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What is the Difference Between Debt Negotiation and Debt Settlement
Last Updated: June 13, 2017
Many people are confused by the range of programs which proclaim you can get out of debt. There is debt settlement, debt negotiation, and consumer credit counseling. In most people's minds, all these are the same and all they are really concerned about is getting out debt in the quickest and easiest way they can find. But, these methods of erasing debt are not the same. We're going to explain the difference between debt negotiation companies and how their operations are different from debt settlement companies. By the way, in case you're thinking we are advocating debt settlement firms, this is not the case. We are only explaining the difference.
What's Wrong With Debt Negotiation
Many of the nasty practices by these companies are now illegal, per the FTC regulations put into effect in 2010. However, we are going to keep posting their old tricks so you can recognize them if you see them in a firm you've hired to settle your debts. Notes regarding the new laws will be in blue font.
Setting Up Unsecured Trust Accounts
Debt negotiation companies will try and set up a "trust account" for you - though they are not a licensed bank entity under the Federal Reserve. They will also try to collect a monthly fee to maintain this account. On top of these fees, they will ask you to put away a certain amount of money towards your debt. The idea is to create a savings account until the debt is paid off. Unlike consumer credit counseling services, they do not pay your creditors each month. Your creditors are not told of your arrangement with the debt negotiation company. Illegal per the new laws. All monies must be put into an FDIC insured bank account.
Debt Negotiation Companies Don't Consider Your Current Financial State
Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS) will make you qualify financially for their program. Unlike CCCS, a debt negotiation company doesn't qualify you for the amount of the payments vs. debt. As a result, you can wind up paying very little towards principal of the debt on each payment effectively stretching out the payments for years. The longer you are in the program, the more money they make in their "monthly admin" fees. Per the 2010 laws, the firm has to give you a good faith estimate showing you the length of time you'll be in the program based on your ability to pay.
No Protection From Lawsuits
Even if the debt negotiation programs are run by lawyers, these programs offer you no legal protection. You can be sued by your creditors, they can get a judgment against you and your wages can be garnished. This debt negotiation scenario is also unlike consumer credit counseling where they handle all calls from the credit card companies (but they are also PAYING them for you.) YOU must deal with the nightmarish phone calls.
There are some credit card companies who are aggressively suing non-paying customers right now, and if they decide to take you on, they will win. Being sued by the credit card company is not like being sued by a collection agency, who usually has poor documentation and no case.
Interest and Fees Are Not Negotiated
In addition to putting yourself in danger of being sued, there is no attempt to negotiation interest or fees so they keep piling up on you. It could mean that while you think you are doing the right thing and making payments towards your cards, your debt continues to grow. Per the new laws, the firm has to has to disclose the total amount you have to pay per their past history with an individual creditor.
Only Credit Card Debt Qualifies
You can't negotiate anything that is a secured debt, like an auto loan or mortgage. You also can't negotiate down student loans, tax liens or judgments.
Fees Are Usually Paid Upfront
Usually your first 2 to 4 months of payments go towards fees. There is such a high drop out rate on debt negotiation companies that these guys want to make sure they get paid first. Per the new laws, the firm cannot collect any upfront fees before they've done work for you.
Most debt negotiation companies claim to be able to negotiate your debt with the credit card companies for about 50 percent of what you owe. You must realize that after 180 days, if you are not sued, your debt gets turned over to a collection agency. The negotiation company is NOT planning on talking to the original creditor, but to a collection agency down the line who will accept debt settlement offers fairly easily. Per the new laws, the firm has to has to disclose the total amount you have to pay per their past history with an individual creditor. They can't claim "best case," but must cite average case results, including factoring in the drop out rate.
Know What's In Your Debt Consolidation Contract
Even if a debt negotiation company did clearly explain what was going on and it was in all of their documentation, we have found none of the debt negotiation companies explained what they were doing. All of their victims had a vague recollection that they were paying a management fee, but they had no idea that their credit cards would go into COLLECTION while they were in the program. Per the new laws, the firm has to give you a good faith estimate showing you the length of time you'll be in the program based on your ability to pay.
The U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) released a report on April 22, 2010 regarding widespread abuse in the debt settlement and debt negotiation industry.
How Does Debt Negotiation Work?
Let's say the company you hire follows all the new laws to the letter. You may still be tempted to sign with them and that's your prerogative. How much money can you actually save?
You have $20,000 in credit card debt and the debt negotiation company says all you have to do is pay $300 for 3 years and you'll be debt free for about 50 percent of the debt. At $300 a month for 36 months, that is only $10,800, so you will be saving $9,200 and you'll be debt-free in 3 years. Sounds like a good deal, right? Wrong. Let's do the math.
- You agree to a 3 year plan where you pay $300 a month to the settlement company. $10,800 total of payments.
- Your first 2 monthly payments are the "admin fee," so this is $600 - nothing gets put into your trust account until your 3rd month.
- The negotiation company keeps $50 of your $300 payment each month for the service fee. That means only $250 a month is being added to your trust account.
- After 34 months, you have $8,500 to settle $20,000 in debt. Remember, 3 years minus the first 2 months for admin fees is 34 months.
- The negotiation company, if you are still with the program, will negotiate your debts down to zero with the collection agencies using the $8,500.
You save: $9,200.
Debt negotiation firm makes: $600 + (34 x $50) = $2,300.
Other Dangers Of These Programs
- So you say, what's wrong with that - I'm getting a good deal by saving $6,000! Yeah, except almost any collection agency will accept 25 percent of the debt without much of a fight and many will accept 10 percent. You do not have to pay and admin fee to pick up the phone or send in a debt settlement agreement, and you can mostly make a settlement within 6 months to a year. You will also be debt free. It is really easy to do it yourself.
- Let's say of the $20,000 debt, one of the cards comes to $4,000. If the negotiation company gets the collection agency to accept $2,000, it will take you 10 months at $250 per month to have enough in your trust account to pay off just that one credit card. But remember, your first 3 payments to the settlement company only paid the admin fee. That means your first credit card settlement is 13 months *after* you started sending them money.
Do-it-Yourself Debt Settlement
Again, you can do this yourself. Put away some money so you can save the 25 percent of the $20,000, you'll have enough to have be debt free in 16 months, and it will only cost you $5,000. This is not going to be a pain free process, you will still have to deal with creditors calling you, and there is the possibility that you will be sued. However, you will be enduring the same kind of telephone calls and possibility of lawsuits if you signed up with a debt relief company.
You can do the same thing without paying a company by following these steps.
- Save $300 until you have about 25 percent of the total debt.
- 25 percent of the total is $5,000.
- After 16 months, you have $5,000 to settle the $20,000 debt with the collection agencies.
- You don't have to wait until you have the entire amount - you can settle individual debts along the way.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Kimba (Japanese, U.S., Croatian, Slovene)
Oct 22, 2015
News Module Installed
Category: Kimba news
Posted by: kimba
The news module was installed. Exciting. This news article is not using the Summary field and therefore there is no link to read more. But you can click on the news heading to read only this article.


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The Petzl NAO belt kit allows you to extend the cable from the battery so it can be clipped to your belt. Improves the comfort and balance of the Nao headtorch. Does not include battery
With Pre-Order, you can purchase the latest items added to our store in advance of them arriving with us.
You Pre-Order is prioritised (at no additional charge); meaning that, as soon as the product arrives with us, we can wrap it straight back up and get it sent out to you - it often never even hits the stock room shelves!
With Pre-Launch, the date when we expect to receive the product ourselves is still a little too hazy to be confident in accepting Pre-Orders.
So, instead, you can submit your email address against the item you are interested in and we will email you as soon as stock arrives on the system.
Estimated Delivery Dates are given on Pre-Order and Pre-Launch products. They are for indication purposes only and can change at any time without notice.
The dates we provide are based on indications given by our suppliers. Whenever we get updated information from our suppliers we will endeavour to update the Estimated Delivery Dates provided on product pages.
The Petzl NAO belt kit allows you to extend the cable from the battery so it can be clipped to your belt or carried within a pack. Improves the comfort and balance of the Nao headtorch. This also means that the battery can be carried in a pocket to protect it from the cold on winter runs.
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text: 94L Flush Pull Specs Material: .125" Brass, Bronze, Stainless Steel NOTE: Cups are painted black on all finishes except stainless steel Fastener: 1/4-20 x 1-1/2" Thru Bolt & Finish Washer (Standard 1-3/4" door) Options: TORX - security torx screws Advise if door thickness other than 1-3/4" Features: Includes lugs for thru bolt. No fasteners on pull side. Part Number Size Grip Opening Depth Weight ANSI A156.6 94L 3-1/2" x 5" 1-3/4" x 3-1/8" 7/8" 0.6 lbs. J403 Close Downloads 94L Cut Sheet.pdf (.pdf, 189 kB) 94L Template.pdf (.pdf, 224 kB) Close Finishes Description US ANSI/BHMA Polished Brass, Clear Coated US3 605 Satin Brass, Clear Coated US4 606 Satin Bronze, Clear Coated US10 612 Satin Oxidized Bronze, Oil Rubbed US10B 613 Dark Oxidized Satin Bronze, Equivalent US10BE 613E Polished Chrome Plated Brass US26 625 Satin Chrome Plated Brass US26D 626 Polished Stainless Steel US32 629 Polished 316 Alloy Stainless Steeel US32316 --- Satin Stainless Steel US32D 630 Satin 316 Alloy Stainless Steel US32D316 --- Satin MicroShield Coated Stainless Steel US32DMS --- Close Line Drawings Close BF97 860 90


