text:
At the end of the January transfer window, Hughes signed Odemwingie from Cardiff in a swap deal which saw Kenwyne Jones head to south Wales.
The 32-year-old striker opened his account for the Potters in a 2-2 draw at Southampton on Saturday, his first goal for four months and in 16 matches.
Ahead of Wednesday's Barclays Premier League clash at the Britannia Stadium with Swansea, who were linked with a move for Odemwingie last summer, Hughes believes the Nigerian has been a breath of fresh air.
"We have been really pleased with him since he came in," said Hughes.
"He is a good personality. He's certainly added to the team and the group, and his goal at the weekend showed what he brings to the table in an area where we were lacking.
"He is a player who is prepared to run in behind with pace, and then have a cool head and the ability to take chances when presented.
"All in all we have been very pleased with what he has produced.
"He has only had three games with us, so he is going to get better the more games he plays.
"But the initial reaction, with what he brings to the party, is really good."
Given the situation in the bottom half of the table, with 11 clubs separated by just seven points, Hughes knows every game against one of those teams is vital.
With Swansea leading that pack of 11 in 10th place, and with Stoke a point adrift, the game is one of those City must not lose if they are to steer clear of relegation.
"It's important because they are in and around us, one point away," assessed Hughes.
"Because of the way the league is, with so many teams in and around the same area, the same points total, you need to take points off those teams.
"That's the situation we have in front of us, and against a Swansea side that had a good result at the weekend (beating Cardiff 3-0).
"But we feel we're in decent form after beating Manchester United last time out at the Britannia and putting in a good performance at Southampton.
"So we're obviously now looking to build on that."
The Britannia Stadium is again proving to be a fortress for City as with just two league defeats on home soil this season they have one of the best records outside of the top six.
With a bleak night forecast, Hughes is expecting his players to not only tame Swansea, but also the elements.
"Home games determine what kind of season you have," said Hughes.
"We know our away form (one win in 13) is our Achilles heel, it's holding us back.
"We addresed it somewhat against Southampton, but certainly our good home form is something we want to continue.
"And if the elements are poor then we've guys who will roll up their sleeves, get on with it and make things happen for us.
"I enjoyed that as a player. You just have to get your work done and effect every game you play in, making sure you get after the opposition and play your own game, and that's what we'll do."
Hughes is likely to be without strikers Marko Arnautovic (ankle) and Oussama Assaidi (hamstring), along with centre-back Robert Huth (knee), but Marc Wilson is poised to return after illness.
- Sports & Recreation
- Soccer
- Odemwingie
- Barclays Premier League


text:
Definition of rot in English:
verb (rots, rotting, rotted)
1(Chiefly of animal or vegetable matter) decay or cause to decay by the action of bacteria and fungi; decompose: [no object]: the chalets were neglected and their woodwork was rotting away [with object]: caries sets in at a weak point and spreads to rot the whole tooth
More example sentences
- After a few days, the sought after botrytis-infected grape can rot further by the action of another fungus into a gooey grey lump.
- The rubbish rots and gives off gases like methane which is potentially explosive as well as adding to global warming.
- Potatoes rotted in the hold and drinking water grew thick and poured like oil.
decay, decompose, disintegrate, crumble, become rotten;
corrode, perish
go bad, go off, spoil;
go sour, moulder, go mouldy, taint;
putrefy, fester, become gangrenous, mortify
rare necrose, sphacelate
1.1 [no object] Gradually deteriorate, especially through neglect: the education system has been allowed to rot
More example sentences
- None is more difficult to fathom than the studio, which occasionally buys the rights to a film, then allows it to rot away on a shelf.
- Soon I won't be able to pay for these lessons, then I'll be stuck rotting away at home.
- Guards' keys jangled as you passed the idle silence and time of your life rotting away.
deteriorate, degenerate, decline, decay, fall into decay, go to rack and ruin, become dilapidated, go to seed, go downhill, languish, moulder
informal go to pot, go to the dogs, go down the toilet
noun[mass noun]
1The process of decaying: the leaves were turning black with rot
More example sentences
- Ryell looked around for something, anything that might be of use, but he saw only the faded gray-blue cushions, the trim of the seats rusted over, the wood black with rot and decay.
- Think of composting and worms immediately come to mind, not to mention such unsettling concepts as decay and rot.
- The air had a bite to it present only in the fall months; a snap of death that lacked the clean cold of December, filled instead with half-formed aromas of rot and decay.
1.1Rotten or decayed matter.
Example sentences
- As soon as they are rooted from the ground, they will begin to slowly decay and eventually wither into a brown mess of rot.
- Splitting the stalk reveals internal discoloration and soft slimy rot mostly initiating at the nodes.
- Stalks with significant rot will crush easily.
1.2 [usually with modifier] Any of a number of fungal or bacterial diseases that cause tissue deterioration, especially in plants.
Example sentences
- Bacterial stalk rot can affect the plant at any node from the soil surface up to the ear leaves and tassels.
- Charcoal rot is a fungal disease favored by hot, dry weather at this stage in crop development.
- Such antagonism may also protect the corn plant from the E verticillioides disease, stalk rot.
decay, decomposition;
mould, mouldiness, mildew, blight, canker;
putrefaction, putrescence;
wet rot, dry rot
2 (the rot) British A process of deterioration; a decline in standards: there is enough talent in the team to stop the rot
More example sentences
- Afraid that the city centre itself was in danger of becoming a 'no-go' area, Ford had come to believe that only the shooting of identified 'ring leaders' would stop the rot.
- In a statement the CWU said that it is 'vital we stop the rot at an early stage' or 'tens of thousands of jobs' could be lost in the UK.
- In recent years, Camelot has been struggling to curb falling ticket sales, launching a midweek draw in February 1997 in an attempt to stop the rot.
deterioration, decline;
corruption, canker, cancer
2.1US Corruption on the part of officials.
Example sentences
- He admitted yesterday he should have smelt the rot at the core of key planning decisions in the 1990s.
3 informal, chiefly British Nonsense; rubbish: don't talk rot [as exclamation]: 'Rot!' she said with vehemence
More example sentences
- In our school, you're not allowed to climb trees - liabilities and all that rot.
- They say it's to incite a new nationalistic spirit or some such rot.
- You've just been in terrible trouble for saying that feminism is all rot and that it went off in the wrong direction.
nonsense, rubbish, balderdash, gibberish, claptrap, blarney, blather, blether
informal hogwash, baloney, tripe, drivel, bilge, bosh, bull, bunk, hot air, eyewash, piffle, poppycock, phooey, hooey, malarkey, twaddle, guff, dribble
British informal cobblers, codswallop, cock, stuff and nonsense, tosh
Scottish & Northern English informal havers
North American informal garbage, flapdoodle, blathers, wack, bushwa, applesauce
informal, dated bunkum, tommyrot, cod, gammon
North American vulgar slang crapola
Old English rotian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch rotten; the noun (Middle English) may have come via Scandinavian.
Words that rhyme with rotallot, begot, Bernadotte, blot, bot, capot, clot, cocotte, cot, culotte, dot, forgot, garrotte (US garrote), gavotte, got, grot, hot, jot, knot, lot, Mayotte, motte, not, Ott, outshot, plot, pot, sans-culotte, Scot, Scott, shallot, shot, slot, snot, sot, spot, squat, stot, swat, swot, tot, trot, undershot, Wat, Watt, what, wot, yacht
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: rot
Definition of rot in:
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= trending

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Build help!Posted Tuesday, 25 November, 2008 - 19:58 by objarni in
Hi everybody!
I'm trying to build OpenTK for the first time.
Mono works fine (can run OpenTK examples).
I then downloaded NAnt (0.85 Release .tar.gz) and unarchived it.
Problem: I know how PATH works in linux (same as windows basically) - but since what I am trying to do is running "mono NAnt.exe" I guess it is *mono* and not the system that has to find NAnt, right? I looked in "mono --help", did not make me any wiser.
The manual contains detailed build instructions for linux.
As a rule of thumb, you should not download stuff yourself. The package manager (System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager on Ubuntu) contains thousands of ready-to-use applications. Either install nant from there, or (if you prefer typed commands), simply type on a terminal:
sudo apt-get install nant
Afterwards, you can build OpenTK by navigating to the Build/ directory and typing:
mono Build.exe mono
Alternatively, you can avoid nant completely by using the MonoDevelop IDE. Again, from the Build/ directory of OpenTK type:
mono Build.exe md
mono Build.exe vs
and double-click the resulting file.
What SVN client software do you use for ubuntu? I kinda miss TortoiseSVN right now ..
MonoDevelop, Eclipse and most other major IDEs have integrated SVN clients. I've also seen a couple of standalone SVN GUIs for Linux, but between the IDE and the odd trip to the terminal I've never found a need.
RapidSVN asks "user/password" when I try to download the text-branch via RapidSVN under Ubuntu.
It shouldn't. Does it have an option for anonymous checkout? What happens if you enter nothing?
In any case just open a terminal, and:
cd ~/Documents svn co https://opentk.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/opentk/branches/text text
Super-thanks Fiddler, sorry for being such an Ubuntu noob!
