not to kill and to eat the animals, our fellow creatures. Therefore, do not reproduce, do not repeat the crimes committed against you, do not give back the same, evil paid with evil, as imposing life is the ultimate crime. Do not disturb the unborn, let them be in the peace of nothingness, anyway we'll all eventually go back there, so why beat around the bush?" ―Fernando Vallejo
- In accordance with my conception of life, I have chosen not to bring children into the world. A coin is examined, and only after careful deliberation, given to a beggar, whereas a child is flung out into the cosmic brutality without hesitation.
- Peter Wessel ZapffeTo Be a Human Being (1989–90)
Biblical quotes[edit]
- I further observed all the oppression that goes under the sun: the tears of the oppressed, with none to comfort them; and the power of their oppressors—with none to comfort them. Then I accounted those who died long since more fortunate than those who are still living; and happier than either are those who have not yet come into being and have never witnessed the miseries that go under the sun.
- The Biblical book of Ecclesiastes, 4:1-3
• Job 3:3 "Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived." • Ecclesiastes 4:2-3 "I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun." • Jeremiah 20:14-18 "Cursed be the day on which I was born: let not the day on which my mother bore me be blessed. Cursed be the man...because he slew me not from the womb; so that my mother might have been my grave and her womb always great. Why did I come out of the womb to see labour and sorrow?" • Matthew 24:19 "Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" • Mark 13:17 "Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" • Luke 21:23 "Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" • Luke 23:29 "Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!" • Matthew 26.24 "It would be better for him if he had not been born." • Mark 14:21 "It would be better for him if he had not been born."


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Students to showcase work in juried art show
The Sterling College Department of Art and Design will be hosting the annual juried student art show with the opening reception on Nov. 14, from 5–7 p.m. Awards for best of show, second and third place will be announced at 5:30 p.m.
The juried student art show gives students an understanding of the juried show process by establishing rules for submission and only selecting the best of the work submitted. Students may only submit work created between October 2012 and October 2013 and work that was created while enrolled at Sterling College. In the past, over 100 works have been submitted of which only a third are selected for exhibition.
"Many of the important art exhibits around the country are a juried art. Giving students an understanding of how the juried process works allows them to practice for entering bigger competitions that can lead to freelance work or invitations to other prestigious shows. If they are accepted to the juried student show here at Sterling, it also gives them another award to add to their resume," said Daniel Swartz, assistant professor of art and design.
"This is a great time to have a retrospective look at what the students have created over the last year. I am particularly excited about the variety of media and application we get to see in our annual show. We are one of the few Christian, liberal arts schools to offer concentrations in photography and illustration in addition to graphic design, fine art, and drawing and painting. That diversity of practice is thrilling to see all at once," said Swartz.
Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four-year college located in Sterling, Kan., with a mission to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith. For more information, visit www.sterling.edu.
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Author Daniel Woodrell on 'Winter's Bone,' Attending the Oscars and His Next Book