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First of all my sincere thanks to all of those who have served in the armed forces of the United States of America. God Bless you all and Master Sargent William H Fisher my dad… Thank you for serving in Korea and being as good a man out of uniform as you were in.
My goal is to give the residents of the Bakken and anyone next to a rail road a little comfort on the progress of tight oil stabilization or what we refer to as Bakken Oil stabilization. In the same breath I am going to plead with the state of North Dakota www.nd.gov if they truly want to help must make major changes in their tax policies.
I am grateful to Energy Matters www.KFYR.com AM 50 for first asking me to be a part of the show and then being flexible in allowing me to be on when possible. One of the main reason I continue the program is my hope in bringing more insight to the public into many tough issues the gas and oil industry face.
I am fortunate to get a seat at many tables with many influential industry CEOs, Presidents and production planners. It is in these meetings I am always reminded that the government has a role to play in the industry but for the most part the government is to collect taxes from the oil and gas companies' revenue.
And as politicians talk, the oil and gas companies are already far ahead of them in providing the money and talent needed to make their industry and those they serve a better place.
Too often I feel the state and federal officials think improvements in safety, the environment , and workers security happen because they talk about it or threaten to mandate it. The truth is actually 180 degrees. The gas and oil companies always want what is best for the environment, their workers and the communities they operate in.
So now, here is my challenge to the state and federal government. If you are truly concerned with flaring and the stabilization of tight oil i.e. Bakken crude then give all the oil and gas companies a tax holiday on any and all gas captured, stripped and or sold as a bi-product of tight oil. It cost approximately $60 million just to build a 100,000 barrel a day stabilizing facility not taking into consideration the cost of operations for about $35 million in revenue $3.5 in gross profit and loss at the end of the year.
Here is why: by the time we pay the 28% tax and gas royalties we lose money! You want us to spend our shareholders money and or our private equity on capturing a gas or stripping a gas that we lose money on. If you are serious then stop the taxing this bi-product and be satisfied with the huge windfall you receive from oil.
I know what the process costs and the bottom line is there is little to no money in it. Add in the dramatic fall in the price of oil and "Houston, we have a problem"
So I asking the North Dakota Industrial commission to work with Senator Rich Warden to call a special session and introduce a bill that will give gas and oil companies a tax holiday on any and all gas collected. Otherwise you may find 700,000 less barrels of oil leaving ND each day because of a lack of stabilization.


text: RT Book, Whole DB /z-wcorg/ DS http://worldcat.org ID 4910454 LA English T1 Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles of he Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To all the kings of the world; to the President of the United States of America; to the governors of the several states, and to the rulers and people of all nations. A1 Council of the Twelve Apostles (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Woodruff, Wilford,, PB [Wilford Woodruff] PP [Liverpool, Eng.] YR 1845


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|In stock
|Item Number
Brown, Harvest
|Product Type
|Depth (inches)
|Width (inches)
|Height (inches)
190 lbs
Handsomely constructed from Poplar solids and Rogue Cherry veneers, this space-saving Eaton Square Tall Chest by Bernhardt highlights the heft and beauty of a grand antique. Serpentine shaping flows across the six drawer fronts, which offer ample space for shirts, socks, and bedding. Bun feet suggest classic English design, while thick cast iron ring pulls with scrolled back plates add Spanish flair. Warm and rustic in a Harvest Brown finish, this tall chest offers stunning Pan-European style with modern storage.
Primarily borne from English design, but featuring Italian and French influences, the Eaton Square collection is as authentic as it is beautiful. Grand like the greatest antiques, these are pieces with serious heft and weight, along with a myriad of details for the most discerning of collectors. Here traditional designs meet modern function, creating a collection that is comfortable but elegant. Rogue cherry veneers come in a mismatched, slip-and-swing pattern that looks random, but conveys an authenticity. A dry, Harvest Brown finish is warm and worn, with a definitive tonal quality, while leather wrapping on case pieces adds texture. Classic forms abound with undulating case fronts, as well as turnings in legs, and pilasters or columns on other pieces. Hardware comes in solid cast iron, and includes hanging bell pendants, ring pulls with large scrolled back plates and keyhole escutcheons. With enough sophistication for a country home, but the modern-day design to ensure unmatched comfort, Eaton Square is a collection that stands out from its peers.
We guarantee your complete satisfaction - 100% of the time!
Everything listed on our site is unconditionally guaranteed. Is the item you received not what you expected? Did it not fit as well as you hoped in your home or match your decor? Whatever the reason, you won't be stuck with an item that you can't use or you don't want.


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Let me introduce myself. My name is Mark Sisson. I'm 63 years young. I live and work in Malibu, California. In a past life I was a professional marathoner and triathlete. Now my life goal is to help 100 million people get healthy. I started this blog in 2006 to empower people to take full responsibility for their own health and enjoyment of life by investigating, discussing, and critically rethinking everything we've assumed to be true about health and wellness...Tell Me More
You may notice a few adjustments to the regular Weekend Link Love. I've decided to add the Recipe Corner as a permanent fixture (including perhaps the best link in the history of MDA linkage, Grok chefs will know it when they see it). And I've added a new "Time Capsule" section which contains posts that were popular on this week one or two years ago. It's a great way to find hidden gems in the annals of MDA history!
What is The Roman Box, and how will it help you lose weight better than any diet or fitness plan? Head over to Pay Now Live Later to find out.
Early in the week I discussed the importance of muscle balance and symmetry. Someone needs to pass the message along to this German armwrestler.
Free range cows. Free range pigs. Next up: Free range foie gras? Cheeseslave discusses the ethics and mechanics of letting geese stuff themselves without our help.
The Primal/Paleo movement is spreading to the Sunday comics!
Satisfy your zen craving with Hybrid Medical Animation's demo reel. No pertinent news here, just a couple minutes of beautiful, weird, digital exploration through the human body. Can you name all the bodily functions featured?
And finally, don't let people photoshop your face.
If you'd like to add an avatar to all of your comments click here!
14 Comments on "Weekend Link Love – Edition 68"
I tried the links on the recipes, but it asks me to log in to see them. The usual MDA login doesn't work. Suggestions?
nice links! question tho- i wanted to view some of the recipes, but google says i have to log into the mark's daily apple account? help?
Thanks for the link to the comic strip–that was a good chuckle! I also appreciate the exercise link–I hadn't seen that one and they look fun and just about right for me.
Yeah, the google doc won't let me log in either.
You need to have a gmail account to log in to see the GDOC
Doesn't allow me with gmail either.
me neither – with my marksdailyapple login, or a google login!
Yeah, it looks like they need to fix the security on the GDoc….it's closed to only the marksDailyApple Domain
I tried logging in with my gmail username/password and my MDA one….. no luck. It looks like a great resource, I hope it gets fixed!
The Hybrid Medical Animation demo reminds me of the special effects from the "House" tv series–very cool
Heh. I'm not truly technically advanced. It's Google's fault I tell ya! 😉
Sorry everyone. Hope it works now!
SassaFrass88 THANK YOU…I was able to get in and view puurrfectly!
It's greatly appreciated.


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Re: Maria Doolittle McFarland
In reply to:
Maria Doolittle McFarland
Barbara Buchner 5/22/09
My records show that Maria Ann Doolittle, b. 14 Feb 1832 Hatford, Crawford, PA d. 1919 in SD. Her father was Stephen Atwater Doolittle who was b. in NY . Her mother was Eliza Loucks of Chautaugua County, NY. I'm interested in Maria's children; Malinda & William. I have her Doolittle line back to England & the 1400s.
More Replies:
Re: Maria Doolittle McFarland
Barbara Buchner 8/28/09


text: Some how I got a beta key for for it. Even though I didn't preorder it or own splinter cell conviction, But I'm downloading it now. Anyone play it yet? What's it like? The last ghost recon game I played was GRAW on 360 and it gave me the RROD after the first level.