* I tried building the OpenTK0.9.1 release, worked (also tried mono Example.exe, worked)
* I tried building the text branch ('mono Build.exe mono' in Build directory), did not work, see attached result.txt
I'm going to sleep now cya around!
Oops, I made a change on the build instructions that confused the dependency generation. Thanks for catching.
Also don't apologize for being new to something, we all passed through that stage. For example, I managed to kill my first Debian installation by typing "rm -rf /" as root (I still don't know what I was thinking at the time). On my second try, I accidentally unzipped a few thousand files to my desktop and thought to delete them with - what else? - a regular expression (bad, bad idea!) Well, it kinda worked, but took down my whole home dir in the process - including my homework, projects and everything else. :)
That is tough (both examples)!
I once sold an old PC forgetting I put all my Amiga+C64 backup files (years of my own and my brothers produced material: programming&graphics&sound..). First thing the buyer did was of course reformat C: so the next day when called him it was too late :/
The issue with the svn build should now be resolved. Objarni, can you please test that the latest revision builds correctly?
At work now, can try at home tonight (six hours from now). Will report back here.


text:
Page | Boat
Slip Rentals | Boat Sales | Boat Rentals | Rental Cottages |
Forno's Bar & Grill | Location | Waterfront Real Estate
Lake LBJ Yacht Club and Marina rents boats near Horseshoe Bay
at the south end of the dam on lake LBJ right next door to Bay Marine.
When renting consider this!
Our boats are new providing more of a worry free boating experience!
Plus!----They all have 150HP motors for the power you will need to tow.
Wakeboards, kneeboards, tubes and skis are also available for rent!
Our Boats are Available
For Rent Year-round
Our New Lineup!
These tri-toon boats will handle very well and will
pull a skier even when loaded up with 10 people.
2014 South Bay Tri-Toon Boats!
Length of Boats - 22 feet.
Maximum Capacity - 10 People
150 Hp, Bimini Top, Stereo with USB Aux. Plug Ins!
Towing Package for Tubing and Waterskiing!
19Ft Hurricane Ski/Deck Boat
With wake board tower
150 HP, Max Capacity 8
Yamaha PWC
2 person Max Capacity
Holiday Weekends of Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day
Saturdays - 3 Hour - 9:00 to 12:00 or 12:30 to 3:30 or 4:00 to 7:00
All boats on any other weekends or
2014 South Bay Tri-Toons
1 Hour - $135.00 Plus Fuel and Tax
|19Ft Hurricane Ski/Deck Boat
1 Hour - $150.00 Plus Fuel and
.Yamaha VX PWC
1 Hour - $115 Plus Fuel and Tax
.Towable Rentals
1 - 4 Hours - $85
|Fuel is not included in the prices above!
Please read and understand all policies and rental conditions before renting the boat.
The renting party is responsible for all liabilities including personal injury and damage to the watercraft!
For cancellation policies, terms and conditions for renting a boat - Please Click Here
Please call for infomation
about renting boats:
830-693-9172 ext. #1
200 S. Wirtz Dam Road
Horseshoe Bay, Texas 78657
(Located off FM 2147 next to Horseshoe Bay)
830-693-9172 Fax 830-798-1679
Please call between 9am and 5pm for reservations.
Home Page


text:
Chief of Police
Release: IMMEDIATE Contact: Sgt. J. Somerindyke, Cross Creek District
Date: 4/7/2011 Phone: (910) 433-1885
The photo provided by the family of Joanne Monk is actually a photo of Joanne Monk's mother. Family members say the picture is very similar to how Ms. Monk appears now. When a current photo is obtained by detectives, we will distribute it to the media. Thank you for your consideration and understanding.
We now have a photo of Joanne Monk, who went missing on 4/5/2011. Family members say her hair is shorter and greyer than in the photo. She has also lost some weight since this photo was taken. If anyone sees Monk, please call 911.
Missing Person/Silver Alert
The Fayetteville Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating Joanne Monk, 70 years old. She was last seen on 4/5/2011 around 8:00 p.m. in the area of the Devonwood Subdivision. Ms. Monk left the area on foot travelling in an unknown direction. Ms. Monk has medical conditions and suffers dementia. A Silver Alert has been issued on Ms. Monk.
Identifying features:
If anyone sees or knows of the whereabouts of Joanne Monk, please call 911. There is no photograph available at this time. When one is obtained an updated release will be put out.
Copyright © 2016, City of Fayetteville, Police Department. All Rights Reserved.
467 Hay St. · Fayetteville, NC 28301
Send Us Comments | Privacy Statement | Web Accessibility (Section 508) | ADA Compliance


text:
Tammy C.wrote a review of Supra Skytop III Skate Shoe - Women's on May 6, 2013
They run WAY small
I ordered these in my size and I couldn't even get them on - I'd say they run about a whole size small. But my BF said it's good to go about a 1/2 size up in skate shoes as your feet swell when you're riding.
I sent these back without re-ordering, so I can't speak to the comfort or performance. They look cool, but are pretty pricey for what they are.


text:
HTML Markup for APEX Tree Tweet
HTML Markup in an APEX tree? YES: with this plugin
This plugin enables HTML Markup within an APEX Tree Region which normally escapes all HTML Special characters. The idea is to use replacement characters for "<", ">" and "&" in the Tree SQL query and to configure these in the plugin. The plugin fires as a dynamic action after page load and uses some jQuery logic to activate the HTML markup by changing the replacement characters back to HTML syntax.
A note about the security topic:
The reviewer below is right - using the plugin might introduce an XSS vulberability if tree contains end-user supplied content.
The plugin is as secure or insecure as the "Standard Report Column" setting in an normal APEX report. So if you are using it make sure that all tree content is not derived from end users or that end user content has been checked beforehand.
Example APEX Tree SQL query:
select case when connect_by_isleaf = 1 then 0
Plugin configuration:
Version 1.0:
initial release
Version 1.1:
added plugin parameter for unbinding the mouse click and double click handlers added by the tree component. Use this if your tree links are not working together with this plugin
Company: ORACLE Germany
Date added: 23.2.2012
Views: 11539
Votes: 7
Reviews: 2
Min. APEX Version:
Link to:
If something is not correct please report it here: Report Listing
Do you have a question about this Plugin? Want to write a Review or Comment?
Login first.
Reviews / Questions / Comments are e-mailed to the author of the Plug-in.
You must not build the tree values with *any* values that derive from the user. We are marking this plugin as insecure in our ApexSec security scanner.
To test, set ENAME to "[script]alert('hi')[/script]"
Recx Ltd
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A westerner raised in Japan, he survived the destruction of Hiroshima to emerge as the world's most artful lover and its most accomplished assassin. His greatest desire is to attain a state of effortless perfection . . . shibumi. But he is about to face his most sinister and corrupt enemy -- a supermonolith of espionage and monopoly bent on destroying
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The screen flashed 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 . . . then the projector was switched off, and lights came up in recessed sconces along the walls of the private viewing room.
The projectionist's voice was thin and metallic over the intercom. "Ready when you are, Mr. Starr."
T. Darryl Starr, sole audience member, pressed the talk button of the communication console before him. "Hey, buddy? Tell me something. What are all those numbers in front of a movie for anyway?"
"It's called academy leader, sir," the projectionist answered. "I just spliced it onto the film as a sort of joke."
"Yes, sir. I mean . . . considering the nature of the film . . . it's sort of funny to have a commercial leader, don't you think?"
"Why funny?"
"Well, I mean . . . what with all the complaints about violence in movies and all that."
T. Darryl Starr grunted and scrubbed his nose with the back of his fist, then he slipped down the pilot-style sunglasses he had pushed up into his cropped hair when the lights first went off.
Joke? It damn well better not be a joke, I shit thee not! If anything has gone wrong, my ass will be grass. And if the slightest little thing is wrong, you can bet your danglees that Mr. Diamond and his crew will spot it. Nit-picking bastards! Ever since they took control over Middle East operations of CIA, they seemed to get their cookies by pointing out every little boo-boo.
Starr bit off the end of his cigar, spat it onto the carpeted floor, pumped it in and out of his pursed lips, then lit it from a wooden match he struck with his thumbnail. As Most Senior Field Operative, he had access to Cuban cigars. After all, RHIP.
He scooted down and hooked his legs over the back of the seat before him, like he used to do when he watched movies at the Lone Star Theater as a boy. And if the boy in front objected, Starr would offer to kick his ass up amongst his shoulder blades. The other kid always backed off, because everybody in Flat Rock knew that T. Darryl Starr was some kind of fierce and could stomp a mud puddle in any kid's chest.
That was many years and knocks ago, but Starr was still some kind of fierce. That's what it took to become CIA's Most Senior Field Operative. That, and experience. And boo-coo smarts.
And patriotism, of course.
Starr checked his watch: two minutes to four. Mr. Diamond had called for a screening at four, and he would arrive at four—exactly. If Starr's watch did not read four straight up when Diamond walked into the theater, he would assume the watch was in need of repair.
He pressed his talk button again. "How does the film look?"
