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Holy Cow!
By Subramanium Swamy
Posted by AIF Staff
This article originally appeared in the Express Buzz here. Photo credit : harmonist.us
Our West-influenced intellectuals sneer at the mention of the cow. The same intellectuals first sneered at yoga. Now it is a fashion to do pranayama at cocktail parties The arguments in the West for cow slaughter are no more uncontested. They also sneered at our sannyasis as `godmen'. Now they flock to ashrams with their white friends ever since the Beatles. Who knows, they may soon have a cow in their backyards.
In 2003, the National Commission on Cattle under Justice G. M. Lodha submitted its recommendations to the NDA government. The report called for stringent laws to protect the cow and its progeny in the interest of the rural economy, a constitutional requirement under Directive Principles of State Policy. Article 48 of the Constitution says: `The State shall endeavour to organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle'. During the First War of Independence in 1857, when Bahadur Shah `Zafar' was installed as emperor by the Hindus in Delhi for a brief period, his Hindu prime minister, on the emperor's proclamation, made cow killing a capital offence. In Maharaja Ranjit Singh's kingdom, the only crime that invited capital punishment was cow slaughter.
The cow, according to the Vedas, provides four products for human use: (i) Godugdha (cow milk): As per Ayurveda, cow milk has fat, carbohydrates, minerals and Vitamin B, and even a capacity for body resistance to radiation and for regenerating brain cells. (ii) Goghruta (ghee): The best ghee, it is, as per Ayurveda useful in many disorders. In yajna, it improves the air's oxygen level. (iii) Gomutra (urine): Eight types of urine are used for medicinal purpose nowadays, among which cow urine is held to be the best. The Americans are busy patenting it. It has anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and antioxidant properties.
It has immune-modulator properties, which makes it useful for immune deficiency diseases. In the classics there are many references to cow urine as a drug of choice. Even the Parsis follow this practice.
Lastly, (iv), Gomaya (dung) is considered as valuable as Gomutra and used to purify the environment, as it has radium and checks radiation effects.
Ancient Hindu wisdom on the medicinal properties of cow urine is borne out by two patents granted in the US for cow urine distillate (Patent numbers 6410059 and 6896907).
Even China has granted the distillate a patent as a DNA protector. A global patent has been granted for cow urine, neem and garlic as a pest repellent and for fungicidal and growth promoting properties for different crops (WHO 2004/ 087618A1). A US patent has been granted for strains from Sahiwal cow milk for plant growth promoter phytopathogenic fungi controlling activity, abiotic stress tolerating capability, phosphatic solubilisation capability, etc. And CSIR has filed for a US patent for amrit pani, a mixture of cow dung, cow urine and jiggery, for soil health improvement properties.
These claims were initially made in the Charaka Samhita, Sushrut, Vaghbhati and Nighantu, Ratnakar, etc. They prove the utility of cow dung and urine for sustainable agriculture as well as for disease prevention.
The arguments in the West for cow slaughter are no more uncontested. There are better sources of protein than beef. Any dietician's chart shows that beef with 22 per cent protein ranks below soya-bean (43), groundnut (31) and pulses (24 per cent). One kilogram of beef takes seven kg of crops and 7,000 kg of water to produce.
Thus cow protection makes economic and ecological sense. Swami Dayananda Saraswati, convenor of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, has argued that non-vegetarianism indirectly contributes heavily to greenhouse gases and other pollution.
He quotes a UN report from 2006 that says, "Raising animals for meat as food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined". Ten of billions of animals farmed for food release gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide through their massive amounts of manure. "The released methane", the report says, "has 23 times the global warming potential of CO2″. For these animals to graze, virgin forests are cleared. The livestock industry also needs vast stretches of land to raise mono-crops to feed the animals. The CO2 that the trees and plants store escapes into the air when they are destroyed.
Growing fodder implies heavy use of synthetic fertilizers produced with fossil fuels.
While this process emits a huge amount of CO2, the fertilizer itself releases nitrous oxide (3) — a greenhouse gas that is 296 times more potent than CO2. Alarming though these facts are, all that people have to do is to avoid red meat. There will be no need to breed millions of animals for daily slaughter. The animal population will consequently decline.
A single individual by not consuming meat prevents the equivalent of 1.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions in a year. This is more than the one tonne of CO 2 prevented by switching from a large sedan to a small car.
So there are a number of reasons to be a vegetarian. People who eat meat think a pure vegetarian diet is optional. But now they have no choice if they are alive to what is happening to this life-bearing planet. There is no justification for eating meat, given the devastating consequences for the planet.
A new fervour for a cow renaissance is necessary. It is constitutional (for India) and we should defend it with all our might.
About The Author; Subramanian Swamy is a former Union minister, now well known for his legal fight against corruption.
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London: Chief executives of the England and Australia cricket authorities on Monday met to discuss the growing problem of pitch invasions during the NatWest Triangular Tournament.On Sunday, as Pakistan was heading for victory over England at Headingley, hundreds of Pakistan supporters swarmed onto the pitch causing serious injury to one of the matchday stewards.Stephen Speight suffered broken ribs and damage to his spleen forcing him to remain in hospital overnight.The Headingley pitch invasion comes 10 days after the one which interuppted the competition's opening match between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston. With Australia due to face Pakistan in a day-night International at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, there is growing pressure on cricket's governing bodies to enforce stricter security measures to ensure player safety.Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), met with England counterpart Tim Lamb at Lord's on Monday morning prior to the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting to discuss a response to Lord Condon's report into corruption.ACB spokesman Brian Murgatroyd told the Press Association, "They were going to have a meeting anyway, but obviously this (latest pitch invasion) will now be on the agenda."Pakistan captain Waqar Younis said that the introduction of high fences have prevented invasions in Asia and should be considered in England. "The ECB (English Cricket Board) should do something about it," said Waqar. "I don't know what they should do, but they should have more security - it's a very dangerous thing with what happened to the steward. "Here in England they don't have fences, but back in Asia they have big fences and they can't really get in."I don't think they can do that quickly, but they have to do something like that because Asian teams are going to come here quite often."Meanwhile England's deputising skipper Alec Stewart, who took the unprecedented step of conceding Sunday's match against Pakistan for fears of further disturbances, denied he was avoiding Lord Condon's anti-corruption unit to discuss his alleged involvement in match-fixing.The reputation of Stewart has been under heavy scrutiny since Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta claimed the England wicket-keeper had received money in return for information on England's tour of India in 1993.Stewart said on Monday he was willing to co-operate with the ACU to clear his name once and for all."If he (Condon) wants to see me, I will go to see him, I have no problems at all with that," said Stewart."Let's clear it up, it was November that the allegations first broke. Let's get it sorted."
Copyright AFP 2001
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DETROIT (AP) A police sergeant was arrested after a man charged with two murders told investigators he was responsible for at least seven contract killings, including the shooting of the sergeant's wife, authorities said Monday.
In what Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings called an ambush, Sgt. David Cobb's wife, Rose Cobb, was shot Dec. 26 as she waited in the couple's van as he shopped at a pharmacy.
Cobb was arrested early Sunday morning at his home, Bully-Cummings said. The chief didn't offer any details about the arrest, and calls to the Wayne County jail went unanswered. Cobb was to be arraigned Tuesday.