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Men's Sports
Women's Sports
Men's Sports
Women's Sports
April 18, 2012
Men's Final Results | Women's Final Results | Championship Central
HOLLISTER, Calif. -- Saint Mary's junior Ben Geyer shot a birdie on 18 to finish -9 (207) to win the 2012 West Coast Conference championship. Geyer's effort helped propel the Gaels to their first WCC men's golf title in school history. Saint Mary's shot a -20 over 54 holes to win the men's title by 9 strokes over second place San Francisco. The Pepperdine women continued to roll, capturing their 11th consecutive WCC golf championship. Individually, Gonzaga's Victoria Fallgren won a playoff hole over Seattle's Caitlin McCleary, becoming the first Bulldog to win an individual title.
"It feels amazing, not only to win the WCC Championship but to also get my first collegiate win," said Saint Mary's Geyer. "I really approached today by just focusing on one shot at a time. Everyone enjoys playing in big events. But, I play good golf when I'm nervous and maybe that's a good thing."
Saint Mary's shot a five-under par 283 in Wednesday's final round, finishing with an 844 (-20) for the tournament. The Gaels finished nine shots better than San Francisco (853, -11) and 22 in front of third place BYU (866).
Geyer won the individual title with an impressive effort on Wednesday, finishing six under par. His birdie on 18 gave him a one-stroke victory over San Diego's Alex Ching, the defending medalist. Geyer (207, -9) bested Ching (208, -8) and San Francisco's Taylor Travis (210, -6) in a crowded field at the top spot.
On the women's side, Pepperdine proved too much for San Francisco, as the Waves won the WCC title for the 11th consecutive year. Pepperdine (911, +47) topped USF (917, +53) to win its 14th WCC team title in the last 16 years.
"It means a lot for us, and our coach was very proud of us," said Pepperdine freshman Somin Lee, who shot the only hole-in-one at this year's championship, collecting an ace on 16. "I didn't know it was in [the cup]," Lee explained. "I walked up to the green and couldn't find my ball, and they told me it was in the hole. I was surprised."
Individually, Gonzaga's Victoria Fallgren and Seattle's Caitlin McCleary tied for first with a +8 (224). On a one-hole playoff on nine, Fallgren's birdie gave her Gonzaga's first-ever individual champion. Pepperdine's Lee and BYU's Maggie Yuan each finished one shot off the top spot, posting a +9 for the championship.
The 2012 WCC all-conference awards will be announced on Thursday. For tournament video recaps, interviews, highlights and more, visit the Championship Central link on WCCsports.com.
2012 West Coast Conference Golf Championships - Team Standings
Final Results
Men's Standings
1.Saint Mary's 844 (-20)
2. San Francisco 853 (-11)
4. Gonzaga 867 (+3)
5. San Diego 868 (+4)
6. Loyola Marymount 885 (+21)
7. Pepperdine 888 (+24)
8. Santa Clara 902 (+38)
Women's Standings
1. Pepperdine 911 (+47)
2. San Francisco 917 (+53)
3. Gonzaga 919 (+55)
4. Seattle 937 (+73)
5. Santa Clara 939 (+75)
© Copyright 2017 West Coast Conference. All Rights Reserved.


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by Doug Casey, Casey Research:
Fair. That's a great word. But everybody's got a different idea of fair. Put a bunch of money on the table, and let's divide it up. Well, what's fair? I don't know. But I guarantee everybody will have a different idea of what's "fair." So, let's forget about the idea of fair, because nobody knows what that is. It's a floating abstraction. I have a better idea.
Whatever happened to justice? What is "just"? It means everybody gets what they deserve. Now, perhaps you can solve the problem. It's a bit more specific, more focused, to find out what you deserve as opposed to what's fair. Because, frankly, some people don't deserve anything. Simply existing doesn't necessarily give you a right to a piece of the pie—or even a right to vote on it. But nobody talks about justice today; they talk about fairness. And, of course, this corrupts the moral character of society.
What about freedom of speech? You can forget about freedom of speech. One reason is because nobody knows what words mean anymore. You need words in order to speak. But if you don't define and use words accurately, they mean nothing. Forget about all the non-PC words you're not even allowed to think, much less use. Freedom of speech is a phrase now divorced from reality. It's actually no longer very important, except, oddly enough, among the political classes, where it's become very important in exactly the wrong way. Because freedom of speech, today, often means hate speech.
I'm not an antagonistic person, and I like most other people, if they're of good character. Here's a shocker for you: I don't see anything wrong with hate speech. Why? Because there are a lot of things in the world worth hating, because they're evil and destructive.
But, if you want to live in a civilized environment, you shouldn't conflate so-called hate speech with bad taste. Most so-called hate speech is simply bad taste or stupidity. Outlawing hate speech is far worse than anything that can possibly be said.
One good thing about hate speech is that it lets you discover something about the person speaking. If he can't speak, you may not really know who you're actually dealing with. Which can be dangerous.
Well, of course, now that we have "hate speech," that draws attention to "aggressive speech." That's another newly coined phrase. Be aware of neologisms, newly minted words that the average chimpanzee uses as if they'd been around since the day of Aristotle. One of them is microaggression. This one is really popular with so-called minorities at universities today. It can occur when somebody says something that—by really parsing it in the manner of a Talmudic scholar—might make a person feel uncomfortable. As a result, these weenies are demanding segregated "safe spaces."
It's not just completely ridiculous. It's actually psychotic.
You should laugh off the concepts of microaggressions and safe spaces, revel in free speech, and recognize the difference between hate speech and bad taste speech.
"And that's a genuine fact." Does anybody say that anymore? Another change in the language over the last generation is that nobody says fact anymore. Facts are now factoids. "Here's a factoid." Do you know what a factoid is? It's an artificial fact, or something that looks like a fact but isn't. What, for instance, is an asteroid? An asteroid is something that looks like a star but isn't. What's an android? An android is something that looks like a human but isn't. That's what the ending -oid means—something that resembles the object in question. So, a factoid is really a phony, made-up fact, a created fact.
I never say "factoid" unless I mean something that somebody's made up. It's a BS fact. What they really mean to say, to be cute, is factette. A little fact. A trivial fact. But people now use factoid. They don't even think about what the word means. But that's true of so many words today…
Like United States. Everybody likes the United States. Well, I'm not sure I do, because they so often conflate the United States with the U.S. government. Talking heads will say, "The U.S. did this. The U.S. should do that." Wait a minute. Do they mean the nation-state that lies in between Canada and Mexico, or do they mean the U.S. government? They're almost always talking about the U.S. government. So, they're conflating the U.S. itself, a conglomeration of 300 million people, with the U.S. government.
They're two different things. The U.S. government has a life of its own. And it only really cares about the U.S. the way a flea cares about a dog. A flea needs the dog; it wants the dog to survive. But not because it cares about the dog itself. The prime directive of every living being, whether it's an amoeba or a corporation or a government, is SURVIVE. That's the prime directive; it comes before anything else. The U.S. government is an entity that has a life of its own. Its prime directive is looking out for number one. So, don't conflate the U.S. and the U.S. government. If you mean the government, say it. If you mean the country, say, "… the U.S., and I don't mean the U.S. government." Unfortunately, it's now necessary to be extremely clear. Otherwise, people will assume what they will…
But it's worse than that, because people now conflate the U.S. with America. They're totally different things. America is a unique concept, and it was an excellent concept. Its values—what it stood for, at least in theory—were actually unique in the world's history. But people conflate that with the U.S., which is now really just another one of the 200 nation-states that cover the face of the Earth like a skin disease. I'm all for the idea of America. It's unique, it's good, it's wonderful. But the U.S. is just another nation-state, like Burundi, Burma, or Ecuador—there's less and less practical difference. Be especially careful when you conflate the U.S. and America.
Another good thing that people always confuse, conflate, and define improperly today is health care. "We need the state to pay for health care." "I want to buy some health insurance." No, you don't. And, no, you can't. What they mean to say is medical care. Health care is something you do for yourself. It's diet, it's exercise, it's prudent habits. Those things increase your odds of having health. They're how you maintain your health. Your insurance policy, whether it's Obamacare or something else, can't maintain your health. It only insures some costs of your medical care.
Recall the beginning of the movie Dances with Wolves, when they show the surgeon cutting off people's limbs on a battlefield. That's medical care, in effect, emergency damage control. It's important and necessary, but medical care can't maintain your health. That's something you do. But people love to use the words health care; it sounds so wholesome.
The political classes never say "medical care"; they always say "health care," because everybody wants to be healthy, but people are scared by medical care. It means anesthesia, doctors cutting into you, and dread diseases. That's why health insurance is so easy to sell to the average chimpanzee. It's because he thinks to himself, "Yeah, health insurance. Sure, I want to insure that my health stays good." He doesn't want to think about medical care; that's a scary scientific thing. So, please don't say "health insurance" when you really mean "medical insurance."
I just mentioned the movie Dances with Wolves. That was partly about the so-called American Civil War. Well, no, it wasn't a civil war, and you shouldn't call it "the Civil War." A civil war occurs when two or more groups use military violence in trying to take over the same government to control a designated area. That's not what the so-called U.S. Civil War was about. It was actually a war of secession, where the Southern states were simply trying to secede. A war of secession is totally different from a civil war.
The Spanish Civil War was a real civil war. There, the fascists and the communists were both trying to take control of the same real estate. What we had in the U.S. was not a civil war; it was a war of secession. So, call it the War Between the States. Some call it the War of Northern Aggression.
Here's another one: concentration camps. Who can tell me when concentration camps started, and who started them? No one?
Most people would say, "Oh, it was those damn Nazis in World War II." No, it wasn't. It was the Brits, the wonderful Brits, our perpetual allies, in the Boer War in South Africa. The Afrikaners call it the British War for Gold. The British created the first concentration camps in modern history, incarcerating and intentionally starving scores of thousands of mostly women and children. But that's kind of forgotten, since the victors always write the history. Or "herstory," which, believe it or not, some "gender equality" types prefer to say. They believe everything should be politicized whenever possible.
When I was in college, people used to joke, "We'll never have concentration camps in the U.S.; we'll call them something else." And, by God, it was a joke in those days—but today, it's actually true. We now call them detention facilities.
Please follow SGT Report on Twitter & help share the message.