"Not bad, considering the conditions under which we shot it," the projectionist answered. "The light in Rome International is tricky . . . a mixture of natural light and fluorescent overheads. I had to use a combination of CC filters that brought my f-stop way down and made focus a real problem. And as for color quality--"
"I don't want to hear your piddly-assed problems!"
"Sorry, sir. I was just answering your question."
"Well, don't!"
The door at the back of the private theater opened with a slap. Starr glanced at his watch; the sweep second hand was five seconds off four o'clock. Three men walked quickly down the aisle. In the lead was Mr. Diamond, a wiry man in his late forties whose movements were quick and adroit, and whose impeccably tailored clothes reflected his trim habits of mind. Following closely was Mr. Diamond's First Assistant, a tall, loosely jointed man with a vague academic air. Not a man to waste time, it was Diamond's practice to dictate memos, even while en route between meetings. The First Assistant carried a belt recorder at his hip, the pinhead microphone of which was attached to his metal-rimmed glasses. He always walked close beside Mr. Diamond, or sat near him, his head bowed to pick up the flow of clipped monotonic directives.
Considering the heraldic stiffness of CIA mentality, it was inevitable that their version of wit would suggest a homosexual relationship between Diamond and his ever-hovering assistant. Most of the jokes had to do with what would happen to the assistant's nose, should Mr. Diamond ever stop suddenly.
The third man, trailing behind and somewhat confused by the brisk pace of action and thought surrounding him, was an Arab whose Western clothes were dark, expensive, and ill-fitting. The shabby look was not his tailor's fault; the Arab's body was not designed for clothes requiring posture and discipline.
Diamond slipped into an aisle seat across the auditorium from Starr; the First Assistant sat directly behind him, and the Palestinian, frustrated in his expectation that someone would tell him where to sit, finally shambled into a seat near the back.
Turning his head so the pinhead microphone could pick up the last of his rapid, atonic dictation, Diamond closed off the thoughts he had been pursuing. "Introduce the following topics to me within the next three hours: One—North Sea oil rig accident: the media suppression thereof. Two—This professor type who is investigating the ecological damage along the Alaska pipeline: the termination thereof by apparent accident."
Both these tasks were in their final phases, and Mr. Diamond was looking forward to getting in a little tennis over the weekend. Provided, of course, these CIA fools had not screwed up this Rome International action. It was a straightforward spoiling raid that should not have presented any difficulties, but in the six months since the Mother Company had assigned him to manage CIA activities involving the Middle East, he had learned that no action is so simple as to be beyond CIA's capacity for error.
Diamond understood why the Mother Company chose to maintain its low profile by working behind the cover of CIA and NSA, but that did not make his job any easier. Nor had he been particularly amused by the Chairman's lighthearted suggestion that he think of the Mother Company's use of CIA operatives as Her contribution to the hiring of the mentally handicapped.
Diamond had not yet read Starr's action report, so he reached back for it now. The First Assistant anticipated him and had the report ready to press into his hand.
As he glanced over the first page, Diamond spoke without raising his voice. "Put the cigar out,
Starr." Then he lifted his hand in a minimal gesture, and the wall lights began to dim down.
Darryl Starr pushed his sunglasses up into his hair as the theater went dark and the projector beam cut through slack threads of blue smoke. On the screen appeared a jerky pan over the interior of a large, busy airport.
"This here's Rome International," Starr drawled. "Time reference: thirteen thirty-four GMT. Flight 414 from Tel Aviv has just arrived. It's going to be a piece before the action starts. Those I-talian customs jokers ain't no speed balls."
"Starr?" said Diamond, wearily.
"Why haven't you put that cigar out?"
"Well, to tell you God's own truth, sir, I never heard you ask me to."
"I didn't ask you."
Embarrassed at being ordered around in the presence of a foreigner, Starr unhooked his leg from the seat in front and ground out the almost fresh cigar on the carpet. To save face, he continued narrating as though nothing had happened. "I expect our A-rab friend here is going to be some impressed at how we handled this one. It went off slick as catshit on linoleum."
Wide shot: customs and immigration portal. A queue of passengers await the formalities with varying degrees of impatience. In the face of official incompetence and indifference, the only passengers who are smiling and friendly are those who anticipate trouble with their passports or luggage. An old man with a snow-white goatee leans over the counter, explaining something for the third time to the customs officer. Behind him in line are two young men in their twenties, deeply tanned, wearing khaki shorts and shirts open at the throat. As they move forward, pushing their rucksacks along with their feet, camera zooms in to isolate them in mid-close-up.
"Those are our targets," Starr explained needlessly.
"Just so," the Arab said in a brittle falsetto. "I recognize one of them, one known within their organization as Avrim."
With a comically exaggerated bow of gallantry, the first young man offers to let a pretty redheaded girl precede them to the counter. She smiles thanks, but shakes her head. The Italian official in his too-small peaked cap takes the first young man's passport with a bored gesture and flicks it open, his eyes straying again and again to the girl's breasts, obviously unfettered beneath a denim shirt. He glances from the photograph to the young man's face and back again, frowning.
Starr explained. "The mark's passport picture was taken before he grew that silly-assed beard."
The immigration official shrugs and stamps the passport. The second young man is treated with the same combination of mistrust and incompetence. His passport is stamped twice, because the Italian officer was so engrossed in the redheaded girl's shirtfront that he forgot to use the ink pad the first time. The young men pick up their rucksacks, slinging them over their shoulders by one strap. Murmuring apologies and twisting sideways, they slip through a tangle of excited Italians, a large family pressing and standing on tiptoe to greet an arriving relative.
"Okay! Slow 'er down!" Starr ordered over the intercom. "Here's where it hits the fan."
The projector slowed to one-quarter speed.
From frame to flickering frame the young men move as though the air were gelatin. The leader turns back to smile at someone in the queue, the motion having the quality of a ballet in moon gravity. The second one looks out over the crowd. His nonchalant smile freezes. He opens his mouth and shouts silently, as the front of his khaki shirt bursts open and sprouts blood. Before he can fall to his knees, a second bullet strikes his cheek and tears it off. The camera waves around dizzily before locating the other young man, who has dropped his rucksack and is running in nightmare slow motion toward the coin lockers. He pirouettes in the air as a slug takes him in the shoulder. He slams gracefully against the lockers and bounces back. His hip blossoms with gore, and he slips sideward to the polished granite floor. A third bullet blows off the back of his head.
The camera swishes over the terminal, seeking, losing, then finding again two men
out of focus
running toward the glass doors of the entrance. The focus is corrected, revealing them to be Orientals. One of them carries an automatic weapon. He suddenly arches his back, throws up his arms, and slides forward on his toes for a second before pitching onto his face. The gun clatters silently beside him. The second man has reached the glass doors, the smeared light of which haloes his dark outline. He ducks as a bullet shatters the glass beside his head; he veers and runs for an open elevator out of which a group of schoolchildren are oozing. A little girl slumps down, her hair billowing as though she were underwater. A stray has caught her in the stomach. The next slug takes the Oriental between the shoulder blades and drives him gently into the wall beside the elevator. A grin of anguish on his face, he twists his arm up behind him, as though to pluck out the bullet. The next slug pierces his palm and enters his spine. He slides down the wall and falls with his head in the elevator car. The door closes, but reopens as the pressure pads meet the obstructing head. It closes again upon the head, then reopens. Closes. Opens.
Slow pan back over the terminal. High angle.
. . . A cluster of shocked and bewildered children around the fallen girl. One boy screams in
silence . . .
. . . Two airport guards, their little Italian automatics drawn, run toward the fallen Orientals. One of them is still firing . . .
. . . The old man with the snow-white goatee sits stunned in a puddle of his own blood, his legs straight out before him, like a child playing in a sandbox. His expression is one of overwhelming disbelief. He was sure he had explained everything to the customs official . . .
. . . One of the young Israeli boys lies facedown on his missing cheek, his rucksack improbably still over his shoulder . . .
. . . There is a largo minuet of stylized confusion among the gaggle of Italians who were awaiting a relative. Three of them have fallen. Others are wailing, or kneeling, and one teenaged boy is turning around and around on his heel, seeking a direction in which to run for help
or safety . . .
. . . The redheaded girl stands stiff, her eyes round with horror as she stares at the fallen boy who just seconds ago offered to let her pass ahead . . .
. . . The camera comes to rest on the young man sprawled beside the coin lockers, the back of his head missing . . .
"That-a—that-a—that-a—that's all folks!" said Starr. The beam from the projector flickered out, and the wall lights dimmed up to full.
Starr turned in his seat to field questions from Mr. Diamond or the Arab. "Well?"
Diamond was still looking toward the white screen, three fingers pressed lightly against his lips, the action report on his lap. He let the fingers slip to beside his chin. "How many?" he asked quietly.
"How many killed in the action?"