Investigators went to Cobb's home after speaking with Vincent Smothers, 27, who was arrested Saturday in Shelby Township, about 20 miles north of Detroit, in a June 2007 drug-related shooting in which two people were killed and one was wounded.
Smothers told Detroit homicide investigators about four other cases, including the shooting death of Rose Cobb, 47, Bully-Cummings said.
"He made a living by murder for hire. He was, in plain terms, a hit man," he said.
Smothers, 27, was arraigned Monday in district court on two counts each of first-degree murder and felony murder and one count each of assault with intent to murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm during a felony. Magistrate Sidney Barthwell Jr. entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and ordered him jailed without bond until his preliminary examination May 1, calling him "an extreme danger to the community."
Investigators have three other suspects who could be charged for their roles in the seven slayings, Bully-Cummings said.
The Wayne County prosecutor's office said it didn't know if Smothers or Cobb had retained attorneys. There was no Detroit phone listing for either man.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Red onion artichoke and tomato pizza
Homemade is much healthier than shop-bought and this recipe shows you why. Using tortillas for the base instead of pizza dough cuts the calorie count down straight away. A homemade tomato sauce and fresh veggies will make a delicious topping - and count towards your 5-a-day.
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text: Mike 1 - Unregistered October 14, 2008 12:26 PM I am much to old to be a fanboy or what ever "BUT" hamilton over the last two years has been the breath of fresh air that boreing F1 needed!nearly all the talk on this forum has been about him,loads of Hate,armchair racers(who can allways do better)"NOT". Tifosi etc etc,He has ruffled all the old school,the after you mate I am just hear for the huge wages lot and on and on,the anger, the passion, the hate,all provoked by a young proud black kid.Yes he ****s up,yes he's aragant,he may win it this year or bin it again "but"I for one as an avid motor sports fan of over 40yrs am glad he showd up,Good luck hamilton,Win it or bin it it's fun watching you!! 24 agree 1 disagree


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Welcome to the Sewing Lounge!
Sewing Classes in Brooklyn
I started Soul Collections, a registered Business in the state of New York since 2003 established upon the up building of life through life skills and the uniqueness and color of Life displayed within Soul Collections Community of students. I offer Collections of Affordable Sewing and Pattern making Classes, along with Tailoring and Alteration Services.
I've been sewing for over 25 years 1st learning from my dear mother and later was accepted into F.I.T. receiving my A.A.S. in Pattern making Technology and B.A.in International Trade and Marketing. I worked in the Fashion Industry in Intimate Apparel and Sleepwear for over 16 years building my career up to Sr. Technical Design Manager while maintaining my part-time sewing business. In 2014, I expanded my business to 1600 sq foot space, resigned from Corporate to do my business full-time and had my 1st baby on Sept 29, 2016 in my 40's! All by Faith!!
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Students receive Hands on Training & One on One attention in this variety of Fun Small Group Affordable Sewing Classes, Intermediate to Advanced Sewing Classes and Flat Pattern making Classes. Students learn to sew clothes, sew fabulous bags or learn flat pattern making helping them to develop their individual gifting & talents already inside of them!
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On Fri, Dec 03, 2004 at 03:47:55PM -0700, Matthew B. Brookover wrote: > I am trying to set up GFS on a 2 node cluster running Fedora core 3. > The GFS kernel module is generating this error: "FATAL: Error inserting > gfs (/lib/modules/2.6.9/kernel/fs/gfs/gfs.ko): Unknown symbol in > module, or unknown parameter (see dmesg)". I am also getting a "gfs: > no version for "lm_mount" found: kernel tainted." and "gfs: Unknown > symbol panic_on_oops" errors in the logs. The lock_dlm, dlm, cman and > lock_harness modules do load, but the gfs module does not. > > Any ideas? new patch in cluster/gfs-kernel/patches/2.6.9/00006.patch that exports the panic_on_oops symbol. Need to patch your kernel, then build teh gfs module again. -- Michael Conrad Tadpol Tilstra Like a cool breeze through a freshly napalmed forest.
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Shop, shop and shop5:00 AM
Hey guys, I've had a long week. My sabbatical is over (which I thoroughly enjoyed, everyone deserves a sabbatical!) I'm actually out of town on business right now and am DEAD tired. I didn't have time to write my posts ahead of time so excuse this lame post but both Barney's and Neiman/Bergdorf are having new sale markdowns and what I do when I'm tired of work, I shop online, so... my picks of the fabulous sale items!
This sale stuff always sells out fast so hurry on over to check it out before all the good stuff is gone!
17 comments
I love the Vince Drape Neck Sweater that is my fave, but all the other pics are lovely too.ReplyDelete
I agree about the Vince Drape Neck sweater...such a chic silhouette. Yikes...must resist!ReplyDelete
Sorry to hear your sabbatical is over. It seems like you just started it? Love those MJ dresses but I am supposed to be on a shopping ban. :(ReplyDelete
xx Vivian @ http://diamondsandtulle.blogspot.com
I adore those Lanvin heels. *Sigh*ReplyDelete
I hear you on the exhausted about work thing! Wish I didn't have all things in my life going full throttle right now. Then again, when it rains it pours, right? Love that zip platform boot...ReplyDelete
Have you bought something of this articles? I'm curious :-)ReplyDelete
I'm on sabbatical too - from shopping! *sigh* this post isn't helping! I want them all! lolReplyDelete
wow!! they are mind blowing!! i love the bootsReplyDelete
Love the Escada bag!ReplyDelete
love the lanvin peeptoeReplyDelete
lekisskiss.blogspot.com <-- Texas gal bloggin fashion from NYC!
I've totally eyed that Escada bag for a while! Bummer it's sold out in blue. :(ReplyDelete
glad you had a good sabbatical! those are great choices...sometimes it's takes longer for me to figure out what i like online than to do my own pics! ha. :)ReplyDelete
aaah...so gorgeous. all of it!ReplyDelete
love that black halo dress!ReplyDelete
Love those miu mius. :-DReplyDelete
Those Sergio Rossi pumps are too fun!ReplyDelete
I will take the Lanvin bow heels, please. Fabulous!ReplyDelete


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Gills pair extend deals
By Simon Fudge
Last Updated: 01/01/70 1:00am
Gillingham have extended the contracts of Ian Cox and Mark Saunders.Gillingham have extended the contracts of centre back Ian Cox and midfielder Mark Saunders.
The pair had seen their previous deals expire at The Priestfield Stadium, but Gills boss Neale Cooper has decided to include the duo in his plans for the new season.
Saunders has been handed an initial six-month deal after the former Plymouth Argyle player recovered from a broken leg that he suffered last August.
Cox (pictured) has signed a one-year contract with the Kent-based club after featuring prominently under former Gills manager Stan Ternent last season.
The former Bournemouth and Burnley player will likely be an essential part of Cooper's backline in the forthcoming League One campaign.
The Gills, meanwhile, have also tabled a new contract offer to club captain Paul Smith, with the player to make a decision in the near future.


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Operation: Sink or Swim is the seventeenth book in the Find Your Fate G.I. Joe series.
As Brainstorm, you find that there isn't even time for a vacation as you try to outguess Zarana and Zandar in their plot to unleash destruction in New Yory City.