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Kingdom Hearts Series Explained > KH 3D
Let's face it: the Kingdom Hearts Series seems to get more and more confusing and complicated with each new installment. Well we here at Destiny Islands would like to simplify it for you. Our "Kingdom Hearts Series Explained" pages are designed to help clarify plot points that are confusing and hard to follow. These pages use an easy-to-follow question and answer format with images to to help explain concepts even further.
This Article Contains Spoilers!
Before reading the rest of the article below, you should know that some of the topics discussed may spoil plot points in the Kingdom Hearts Series. If you do not want to spoil anything for yourself, we advise you not to read this article. Both the text and the images in this article could potentially give things away about important plot points. Read this article at your own discretion.
The Kingdom Hearts Timeline So Far…
The Kingdom Hearts series was not released chronologically. Some of the games released after the initial titles in the series actually go back and fill in timelines from before games that were released before them. The timeline below shows the overall time frame in which the entire Kingdom Hearts story (so far) takes place.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Set directly after the events in Kingdom Hearts: Coded, Sora and Riku are summoned for their Mark of Mastery exam, which sets up the story for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. This game, being the first real direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts II, raises plenty of new questions about everything that has happened in the entire Kingdom Hearts franchise so far, as well as many questions about the future of the series as we know it!
What's With All These Outfits?
Sora and Riku go through several outfit changes during their adventure in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Believe it or not, there's actually a reason behind it. When Yen Sid set them out on their Mark of Mastery Exam into the Sleeping Worlds, Sora and Riku are brought back to the Destiny Islands, shown in their original outfits from Kingdom Hearts. The nature of the Sleeping Worlds rewinds time in that world to the events leading right up to when the world was swallowed by darkness. Because of this, Sora and Riku were rewound to the age (and look) they were when their world was lost in the storm.
When shown talking to Master Yen Sid, Sora and Riku dawn their outfits from Kingdom Hearts II. This is simply because these are their most recent outfits. After the events in Kingdom Hearts II, Sora and Riku returned to the Destiny Islands. Kairi brings them a letter from the King, telling them everything about the people who have fallen into darkness that must be brought back into light (namely, Terra, Ventus, Aqua, Roxas, Xion, Axel, and Namine). They are also summoned to Master Yen Sid's tower to take their official Mark of Mastery Exam, branding them as true Keyblade Masters.
When Sora and Riku enter the Sleeping Worlds and arrive in Traverse Town, they dawn completely new outfits that have never been seen before. At first, they just assume that it was more of Yen Sid's magic, but after the events of the entire game, it is revealed that their new clothes hold more of a secret than just a change of wardrobe. The white X on Sora's shirt is known as the Recusant's Sigil, which marked him as a potential new host for Master Xehanort.
Riku's new outfit on the other hand, has a different power. When young Xehanort interceded in their Mark of Mastery Exam, Sora plunged into the Sleeping Worlds within his own heart. Without even knowing it, Riku became a Dream Eater to protect Sora from the Nightmares that terrorize the Sleeping Worlds. The Spirit Sigil on Riku's back gave him the power to enter Sora's sleeping heart and travel through the Sleeping Worlds with him.
What are the Sleeping Worlds?
The Sleeping Worlds are worlds that have not fully been brought back from darkness. They remain asleep, frozen in the events that led up to the worlds' plunge into darkness. This is why characters that Sora and Riku have met before (such as Tron, Pinocchio, Geppetto, Jiminy Cricket, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy) do not remember them. These worlds plunged into darkness before Sora and Riku ever visited them in their previous adventures, so the characters that live there haven't met them yet.
Why Aren't Sora and Riku Traveling Together?
In a sense, they are actually traveling to each world together. They just happen to be visiting different versions of each world. Because the Sleeping Worlds reside within Sora's heart, Sora is visiting them on one side, while Riku is visiting them on the other due to the nature of how he entered the Sleeping Worlds. Riku entered Sora's heart when Xehanort interrupted their Mark of Mastery Exam, turning him into a Spirit inside Sora's dreams. Because of this, Riku enters a different side of the worlds than Sora, as they don't exist in the same way within the Sleeping Worlds.
How are the Members of Organization XIII Still Alive?
When a person loses their heart to darkness, a Heartless is created by the heart that leaves the body. If the person was of strong heart, the empty shell left behind becomes a Nobody. When these two forms are both destroyed, the person returns recompleted. This is the same in the case of the former members of Organization XIII. Supposedly, their Heartless forms had already been destroyed, and having had their Nobody forms destroyed by Sora, they returned to where they had originally lost their hearts as recompleted people. They remember everything from their time before becoming a Nobody and from their time as members of Organization XIII.
Who is the Man in the Black Coat?
The silver-haired man in the black coat that keeps appearing throughout their journey is a younger Master Xehanort. He found a way to time travel and collect several versions of himself throughout time in order to bring them all together. In order to time travel, you must leave your body behind. There must also be a version of yourself waiting at the time and destination you are traveling to. Because of this, young Xehanort was able to travel through time to points where another version of himself (such as Master Xehanort, "Ansem", and Xemnas) already existed.
What is Xehanort After?
Much like his older self, young Xehanort desires the most powerful Keyblade of all, the X-Blade. In Birth by Sleep, when Master Xehanort's plan to force Ventus and Vanitas to clash failed to successfully produce the X-Blade, Xehanort devised another plan to obtain the legendary weapon. In the legend, it is said that when the Keyblade War destroyed the original X-Blade, and shattered it into 20 pieces – 7 of light and 13 of darkness. Xehanort's new plan was to gather individuals who had succumbed to darkness, supplying him with the 13 pieces of darkness he needed to clash with the 7 warriors of light and produce the X-Blade once more.
This was the ultimate purpose of the original Organization XIII – to provide Xehanort with 13 vessels that he could use to create the X-Blade. When Sora and Riku defeated the original 13 members of Organization XIII (in Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II), it proved to Xehanort that relying on 13 separate-minded individuals was not the best plan. His new plan was to gather vessels of darkness and possess them with his own spirit to create 13 beings of darkness, all with the same mind – his.
Young Xehanort was able to recollect some of the vessels that Xehanort had already possessed ("Ansem", Xemnas, and Vanitas) by traveling through time. Isa and Braig returned as complete people after their Heartless and Nobody were destroyed, and rejoined Xehanort as members of the new Organization XIII. Other versions of Xehanort, collected from various points in time, made up the rest of the vessels that Xehanort needed … except for one.
Originally, Riku was also intended as a potential host, but when he began to show signs of rebelling against the darkness inside him and even channeling it to fight for the light, Xehanort gave up on trying to possess him. When Sora plunges into sleep and begins to lose sight of reality while trapped within his own heart, Xehanort begins making plans to use Sora as the 13th vessel of darkness.
What is the Recusant's Sigil?
The Recusant's Sigil is quite simply the crest, signified by an X, that marks an individual as a potential vessel for Xehanort. The X on Sora's shirt marked him as soon as young Xehanort interfered with the Mark of Mastery Exam. This is also the reason Xemnas gives the members of Organization XIII a new name with an X in it. Adding the X also marks them as potential vessels for Xehanort to posses.
What About Ventus's Armor?
When Sora defeated Xemnas in The World That Never Was, it sealed his heart in its sleep and trapped him (much like the sleep that Ventus was left in after the events in Birth by Sleep). When Sora fell into the darkness in his own heart, the part of Ventus's heart that remained inside his heart protected him by placing him inside Ventus's Armor. Sora remained inside his own heart, protected by Ventus's Armor, until Riku came to save him.
When Riku dove into Sora's heart to wake him up, Ventus's Armor became possessed by a Nightmare. The Armor began to act on its own and attempt to prevent Riku from reviving Sora. Riku defeated the possessed Armor, which released Sora from its hold on his heart. Free from possession, Sora was able to wake up from his slumber.
Who are the Seven Guardians of Light?
The X-Blade can only be reforged when the 13 beings of darkness clash with the 7 guardians of light. Xehanort has already assembled his 13 vessels of darkness, and so the question is: who are the 7 guardians of light? Originally, Sora, Riku, Mickey, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus made up six of the seven, but Xehanort already claimed Terra as one of his 13 vessels of darkness, trapped Aqua in the Realm of Darkness, and left Ventus's heart in pieces. Presumably, Sora, Riku, and Mickey will one day rescue Aqua from the Realm of Darkness and reawaken Ventus from the Room of Awakening, but this still leaves them with two guardians unaccounted for.
Lea, who has returned as a complete person now that his Heartless and his Nobody have been destroyed, has managed to summon his own Keyblade after the events in Dream Drop Distance. With this new weapon at his disposal, it is only reasonable to assume that Lea will fill one of the remaining two positions and act as one of the seven guardians of light.
With one spot remaining to be filled, Yen Sid becomes aware that another has gained the ability to wield a Keyblade. In Birth by Sleep, Aqua used her magic to enchant Kairi's necklace and ensure that she would be safe if she was ever in any danger. This gesture also acted as a Passing Ritual, ensuring that one day, Aqua's Keyblade would pass on to Kairi. Yen Sid summons Kairi to his tower when he learns that she too is a Keyblade wielder. Could Kairi be the seventh guardian of light that will join the others to clash with the 13 vessels of darkness? Only time (and more Kingdom Hearts games) will tell.