"I know what you mean, sir. Things got a little wetter than we expected. We'd arranged for the I-talian police to stay clear of the area, but they got their instructions all balled up—not that that's anything new. I even had some trouble myself. I had to use a Beretta so the slugs would match up for I-talian. And as a handgun, a Beretta isn't worth a fart in a hurricane, as my old daddy would have said. With an S&W, I could of dropped those Japs with two shots, and I wouldn't of hit that poor little girl that stepped out into my line of fire. Of course, in the first part of the action, our Nisei boys had been instructed to make it a little messy—make it look like a Black September number. But it was those panicked I-talian cops that started spattering slugs around like a cow pissing on a flat rock, as my old—"
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 6:59 pm
i have found out im having twins they are the kind that share everything (cant think of the technical name)i have been told they will be born by c-section at 34 weeks, will i have to have steroids and will they go into special care??
i meant to ask the consultant but my partner got rushed to a n e in an ambulance while we were in the waiting room so i forgot.
also there is only a 50/50 chance that they will survive and im not morbid but just wondering would you go any buy a double pram and two of everything?? i feel like it tempting fate shopping at any point, but theres a massive chance of been in hospital for a long stay so i wouldnt be able to go shopping.
i would just like some opinions as i am a bit over whelmed at the minute xx
Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:38 pm
Post subject:
I didnt want to read and run.
Im sorry to hear your situation, but im a great beliver in positive thinking!!
I hope both twins are born happy and healthy!!
As far as buying everything, i really dont know-sorry!!!
maybe have a chat with a few baby shops and see what advise they have, maybe you could make two lists, one for one baby and one for two babies. They can have both orders ready and then when babies are born you can let them know which list you'll need?????
Sorry its not much advice!!!
I wish you and your twins well xxxxx
Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 8:35 pm
Post subject:
Firstly congratulations on your fantastic news! how exciting!
I would personally put off buying the pram until after around 26 weeks, thats just what I would do. But I would be buying other bits from around 20weeks.
My SIL has had twins, she was very closely monitored and and looked after, things are very different now a days and you are given the best care. I can understand why you would be worried act but I really would try and enjoy it, so many women every year have twins, in the same situation as you and have two wonderful healthy babies!
Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 8:56 pm
Post subject:
my cousin was pregnant with identical twins, unfortunately they developed twin to twin transfusion and one died at 26 weeks. i know thats not very helpful but what i want to say is they left her till 38 weeks and she had to deliver them both naturally.. i think your consultant may have been pointing out the worst possible situations?
i think like wannaBmummy i would wait till later to buy things you need double?
another girl i know had non identical twins and she still waited till later to buy her double buggy. i think she was in her 30 weeks..
sorry i dont think this is very helpful..


text:
''Georgia on My Mind...''
Not ''[[Music/RayCharles that]]'' [[TheDeepSouth Georgia]] [[note]]although that line is referenced in "Back in the USSR", and it spawned a lot of jokes about Russians in {{Atlanta}} during the 2008 invasion[[/note]]-- Georgia ('''Georgian:''' საქართველო Sakartvelo) is the former Soviet state with its capital at Tbilisi. Formerly the Georgian SSR, it became independent with the collapse of the USSR. But the history of country goes much further back. It was mentioned in Greek myths as "Kolkhis" and since then it has always been a target of many empires due to its strategic location. It has been invaded by Romans, Byzantians, Persians, Arabs, Mongols, Seljuks, Ottomans, Russians and basically every major forces of nearby regions. Mostly it was Muslim countries though, because Georgia served as a "Gatekeeper of Christianity" throughout the history, leading to the fact that Christianity was associated with nationality, it was the main difference between invaders and Georgians. Most of the time, rather than being attacked directly, enemies found more clever, indirect ways for conquest.
Georgia produced a lot of aircraft for the Soviet Union, ending up with some left in the factory when it gained independence, but little else. It had an Su-25 fleet undergoing upgrades. What's left of it is unclear. It was also a major supplier of electric locomotives, and still exports them to Ukraine.
The country underwent a peaceful revolution in 2003, deposing Eduard Shevardnadze, former Soviet foreign minister. Russian forces have now been withdrawn. Georgia is a pro-American state, with plans to join UsefulNotes/{{NATO}} soon and has a street in Tbilisi named after George W. Bush. It was a member of the Multinational Coalition in Iraq, and sent 4,000 troops to aid in the Iraq War.
There are two breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, both backed by Moscow. During the Soviet period, both regions enjoyed autonomous status, which meant among other things, their own language media (such as an Abkhazian newspaper and language institute), and different representation in the Supreme Soviet. When Georgia departed from the Soviet Union, it became clear that both regions would lose their prior arrangement. A war in the early 1990s in the latter led to the mass expulsion of ethnic Georgians from that area and a lot of deaths, with atrocities on both sides. This has led to tension between the two neighbours, culminating in [[UsefulNotes/GeorgiansWithDragunovs Georgian troops]] invading South Ossetia to "restore peace and order" in August 2008. However, due to the indiscriminate shelling by Georgian forces, they ended up killing several Russian peacekeepers in the area, as well as dozens of South Ossetian civilians. This was considered an act of war by Moscow, and led to a massive and disproportionate Russian retaliation against Georgia, also claiming Georgian atrocities against ethnic Russians in South Ossetia. However, the Russian backed separatists have also committed atrocities, which led to around 200K-250k Georgians to flee their homes in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia ([[AndZoidberg and Nauru, Nicaragua, and Venezuela]]) have officially recognized South Ossetian and Abkhazian independence, with the West generally lining up in Georgia's corner. As a final poignant cap to this, in 2010, a major Georgian television news network broadcasted an [[Radio/TheWaroftheWorlds Orson Wells]]-style hoax stating Russia had invaded Georgia, and that the political opposition had killed the President. In October 2012, the newly elected Prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili pledged to try to mend Georgia's severely damaged relations with Russia.
A third region just north of Armenia known as Samtskhe-Javakheti, populated largely by ethnic Armenians, has also been pushing for autonomy (since the region has been subject to severe neglect, forced ethnic integration, and kept in poverty by an apathetic Georgian government), leading to some instability, ethnic clashes and shaky relations with Armenia as a result. Though Armenia has shown concern for the plight of the people of Javakh, a repeat of the war those two countries had over the region back in 1918 isn't too likely as landlocked Armenia needs Georgia for importing and exporting, and it already has its hands full with Turkey and an increasingly threatening Azerbaijan. Georgia also has a small border dispute with Azerbaijan over the David-Gareja monastery complex, but this has never evolved into a serious issue. Otherwise, Georgia has fairly stable relations with all three countries, aside from Armenia and Azerbaijan often trying to convince it to take sides in their conflicts.
Georgian uses a different alphabet to Russian and a VERY different language. It is (as far as we know) completely unrelated to any of the major language families, instead being part of a "South Caucasian" family more or less consisting of itself and a couple of close relatives.
Georgia is known as the Homeland of wine. First traces of winemaking were found there. Today, there are over 500 sorts of winegrapes known in Georgia.
Another cultural characteristic is that Georgia is (one of the) earliest country to develop polyphony, with 3 vocal parts. Yet another important characteristic is the importance of guests. An old saying is that a guest comes from God and was considered sacred. Even today, foreign guest are amazed by the love and respect the strange people show them.
Due to the importance of Christianity, it's elements are everywhere, most notably almost all of the old architecture consists of churches, and the flag too contains five crosses; that said, Georgia has long had a large minority of Muslims, who remain to this day, although many of their number have spread across the Muslim world and assimilated there (a good number in the 19th century joined the armies of the neighboring Circassians and ended up in high places across the Arab world). All in all, the Georgian culture was always western-oriented, but with big eastern influences, creating an unique culture.
Georgia (West Georgia, to be precise) is also the place Jason and the Argonauts went to get the Golden Fleece, although it was named Colchis at that time and later for quite a while.
The PatronSaint of the country is St. George, as for Serbia, Russia, England, Greece, Montenegro and Canada, among other territories. However it is not named after St. George, at least not directly; the name comes from the Ancient Greek word "geōrgos", which means "land-worker". The Greeks named the country "geōrgos", because they were the only people working on land in the region as they first met them. However, the name George has the same origin; it was a personal name meaning "land-worker", i.e. farmer. (The Georgians reciprocated by calling Greece "Saberdzneti", based on the root word "berdz", which means "wisdom". Georgian is one of two languages that doesn't refer to Greece using derivatives of "Greece", "Ionia", or "Hellas", the other being Chechen, and likely the only one that refers to Greece as "land of wisdom".)
One interesting thing about Georgia is that it's not clear on which continent it is. According some sources, it's Europe, according to others - Asia (German Post, for example, considers it to be in Asia, as it costs more to send things to Asia than to Europe, But Organizations for European cooperation etc. considers it to be in Europe). Actually, the problem plagues the entire Caucasus; ordinary folks would have problems dictating which continent that neighbors Azerbaijan and Armenia (the latter of which, geographically-speaking, is located ''wholly'' in Asia, but is sometimes classified as a part of Europe due to its Christian heritage) belong to. The three countries, after all, are the crossroad of the two continents and are the definitive examples of "East meets West", sharing this distinction with Turkey.
'''Famous Georgians'''
* Katie Melua, a singer.