- Author: Barbara & Scott Siegel
- Cover Art: Hector Garrido
- Interior Art: David Henderson
- Published: May 1987


text: It would be nice if you would include more thread fields to the conditions to avoid C&P code. e.g. i've just checked my addons and seen that i have 5 addons extending the thread model and adding reply_count to the conditions. PHP: f (!empty($conditions['reply_count']) && is_array($conditions['reply_count'])){list($operator, $cutOff) = $conditions['reply_count']; $this->assertValidCutOffOperator($operator);$sqlCondition = "( thread.reply_count $operator " . $db->quote($cutOff) . ')';}


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Overall this hotel is really clean with free wi fi and provides beach towels for use. Swimming pool available for use, belonging to next door hotel. For price, this is an excellent spot for a few days. We stayed in the standard room, with small enclosed balcony, but very private and good. Breakfast was limited (especially if you don't like eggs, as this was all that was offered), but fruit and cereal and toast is fine. Clean sheets, towels etc daily and fridge, tv etc in room. Generally would recommend, but not for more than a few days. Walk to beach was about 10 minutes stroll, loads of eating options nearby (some Bsolutely fantastic), and beach is clean, but busy.
Recommend getting the ferry, via phi phi to Koh Lanta. Much much nicer, quieter, more beautiful and worth visiting!
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Orbitz, Expedia, Hotels.com, Travelocity, Agoda, Ctrip TA, TripOnline SA, Cancelon, Hotwire and Cheap Tickets so you can book your The Orchid House reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- The Orchid House Phuket/Kata Beach


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By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY
The course of true love never did run smooth.
Particularly when one of the runners is dead.
Sexy, witty and unabashedly peculiar, True Blood is a blood-drenched Southern Gothic romantic parable set in a world where vampires are out and about and campaigning for equal rights. Part mystery, part fantasy, part comedy, and all wildly imaginative exaggeration, Blood proves that there's still vibrant life — or death — left in the "star-crossed lovers" paradigm. You just have to know where to stake your romantic claim.
Adapted by Six Feet Under's Alan Ball from Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mystery series, Blood follows the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, wonderfully played with an amusing mix of sass and innocence by a grown-up Anna Paquin. Sookie is cursed with the ability to read thoughts, which is one of the reasons she falls for the first man whose mind she can't read: Civil War-veteran vamp Bill Compton.
The other, obvious reason is that — thanks to Stephen Moyer — Bill is smoking hot and incredibly appealing.
But then, so are many of the people in this remarkably well-cast show: Ryan Kwanten as Sookie's dumb brother, Rutina Wesley as her hilariously tough-talking best friend, Sam Trammell as her crush-struck boss, Nelsen Ellis as a gay short-order-cook who takes orders from no one. Throw in an endearing performance from Lois Smith as Sookie's grandmother and, coming later, Generation Kill's Alexander Skarsgard, and you have one of the best (and best-looking) ensembles of the new season.
That acting talent is tied to a story that serves old myths and new mysteries equally well and a town pulsing with eccentric life. Thanks to artificial blood, vampires are claiming their place in society, clearing up some "lies" about them (they're not afraid of crosses or garlic), while confirming some truths (sun, not so hot). There are vamps, however, who don't want to go "mainstream" and humans who don't want them to — and someone in one of those groups is killing women in Sookie's low-rent Louisiana town.
Ball is a man of many talents, but subtlety does not appear to be one of them, and viewers should keep that in mind. Many of the twists on the vampire minority metaphor are clever — a church billboard reads "God Hates Fangs" — but you do wish Ball would hammer his points home with a slightly smaller hammer. Even so, for a network that has lost its way of late in series, Blood is a much-needed infusion of new, well, blood. Drink up.
Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more.


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NASCAR.com's Holly Cain wins NMPA Spirit Award
DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Veteran motorsports writer Holly Cain has been chosen as the recipient of the National Motorsports Press Association's annual Spirit Award for 2015. A resident of Lakeland, Fla., Cain has covered motorsports for more than 25 years during which time she has worked for numerous publications, including the Tampa Tribune, Dallas Morning News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer as well as AOL.com and FOXSports.com. Currently a senior writer for NASCAR.com, she has been recognized for her reporting on multiple occasions, earning awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) as well as the NMPA. Diagnosed with breast cancer in July of 2014, Cain has shown tremendous courage and an incredibly positive attitude while engaged in her difficult battle. She has been a long-time supporter of the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and continues to participate in fundraising and other efforts to bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer. The NMPA Spirit Award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. Each year, the NMPA membership selects four quarterly winners, with an overall winner chosen from the four candidates. Cain was the second quarter recipient of the award. Others recognized with quarterly awards this past year were NASCAR television broadcaster Steve Byrnes (first quarter), IndyCar driver Justin Wilson (third quarter) and four-time premier series champion Jeff Gordon . Cain was presented the award Jan. 17 during the NMPA's annual convention and awards dinner in Concord, N.C. Overall winners of the NMPA Spirit Award: Year – Recipient 2015 – Holly Cain 2014 – Lynda Petty 2013 – Marcy Scott 2012 – Andy Hillenburg 2011 – Jeff Gordon 2010 – Jim Hunter 2009 – David Poole 2008 – T. Taylor Warren 2007 – Bill France Jr. 2006 – Benny Parsons 2005 – Morgan Shepherd 2004 – Kyle and Pattie Petty 2003 – Bob Latford 2002 – Larry Hicks 2001 – Ricky Craven 2000 – Kyle Petty 1999 – Clay Earles 1998 – Mark Martin 1997 – Dave Marcis 1996 – Dale Earnhardt 1995 – Ernie Irvan 1994 – Ernie Irvan 1993 – Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki 1992 – Davey Allison Family
NASCAR's Holly Cain wins second quarter NMPA Spirit Award
NASCAR.com reporter Holly Cain has been voted as the National Motorsports Press Association's Spirit Award winner for the second quarter of 2015. Cain , whose career covering motorsports spans more than 25 years, was named on 66 percent of the ballots cast by NMPA membership. The award is "designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports," according to the NMPA's news release. RELATED: Steve Byrnes honored with first quarter NMPS Spirit Award Cain was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer of 2014. Her courage and determination while battling multiple surgeries, her ability to write with passion and purpose, and -- most importantly -- her role as a loving mother of two have inspired others throughout the NASCAR industry. Cain has been a longstanding supporter of the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and its "Race for a Cure" running events. Her column documenting her personal fight won first place in the NMPA's column writing category in 2014. Cain worked for numerous media outlets -- The Tampa Tribune, The Dallas Morning News, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, AOL and FOXSports.com -- before joining NASCAR.com in August 2012.
Holly Cain rides along with Jimmie Johnson
Watch as NASCAR.com writer Holly Cain rides along with Jimmie Johnson through Las Vegas on the NASCAR Victory Lap.
Holly Cain's in-car view of Victory Lap
NASCAR.com writer Holly Cain's in-car video of her Victory Lap ride with Jimmie Johnson.