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Tuesday night's devastating loss to the Mets may have been the toughest defeat of this young season to date. But after the game, Ryan Zimmerman told me they'll put this one behind them and come back strong for the series finale on Wednesday.
Scott Olsen, who started Tuesday and left without a decision, described the personality of this 2010 team as one that is strong willed. He said they are made of a lot of guys who have fight, and it shows on every given night.
Cristian Guzman admitted this team is definitely different compared to last year's squad. He said they were cliquey before, but this year everyone is together and they get along.
Last year guys wouldn't always talk to each other. Now they do - both on and off the field. They are a team.
While they certainly missed an opportunity to take their third consecutive series, the Nats still have a chance to do that as Craig Stammen takes the mound in the game on Wednesday.
The bus ride after the game from the ballpark back to the hotel in Manhattan was extremely quiet, but you can expect the Nats to make some noise before leaving the Big Apple for Denver.
Stammen put it best before batting practice on Tuesday: They are earning the respect of their opponents. He said the Nats put in a good effort and every game is a fight.
We've heard and talked a lot about the character of this team. How they respond to this one should tell a lot...


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Visit the
page on the University of Kent website for more details!
The other students on my programme came from many different countries. This helped make discussions much more exciting as we could share experiences and stories which really helped broaden my understanding of social policy around the world.
What attracted you to the course?I did my undergraduate degree in Sociology and Criminology at Kent, and I really enjoyed the course and the way it was taught. However, I had particular areas of interest that I wanted to explore further. As I did a joint honours degree, I didn't have the opportunity to research and write a dissertation, so coming back to pursue a postgraduate degree seemed like the obvious choice.What have you particularly enjoyed about the course so far?I love the seminars. This year, the lectures and seminars are combined, which means you have the opportunity to interact more with the lecturers, and the discussions we have in class are generally very good. The classes are a lot smaller in size too, so we are able to bounce ideas off one another. Opportunities such as the Erasmus exchange programme and the Common Study Programme in Critical Criminology also mean that we are exposed to the wider European and international perspectives and debates.I'm really enjoying the Sociological Theories of Violence module, which links to my chosen dissertation topic on gangs and homicide. The module covers all areas of violence and brings together all aspects of criminology, such as feminism, masculinity and inequality, which is fascinating.How does the postgraduate student experience differ from that of an undergraduate?The postgraduate experience completely expands your knowledge. You become more engaged with the reading and have a greater understanding of the material. By undertaking a broader analysis of the subject, you can take what you've learned in one module and apply it directly to another. You also develop your existing skills and gain new ones, for example, in presentation and research.Postgraduate study is a lot more focused than at undergraduate level, but it's also more personal – you get to know everyone better and you have the opportunity to interact more with people. There are many opportunities to network, from attending conferences or going abroad on an exchange programme and meeting exchange students, to socialising with invited speakers and the School's academic staff.
The school will award £500 to all First Class honours degrees (or their non-UK equivalents) and to very good upper 2.1 (i.e., 68%+), and is subject to academic transcript, references and personal statement. All applicants, who have accepted a place on one of the following programmes, will be automatically considered for a scholarship. There is no need to make a separate application.•MA Civil Society, NGO and Non-Profit Studies •MA Criminology •MA Criminology with a semester abroad •MA International Social Policy •MA Methods of Social Research •MA Political Sociology •MA Sociology •MSc Environmental Social ScienceThis award of £500 is in addition to the Kent £1000 loyalty discount available to those who have finished their undergraduate studies in the previous academic year and who are going straight into postgraduate study at the University of Kent.
This scholarship covers the tuition fees for one year of a full-time taught postgraduate programme at the University of Kent.
The University of Kent offers a broad variety of postgraduate study and research opportunities across a range of superb locations in Canterbury, Medway, Brussels and Paris. Our postgraduates benefit from teaching and supervision by world-leading researchers and have access to excellent facilities and training opportunities. The Graduate School Scholarship Scheme was established in 2009 to celebrate the founding of the University's Graduate School, which is responsible for the strategic development of graduate education and research within the University. The scholarship provides a £1,000 reduction (£500 per annum for part-time students, for 2 years) in tuition fees to University of Kent 2015 graduates who earn a Bachelors degree with honours (or undergraduate Masters degree) and register for a postgraduate degree at Kent by 1 October 2015.Candidates can hold the Graduate School Scholarship in conjunction with other awards except where these awards offer full fees and a Research Council UK equivalent maintenance grant. The Graduate School Scholarship cannot be held in conjunction with the University's loyalty discount.
The University of Kent recognises the role that music and culture plays in the development of the individual and the benefits cultural activities bring to the wider University community. It offers Music Performance Scholarships of up to £5,000 each year to talented instrumentalists and singers studying for any degree. The scholarship is intended to encourage excellence and development in music performance, and includes instrumental/vocal tuition with experienced teachers. Around fifteen scholarships are awarded to new applicants each year. In return, recipients are expected to make a major contribution to the musical life of the University. Scholarships will normally be allocated only to those students whose musical interests and talents can be supported within the University community.
University of Kent
Find A Masters.
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text: I couldn't find a thread for this already which kind of surprised me so sorry in advance if this has been asked already. I use XenMedio on my site for YouTube videos, but occasionally I like to embed them directly in a thread and promote it as news. This is fine on a PC but on a mobile device the way XF Embeds videos and the way XenMedio does are different. For example, if you go on a mobile device to my site @ mmazone.com.au and click videos, you will see the YouTube embedded videos(looks nasty I know im working on it). Even though the embed is too wide for a mobile screen, when clicked it will load in my Android YouTube player which is GREAT! I cant say the same for the XF embed as it plays directly as is and not through the Android YT player so as you can imagine, slow, laggy, choppy etc. Does anyone know a way I can change the embed code of YouTube videos in XF so it loads in the Android YouTube player like XenMedio does? thanks in advance.


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Plasma gasifier simulation
Hello everyone,
I am a postgraduate student working at the moment on a project concerning plasma gasification. For this reason, I need to develop a simple plasma gasifier simulation using ANSYS. I do not have a previous experience of simulation or ANSYS software and i would like to ask for your help. I have looked for any relevant tutorial but with no result. Could anyone give me any advice or suggest me any relevant material?
Thank you in advance for your help. Any comment would be extremely helpful.
Best Regards,
|All times are GMT -4. The time now is 13:56.


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If there's one lesson to take away from Brink, the first-person shooter from Bethesda Softworks and studio Splash Damage (Enemy Territory: Quake Wars), it is to know your role.
Brink has been described as a "seamless" first-person shooter, where players can earn experience across the single-player campaign as well as cooperative and competitive online multiplayer. However, it's the co-op that might prove to be most intriguing.
The game pits Security and Resistance forces fighting for control of The Ark, a man-made floating city built to become a self-sustaining, green habitat.
After choosing a side and creating a character using a pretty robust customization system, players dive into missions that help either Security or Resistance. Later on, players can customize weapons and skills to their liking.
The demo at the Electronic Entertainment Expo featured single-player, where I controlled a four-man Resistance squad attempting to infiltrate a Security base.
Players have four roles to choose from: soldier, medic, operative and engineer. While the team has one overall goal to strive for, each class has its own set of objectives they must complete for the team to succeed. While the soldier destroys weapons caches and other key sections, the operative will hack into Security's computer systems to weaken defenses. Players can call up an objective wheel to update them on primary and secondary goals. They can also switch classes in single player to carry out different objectives.
Shooting and movement in the game feels quite comfortable. Brink uses a SMART system that creates contextually-based actions. For example, if you run toward a set of crates, the character climbs up. All these actions are performed from a first-person perspective like the rest of the game and feel simple to pull off.
Each class of Security or Resistance also utilizes a special skill set. I spent most of the E3 demo playing as an Operative. Although the class is light on firepower, it has certain other advantages. When an enemy is downed, he can take his outfit and disguise himself to infiltrate certain sections, and can only be discovered after drawing his weapon.
Hacking isn't as simple as holding down a button. After a hack is attempted, the Operative must wait for the process to unfold. A handheld device tells him how long before the hack is complete, while a set of bars similar to a cellphone sits in the top corner of the screen, indicating how close he is to his target. The farther away he sits, the longer it takes for the hack attempt to finish.
This is where Brink's cooperative elements really show potential. As I dart to different hiding spots and pick off foes to keep the hack running, my teammates fight off hordes of enemies. Medics can drop health and other boosts to revive teammates. It seems players really need to work together and be aware of their roles to successfully finish each mission.
How Splash Damage fleshes out the single-player campaign and adds fresh elements to multiplayer remains to be seen, but Brink is filled with promise. The game hits PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this fall.
By Brett Molina
Mike Snider began covering the video game industry during the Super Nintendo-Sega Genesis clash in 1992. An original pinball wizard, he eventually was seduced by Robotron: 2084 and Tempest. These days he is a fan of action/shooters and lives out his Keith Moon fantasies playing a mean drum kit on music games. More about Mike.
Brett Molina has been writing about video games for USA TODAY since 2005. He is well-versed in Madden NFL, the fighting genre and first-person shooters. The first video game he played was Asteroids at a local arcade. He has been hooked ever since. More about Brett.