A week or so ago, Roadside Attractions, the distributor behind "Winter's Bone," called Daniel Woodrell and asked if he'd like to attend the Oscars. A tale of rural poverty and crime set in the Ozarks, "Winter's Bone" is this year's Cinderella story, a film shot on a $2 million budget and nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Two of the film's cast members — Dale Dickey and John Hawkes — won Spirit Awards yesterday and are up for Oscars tonight.
Woodrell wrote the novel on which the film is based, and this weekend he finds himself in Los Angeles with his wife to attend the Oscars. Speakeasy caught up with the Missouri native to talk about the experience. We spoke to Woodrell at his hotel, after he spent an exhausting day traveling. "The plane got delayed in Dallas," he said. "Somebody's bag tore a hole in the under fuselage. I'd rather they not tell me there's a hole in the plane."
The Wall Street Journal: What's it like to be out here having written the source material for a Best Picture nominee?
A lot of serendipitous things happened in a row. When it got into Sundance, I thought, that's the feather in the cap. I arrive at Sundance on a Monday night and they said go see this screening at 8:30 a.m. I go to see a movie at 8:30 a.m., in a blizzard, and the crowd loved it. That's when I started thinking maybe it's the right thing at the right moment at the right place. I still couldn't believe the press on the film. I was waiting for someone to step up and gut you. But it didn't really happen.
Did you expect to come to the Oscars?
I didn't really expect to be coming to the Oscars. I know there's a limit on tickets. The call came eight or nine days ago. My East Coast agent would snatch me bald-headed if I didn't go. I was at a country picking thing the other day and some old boy said, 'It's like the procession of the Sun King, buddy. You've got to go.'"
How is this experience different from when Ang Lee adapted your novel "Woe To Live On" for his film "Ride With the Devil?"
The Ang Lee film didn't get that much attention because of studio difficulties. I just remember we opened the London Film Festival, standing ovation, and the next thing I heard was they pulled the plug. I'm not from the movie world. I'm from the book world. You get a standing ovation in the book world, you'd be out flogging that thing. Nevermind that they spent $40 million. So it didn't get as much focus as this film did. With the Oscars, the scrutiny level goes way up. I think a lot of people in my hometown didn't know about the Ang Lee film. But the regional media really covered "Winter's Bone."
What was the tone of the coverage?
There were some articles that asked, is this good for Missouri tourism, that kind of thing. I always pointed out that I really didn't have a single thought about Missouri tourism when I was writing the book. Yet it brought money into a region that needed it -– the shooting did. But the coverage was largely positive. It's been a heck of a thing.
Will you sit with the "Winter's Bone" cast?
I have no idea. I came prepared to not be there. To be somewhere up with the little people.
You've been publishing under the radar since 1986. Has this film's success helped your book sales?
We'd sold a certain number before the movie came out and it's about five times that since the book came out. It's not Clancy numbers. But it's good for a writer like me. And European publishers have taken a greater interest.
Do you regard "Winter's Bone" as your best book?
For a long time after I finished, I didn't know what I could do to follow it. I felt like a number of things in me as a writer just clicked. I'm not sure I'm able to go into rural white poverty right now and come back with anything near what I've already done. It might have put the cap to it. Especially with the movie. In a way, it almost put a period to a certain string of novels. But I've been at writing long enough now to know that every three or four books I have to start a new direction. I have a book in the pipeline of short stories. You want to hear an agent scream, say 'I'm thinking about doing a collection of short stories set in the Ozarks.'
Speakeasy will be live-blogging tonight's Oscars starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.