Bruce, Cain reveal NASCAR Hall of Fame ballots
RELATED: Photos of Voting Day, inductees NASCAR.com was privileged to have two ballots cast as part of NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day on Wednesday. Senior writers Kenny Bruce and Holly Cain each submitted their five nominations for induction in the Class of 2017 and a vote for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. A spirited discussion and voting process created one of the most intriguing classes in the stock-car shrine's history with Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons selected as Hall of Fame members. Martinsville Speedway founder H. Clay Earles received the Landmark Award. Here are Holly's and Kenny's ballots cast Wednesday with their choices for induction: Kenny Bruce Ron Hornaday Jr. No one dominated NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series like Hornaday, the only four-time series champ. He remains the leader in career wins, top-five and top-10 finishes in Truck Series history. Mark Martin. The working man's racer; Martin finished second in the premier series points battle five times and earned 40 wins in 882 career starts. His XFINITY Series record wasn't too shabby, either. Benny Parsons. Folks who knew Benny the Broadcaster might not know just how talented Parsons was behind the wheel of a race car. The 1973 premier series champion, Parsons won 21 times, including victories in the Daytona 500 (1975) and World 600 ('80). Raymond Parks. The Atlanta-based businessman not only provided much-needed financial assistance as the newly formed NASCAR governing body got up and running, but Parks was a successful car owner as well. His career as an owner peaked in 1949 when driver Red Byron won NASCAR's first Strictly Stock crown. A year earlier, Byron had won the group's first Modified title in a Parks-backed entry. Robert Yates. As an engine builder, Yates helped power Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough to 77 victories. As a car owner, his drivers won three Daytona 500 titles, 57 races and 48 poles. Landmark Award H. Clay Earles. His Martinsville Speedway was there from the beginning (actually before NASCAR was formed) and it remains a popular stop today as one of three short tracks on the premier series schedule. Keeping up with the changing landscape of the sport wasn't easy, and no one did it better than Mr. Earles. Holly Cain These are the Hall of Fame votes I considered the most worthy and timely, considering a ballot of 20 of the sport's most deserving people. I tried to decide on a well-balanced group of drivers, owners and technical people and considered time on the ballot, too. Some I did not vote for this year I feel like will be definite choices in the upcoming Hall of Fame votes. Red Byron. NASCAR's first champion should be in its Hall of Fame for historic reasons. He won NASCAR's very first race on Daytona Beach in 1948, won NASCAR's first "season" championship and then its first Strictly Stock title, which is the modern era Sprint Cup crown. Raymond Parks . He owned the first championship car driven by Red Byron and for many of the same reasons Bryon needs to be in the Hall, so does Parks. Even after the two early titles he fielded cars for greats such as Bob and Fonty Flock. He is the sport's heritage, its beginning. Benny Parsons . Many current NASCAR fans know Benny from his ease and skill behind the television microphone and camera once he retired from driving a race car, but he was an amazing competitor, too, winning NASCAR's two biggest trophies -- the 1973 Cup championship and the 1975 Daytona 500 . Perhaps most amazingly, he finished among the top 10 in 54 percent of the races he ran. Waddell Wilson. It is impressive Wilson was so successful both as an engine builder and a crew chief. He built the motors that David Pearson and Benny Parsons drove to titles and as a crew chief led Buddy Baker and Cale Yarborough (twice) to Daytona 500 wins. He built the first engine that broke 200 mph -- driven by Parsons in qualifying for the 1982 Winston 500. Robert Yates. This is another example of the ultimate in successful multi-tasking. Similar to Wilson, he built championship-quality engines (1983 with Bobby Allison) and then Yates owned a championship team, fielding the car with which Dale Jarrett won a title in 1999. He owns three Daytona 500 wins as part of a 57-win legacy as a team owner and won 77 races as an engine builder. Landmark Award Ralph Seagraves. This was a tough category. My selection was based on his contribution really being a turning point for the entire sport. Under Seagraves' leadership, RJ Reynolds provided top-dollar, high-promotion sponsorship of the sport that lasted for more than 30 years. It thrust NASCAR into another stratosphere as far as the American sports landscape was concerned and absolutely created a foundation that is still enjoyed today.
Holly Cain rides shotgun for Johnson's burnout
Six-time champ says it never gets old during "Victory Lap" burnout
Pearn: Early victory a 'huge boost' for No. 78 team
BUY TICKETS: See the races in Phoenix RELATED: Truex wins at Vegas " Full race results Crew chief Cole Pearn was hard at work at Furniture Row Racing's Denver shop immediately after guiding Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 78 Toyota to victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. There are more races to be won and a title to claim for this team. Pearn is one of only four team members who have been with the organization for every victory. He served as a chief engineer for the team's very first win with Regan Smith at Darlington in 2011 before being named crew chief in 2015 when Truex became the team's driver. Sunday's win was a strong performance for Truex, Pearn and the No. 78 team. Truex collected points for winning both stages in addition to the big trophy for taking the checkered flag -- 1.495-seconds ahead of Kyle Larson. He also led a race best 150 of the 267 laps for the his fourth win in the last 15 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular-season events. Here's what the Canadian native Pearn had to say about Sunday's dramatic Vegas "sweep." RELATED: Crew call for the No. 78 team HOLLY CAIN : How important was it to your team to win early this season after winning in the 2016 playoffs but not advancing to the Championship 4? COLE PEARN: To get one early on is a great feeling. It was important. It's a whole different world now and we're all still trying to understand it, but definitely a good feeling. CAIN : Did you realistically expect to win this early in the season after the team took on the great task of fielding a second car (for rookie Erik Jones) in 2017? PEARN: I didn't really know what to expect to be honest. Having a second car and then having to switch bodies to the 2018 (Toyota) Camry was probably a bigger change, more than anything. You never really know where you're going to be at with that big of a change. So to be able to get one early and be competitive so far is definitely comforting. RELATED: More on the new-look Toyotas for this season CAIN : Last year, the team was competitive early but didn't score that first win until the dominating performance at Charlotte in May. How important was it to run well and win right away? PEARN: It definitely calms you. But with the change in the format, you have to push after it every week. Those bonus points will be so valuable. The win is nice -- to not having that hanging over your head. But you've still got to get to work and try and run best you can every week. CAIN : Was what vibe like back at shop in Denver after securing a win three weeks in? It's the earliest the team has every won. PEARN: It was a huge boost. Everyone, you know the shop guys, feels like they've worked every day since Christmas. The weekends, ridiculous hours through the week everyone just trying to get this all off the ground. We've got a lot of new people here too, so to get a win like that early on was huge for their spirits. So definitely lightened everybody's step for sure. FROM THE VAULT: Furniture Row heeds call of the west " Furniture Row enveloped by a city's embrace CAIN : You are one of only four people on the team there for every win in team history. How are your expectations different now? PEARN: I think we push ourselves pretty hard regardless. But winning early is good. The more you win, the more fun it is. Definitely good to get one early and not walk away feeling like you let one slip away. Those are the hard ones to get over. So it's good not to deal with that. We try to be good every week and that's really hard to do and I think, we just keep putting effort in like we've been doing and hopefully that will allow us to keep being successful. We definitely want to win as many races as possible. CAIN : Interesting end to the race with the scuffle on pit road. Were you even aware what was happening with Kyle Busch and Joey Logano during their 'disagreement?' PEARN: You were starting to hear whispers while in Victory Lane and then the oddest thing towards the end, we were delayed in going and doing media stuff because all the media was covering the fight. It was definitely an odd Victory Lane vibe for sure. CAIN : Had to share headlines a bit. … PEARN: It's all right. People want to see passion so it's good for the sport. CAIN : Which of the upcoming tracks do you feel most optimistic about? PEARN: I felt like we had a good finish at Phoenix last year. Hopefully we'll have a good weekend this weekend and we were good at Fontana too. It's just doing the right things each week and trying to optimize everything for the track. I'm hopeful we can win any week really. CAIN : Talk about the shift for FRR from "Underdog" to the team everyone is looking at as a favorite every week PEARN: This sport is all work and it's something you have to keep pushing at. You got here by working hard and we have to continue to keep it at this level. </p>
Lambert relishes first Monster Energy Series win