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It's difficult to judge a film that purposefully looks altogether less-than. A tribute to the dust, grain and mis-coloration of the '70s grindhouse flicks, Death Proof proudly feigns its age. Fortunately, this transfer made no effort to clean up the mess which gave the film its intended character, and instead makes every effort to make bad look good. That was true for its DVD release and even moreso for its appearance on Blu-ray. It might be difficult to imagine how first-rate image fidelity makes something look wonderfully worse, but the added punch of the high-def format allows every grain, every scratch, every mote of dust, every film skip and missed reel to shine in exquisite glory. Where so much of the intentional damage was somewhat muddled in standard-def, it really creates the illusion of age in HD.
Score: 9 out of 10
Languages and Audio
Much like the video, the sound works carefully to preserve every scratch, pop, mis-cue and piss-poor audio dub to glorious effect. The soundtrack rips and rocks across the 51. Dolby TruHD and the chase scenes brilliantly manipulate the volume and surround. There little noticeable difference from the DVD version to the TrueHD of the Blu-ray, but that hardly makes a difference. There might not be an abundance of clever flourishes here, but the sound is the anchor of the film -- from a juke joint at midnight to a dusty stretch of road at 200 mph!
Score: 9 out of 10
Extras and Packaging
Sadly, there's no new content offered up on this Blu-ray, and if you'd watched the FX channel at any time during the press push for Grindhouse you've pretty much seen these standard, studio-produced extras.
- Stunts on Wheels: The Legendary Drivers of Death Proof
- Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike
- Finding Quentin's Girls
- The Guys of Death Proof
- Introducing Zoe Bell
- Quentin's Greatest Collaborator: Editor Sally Menke
- Poster Gallery
- Trailers
If you can read the titles, you immediately know what these featurettes are about. Pieced together, they constitute half the value of a commentary by writer/director Tarantino, whose talking head walks viewers through the casting process or stunt process, or appears from time to time to celebrate a personality like stuntwoman Zoe Bell.
There's not a lot of incredible depth here, but all of it is very surface-level fun and these personalities are all worth spending 10-minute segments of time with. The more stunt-focused featurettes are clearly the most impactful here, but the entire set -- somewhat like the movie itself -- is ultimately fun, but insubstantial.
Score: 7 out of 10


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Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre backed off comments on Monday that his ailing right shoulder might lead him to skip the team's next game.
After saying on Sunday that he needed to seek out medical help for his shoulder injury, Favre on Monday told ESPN that the ailment was "no big deal -- right now."
Vikings coach Brad Childress said Monday that Favre was "sore" but added that he did not expect the QB to undergo an MRI. He said he expected Favre would skip Wednesday's practice but be available on Thursday, a schedule he's followed in recent weeks.
Favre originally said that he felt pain in the right shoulder on Saturday. It's the same arm on which Favre had his biceps surgically repaired after the 2008 season.
Favre told ESPN on Sunday he would need to consult with Dr. James Andrews and suggested he might not be able to play next Sunday against Green Bay.
Injuries to his left foot (he has two broken bones) and chin (he needed stitches to close a gash on Oct. 31) have slowed Favre, 41, this season. But he has started 294 straight games dating back to 1992.
-- Sean Leahy
Nate Davis is a reporter, blogger and editor who's been at USA TODAY since 2000. He has covered the NFL since 2005. No, he did not play quarterback for Ball State. Davis' succession of our esteemed colleague Sean Leahy at The Huddle is considered a Brady-for-Bledsoe swap by most "insiders."More about Nate


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Etch A Sketch is a 1999 15.3hh Paint/Thoroughbred mare. She has many miles in the hunter ring up to 3'3" including RMWF. Has the ability to do the 3'6…SOLD
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13 year old 13.2hh Gelding Pony for Sale Up to date on all vaccinations Regular farrier work Has been schooled over fences Used as riding lesson pony…SOLD
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Sunchasers Quest (Chase) is a sound, steady & patient teacher for all those learning to ride and show dressage and hunter/jumpers. Schooling 2nd level…SOLD


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Social shopping meets interior design
Shopping has always been a social activity, but only recently have sites like Stylehive, Crowdstorm and ThisNext begun to make its social aspects explicit with ways to make recommendations, seek advice and discuss products online. Now Design My Room brings segmentation to the game with a site focused specifically on interior design.
Spotted another good idea???
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ParkZone 370 Brushless Outrunner Motor (1500kV)
This item is discontinued and no longer available for purchase. You may want to search our site for a similar item.
|Low Price:
Discontinued Online
This is a replacement ParkZone 1500kV 370 Brushless Outrunner Motor, and is intended for use with the ParkZone J-3 Cub and Super Decathlon.
This product was added to our catalog on February 19, 2009.