* Iosef Besiarionis dze Jugashvili,(which, by the way, means Iosef Besarion's son Jugashvili and was a common way to name oneself in Soviet Union) aka JosefStalin. You read that right, the most "influential" figure in symbolizing the evils of the Russian [[DirtyCommunist communists]] wasn't a Russian at all, but instead from a little country that's (ironically) bullied by the bear today. [[CulturalCringe He actually kind of hated himself for being a Georgian]] (despite treating it favorably in comparison to the other republics), and refused to speak his native Georgian [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas except with his mother]] (who's a monolingual). By the way, while Stalin is universally hated everywhere else, [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead never try to speak ill of him in his homeland]] (''especially'' in his hometown, Gori).
* Lavrenti Pavles dze Beria, Stalin's right-hand man and the head of the NKVD StateSec. His brutal methods are only second to Stalin's own.
* Meliton Kantaria, the UsefulNotes/GreatPatrioticWar soldier who raised the Victory Banner over the Reichstag in 1945.
* John M. Shalikashvili, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1993-1997; the only foreign-born general to hold America's top military post.
* Eduard Shevardnadze ([[IncrediblyLamePun not to be confused with]] Film/EdwardScissorhands), Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union known for helping bring about an end to the UsefulNotes/ColdWar in the [[TheEighties late 1980s]]. When TheGreatPoliticsMessUp happened, he ran for (and won) the post of President of Georgia, a job he lost in 2004 during the "Rose Revolution" protests.
* Nodar Kumaritashvili, a luge specialist who was killed in a training accident just before the [[TheOlympics 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver]]. His teammates considered withdrawing before dedicating their performances to him. They also wore black arm bands and tied a black ribbon around the Georgian flag during the parade of nations.
* George Balanchine, famous Georgian-Russian-American ballet choreographer and founder of the New York City Ballet. His family's original surname is Balanchivadze.
* Elena Satine, although she started on a variety show at the age of 6 in Georgia, she later emigrated to the US and is much better known for her role in ''Series/{{Revenge}}''.
!! Georgia provides examples of:
* TheDeterminator: Like Armenia. It's been conquered by empires innumerable and manages to retain its distinctive Kartvelian culture and language, two things that are very hard to keep when someone invaded you. And unlike Armenia, the invasion continues to this day (courtesy of Russia), which Georgia responds by amping up the country's de-Russification.
* GratuitousRussian: Well, it's an ex-Soviet republic. The leaders have tried to prevent this (with varying degrees of success), though.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Resulted due to all the wars through history and proud mountain-folks nature. Even the word "Hello" in Georgian means something along the lines "may you win", while instead of "good morning" Georgians wish each other "a morning of peace".
* TheUnpronouncable: Its language permits you to stack up a ridiculous number of consonants, producing such teeth-breakers as ''mts'vane'' ("green"), ts'q'ali (water) or even the standard welcome greeting: k'etli iq'os tkeni! In the context of Caucasian languages, though, it isn't particularly strange or unpronounceable (especially compared to the horror that is Adyghe); Caucasus is just ''that'' weird.
!! Georgia in fiction
* Myth/ClassicalMythology features Georgia, known as "Colchis", as one of the foreign kingdoms that the the ancient Greeks sometimes visited as part of their voyages. Colchis is featured notably in ''Jason and the Argonauts'', as the location of the Golden Fleece, the goal of Jason's quest. His lover ([[UngratefulBastard whom he eventually dumped]]), Medea, was a Colchian, too.
* ''VideoGame/SplinterCell''
* ''VideoGame/GhostRecon''
* Will be featured as the main setting of ''[[VideoGame/SniperGhostWarrior Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3]]''.
[[folder: The Georgian flag ]]
->The flag is based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_George%27s_cross Saint George's Cross]], in honor of its patron saint. Its main differentiation from other flags of its type are four [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolnisi_cross Bolnisi Crosses]] on each quarter, representing Christianity in Georgia. The flag was adopted in 2003 to replace the original flag of a maroon field with a black-and-white canton, which had been associated with Georgia's post-Soviet troubles.


text:
Jul 13, 2007 , 07:56 AM #1
Ex- President Obasanjo`s Unfinished Monkey Businesses
Obasanjo's unfinished monkey businesses
By Dan Azumi Kofarmata, Kano
Believing in his own powers and an acrobatic ability to interpret the Nigerian Constitution, laws and rules in his favour, ex-president Obasanjo is out there creating all sorts of mischief. Having gotten satisfied with the results of his "do or die" political battlefield "victory" over Nigerians, particularly over these four Nigerians, namely: 1.) Former military President retired General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), 2.) Former retired military Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari, 3.) Former retired National Security Adviser General Aliyu Muhammadu Gusau, and last but not the least, 4.) Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, he took well-deserved holidays in the
country of
, as ex-president extraordinary and plenipotentiary � whatever that means.
Please do not ask me what else took our beloved ex-president to this much-loved European holiday destination. However, a pertinent question begets the minds of many well-wishers of the "leader of modern
" � ex-president Obasanjo. The curious question is who paid for the luxurious holiday trip? The speculative Nigerians very well know the answer to this question. Therefore, I need not waste time trying to mine the answer here, as probably Messrs Sowore (saharareporters.com) and Elendu (elendureports.com) will soon do a good job to scoop the answer for us. However, I would discuss some of the ex-president's recent activities of national interest.
I would start with his recent activities, especially the immediate past national strike actions by Nigerians, led by the indomitable labour unions, particularly the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC). The national strike actions were against the unsolicited "farewell gifts" from the outgoing monstrous administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. On
May 27 2007
, Obasanjo gave Nigerians a thank you very much parting gifts of: a 15% increase in petroleum products prices across the board. Also, in the Gift Pack, were 100% increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), fire sales of the
Port Harcourt
refineries and Egbin power plant respectively, and the cancellation of the implementation of the 15% salary raise for federal workers. These were the bonds of contention in the whole debacle that lasted four momentous and successful days.
The four-day "do or die" warfare was a carryover of Obasanjo's personal war against Nigerians, which he started in the remaining dying days of his infamous ruler ship of eight straight inglorious years (1999-2007). And the Winners were: Nigerians! The peoples Garrison Commanders � Omar and Esele yielded only 7.5% petrol price increase in order not to totally humiliate President Yar Adua (Obasanjo's Phillip Effiong), the man who presented the instruments of surrender to the peoples Garrison Commanders on that historic and memorable June 23, 2007. Otherwise, the defeat or conquest was absolute total and deservedly humiliating! Characteristically, Obasanjo feigned ignorance of the four-day strike action: claiming that he shut the world after him soon after he landed in
. Who else would not do the same giving the bounteous natural endowments of
. May I suggest to President UMYA to do some surgical operations at the NNPC, PPPRA, DPR and BPE � remember, the Chinese government showed the World how to punish erring public servants! All what we calling for in
is for some heads to roll in the above-mentioned named organisations that led the nation into very painful agony and are still unremorseful!
Obasanjo's poodle, President Yar Adua (although he has recently denied being one) could have saved himself from the humiliating embarrassment of having to continue with the dastardly and ill-conceived punitive policies left behind by Obasanjo had he heeded the calling of generality of Nigerians to immediately suspend all those last minutes policies he inherited from ex-president Obasanjo. Yar Adua faltered and at the end, he became the victim of the actions of his benefactor. The rest is now a negative history as far as this incidence is concerned.
The next landmine left by ex-president Obasanjo was the three-month old strike action embarked upon by the indefatigable academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Yar Adua successfully cleared the mess and the Universities are now reopened. The economic and social costs inflicted on the national economy and parents are beyond anyone's imagination. Obasanjo does not care a bit about the costs implications of his bad education policies since all his siblings go to school abroad or in his own private schools in
. He owns highbrow private schools and capping his investment in the highly lucrative private education sector with a private University, licensed by him while still the president of the country.
Conflicts of interest do not matter under Obasanjo's presidency. That is why in addition, a Presidential Library fund was raised for him and massive facilities donated to his private NGO � the Africa Leadership Forum (ALF) while as sitting president. In addition, the Obasanjo Holdings Limited was awash with all manners of contracts, acquisition of choice public auctioned properties, oil block awards, crude oil lifting awards, oil products imports and miscellaneous projects that are fully funded and patronised by his government and businesses closely associated with his presidency. Yet he fought corruption, nepotism and other forms of malfeasances gallantly, with Nuhu Ribadu, Oby, El-Rufai and Ngozi as Garrison Commanders and enforcers!
If I may ask, where has the enfant terrible anti-corruption Czar, motor mouth Nuhu Ribadu gone? Constitutional immunity expired on
May 29, 2007
and we are not seeing any "mother of all arrests and prosecutions" of the 30 something ex-Governors and their accomplices earlier promised by the untiring anti-corruption Garrison Commander. Is Mr. Ribadu taking a break as he did during the controversial Confab? Nigerians and the World are waiting anxiously. Please, Mr Ribadu start doing something; at least investigate Godwin Dabo's recent allegation of ex-president Obasanjo's billions or handover the globes if your hands are tied.
The next mischief by Obasanjo was the coup he staged against his bosom friend Chief Tony Anenih (Mr Fix it-cum-enforcer). The plot to remove Anenih from the Chairmanship of the nebulous board of trustees of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was hatched in his very presence several months ago. Ironically, Chief Anenih participated in digging his own bottomless-grave with Obasanjo as the undertaker. Therefore, what Obasanjo did soon after he returned from his luxurious Jamaican holiday break should not surprise any one of us; after all, it is all a familiar "family affairs" kind of a thing, as they always say when there is a crack in the PDP close-knit family!