BUY TICKETS: Celebrate Auto Club's 20th anniversary MORE: Race results " Post-Phoenix standings Richard Childress Racing crew chief Luke Lambert led Ryan Newman and the No. 31 Grainger Chevrolet team to one of the gutsiest and most popular wins in recent NASCAR history last Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. While most of the race field made a final pit stop with a handful of laps remaining, Lambert told Newman to stay out on track. And the veteran driver made the decision look brilliant leading the final six laps to win his first race since 2013 -- a dramatic win from the pole position at Indianapolis. It was Lambert's first ever Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory as crew chief and came in his 157th Monster Energy Cup Series race atop the box and fourth season working with Newman. Looking at the next few races, Newman has five top-10 finishes in his last seven races at this weekend's venue, the two-mile Auto Club Speedway. He scored wins at Martinsville Speedway in 2012 and Texas Motor Speedway in 2003. Lambert, 34, was understandably optimistic when NASCAR.com caught up with him on Tuesday and feels that this team certainly has the potential to win again … and again before season's end. MORE: Childress, Newman win together " Crew call with the No. 31 team HOLLY CAIN : What a memorable way to get a first win as a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series crew chief? LUKE LAMBERT: It was spectacular for sure. We are thankful for being able to put it all together. It was a good day. CAIN : Now that you've had some time to digest this great win, what has the reaction been like from others? LAMBERT: There's certainly been a lot of very gracious congratulations from a lot of people. A lot of people are giving me a lot of the credit, which I think is not completely all due. Ultimately I'm just one cog in the wheel. Everybody at the company has worked so hard to get us there. I think everyone deserves a lot of pride and exuberance for us to be able to get the victory because it certainly took every one of us." CAIN : The win meant so much to the organization as a whole. How did it feel to do something so important for not only the team but for team owner Richard Childress, whose teams haven't won since 2013 either? LAMBERT: It was almost surreal in a lot of ways. We'd been working tirelessly for so long and felt like we had been making gains and getting closer to that mark. But it's almost as if chasing a moving target because of how competitive the sport is. You hope and plan to reach your goals but you can't be sure it will happen. It was surreal we were actually able to follow through and really enjoy that moment. I felt like the first few races of the year, we've had great cars. I felt like we've had cars that, in the right circumstances, could win the race. Our car at Atlanta was really strong. The Vegas car was strong. We just fought unforeseen circumstances at both of those races -- electrical at Atlanta and tire at Vegas. I really felt like we've had a lot of momentum with the team but the results on paper weren't really reflecting the direction we were going until Sunday. CAIN : With the change in the points structure, how different does it make your approach for the rest of the season having already secured a win only four races into the schedule? LAMBERT: Ultimately it's still a huge step towards being closer to making it into the championship. Getting our win puts us in a scenario we have not been in for the last few years. It does move our season along a lot faster than in years past. The last couple of years we've been holding onto that points position as our transfer spot into the playoffs so we really had to preserve solid finishes and couldn't take gambles for bonus points. Now, we are really racing for those bonus points, for wins and stage wins. So we can take chances that might sacrifice a solid finish in order to go after stage wins. So that's the scenario we're in and as a team that will be really fun to race like that. As a team we will try equally as hard as we ever have, it just changes the risk-reward balance and affects some of the decisions we get to make. RELATED: Newman pumped to be back in Victory Lane CAIN : Have you spoken to Ryan post-Victory Lane and how are you two still savoring the win? LAMBERT: We hung out for a while yesterday (Monday) and neither of us had really gotten much sleep. He got like an hour and I actually never laid down Monday night (laughter). We got lunch together today and we were both kinda starting to hit that wall. He was physically exhausted and he was burnt up pretty bad from the heat in the car -- his feet and the backs of his legs actually have some pretty severe burns on them. He was kinda hurting. I was tired. More than anything else, we were elated but exhausted at the same time. We talked about how glad we were to be able to accomplish that, but we also talked about Fontana (Auto Club) and started working on our plans to have a car that could win at Fontana this weekend. CAIN : How does this early success change things going forward for your team and the whole organization? LAMBERT: It absolutely can (change things). The thing about racing, they don't give the checkered flag to the fastest race car. They give the checkered flag to the one that crosses the finish line first. You have to have a really good car to do that. Sometimes the fastest car doesn't. It takes certain circumstances to fall your way and you have to do everything right and get a little fortune along with it for most races. For everything to all come together Sunday, proved and reiterated to our group that we have what it takes. And it changes our position in the playoffs as far as having that win and gives us a little more pep in our step to be able to operate a little more aggressively. Having that early is just a big boost of excitement that I think will propel our season in a really strong direction. </p>
NASCAR.com reporters make national series predictions
RELATED: Key changes in NASCAR " Fast facts on race enhancements NASCAR.com's Kenny Bruce, Holly Cain , Zack Albert and Jonathan Merryman make their predictions for the 2017 NASCAR season: KENNY BRUCE NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion: Timothy Peters . Rebounds from winless '16 to ride the Red Horse to the title. NASCAR XFINITY Series champion: Elliott Sadler . So close a year ago; his JRM team is rock solid. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year: Daniel Suarez . Stepping into a title-contending car; just needs seat time to become a challenger. Surprise playoffs qualifier: Daniel Suarez . There will be hurdles for last year's XFINITY Series champ, but he's proven to be a quick study. Daytona 500 pick: Kyle Busch . It's one of the few accomplishments left for one of NASCAR's best. Championship 4: Kevin Harvick : Switch to Ford proves to be a non-issue for 2014 champion. Joey Logano : Simple game plan: Get to the front and stay there. Kyle Busch : Bad-fast car. Extremely talented driver and team. Martin Truex Jr .: Team makes silly speed; gotta be there at the end, though. 2017 Monster Energy Series champion: Joey Logano . Can win a slew of races or be crazy consistent. This year he could do both. HOLLY CAIN NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion: John Hunter Nemechek . My repeat pick from 2016, but hoping the right (generous) sponsor sees this young talent and he gets the backing to match his potential. NASCAR XFINITY Series champion: Elliott Sadler -- The veteran has been oh-so-close and this is the year it all comes together for him. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year: Erik Jones . The Furniture Row Racing 's newest team member is super-talented, highly motivated and knows how to shine even among such fantastic first-year talent. Surprise playoffs qualifier: Kasey Kahne . This will be a resurgent year for the talented 17-time Cup winner who is ready to remind people of his place in the sport. Out front. Daytona 500 pick: Denny Hamlin . Daytona has been Hamlin's playground and he's poised to be the first back-to-back 500 winner since Sterling Marlin in 1994-95. Championship 4: Jimmie Johnson , Kevin Harvick , Kyle Busch and Joey Logano will decide the Cup after hugely competitive playoffs that ends in a history-making moment. 2017 Monster Energy Series champion: Jimmie Johnson . Reigning champ makes history with his eighth title. ZACK ALBERT NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion: Christopher Bell . The 22-year-old standout bookends a season that started with a Chili Bowl victory with his first national series crown. NASCAR XFINITY Series champion: William Byron . A hotshot rookie for the title? Gobs of talent and JR Motorsports resources go a long way. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year: Daniel Suarez . First-year driver steps into a well-established team that contends for victories. Surprise playoffs qualifier: AJ Allmendinger . Planets align for the No. 47 team at one of the series' two road-course visits. Daytona 500 pick: Brad Keselowski. Team Penske 's strength shows, with one of the best in the restrictor-plate biz leading the charge in the "Great American Race." Championship 4: Kevin Harvick , Denny Hamlin , Jimmie Johnson , Brad Keselowski . The cream rises, with four organizations and all three manufacturers represented in the final bracket. 2017 Monster Energy Series champion: Denny Hamlin. He's been on the podium three times before. In 2017, Hamlin should make it to the top step. JONATHAN MERRYMAN NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion: Matt Crafton . Great, consistent racer. That style will fit the new format. NASCAR XFINITY Series champion: Elliott Sadler . Coming off of a solid 2016, the No. 1 JRM team should be in position to win it all. Monster Energy NASCAR Cup NASCAR Series Rookie of the Year: Erik Jones . Seat time in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car in 2015 should help the rookie seal the deal. Surprise playoffs qualifier: Erik Jones . I think the rookie wins a race in 2017 clinching a playoff berth. Daytona 500 pick: Brad Keselowski , with four wins at Talladega and one win at Daytona in the summer of 2016, Keselowski has quickly become one of the best plate-racers in NASCAR. Championship 4: Kevin Harvick , Joey Logano , Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch . All four consistently finish races and have multiple win seasons. 2017 Monster Energy Series champion: Kevin Harvick . Mr. "Where did he come from?" has turned in to Mr. Consistency over the past few seasons. Consistency combined with the new points format should complement Harvick well.