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The assault of the Keep.
First Chapter:His Father's Son
Previous chapter:His Father's Son 32
Next chapter:His Father's Son 34
The Hour of the Wolf
The dim light in the eastern sky heralds the slowly coming winter dawn; the land is still dark, masking the darkness spreading across it like incoming tide – the tide that will soon engulf and drown them all.
The wind, wailing on the battlement, cuts to the bone.
Straining his eyes, burning from the lack of sleep, Nathaniel tries to discern the first figures moving towards the Keep. He wishes for the light to come, though it can bring no hope along, and he knows all too well that it may well be the last dawn that he will ever see.
To his surprise, while acutely aware of the cold, he feels no fear, as if the lack of hope burnt any other feeling that he might still retain.
There is no hope, and nothing to be done.
Making use of the time bought by Danella's warning, Nathaniel has prepared the Keep's defences and manned its walls best he could, using every single able-bodied man from the castle estates while their families withdrew into its dubious safety. He sent out the word about the attack, as well – to Eddelbrek, and Ned, even to Denerim – but with the crisis at Amaranthine tying their forces, no reinforcements can be expected any time soon. Even with the men that Ned took with him, the Keep would have been undermanned; as it is now, Nathaniel cannot even hope to hold the outer walls. Abandoning the walls, repaired and heightened with such effort, is a bitter pill, but walls cannot hold out on their own without the men to defend them. The plan is to deal maximum damage to the darkspawn and then retreat to the second line of defence around the main courtyard and hold out there as long as they can. The last line then would be the Keep itself and the access to the vaults, sheltering the young and the old and those too frail to be of any use.
He doesn't turn or move, hearing footsteps, until Varel leans against the battlement next to him. They exchange glances; no words are needed. The seneschal has donned his armour; despite his age, he moves in it with the ease of a long-time warrior. Below them, the thin lines of defenders stand on the outer walls, illuminated in regular intervals by burning iron casks heating oil and water in large cauldrons. The ballistae are manned; what little archers remained to Nathaniel's disposal are stationed on the towers and platforms under Maverlies' command. The best of them received what remained of Dworkin and Cera's special produce arrows – against the numbers they are facing, an insubstantial few.
Yet other explosives of the crazy dwarf's experimental workshop await to wreak havoc when the darkspawn amass below the walls; once the fighting spills over the walls and into the courtyards, the explosions would be too dangerous to the defenders themselves.
Once the darkspawn break in, it will be a man-to-man fight for which the Keep's armory yielded its best – every single runed sword, every piece of dragonbone left there after Ned's departure – and yet even that will not be enough.
The skill and the will, the equipment and spells, cannot replace numbers.
"'Told you that you should have stayed in the Marches," Varel remarks. "This place is about to get bad for your health soon enough."
"I don't think I'll have the time to develop some plague," Nathaniel retorts. Besides, I'm already carrying one in my veins.
Briefly, he thinks of Astrid whose body now rests in the serene peace of the Chantry: they will join soon again. His mind strays to Delilah, as well, the darling little sister, lost and found again, who may still live and pass on the blood of the Howes, and to Ned, fighting a desperate fight, not knowing that what he has striven to build will vanish shortly.
Shortly, but not without a fight, Nathaniel thinks. I, Nathaniel Howe, will not let you down. I'll do my duty best I can.
He turns to Varel. "Time we took our places." At the gate, the fight will be the worst: he placed there the best men, along with Oghren and Sigrun – the only Wardens left at his disposal, as the dwarves could never hope to keep up with Ned's riders. "Oh, never mind, I'm dead anyway," the former scout of the Legion remarked merrily when she learned about their prospects; Oghren's only reaction was a swig from his inseparable bottle which he generously offered to the others. The bottle passed from hand to hand in grave silence, till the only remaining of Cera's apprentices, a healer looking barely past fifteen, coughed on the strong ale.
"We'll get stuck in the darkspawn's throat like that, as well," Nathaniel said then, "we will make them remember the Keep with fear."
Time to stay true to the words.
Routinely, he checks the positions of his blades and takes the great Howe bow which he has put on the battlement but then Varel stops him, touching his shoulder. "It is an honour to fight along with you, Nathaniel Howe."
"Likewise," he replies, slightly bowing to repay the seneschal's courtesy.
The older man then produces a wolfish grin, apparently to crack another witty line, but then he frowns and looks beyond Nathaniel: "What's that?"
A tiny sparkle of light: several of them, in fact, approaching fast: riders. The sound of the warhorn sounding the familiar signal catches them already on the stairs as they both rush to the battlement of the main gate.
They are not the only ones rushing: the darkspawn also speed up, to prevent the reinforcements to reach the Keep: Nathaniel can already feel the Taint surging and in the first echo of light, he can see the darkness swarming with shapes pressing on.
The riders make it, though: on foaming horses, they reach the gate, the griffon armour in the front.
Nathaniel cannot speak, his heart throbbing in his throat, and so it is Varel who take over the initiative: "Lord Commander… this is entirely unexpected, though I cannot say unwelcome. But what happened? How did you learn in time? And what about Amaranthine? Did she fall before you arrived? What about the darkspawn there, are they marching at the Keep, as well?"
Garavel is already ordering the men to take posts on the battlement; they move in grim silence. Ned glances there briefly and then turns to Varel, his eyes passing Nathaniel with only the slightest faltering. "I learned," he says: a tense, harsh tone that makes Nathaniel's heart stop for a while, "I learned and had to deal with the darkspawn there quickly to get back in time."
Varel knits his brows, and Ned's eyes swerve to Nathaniel again, an emotion fleeting across his face but not making it into the voice: "Now we have to deal with those here to make it worth a city burnt to the ground."
Nathaniel cannot breathe, cannot speak, and Ned still won't look at him.
He moves, and the movement catches Ned's eye: something wild, and dark, is in those eyes, and then the moment is gone with the alert sounded on the battlement, and Ned springs to the stairs, Varel behind him.
Another familiar figure passes, and Nathaniel's hand catches his sleeve. In that bleak pre-dawn light, Anders' eyes seem also dark, with a look he hasn't seen before.
"What happened?" the voice is rasp, not like Nathaniel's own. "What –"
What is with my sister? Maker help me, what is with Delilah?
The mage yanks his arm free and his eyes also swerve, and Nathaniel feels the urge to grab him and shake the life out of him. "Anders –" he says instead and his voice breaks.
The mage casts a quick look at the battlement, at Ned giving out orders, and rakes both his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry, Nathaniel… the city was overrun, and those beasts brought with them some new form of the taint, they spread the Blight disease around much faster than normally… when we arrived, Aidan and what remained of his men and some Templars were trying to keep both the darkspawn and the afflicted within the city walls. Then…" he rakes his hands through his hair again. "A messenger from the Architect arrived, claiming that this is all that Mother's doing and that the attack on Amaranthine was just a trap and that another army is marching to assault the Keep. Garavel then suggested burning the city…"
His words blend in nonsensical droning, drowning in the blood throbbing in Nathaniel's ears.
Burnt. Afflicted. Tainted. Burnt.
"Anders! Get over here!"
The sharp order pierces through the haze of Nathaniel's disorganized thoughts and he looks up at the battlement, at Ned's dark outline against the sky. But you said, he thinks helplessly, you swore…
"I'm sorry," Anders mutters, and rushes past him up the staircase, a corona of energy enveloping his staff even before he reaches the battlement, while Nathaniel just stands there, lost, without a single thought in his head. He is woken from the stupor only when someone slaps his flank:
"Here we go, blighter. Time to kill ourselves some 'spawn."
Time to kill. Good. Following Oghren on the battlement, he prepares his bow. Kill. Kill them all.
The great bow of Padraig Howe starts singing its song.
Later on, Nathaniel remember only little of that all: the strain of his right arm, pulling the bow, the string twanging against his left bracer, again and again, amid the heavy whooshing of the trebuchets pouring their fiery loads at the darkspawn; the blue-white flashes of Dworkin's explosives, the fire and lightning conjured by the mages. Somewhere to his right, a clear elven voice yells incantation; below him, darkspawn's guttural sounds turn into screeches in a pour of heated oil. At spots, the whirls of fire and magic resonate from the darkspawn hordes, and in the flashes of light Nathaniel can clearly see the emissaries; he can also distinguish some of the darkspawn moving with purpose, driving and commanding others.
At those, he tries to aim his arrows, sending each with a prayer of vengeance, willing them dead, dead, dead.
Some time in between, the day dawns, allowing him to aim with greater precision, and then, his quiver is empty. The battlement under his feet resonates with dull thuds: the darkspawn, unskilled in sieging techniques, have failed to climb the walls time and again, and so their main force now concentrates on the gate. Despite the joined effort of archers and mages, ogres wearing protective plating have reached the gate: a breach is only a matter of a brief time.
As if in response to his thoughts, a warhorn is blown: retreat.
Not a moment too soon: the defenders haven't even reached the inner fortifications when the gate crashes open, its splinters flying wide. The first ogre to come through falls to the ground almost immediately but behind it, an unstoppable wave of attackers pours in: hurlocks and genlocks, and Children, borne on tall legs, their mandibles under the parodies of faces twitching and sputtering green slime.
A small force of fighters, positioned behind the gate, is the only thing that stands between the horrors and the retreating men: Oghren and Justice at the peak, and the man in the griffon armour, the dark blade of his new sword glistening with fiery runes which Wade wrought into it.
Reaching the inner gate, Nathaniel grabs a full quiver from a supplier's hand and under Garavel's command, takes the position with the other archers to cover the retreat of the rearguard. The fight is violent: the man – the Commander – is fighting with the fervour of one not caring whether he lives or dies, focusing only on bringing down as many enemies as possible: the intent that Nathaniel shares himself.
Shouted warnings from the walls behind them alert to a new danger: unopposed, the darkspawn are now pouring over the battlement at several spots, threatening to overwhelm the rearguard.
To the left and right of the defenders, fire pours as if from nowhere: the magic attack brings the darkspawn to a falter while the remains of the defenders have withdrawn, the rearguard following step by step, forming a shield wall.
With his face contorted in hatred, Nathaniel sends an arrow after another into the thickest of the darkspawn as fast as he can: he cannot possibly miss.
Then, just as Garavel sends a group of men into counterattack to relieve the pressure on the Commander's group, already within the reach of the gate, another ogre appears. Brutally stomping on the darkspawn which are not quick enough to evade, it makes its way towards the rearguard, the arrows and missiles bouncing off the heavy plates covering its head and chest.
With a deafening roar, it charges, ignoring the flashes of electricity dancing along its body.
The defence line breaks: the men are being tossed aside like dolls. The organized retreat suddenly becomes chaos as the darkspawn immediately move into the broken lines. To make the matters worse, the beast is not dead yet – temporarily staggering, it straightens and roars again, looking around for victims, and finding one right ahead, pressed by several hurlocks and Children so hard that he cannot possibly turn in time –
Nathaniel may have shouted the name along with others; his arrow buried deep in the beast's throat, in between the armour plates, but that is still not enough. The men around are fighting for their own lives: no help from there. A few others charge to get closer but those cannot make it in time, either.
Yet, someone is still close enough to act.
The beast howls, its crushing fists deterred, and heavily slumps to a knee as a blade cuts through its tendons, but immediately waves the armoured fist in another arc. It connects with the breastplate, tossing the man aside in a crumpled heap, and Nathaniel feels yet another pang of despair piercing him through: Varel!
A roar from multiple throats follows as the charging men swarm on the ogre. A blade is thrust into its open maw and the man barely stops to release it before unleashing his wrath on the darkspawn around.
Under the fierceness of the attack, the darkspawn falter again and the defenders finally reach the inner gate, the Commander and the man who slew the ogre as the last, and only then does Nathaniel recognize Alec, the former shepherd, sentenced for stealing the royal grain.
One man who has nothing to lose, and the other fighting for everything: Alec's wife is tending to the wounded in the main hall, his little children are hiding with the others in the vaults.
For them. For them the fight must be fought, and lives not thrown away without purpose.
With that thought, Nathaniel's mind finally clears. Briefly following Varel's bloodied face as he is being carried away to the healers, his hands are steady and calm on his bow again. He does not keep count of the emptied quivers or of the men falling: there is a duty to do. When the inner gate is broken through, as well, he casts aside the bow and joins in the fray in the courtyard where men form the last defence line, with the main building of the Keep behind their backs.
Some time in the fight, Nathaniel finds himself fighting alongside Ned and Oghren; at another, Sigrun covers his back while Justice clears the area around with mighty swings of his broadswoard, indefatigable as the death itself, against the tapestry of burning fires illuminating the darkness.
Slowly, step by step, they are being pushed back, to charge and regain ground again, in the endless rhythm of tide, though worn down more and more.
And then, just as Nathaniel feels that every strike of his blade may be the last that he will be deliver to bear, the onslaught stops. When pushed back, the darkspawn do not press ahead but keep retreating, faster and faster, until the retreat turns into flight.
Nathaniel makes a few staggering steps ahead and then stops, his exhausted brain taking long to realize what has just happened: we… won?
Under Garavel's orders, men hastily barricade the broken gate, unsure if the break in fighting is temporary or not. The courtyard is strewn with bodies, darkspawn and defenders like, but darkspawn prevail, in ugly, taint-leaking heaps.
As if drawn by the lights in the windows of the great hall, Nathaniel slowly drags on the weary legs there, only now becoming aware of the wounds he has sustained. With numb hands, he gropes for the emergency potion but the pouch is empty: he must have imbibed it without even realizing.
The hall is in hustle as more and more injured are being brought in; it takes him a while to find what he is looking for.
Lying on a pallet, Varel's face is ashen, his breath laborious but his eyes open; kneeling by him, Ned is covered in dark blood from head to toe.
The dying man cannot speak; he only moves his hand in effort, and Ned grasps it with both his. "Don't die, Varel," he says hoarsely. "You took an arrow for me, you can cope with this, as well. Don't…"
The seneschal smiles at him, blood trickling from his mouth, and then his eyes wander over Ned's shoulder, to Nathaniel, before they lose focus and he exhales with a last rasping breath.
As if only now aware of his presence, Ned half-turns, his face frozen in an expression of pain, and anger.
For a moment, their eyes lock, and then it all suddenly becomes much to bear. Turning on his heel, Nathaniel brusquely strides away, to a free spot at the opposite side of the hall, where he simply slides down along the wall and falls into an exhausted sleep almost before he touches the floor.