Poor Tony Anenih, it is now your own turn to receive Obasanjo's dose of bitter parting of ways gift, after years of absolute loyalty and meritorious service to the Life Patron/Leader and Father of modern Nigeria. You need not shed tears. You were the supreme officer in charge of administering the same bitter pills to your other forsaken pals before now. Adieu. Anenih, your time is up. Good-bye to your well-deserved timely journey to Obasanjo' political graveyard littered with corpses of used-and-dumped political yes-men. The over 300 billion-naira tombstone to be placed beside your political graveside, built with the money meant for repairing Nigerian roads is now the sudden subject of investigation by the National Assembly, at the behest of your benefactor, ex president Obasanjo! What a pity!
The next ex-president Obasanjo's mischief is directed at the beleaguered Presidency of Umaru Musa Yar Adua (UMYA). First, Obasanjo has commandeered one of the posh Aso Villa Guest Houses as his permanent resident to be used during his 4-day a week stay in
. Second, he succeeded in cloning the leadership of the National Assembly in his own mirror image, reflecting his militaristic dictatorial mindset. For example, a member of Obasanjo's constituency now heads the National Assembly;
's military-cum-"civilian" autocratic ruling class. Third, he has directed the ruling party to establish a Legislative Agenda Committee, which he now heads. Therefore, from now onwards, in addition to executive meddling, Obasanjo has gotten the instrument to meddle at the legislative level as well.
This means everything that needs legislative attention must first pass through and receives the Godfather's approval and blessings through the Legislative Agenda Committee before it goes to the National Assembly for ceremonial legislative consideration and action. Fourth, today, over 40 days since the swearing-in ceremony of President UMYA as the anointed successor to ex-president Obasanjo on
May 29, 2007
, the nation is yet to have a properly constituted government at the centre. In other words,
does not have a properly constituted Federal Executive Council (FEC). The reason for this longest delay in the formation of the federal cabinet is that, President UMYA was waiting for the return of his anointer from his undisturbed holiday break in the sunny and fun-studded country of
Take for example, in the case of
, this exercise was done swiftly and their respective governments are up and running and serving their peoples. Prime Minister Gordon Brown of
formed a government of "all the talents" within 48 hours of becoming Prime Minister. For example, he named a 41-year old former rival, David Miliband, foreign secretary, appointed the first woman home secretary, Jacqui Smith; and Edward Balls, education secretary and Alistair Darling as his own replacement at Her Majesty's treasury. What type of team do we expect from President UMYA? Only Obasanjo can provide the answer to this silly question! Of course, UMYA has made history by appointing the first woman Head of federal Civil Service (HOS). I wish to recommend and at the same time challenge that he should go beyond his anointer by appointing a first female Minister of petroleum and energy, first female Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), first female Minister of Foreign Affairs. In addition, he should re-appointing females as Ministers in charge of the ministry of finance. The reason for my making this suggestion and challenge is because based on the recent experience of the previous administration of ex-president Obasanjo, it seems women are the best and most trustworthy when it comes to handling economic and financial affairs in
for now.
Upon return from
, Obasanjo held a marathon presidential-styled meeting with all the State Governors and leading politicians of the Southwest geopolitical zone in his palatial Aso Villa extension at Otta farmhouse. Ex-president Obasanjo conveyed the meeting solely to strategise on how the nation will be governed by "them" through their anointed surrogate, President UMYA. Remember, the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) (instigated and funded by Obasanjo) had earlier issued a warning to President UMYA against the perceived "northernisation" of "their government." Therefore, it was only after the Otta farmhouse meeting that the list of the possible ministerial nominees was compiled, cleared and approved by Obasanjo and sent to the Senator David Mark-led National Assembly Senate for the necessary ceremonial confirmation. This is to say that, the nation has now been presented with those lucky Nigerians that have made it to the list and scaled through Obasanjo's scrutiny. Nigerians await the next move from here.
The next issue that ex-president Obasanjo confronted upon his return from vacationing in the
nation of
was this so-called Government of National Unity (GNU). But wait a minute; Isyaku Ibrahim and Col Umar Dangiwa Abubakar (rtd) have raised some fundamental questions on this one. They asked is
at war? Are Nigerians not united? Where is the threat coming from? Who are people behind the threat to our national unity and integrity? Many Nigerians alike believe that since the nation is at peace with itself and since UMYA and PDP scored over 70% in the April 21 2007 presidential election, why is the quest for the formation of a contraption by name GNU?
The general feeling in
and elsewhere is that, the only threat to
's peace, unity and integrity is coming from the results of the April 2007 general elections heavily rigged by Obasanjo and his ruling PDP apparatchiks. That is why the anointed President UMYA is uncomfortable with the elections petitions filed before the Election Petition Tribunal by the two presidential contenders � former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Action Congress (AC) and former Head of State Retired General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) respectively.
The thinking within President UMYA's own strategists is to neutralise this threat by way of GNU contraption. The GNU is strategically designed to disorganise the serious minded members of the two opposition political parties posing serious threats to the continued existence of the rigged presidential mandate. To that extent, UMYA's strategists have succeeded. However, their success is only to the extent of formalising the crossing over of the ANPP and the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) "core" leaderships to the ruling PDP. Their acceptance to join the GNU signifies their formal annihilation into the mainstream ruling PDP.
Nevertheless, they have all along been members of the ruling PDP. They retained their respective identities in order to continue to serve as PDP's Trojan horses in the fake Nigerian multi-party "democracy." Least we forget what happened to the core leaderships of the ANPP in Jigawa, Kebbi and
, just before the April 2007 general elections. The annihilation of these three ANPP States by the monstrous PDP is enough testimony to the ruling party's annihilation strategy designed to make
a one-party state! Thanks to the patriotic leadership of the AC for the rejection of the invitation extended to it by the monstrous PDP to "come and Chop." This shows that there are still men and women of conscience in our national body politics no matter how small the number and past antecedents. There is still hope in the
Therefore, Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Retired General Muhammadu Buhari should know better by now. For example, over the years, many Nigerians know that the ANPP and about 45 other so-called registered political associations are surrogate parties of the ruling PDP. These fake political parties were formed, funded and registered by a click of members of "intelligence" community within the ruling party working very closely the Nigerian establishment and INEC. They are nothing but Trojan horses of the ruling PDP. For example, General Buhari was always used by the ANPP to win local elections in the "ANPP" controlled States and dumped after by those who call the shots within the closed and secretive ANPP/PDP strategic alliance. The Chief grandmasters of the game were/are: Chief Don Etiebet, Governors Ali Modu Sheriff, Ibrahim Shekarau and ex-governors (some of them now Senators) Adamu Aliero, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Ahmed Sani (Yarima) and Attahiru Bafarawa. Therefore, the GNU contraption is another way ex-president Obasanjo intend to scatter the opposition and destroy the credible legal actions already in progress against the continued existence of the present government put in place by him.
Last but not the least, the National Chairman of the ruling PDP, Senator Ahmadu Ali (rtd colonel) is embittered, angry and likely to be embattled with his anointer, ex-president Obasanjo. This is because Obasanjo has become a larger and more influential figure at the
party's Headquarters. As the new overlord � Executive Life Chairman of the nebulous Board of Trustees (BOT), Father of Modern Nigeria and Leader of National Legislative Agenda, Ahmadu Ali has been reduced to nothing; dwarfed and reduced to a mere errant figurehead in the scheme of things within the party hierarchy now. Coming soon after his two expansive mansions in
choice locations were ordered demolished by another Presidential errant boy � Nasir El Rufai, the erstwhile Obasanjo's "Super Minister of Everything Difficult and Controversial." Lest we forget, Ahmadu Ali also lost out to Obasanjo over his quest to make his wife a Senator. This is to avoid competing for attention with Obasanjo's Senator-daughter � Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello!
The above stage is a perfect one for the Grand Fight between President UMYA and the Godfather, Obasanjo. Because from the looks of things, any attempt by President UMYA to deviate from the "righteous path" chosen by the Messiah Obasanjo for the PDP and by extension for Nigerians, will be decisively crushed by the monstrous Godfather. This he can always do with the help of his planted cronies in the ruling Party and the Nigerian establishment, from whom he draws his strength, power and authority. The nation awaits the D-Day. Time will tell.
..Read the full article
Jul 13, 2007 , 02:43 PM #2
Re: Ex- President Obasanjo`s Unfinished Monkey Businesses
Anyone who enjoys holidaying in Jamaica, must without an iota of doubt also partake of the grassy leaves that make the citizens of that country higher than the highest. I am sure that Mr. Obasanjo, animal in human skin, must have had a field day smoking marijuana in Jamaica, because ever since he came back, his madness has become more methodical. I do believe however that Nigerians are people of undaunted mettle and will not just sit down with their arms folded watching this ***** and his antics. Once upon a time, the brave students of Edo State University stormed the country home residence of Aikhomu, IBB's deputy, carting away goods ranging from arms and ammunitions to shoes, clothes and hard currency. I am warning this ******* of doubtful provenance that history has a way of repeating himself. Or maybe he thinks, like Anenih, that no pot in Nigeria is big enough to boil him into pepper soup. Stupid Egba man.