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"Bachelor" star Nikki Ferrell may have been shocked when Juan Pablo told her that she was his final choice. He didn't tell her that he loved her, but he did reveal that he was very glad to be with her. Since then, the couple has been spending lots of time together and trying to stay out of the public eye. But it sounds like Nikki may be jumping the gun a little. According to a new Wetpaint Entertainment report published on March 24, "Bachelor" star Nikki Ferrell is now revealing that she has baby fever.
When contestants film the show, they get close to producers. This has been seen throughout the show, as contestants share pictures on social media profiles with various producers from the show. When Emily Maynard was filming her season of the show, she learned that Arie Luyendyk had once dated once of the producers. Now, that producers has given birth to a child and Nikki is gushing over how cute the baby is.
"The world's happiest baby! @cassielambert @beetsaladbar #babyfever," Nikki captions the video she shared on Instagram. Of course, she is referring to "Bachelor" producers, who recently welcomed a child. Of course, Nikki has been hanging out with Juan Pablo's daughter Camila since returning home from the show, so one can imagine she wants a family sooner rather than later. In addition, she also works with children.
What do you think of her having baby fever? Should she start a family with Juan Pablo?


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"Soul Jazz Records new release Inner City Beat! Detective Themes, Spy Music and Imaginary Thrillers is a unique release that comes with an exclusive limited-edition specially created 60-page graphic novel (by the mysterious cult 1960s pulp-fiction writer Mark 'Badly' Antringham). The music on the album is a killer selection of funky, deep, rare, exciting and dancefloor heavyweight 'spy themes', 'detective music' and thrillers from the 1960s and 1970s. The music spans heavyweight break-beat funk, deep and heavy jazz, super-catchy mod themes, imaginary super-charged orchestral soundtracks and more. These tracks are put together from British library music companies (DeWolfe, KPM, Conroy, Amphonic) all of whom supplied music regularly to television and films around the world during this period, often for use in detective and spy programmes, series and films. Created as work for hire in anticipation of television or film usage, many were never broadcast and have thus remained unheard, stored in the vaults for many years. Other tracks featured were used as incidental or title music in long-forgotten 1960s detective and cult programs. And whilst the names of the artists and composers featured on this album have remained relatively obscure (Syd Dale, Reg Tilsley, Johnny Pearson, Barry Stoller etc), the music they created is in fact some of the most well known and highly accessible music in the world - due to its widespread usage on these detective and thriller (and many other genre) television shows and films during this period. To accompany this unique album, Soul Jazz have also commissioned the creation of a special 60-page graphic novel which features the stunning artwork of the elusive illustrator John C. Patterson in partnership with the celebrated 1960s pulp fiction cult novelist Mark 'Badly' Antringham. The graphic novel is set in the imaginary seedy streets of East London in the 1960s in a world full of corrupt police, political intrigue and violent sadistic criminals." (label info)
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Jul 8, 2011 9:08 AM
Benefit Cosmetics Cha Cha Tint ($28) is a dual cheek and lip tint but we're more inclined to use it on our pout. We've been so inspired to be as sun-kissed as possible by the summer's Victoria's Secret catalog that we're pulling out all the stops to look like Alessandra Ambrosio, starting with this lip tint. And not eating. All summer. Or ever again.
JK. We eat, like, seven times a day. At least.
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Alice Mae Toth, 84, ended her life journey on Saturday, March 22, 2014. She was born July 12, 1929 in Mishawaka, Indiana, to Charles and Clara Baldwin.
She married Louis Toth, raised her family and lived much of her life in Livonia, Michigan. She spent her last nine months in Medina.
She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Daniel Toth and Janice Derian of Plymouth, Michigan, Paul Toth and Pat Muyskens of Bloomington, Indiana, David and Laura Toth of Brunswick; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Alice was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brothers, Richard and Larry; son, Michael; and grandson, Colin.
A private funeral will be held in her hometown. Arrangements are being handled by Bollinger Funeral Services of Brunswick.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association or the National Endowment for the Arts.


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Lancome, renowned for its anti-aging beauty and skincare products, will be coming out with an addition to its Visionnaire family! Many loyal Lancome Visionnaire users are loving the Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector (highly regarded for its groundbreaking LR 2412 anti-aging ingredient), because it helps visibly correct wrinkles and pores. In fact, it's more than just a wrinkle correction, because even imperfections like signs of UV damage and acne marks appear diminished!
For those who love Lancome Visionnaire, there will be a new addition to the Visionnaire family this spring! It's called, Visionnaire Blur, which really does work to blur skin imperfections, after the first use! It's light, has a transparent gel texture, and goes on skin very smoothly, while adding blurring effect over your skin. As a result, imperfections like pores, fine lines, wrinkles and uneven texture look smooth and mattified, like that of an air-brushed photo in a magazine - except it's really happening to your skin! It feels and looks silky, smooth and soft on your skin, and what's so spectacular about Visionnaire Blur is that results can be seen soonest after you apply it! It can be used alone (apply after your moisturizer), or with foundation or concealer.
Lancome Visionnaire Blur will be available Spring of 2014. Use it once, and you'll be a loyal fan, because it's very effective in reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, pores, fading blemishes, and making your complexion look more even, softer and smoother, so your skin looks radiant, healthier and younger.


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Ranked among the nation's most integrated healthcare systems, Community Health Network is Central Indiana's leader in providing convenient access to exceptional healthcare services, where and when patients need them—in hospitals, health pavilions, workplaces, schools and homes.
There are many mood disorders, sometimes called affective disorders - medical conditions that are associated with fluctuations in the chemistry of the brain and body - that require the clinical care of a psychiatrist or other mental health professional. Listed in the directory below are some, for which we have provided a brief overview.
If you cannot find the information in which you are interested, please visit the Mental Health Disorders Online Resources page in this Web site for an Internet/World Wide Web address that may contain additional information on that topic.
Overview of Mood Disorders
Major Depression
Manic Depression / Bipolar Disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Depression and Suicide
Major Depression
Manic Depression / Bipolar Disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Depression and Suicide
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