Daytona rises even higher from beach sand
Editor's Note: This story was published on February 12, 2016 as Daytona completed work on the Daytona Rising project ahead of the 2016 season. NASCAR.com's Holly Cain has the story of the track's evolution to the first motorsports stadium of its kind. RELATED: Daytona through the years " Full Speedweeks schedule DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Lesa France Kennedy and her uncle Jim France clutched a giant pair of scissors and officially cut the ribbon inside the new-look, re-imagined Daytona International Speedway last month, flashing wide smiles and knowing eyes. When these same International Speedway Corporation executives first broke ground on the $400 million Daytona Rising project more than two years ago, Kennedy promised, "We are truly creating history with this unprecedented endeavor." So even as she and France took their positions and prepared for the ceremonial dedication, the pair couldn't contain their excitement -- it was palpable as they continually stole glimpses across the vast new open-air concourse, out to the track below and even toward the famous beach in the distance where Jim's father and Lesa's grandfather Bill France Sr.'s stock car racing idea first flourished 60 years ago. It was ironic that the actual ribbon cutting on the facility occurred on a rare breezy, rainy, chilly day in Daytona Beach, because the people who attended were joyful and oblivious to the weather. Huge crowds line the dunes to watch Daytona racing in 1949 There was history to make. The Daytona Rising project has been touted as a "re-imagining," and its finished look is nothing short of transformative. Even the new nomenclature of the speedway sounds impressive -- from its "injectors" outside to its "neighborhoods" inside. Previous modifications to the track have been for the thrill of competition and the safety of the racers. This massive investment is foremost for the comfort and pleasure of the loyal fans, and it will be evident this week as people begin arriving for NASCAR's season-opening events at Daytona Speedweeks, which culminate with the Feb. 21 Daytona 500 . Evolution from race track to racing's first sporting stadium is not unlike moving the course from its origins at the beach to a sprawling remarkable speedway. It is the third version of high-end Daytona stock car racing. "I don't know of another speedway in the world that's this nice and this beautiful," racing legend A.J. Foyt declared at the track's Rolex 24 debut the last week of January. And that's high praise for a structure that is simultaneously imposing and inspiring from a racer known and appreciated for his grit and honesty. The Chevrolet Injector at Daytona International Speedway NASCAR team owner Chip Ganassi was in complete agreement with Foyt. "When you first hear they spent $400 million, and you go see the work that's been done, stand on pit lane and look at the grandstand, it looks like $800 million," Ganassi said. "It's really, really something really first class and I think it's going to take our sport to a new level for what fans expect. "This is going to be the Ritz-Carlton of race tracks, there are so many amenities. I couldn't be happier for our fans and what it's going to do for our sport." WATCH: Daytona rises in time lapse video The smiles, the wide-eyes, the enthusiasm that has been brimming under the surface has been notable since this project began more than two years ago. Everyone from the car manufacturers to longtime racing sponsors have gladly joined in the effort. Chevrolet, one of the original and primary corporate sponsors of the new-look speedway, has been eager to support modernization of the facility, recognizing the benefits of balancing modern updates with historic importance. "Chevrolet's commitment to racing originated more than a century ago with Louis Chevrolet and remains strong today as we solidify our presence at the 'World Center of Racing,' " President of General Motors North America Alan Batey said when announcing the company's partnership with Daytona. And for all the attention paid to historic detail, fans will also undoubtedly notice the refined façade outside and appreciate the refinements inside, from larger, more comfortable seating to high-tech huge screens and WiFi availability to the most escalators (40) and newly refurbished restrooms (1,891) of any sports stadium in the country. Artwork in the Sunoco Injector at Daytona International Speedway WATCH: Joie Chitwood III excited to unveil speedway additions Toyota joins Chevrolet as an "injector" sponsor and was actually the first to formally announce its partnership with the new Daytona project more than two years ago. The two manufacturers' efforts at creating welcoming, interesting and exciting interactive elements at the track offer a glimpse of how a far-reaching a corporate plan can be. Creativity is the theme throughout the facility with each of the corporate-sponsored injector entrances from Toyota to Chervolet and from Sunoco to Florida Hospital providing an extensive and interactive "experience" for fans. "Philosophically, I think it demonstrates our commitment to motorsports in general and NASCAR in particular, and like anyone else, we're always looking for a way to engage the fans in a meaningful way," said Toyota's Keith Dahl, general manager for motorsports and asset management for Toyota Motor Sales USA. The Toyota Injector at Daytona International Speedway The bigger-than-life Toyota logo that greets Daytona fans at its injector entrance is the largest commercial logo in the United States, according to Dahl. And the company's historic relationship with NASCAR is immediately evident feet away with five full-size Toyota race car replicas representing the Sprint Cup Series' Camrys fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing , and this year's new addition, Furniture Row Racing . Take the escalator up 35 feet to the main concourse and fans are greeted by the reigning Sprint Cup Series championship No. 18 Toyota similar to the one driven by champion Kyle Busch -- a replica so precise it's adorned with both celebratory confetti and bumper-rubbing scrapes. A Sprint Cup trophy sits encased alongside. The massive concourse called a "neighborhood" is 100,000 square feet and there is a common and connecting theme along the Toyota area -- photos and stories of the company's workers -- from car sales associates to manufacturing plant workers to race shop mechanics. A massive "touchscreen wall" made of eight big screens features humble stories and real-life profiles from the company's employees. The headline "From American Factories to American Roads" greets fans and reminds them of the company's commitment to the ultimate of American sports, stock car racing. And vice versa. "Obviously, as time went by more and more effort got put into this," Dahl said. "We literally would have meetings and throw some ideas out there. I know it's cliché to say it's a 'blank canvas,' but it really is. There are a lot of ideas we wanted to try. "This was a chance to try some things. And what you see today, I would hope is not what you would see in perpetuity. We want to keep things vibrant and relative. We'll have different things going on." For example, the refreshment area in each injector is similar but uniquely decorated. In Toyota's version, there are seats refurbished and retained from the speedway's former grandstands. Toyota Tundra truck tailgates were made into benches for many of the tables. As you walk along the massive concourse, Toyota has an area featuring its latest passenger cars and trucks. Take an elevator up to the next level and you are immediately greeted with a replica of the nose cone of the Space Shuttle Endeavor -- the real spacecraft that a Toyota Tundra famously gave a lift to a museum in downtown Los Angeles in 2012. And winning Toyota race cars and race trucks hang from the ceiling. The Florida Hospital Injector at Daytona International Speedway Stand on a level high atop the grandstands, alongside the luxury corporate suites looking outward from the speedway and you can feel the breeze and see what's coming next. Across the street, tractors and bulldozers are working to build a massive mall and eatery, "One Daytona" for the next phase of the facility's modernization. It will include popular restaurants, a Bass Pro Shops store and famous hotels, plus – importantly -- ease of passage from sidetrack to race track. "As you walk through the stadium, you see the potential for anything," Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said proudly, glancing across the street. "For us the goal is to continue to push the envelope. Yes, we're the world center of racing, but also the world center of entertainment is very doable." But what is most important to both the executives and definitely the fans is a one-of-a-kind, top-shelf experience at Daytona from thrilling racing on track to thrilling ways to watch the racing on track. The speedway is not only keeping up with the times, it's setting fast time. "Probably what makes me most proud is that the France family entrusted me with their most valuable property," Chitwood said. "Being around Lesa and Jim France and seeing the legacy that Bill France created in the 1950s, we have to live up to that. "This is the Daytona International Speedway and Big Bill built this place and we are not going to misstep. It has to be right. And I'm proud to say, I think we nailed it." WATCH: 'Untold Stories: Daytona'


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Note: Dunno exactly where this came from. Saw a similar fic and got inspired, I guess.