Jul 13, 2007 , 05:24 PM #3
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Updated: 3:13 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, 2014 | Posted: 10:43 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, 2013
By Kissairis Munoz
You're not imagining it. Winter still isn't over. There's no daylight when your alarm clock goes off, you've logged more miles than you'd like to count on the dreadmill, and — duh — it's really cold out there. It's no surprise that any motivation to get outdoors and work up a sweat has gone the way of the groundhog and buried itself until spring. But don't let the season be an excuse to stray from those resolutions and lose your workout mojo. We've rounded up our favorite calorie-busting workouts that can be done indoors to get through these final weeks of winter. And who knows — you might even find a workout you'll want to do all year long.
1. Ride it out. So the idea of wiping out on black ice or feeling the cold breeze freeze your face while bike riding isn't appealing? Spin class might be for you. These intense indoor cycling classes can burn up to hundreds of calories and keep bones strong[1]. Interval-based rides will also strengthen the butt, thighs, calves, and even the core. No helmet necessary.
2. Lap it up. It's never too early to dig up that swimsuit. Head to your gym or community center's indoor pool to get in a few solid swims before summer hits. This low-impact exercise lets athletes exercise longer without excess muscle strain, and might even beat yoga when it comes to improving breathing technique[2][3]. Bonus: An improved mood, and a leaner physique to boot[4].
3. Resistance train. No need to venture outside — a gym isn't required for these 50 bodyweight exercises, guaranteed to improve strength and endurance with just body resistance alone. Try this 30-minute workout, complete with high-intensity supersets, to get a heart-pumping resistance workout without any dumbbells, machines, or plates.
4. Hit a wall. An indoor rock climbing wall, that is. This non-traditional cardio workout really hits the mark for those who want to exercise their mental strength (what happens to my legs if my arms go here?). But it's about physical prowess as well — scaling indoor walls will increase heart rates and torch up to 650 calories per hour[5]. Not only does it work the arm muscles, it activates the legs, back, and shoulders as well. Cue the bragging rights once you've reach the top!
5. Lace up. Ice skating isn't just for kids. If it's too cold for outdoor skating to be fun, head to your local indoor rink to carve up the ice. Aside from being super fun, skating tones the legs, core, and butt, along with smaller, stabilizing muscles that assist with balance and coordination. At a moderate pace, ice skating also burns about 500 calories per hour (and that's not counting those bonus points for jumps and spins!).
For the list of all 20 awesome indoor workouts, go to Greatist.com.
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Welcome to our classroom blog! Our blog is like a journal, a never ending account and record of all the exciting adventures we experience in Kindergarten. We are an enthusiastic group of people who care about each other and the world. We hope you enjoy reading, listening and watching what we do!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Dr. Seuss!
We are enjoying our current author study about Dr. Seuss. Today we read a few more of his great books! One of our students brought in a Dr. Seuss story with some writing she did at her house about the book. The children made connections about this great writing. We realized that when we write we also draw detailed pictures and include labels too!
Posted by Davison Kindergarten at 7:37 AM
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Malaysian Rubber-Glove Stocks Take Off Amid China Bird Flu Outbreak
By Shie-Lynn Lim
Over the past week, shares of major glove makers have soared as investors bet the disease will boost demand for the product. Still, the companies aren't upbeat about a demand spike.
Malaysia is the world's biggest rubber-glove supplier, enjoying more than 60% of the world-market share through Top Glove and Supermax.
Share prices of Top Glove Corporation Bhd., the world's largest rubber glove maker by sales, have surged 10% since early April. On March 31, official Chinese media announced a new bird flu outbreak, which has killed nine people and sickened 33 others. Shares of other major glove players—Hartalega Holdings Bhd., Supermax Corporation Bhd., Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd.,—rose 5.3%, 12% and 6.2%, respectively, in the same period.
"We're getting a lot of inquiries, but that has not been translated into actual orders [for rubber gloves]," Edward Yip, corporate affairs head at Kossan Rubber, said in a phone interview. The "demand for gloves will go up and up" only if the flu outbreak grows and turns into a pandemic. For now, the company is not adjusting what it expects its earnings to be in fiscal year 2013.
Top Glove's managing director K.M. Lee also said there isn't any uptick in rubber-glove orders from China for now, although "should the situation escalate into an epidemic along the proportions of the H1N1 outbreak, we would expect demand to increase."
The rubber glove makers are struggling to cope with rising labor costs while prices of natural rubber- -a key input– have edged higher following a weaker yen and export curbs on the commodity.
However, analysts downplayed the prospects of a demand surge similar to the boom seen during the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic that caused thousands of death.
Maybank-IB analyst Lee Yen Ling notes that the run-up in prices of rubber-gloves stocks is "purely speculative," because Malaysian manufacturers have minimal exposure to China's glove market, which is dominated by a cheaper plastic variant.
However, mature glove markets the U.S. and Europe are stocking up on glove inventories and have confirmed orders, rubber-glove makers said.
"[U.S.] buyers previously haggling over prices of the gloves are now keen to secure orders," said Lim Kwee Shyan, group chief executive at Careplus Group Bhd., who is also president at Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association.
"H1N1 started in the U.S., which is a mature glove market. The H7N9 strain began in China, where demand and hygiene awareness are lower," said Yeoh Yung-Juen, a Kuala Lumpur-based rubber glove analyst at CIMB Investment Bank.


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I took the pic of this starving child when I traveled to Sudan and South Sudan with Reverend Franklin Graham. That was 13 months ago. The child was suffering from malnutrition (due SOLELY to Sudan's President Bashir) and my guess is that this child is now dead. This child (no doubt) died an excruciating hunger death — all because of one very cruel man (while the world looks the other way!)
Below is today's testimony before Congress by Samaritan's Purse Kenny Isaac who has been to Sudan and South Sudan many times — he has seen it with his own eyes many, many times. Below he tells about a 4 year old child starving — weighing only 14 pounds! Kenny also told Congress that many people are living on bugs and leaves — but you know that because I saw that and I took pictures of it and posted it right here! It is really, really bad — cruel is a word that understates it.
Do me a favor…take 5 minutes and read Kenny's testimony below. The more people know about the atrocities in Sudan and South Sudan, the more likely something will be done to stop it. We can't just continue to look the other way. I know how much GretaWire bloggers care – you all have big hearts — and frankly, by reading GretaWire as you do, and by blogging, you actually know more about this crisis than almost anyone else. Very few people are talking about this…and they should be.
I am not suggesting we send in our military — I am suggesting we should be talking about this crisis. Talking is a start. Looking the other way is just not us — we are a kind nation and we give a damn. Of course we are not magicians who can solve everyones' problems all the time — but if we don't even talk about it, confront the evil, there is zero chance. I want to help.
By the way, President Bashir hates me — and has accused me of lying about what is going on in Sudan (the Sudanese newspaper article posted several months ago.) So, Mr. President Bashir, is Kenny lying too?
Chairmen McGovern and Wolf, distinguished Representatives, and fellow guests of the commission, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to share my concerns about the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
Residents of these two areas live in a constant state of terror because of the Government of Sudan's campaign of violence against its own people. This includes indiscriminate aerial bombings that have made it impossible to plant and harvest crops—leading to a severe food crisis throughout the region.
The current situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile leaves no doubt that the Government of Sudan's methods and modalities are intended to create famine against all citizens in those areas. It is up to the U.S. and the international community to take appropriate and immediate steps to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of suffering Sudanese people.
Our organization, Samaritan's Purse, began working in Sudan in 1993. Our work in Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan began in 1998, and we conducted extensive humanitarian aid operations in those areas until the government cut off international humanitarian access in June 2011.
Over the last 20 years, I have made many trips to the country to oversee our efforts there, and I was witness to some of the darkest days of the civil war in the south and the atrocities in Darfur. Today I see that gruesome history repeating itself. Brutal attacks by the Sudanese Armed Forces and indiscriminate bombing—all against civilians—were major contributors to the famines that led to hundreds of thousands of deaths in southern Sudan in the1990s.
Although the international community eventually launched Operation Lifeline Sudan, the Government of Sudan routinely manipulated and denied flight access to United Nations humanitarian agencies in order to use food as a weapon of war. These denials were frequently
carried out in coordination with the Government of Sudan's ground and air military operations against civilians.1
In fact, aid organizations frequently became the target of Sudan's aggression. On February 9, 2002, a World Food Programme distribution center in Akuem, southern Sudan, was bombed, killing two children and injuring more than a dozen others.2 Just weeks later, a similar attack was carried out at another distribution center in Bieh in Upper Nile, while people were waiting in line to receive food.3 The Government of Sudan has shown no hesitation in using food as a weapon to brutalize its citizens.
In June 2011, a new wave of violence swept over South Kordofan as the Sudan Armed Forces resumed fighting against the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N). The Sudanese government bombed villages indiscriminately—destroying homes, markets, schools, churches, and mosques. Over 200 of Samaritan's Purse staff, including 12 expatriates, were stationed in the region and witnessed the bombings first-hand. Large numbers of civilians sought refuge in the rocky caves and crevices of the Nuba Mountains. Many remain in hiding today. In September 2011, the Government of Sudan launched similar attacks in Blue Nile State.