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text:
Yay!!!! A fluffy romance-ey chapter!!!! Too bad I can't read it yet...it's not validated...:( Oh well, I didn't give it enough time to be validated anyway. :P
Author's Response: That's really odd - keep checking. I just got an email from the mod saying it was approved and posted. ;-) Hope you enjoy!
aw so he disided to turn up the git! oo but i still like it so yeah
Author's Response: ooooh. You are RIGHT before the three-chapter wedding romance extravaganza!! Keep reading, keep reading!! :-)
awww i realy like this romance !!!
Author's Response: Well, it's about time R/Hr have a little romance, right?
awwwwwww i realy do like this story alot!
Author's Response: I am so glad...the first dozen chapters or so are all fluffiness and warmth - I have to admit, some plotty stuff gets into the story as well, but I try never to forget that the readers want fluffy shippiness, so I give it to you all as much as possible!
aw true love shigh sooo romantic
Author's Response: Isn't it? ;-)
aww flirty wirty ronywony and hermywormy thay make such a cute coupel-wupel :)
Author's Response: They ARE my fave 'ship, that's for sure...
chukel good coking is alwas somthing to be missed! i realy do like this
Author's Response: hehehehe. It gets even fluffier before this story turns plotty. I think you are gonna like the next few chappies...
aww so sweet im puting it on my faves and am going to keep reading
Author's Response: Hurrah!! Glad you are enjoying, and of course, love being added to readers' fave lists!
awwww swwet im definitly going to keep reading
Author's Response: Awweee!! I LOVE reviews from new readers...makes me remember the early chapters from way back when...
i really did like this chapter. i, myself, disagree with you and think that snape is actually evil, but its very interesting to see him portrayed as helpful to fiora and hermionie. im also glad that you ended this chapter with hermionie and ron. dont get me wrong, i love the action in this stroy, but what drew me to this fic was the relationship between hermionie and ron being portrayed. i would love to read another fic by you (hopefully you will still be writing) more like the beginning of the story, because i am a sappy/romance kind of girl. great writing, and i'm sorry if my advice gets annoying! ; )
Author's Response: Not at all - I reallly love when readers tell me how they feel about the writing - and I have a REALLLY great surprise for you - the next chapter, "Dream a Little Dream" is ALL R/Hr fluff. They whole darned thing, all 1700 words of it. So, I really hope you enjoy it. It should be posted this week sometime! ~ Your Author PS - I am glad that, while you don't agree with my version of Snape, you are willing to read on. I hope I explain his actions well enough for you, I am a sticklers for canon.
Awww. I'm gald Hermione's safe. She's always been one of my favourite characters. It was odd about Snape too; having a crush on her.lol. Sigh, I wonder is Snape truly is good - according to J.K. I never really liked Snape till HBP, and then i couldn't believe that he could be so evil. Sigh. We shall see eventually I guess.
Great story...update soon!
Author's Response: Ah, I really think that Snape, as written by JKR, will turn out to be a "good guy" in disguise - which is different than a nice guy. I think what we all have to remember is that we see Snape through Harry's eyes, and while Snape deserves keeping an eye on, Harry's a bit prejudice against him. There's a difference between being GOOD and being NICE, if you get me...
Oh My God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was the best fanfic I have EVER read!!! Serious Props! Bravo!!!!!!!!! When will the next chapter come?
Author's Response: Thank you thank you thank you!!! Well, aside from this last chappie, which took awhile for me to write/post, I tend to update once a week/even 10 days or so. I am about a third of the way through the next chapter, so I will probably submit it tomorrow or Tues...look for it by the end of the week! :-)
how is snape good? there has to be a catch.
Author's Response: Why do you think there has to be a catch? People can be decent, have decent morals, and still be unplesant or petty or whatever. As Sirius (or was it Lupin?) said in OoP "The world is not divided into good people and Death Eaters". There are LOTS of not-so-nice people that would never kill, or steal, or murder, or destroy things. You might not invite Snape to dinner - BUT that doesn't make him evil. Remember, he DID save Harry's life. And he DIDN'T kill him when he had plenty of opportunities to do so.
oh i love your story. keep up the good work, I've added you to my favs. update soon
Author's Response: Hey thanks a lot. I am trying to get back to my old updating schedule, namely, once a week if possible. Working on the new chapter now!
Awwwww...such a cute ending!!! Now I can't wait to see where our heroic trio will end up next! *giggle* I looooooved how you made Snape good while still keeping him Snape-ish. When Hermione says "You killed Dumbledore?" I thought "Wow, that would be so hard to answer and make it sound like Snape." But you pulled it off! ((((As always :D)))) Hope to see an update soon!
aahhh, that's so sweet!!! luved the ending!!!!!
Author's Response: yyyyaaaayy!!
OMG!! I LOVE the ending! u have 2 update soon! I wanna c Harry and Gnny's reactions to Hermione bein bac and how everything plays out! lol! I love ur story!
OMG!! I LOVE the ending! u have 2 update soon! I wanna c Harry and Gnny's reactions to Hermione bein bac and how everything plays out! lol! I love ur story!
Author's Response: awweee! Thank you so very much. Yeah, can you imagine what Harry's gonna say about Snape helping Hermione and Fiora!?!??! That'll be an interesting conversation!
i'm glad ron and hermione are back together :)
i nominated you for the quicksilver quills too...i don't know if it worked though. good luck!
can't wait for the next chapter!!!!!!!!!!
Author's Response: Oh, wow!! Thanks so much, very very sweet of you! Yeah, it's nice to have those two back together again...
awwww I love it!!!
Author's Response: yay!! I am very glad you enjoyed it!


text:
Reports roll in of mountain lion sighting near Windsor; officials urge caution
July 10, 2013
To report
Anyone who sees a lion or bobcat is asked to call the Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Fort Collins office at (970) 472-4300.
With rumors swirling that a mountain lion or two have been spotted roaming near Windsor, officials are urging caution and reiterating that sightings are not unheard of, even this far from the foothills.
Unconfirmed reports have indicated a mountain lion or two may have been exploring areas near Soaring Eagle Ranch north of Windsor. There have been no reports of any attacks on pets or livestock, said Jennifer Churchill, spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
"We're not sure if we have a bobcat or a lion in the area," she said, adding that officers in the area will be extra vigilant of any reports. "It would not be impossible for a bobcat or lion to find its way out there."
Big game including mountain lions often explore areas along rivers in search of new territory. If food sources like deer or elk are in the area, it's always a possibility, she said, adding that they won't often stick around if they can't find their normal prey.
She said she could not recall a mountain lion or bobcat ever attacking in this area.
Police Chief John Michaels said there has been a mountain lion that has explored areas around Windsor "for several years," and they typically don't bother anyone.
Division of Wildlife officers will step up patrols if reports start rolling in, Churchill said.
"Use you usual Colorado diligence as far as coming and going from your home and keeping your pets and livestock safe," she said.
To report
Anyone who sees a lion or bobcat is asked to call the Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Fort Collins office at (970) 472-4300.
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