Summary: Scotch and bad dreams just don't mix…
Fever Dreams & Other Things
"Have a seat, Mani."
Mani sat. Mostly because the old man had asked him to, and partially because the old man was the most powerful figure in organized crime today, and therefore the second most important man alive, just after Vicious. The old man was also very fat. His belly looked a lot like a barrel. Well, two and a half barrels. But only if you wanted to get technical about it.
"You wanted to see me, Don Renoir?" Mani asked.
"Yes." The old man wiped his damp forehead with a plaid handkerchief. "You know about Semfe?"
Mani nodded. Semfe had been one of the Syndicate's most wealthy trading posts on Venus. That is, until a couple of bounty hunters had torn the place apart looking for Vicious. Now it was little more than a crater. Lately, they'd been getting into more and more trouble because of people looking for Vicious. Usually, they were bounty hunters, and more often, they were the same four bounty hunters.
Good thing I took care of two of them personally, Mani thought.
"We brought down the Bebop last night. We have the two bounty hunters."
Mani grinned. "Knew they couldn't run forever. Not after gunning for Vicious that way for that long."
The old man nodded, his wrinkly face resembling a dried husk more and more by the moment.
"Something else, though. They talked."
Mani stopped grinning. "Talked? What do you mean?"
"It seems they were in contact with someone inside the Syndicate. A double agent."
Mani's eyes narrowed. "Impossible."
"Perhaps. But they were convincing."
Mani stood up. "No. Let me handle this, Don Renoir. I'll make them tell the truth. And if there is a leak, I'll plug it. Permanently."
The old man reached over and patted Mani's hand, almost affectionately. "My boy," he said in his quiet, raspy voice, "I have never, ever encouraged suicide."
Mani stared at the old man, and finally realized. "What…? No. You can't possibly think that-"
The old man shushed him and indicated he should sit.
Mani sat.
"My boy, I'm not angry, not at all. But there were…signs."
"Signs?" Mani repeated.
"Signs," the old man confirmed. "You've…been getting sloppy. Too sloppy, maybe?"
"No. I didn't-"
"You botched the Iglacia project. On purpose? By Accident? Who knows but you, my boy?"
"Don Renoir…please. I would never betray the Syndicate. That's crazy. I would never betray YOU. You're like a father to me, and-"
The old man patted his hand again. "I love you like my own, my boy. I don't want to see you go. Admit that the bounty hunters are right, and I'll see that you aren't harmed."
"No…you don't understand." Mani stood up and backed away from the table. "I would NEVER do this!"
"Calm down, my boy," the old man said, reaching for his hand.
"NO!" Mani's voice rose almost to a shriek as he whipped the gun out. "I won't! Don't tell me to calm down!"
The old man's hand lowered to rest on his knee. "My boy, put that away."
"No." Mani was laughing now. "I told you that I wouldn't do what they said I did. Never. I'm not that stupid. I just-"
The old man slowly pulled out his own gun. "My boy. Please. Put it down."
Mani thought for a moment, then fired.
The bullet tore through the old man's fleshy chest. He wheezed, then fell off his chair.
Mani walked over and pointed the gun at the old man's head. "I loved you, Don Renoir. I would've done anything for you. But if you're going to trust a damn Vicious-hungry bounty hunter over me…well…"
The old man slowly opened his eyes. "Aishiteru, Mani."
Mani paused, feeling a warm sensation around his chest. He looked down to see a slowly spreading red stain racing across his new white shirt. The pain came a second later, and he collapsed on his side. The last thing he saw was that the old man's face was starting to peel away, and that there was a smoking hole with no blood in the center of his belly.
* * * * *
The "belly barrel," as Ed had begun to call it, had been Spike's idea all along. As soon as he'd proposed it, she'd agreed to the plan, jumping at any chance to prove her worth to him. Not that she had to anymore, but she liked working closely with him, and you couldn't get too much closer than that without being downright indecent.
The night they'd turned in Don Renoir, collected his bounty, and killed Mani, Spike had been silent. Of course, he was always silent after they'd killed someone, but for other reasons. This time it was probably regret. Not for exposing Ed to danger, but for allowing her to have the kill shot.
She'd never done that before, and Spike was very aware of it. But she hadn't complained, hesitated, or even been at all scared. She'd done it like a good soldier would've: she'd done it right. And that was what worried him.
Ed was still a kid to him, no matter how much she'd grown. Spike didn't like the idea of having her kill people. Now that Jet was gone, he was a big influence on her (it wasn't like Faye had been a good influence when she had been around), and she was always like a sponge, soaking up everything he did. She'd even started practicing his moves in the morning, whether she got them right or not. One day she'd be able to mop the floor with him, if she ever got it down. He liked to think of her as his pet monkey. His wild, silly, strangely intelligent computer wizard monkey (or something to that effect).
* * * * *
"What's wrong?"
A simple question, really, with so many hard answers.
Spike settled for a more or less automatic response.
"My back's killing me. You were actually heavy this time."
Ed figured he meant it as a compliment, sort of. "Ed is sorry."
"Not your fault," Spike reasoned. "It was my idea."
"Was it better than the Backpack Buddy?"
Spike winced. That particular case had the situation reversed, where Ed had spent the better part of three nights clinging to Spike's back (disguised as the very disturbing hump of a hunchbacked old lady). Spike had gotten over the lousy makeup job Ed had done on his face, but not the pain in his back that seemed to return whenever she mentioned it. "Nothing's ever been that bad."