The Government of Sudan has cut off all humanitarian access to SPLM-N-occupied areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Samaritan's Purse and other international aid organizations are unable to reach hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians who have no access to food, clean water, medicine, and other basic necessities.
We maintain communications with Sudanese national staff in both of these regions. One of our former staff, Ryan Boyette, remained in Nuba on his own when we had to suspend our operations there. Boyette founded Eyes and Ears Nuba, a network of citizen journalists who report from the frontlines on the atrocities committed against the Nuban people.
What we are seeing on the ground is evidence of an orchestrated campaign to terrorize and starve people. The indiscriminate bombing has displaced households and destroyed fields, disrupting the planting cycle of a people who depend on their crops to survive. The first wave of bombings in June 2011 corresponded with the beginning of the planting season. Farmers were forced to flee their homes instead of sow their crops. The violence continued and increased when I was in South Kordofan at the time of harvest in November 2011.
According to a rapid assessment conducted in South Kordofan in August 2012, the food security situation is deteriorating rapidly. The number of households surviving on one meal per day increased from 9.5 percent to 81.5 percent in just one year.4 A December 2012 rapid needs
1 Sudanese Government denies humanitarian access to 1,7 million people in southern Sudan. WFP. 05 Apr. 2002.
2 WFP deplores air attack on food distribution site in southern Sudan. UN News Centre. 13 Feb. 2002. 3 WFP condemns attack on civilians at food distribution in Southern Sudan. WFP. 21 Feb. 2002.
4 Rapid Food Security and Nutrition Assessment: South Kordofan. The Enough Project. Oct. 2012.
assessment in Blue Nile State found that three communities reported 1,712 deaths from starvation.5
The food security situation will only get worse in the coming months. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, many areas within both South Kordofan and Blue Nile are currently in stressed or crisis phases. Several areas within both states are projected to reach the emergency phase between July and September of this year.6
Currently, over 71,000 refugees are registered in the Yida refugee camp in Unity State and approximately 117,000 are registered in camps in Meban County, Upper Nile State of South Sudan.7 Samaritan's Purse runs extensive water, food, and medical programs in the Yida refugee camp as well as in the camps in Meban County. Our staff routinely hear first-hand accounts of the depth of suffering in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
The situation is especially critical for vulnerable groups like the elderly and young children. Four- year-old Waida weighed only 14 pounds when she reached Yida. Her mother told the staff at our nutrition stabilization center that the family had lived on mostly bugs and leaves for months. They were constantly running from bombs, so there was no way to be able to grow food. They had walked for over a week to reach Yida.
We were able to save little Waida, but I often think of the thousands of starving children like her who haven't made it to safety. How many of them will never be able to make it across the border? How many of them will die because the international community refused to take real action?
Yes, while the international community is wringing their wrists over what should be done to resolve this conflict, people are dying because no cross-line or cross-border humanitarian access corridor has been established. The Government of Sudan will not allow it.
This is the regime that has harbored Osama Bin Laden, supported terrorist organizations, and is led by an indicted war criminal.8 I urge the Obama administration and members of Congress to intervene immediately on behalf of the Sudanese people.
I don't believe that another agreement between Sudan and South Sudan, or the SPLM-N or Sudan Revolutionary Front, is the answer. Sudan historically uses agreements to obstruct peace, buy time, and confound all parties involved. Decades of broken agreements have led to a loss of faith in any future agreements. The citizens of Sudan are tired of being killed by their own government.
5 Rapid Needs Assessment: Blue Nile State. Grey Areas Consortium. Dec. 2012.
6 South Sudan Food Security Outlook. FEWSNET. Accessed 15 June 2013.
7 Registered Refugee Population: Unity and Upper Niles States. UNHCR. Accessed 15 June 2013. 8 State Sponsors: Sudan. Council on Foreign Relations. 02 Apr. 2008.
If we look at the challenges that face South Kordofan and Blue Nile—displacement, malnutrition, lack of clean water and sanitation, and lack of medical care—it comes back to a single cause: aerial bombing. The bombing forces people to flee their homes. The bombing destroys fields and disrupts the planting cycle. The bombing drives people into the rocks and crevices of the Nuba Mountains and away from improved water and sanitation facilities.
The bombing needs to stop and the bombing can be stopped. The destruction of air traffic control facilities in a few military airports in Sudan will inhibit the government's ability to continue their violent attacks on the people of South Kordofan and Blue Nile. The Government of Sudan's ability to launch these air attacks can and should be destroyed.
An end to the bombing will not only put an end to the constant state of terror that the people of South Kordofan and Blue Nile have lived in for years; it will enable them to regain their livelihood as they come out of hiding, return to their homes, restore their fields, and resume crop production.
Such a resolution does not require a major commitment or a no-fly zone. It only requires the political will to recognize that a government that kills its own people has no legitimacy to rule. As President Obama said in reference to the crisis in Syria in a statement released on February 4, 2012:
"Every government has the responsibility to protect its citizens, and any government that brutalizes and massacres its people does not deserve to govern."9
9 "Statement by the President on Syria." The White House: Office of the Press Secretary. 04 Feb. 2012.


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The Benefits Of A Pet For The Elderly
If you're a senior thinking about getting a pet or a younger adult considering giving a pet to an older relative, discover the benefits and possible drawbacks of pet ownership for the elderly, as well as how to get the most from pet ownership during the golden years.
Gifts of Pet Ownership
If you watch an older person happily interact with a beloved pet, the fact that he or she is receiving more than entertainment is unmistakable. What might surprise you is how extensive and varied these benefits of pet ownership are. Here are some of the many perks seniors get when they bring an animal companion into their lives:
- Better mood: Since pets offer so much love and happiness, senior pet owners suffer less depression and have better general moods than those without pets.
- More active lives: Playing with pets, walking dogs or changing a cat's litter box gets seniors moving around and exercising more than they might otherwise.
- Lower pulse rate, cholesterol and blood pressure: This is due to the fact that pet ownership encourages physical activity as well as the general calming effect of animals.
- Improved overall health: Pet ownership tends to encourage older people to take better care of themselves, resulting in better health.
- Increased human interaction: Whether you're walking your dog, taking her to the park or even visiting the vet, you'll run into lots of people to talk and interact with. Additionally, children and grandchildren tend to visit older adults with pets more often than they would if that person didn't have a pet.
- Decreased loneliness: Even when no humans are around, older people can enjoy the companionship of a pet.
- Unconditional love: No matter what your age, appearance or health, your pet will love you with all of his or her heart.
- Sense of purpose: Knowing they're needed by their animal friends gives many retired people a reason to get up early each morning.
- Increased self-esteem: How could anyone not feel better about themselves when they're loved so intensely by a pet?
Possible Drawbacks of Pet Ownership for the Elderly
Although pet ownership for seniors us usually an overwhelmingly positive experience, you should be aware of these possible risks:
- Those with compromised immune systems due to illness, chemotherapy, medication or organ transplants might be at risk of catching an infection from a pet.
- Elderly people with thin, fragile skin might be at risk from scratches.
- Seniors with poor balance could be knocked over by an enthusiastic, jumping pet.
- Older people with impaired vision or balance might trip over a pet and fall.
- Certain pets may outlive their older owners.
- If a pet owner has memory challenges, he may forget to feed the pet, feed the pet too many times a day or forget to take a dog outside. This could lead to health and hygiene issues for the pet and pet owner.
Tips for Senior Citizens with Pets
Rather than discouraging pet ownership for older people, understanding the possible risks presents an opportunity to take measures that will make the experience safe and satisfying for everyone involved. Before bringing home a pet for yourself (or your parent), here are a few tips to create a healthy, happy experience:
- Observe energy levels: When choosing a pet, find one with an appropriate energy level for its older owner. A high-energy puppy or kitten that needs round the clock care might overwhelm all but the most energetic of seniors. A full-grown or even an elderly pet might be calmer and better suited to an older human. Evaluate prospective pets carefully for temperament and energy to find just the right match between human and animal friend.
- Consider hiring a trainer: A professional trainer helps pets to learn not to behave in ways that might hurt their older owners, such as scratching or jumping on them. Some dogs might even be able to be trained to get up and move when an owner is about to trip over them.
- Think about overall maintenance: Try to choose a pet breed that generally enjoys good health and doesn't need extensive grooming.
- Plan for the future: No one wants to think about passing on, but if you love your pet, be sure to will it to someone who will care for it if it outlives you. This is particularly important with long-lived species such as African gray parrots.
- Consider getting help: If you or your older relative is unable to fully care for a pet, this doesn't have to be an all or nothing decision. Seniors who have memory impairments or certain physical challenges may still be able to bring home a pet with a little help and support. Perhaps someone just needs to come in once or twice a day to feed or walk a pet. Or perhaps the pet could spend some time every day with an elderly companion and then return to a home where more care could be provided.
So bring a little love into your life and watch the magic unfold. The special bond between a pet and his older owner will brighten countless days and might just extend the lives of everyone involved.