"So Ed did good this time?" she asked, her oddly attractive yellow eyes filling with hope as they peered up at him.
Spike hesitated, then affectionately tousled her fiery hair. "Yeah. You did real good, Ed."
Ed purred as a cat might've and latched onto his waist. It would be another ten minutes before he could pry her off, Spike knew, but he didn't mind so much anymore. With both Faye gone and his liquor supply dwindling, it had been years since he'd been hugged by a beautiful, drunken female. Of course, he would never get Ed that drunk. Just a shot or two of brandy before bed to keep her calm, but that was it.
* * * * *
Ed woke up around one in the morning. As usual, Ein was asleep next to her, his head resting on her bare belly. She stroked his back thoughtfully for a few moments, then poked his side.
Ein whined and slowly woke up.
"C'mon, Ein. We're going to check on Spike." Ed slid out of bed with the Welsh Corgi at her heels.
Ein trotted along beside her as they made their way up the hall. He glanced up and gave her a questioning whine.
"Ed has you to hug when she has a nightmare," Ed explained. "But poor Spike has no one."
That seemed to be good enough for Ein.
Soon they reached Spike's door, which was slightly open. When there had been five of them, he always kept it locked. Maybe he no longer had anything to hide. Maybe he'd just forgotten to close it.
Ed stuck her head in and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Spike's body was half-hidden by the bundle of sheets around his waist. He was drenched in sweat, and every few seconds, he would mutter something unintelligible and roll over.
Ed watched for a few minutes, then slowly crept into the room. She stopped at the edge of the bed and leaned over, putting her ear level with Spike's mouth.
Spike grunted in his sleep and rolled onto his side, facing away from her.
Ed frowned and carefully crawled onto the bed.
Spike rolled onto his back, muttering again. Suddenly, he stopped and whispered a single word.
Ein started to whine again, but Ed shushed him.
Spike groaned and gripped the sheets. "Faye, no…don't do it…"
Ed gently poked his cheek. "Spike?"
"You can't….Faye, stop…don't stand a chance…"
"Spike?" Ed leaned closer.
"Jet…gotta stop her…don't let her…" Spike's face twisted in sudden rage as his eyes snapped open. "VICIOUS!" he screamed, grabbing Ed and throwing her as hard as he could.
Ein barked loudly as Ed's thin body slammed into the wall and dropped to the floor. He quickly placed himself between Spike and Ed, growling at his master.
Spike grabbed his gun from underneath the pillow and advanced on the fallen girl and her dog. "Won't let you take them…you can't have them!" he shouted, aiming at Ed's forehead.
Ein leaped at Spike, sinking his teeth into the man's ankle.
Spike grimaced and brought his gun down on Ein's neck. Amazingly enough, the little dog still hung on, biting like mad. Spike was just raising his gun for a second blow when something crashed into the back of his head. He dropped to the floor like a stone.
* * * * *
It was the dull ache in the back of his skull that awakened Spike. He slowly sat up, wincing as his vision blurred and then corrected itself. A wave of nausea rolled over him, and he vomited into the convenient bucket he found on the night stand.
When he was done, he looked up to see Ed's silhouette in the doorway.
"Spike should not drink," she said.
He blinked a few times, then remembered the bottle of Scotch he'd saved. Judging from the severity of his hangover, that bottle was long gone now. "What happened?"
"Ed came to check on you. You were having a bad dream, so Ed tried to wake you up." There was a long pause. "Not one of Ed's better ideas."
Already dreading the answer, he asked, "What did I do?"
"You hurt Ed," she replied quietly, sadness dominant in her voice. "Ein stopped you. Ed helped."
Spike tried to recall the events, but there was nothing in his memory.
"You said her name. Faye. Then Jet. And then…"
"Vicious," Spike murmured, putting two and two together. He sighed heavily. "Oh God, Ed, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, and-"
"You got drunk. Ed knows. So does Ein."
At her feet, Ein growled warily.
"Ed…did I…I mean, are you…okay?" Spike asked. He was beginning to wonder why she wouldn't come into the room, and the possible answers his recovering mind was providing weren't good ones.
"Ed will be fine. Ed is more worried about you, Spike."
"Well, stop it. There's nothing that can fix what's wrong with me."
"Ed doesn't believe that." She slowly came forward and stopped at the foot of the bed. "What did you dream about?"
"The same thing I always dream about, Ed."
"Trying to stop Faye from going after Vicious?"
He nodded. "She did it for me. But she shouldn't have. Vicious was mine. She didn't know what she was dealing with."
"You blame yourself?"
"Of course I do!" Spike snapped. "How could I not?!"
"You tried to stop her."
"Just forget it, Ed. Unless you can discover a way to turn back time, there's no point in talking about it."
Ed hopped onto his chest. "Ed can't turn back time. But neither can you, Spike."
Spike was considering shoving her when he caught sight of her eyes. They were yellow, as always, but different. Calmer. Wiser?
"Faye is gone. Jet is gone. Spike and Ed and Ein are not." She gently took Spike's face in her hands. "Live for now, for you, Spike. Leave the past behind."
"Don't you get it, Ed? I got them killed. Jet was my partner, and Faye was…was…everything…"
"Faye was Faye, Jet was Jet." She leaned closer, pressing her nose to his. "But they are GONE, Spike. From now on, Ed is your partner. Ed HAS been your partner for four years. And maybe Ed can't be your everything right now, but…wait until Ed is legal."
Spike stared at her for a long moment, and then he laughed. Until his stomach lurched and he grabbed the ever convenient bucket again. And when he was done, Ed was there to wipe his mouth with a damp towel.
"Why'd you come to check on me?" he asked.
"You didn't have anyone to hug," Ed replied, giving him a lopsided grin.
"And you thought you'd volunteer your services?"
Ed looked offended. "No way!" She slid into bed next to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, flashing him one of her more contagious smiles. "Ed requires thirty woulongs an hour."
"Damn, you're one sneaky cowboy," Spike chuckled.
"Of course. Ed had a good teacher."
Spike studied her face for a moment, trying to pick out the best spot for a kiss. He'd just decided when he spotted Ein crawling under the sheets. "Wait a second. You're paying me if he gets to sleep here."
"You can have half of Ed's salary," Ed mumbled into his chest.
"You're not getting a salary, and he's sleeping on your side."
"Ein, come to Ed," she called.
Ein burrowed his way up to her and claimed the spot beside her.
"There, see? Still on Ed's side." Ed yawned and closed her eyes. "Now, sleep. Ed needs beauty rest."
Spike smiled and closed his eyes as well. "Whatever you say, partner."
~ Life is but a dream, and working with children and animals brings wisdom and a buttload of funny memories. ~Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 0.6.7 -->


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Woohoo, you found a chapter near you! Are you doing your happy dance yet?? Now is your chance to belong to a community that will have your back, lift you up, see your greatness, and listen to what you have to say. It's a community that not only lives in your town, but exists all around the world. Joining a local chapter will light you up from the inside out - you will get to express, discover and love exactly who you are alongside girls doing the same. You will be part of a culture that stands for each other and speaks whatever truth there is to share, without limitations.
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Pilar Rodriguez commented 2016-06-01 17:12:23 -0700I am excited to join a IATG chapter because basically all my life I have struggled with depression and anxiety from not being the "perfect girl" in society's eyes.
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