text:
"Jethro. You're a little late. Come on in." Chegwidden stated placidly, sipping from the tumbler in his hand before striding slowly back to the center of the room where he'd been having a quiet conversation with Clayton Webb.
Tony opened his mouth to speak, but a look from Gibbs clearly warned him that, despite what he'd said earlier, now was not the time. Silent, he allowed Jethro to lead him to the corner just left of the door and back him into it. The brief pressure of a hand on his chest told him to stay there. The other man, meanwhile, grabbed a sign from a cabinet and hung it on the outside of the door. After he closed and locked the entrance, while Tony watched with wide eyes, Gibbs moved a few feet into the room, stopped and fell to his knees, hands behind his back and head bowed.
The two other men finished their talk and walked forward, splitting up as they moved. A.J. walked to Jethro and placed a gentle hand on his neck. This was obviously a sign of release, because Gibbs rose to his feet and gently embraced his friend.
Clay stepped up to greet Tony.
"T... um, Anthony?"
"Good. You learn fast. He's the only one allowed to use a nickname in here." Clay said wryly, indicating the admiral with a thumb over his shoulder. "He's proud of his full name, but he knows it's too much work for the rest of us to say it over and over. Call him A.J."
"Yeah... okay. Can I ask a question?"
"Of course."
"What's going on here? I have an idea, but... I'm pretty sure it can't be right."
"Lots of things happen in this place. Most of it's sexual, but not all." Clay explained, taking a pull on his drink. "The best description would probably be an escape club."
"From the world?"
"Sometimes. Do you want anything to drink before we get going, by the way?"
"Ummm... beer?'
"NA only. Alcohol interferes with the process."
The mere idea of non-alcoholic beer made Tony grimace.
"I'll get it." He agreed, turning away.
"Wait... am I... why are we here tonight, specifically?"
"Jethro is here for pain management and absolution. You're here to learn. I hope Dasani is acceptable. It's the only bottled water the big man will drink."
"Yeah... yeah, it's fine."
"Good. Unless A.J. says different, stay there. I'll be right back."
"C'mon. He's an admiral, yeah, but he's not my superior. I'm not even military..."
"Kid, stay in the corner. You do *not* want to hear the word correction any time tonight, trust me. It never involves sticky white fluid, not even the good kind."
Tony blushed heavily, threw Clay a wide, transparently false smile to hide his alarm and did as he'd been told. A minute or two later, the smaller man returned with the water, a miniature white towel wrapped around the chilled plastic bottle to absorb condensation. Bewildered, Tony studied the arrangement then looked back up at his host.
"No paper napkins?"
"Napkins and paper towels shred when they get wet enough. It leaves a mess. Besides, they offer the best here. No reason not to take advantage of it."
"Makes sense. Can I crack it now?"
"I'd wait. Looks like they're ready to go."
Tony turned his eyes to the other two men and watched them approach. Within a few feet of his position, Jethro stopped, hands in his pockets, but A.J. kept coming.
"Anthony. Welcome." He said, holding out his hand. Tony grasped and shook it, but only after a second or two of delay, caused by the residual surprise and confusion he was still slogging through.
"Sorry. I'm a little..."
"Overwhelmed? Perfectly natural. Glad you're here tonight, son. Once you know all the details, you won't regret showing up, I can guarantee it. Let's head to the lounge and Clayton and I will fill you in. Jethro..."
Gibbs nodded and headed in the opposite direction, entering a small room in the far corner. "Have a seat, Anthony."
A.J. dropped into a chair and waited until Tony had settled on a nearby couch before he continued speaking. "Just so I'm clear on what you know and don't know... Jethro didn't tell you anything about where he was taking you tonight?"
"No. All he said was he needed my help. I thought maybe it was case research or a stakeout."
"He probably thought he'd scare you off. He couldn't afford that. He does need you, Anthony... more than you realize."
Clay took over the story at that point.
"I've only known Jethro for a year or two. Only met him a few times, but his commitment to the job was obvious from day one. It's a good thing, don't get me wrong. It helps him solve cases that would slip right through other people's hands. Unfortunately, it's a bad thing too."
A.J. sighed quietly, finished off the liquid in his glass and continued.
"Once in a long while, especially if a case hits too close to home, or if one of his people ends up hurt... he can't let go of it. He digs in his heels and wraps himself in the work until he can't see anything else. I've seen it get so bad he starts neglecting his health... skipping food and sleep, never taking a minute to relax or try and forget. Eventually, I brought him here... convinced him to let someone try and help."
Tony's eyes widened.
"It went wrong didn't it?"
A.J. looked at him intently. "I... we met someone in the hall. He said something about Gi... Jethro being in "Forgive Me Father" mode, whatever that means, and that he let it get out of hand once... "
"It was nasty. Don't ever ask him. He wouldn't tell you even if you did, but..."
"I get it. So... that's when you..."
"I studied, learned what I needed to know... then I stepped in, yes. Had to. I couldn't watch a good man and a good friend hurting like he was and not do everything I could to make it better."
"The office invasion... he's been pulling back lately... staying in the office 24/7. God..."
"He'll be alright, Anthony. Now that he's here, he'll be alright. I have to warn you, some of what you'll see tonight is gonna look a little like... abuse. We yell at him, push his buttons... and the sexual component can stray toward the wild side a little. You have to understand that what your eyes tell you isn't the whole story."
"He knows exactly what's coming." Clay added. "He knows and accepts it. Most of us have a mechanism... something inside that lets us forgive ourselves and realize that not every major fuck-up in life is our fault. Somewhere in his past Jethro either lost his or intentionally left it for dead. We're helping him rebuild it, but until that's complete... an occasional night like this serves an important purpose for him."
"Okay. I see that. The pain management and absolution part I get now. Do I dare ask what I'm supposed to be here to learn?"
"To be our surrogate when we aren't around. And class is officially in session." Clay said, seeing Jethro approaching. He rose to his feet only a second or two behind A.J. and moved to stand beside the older man. Tony, curious, followed Clay's line of sight and, almost literally, his chin hit his chest. As Gibbs walked toward the group, Tony had to force his eyes to stay on the man's face instead of roaming over his naked body as they were suddenly aching to do. That realization made Tony's stomach clench and twist and he pushed the disturbing thought firmly to the back of his mind.
Gibbs dropped to his knees again, though this time his head stayed up, and his facilitators soon joined him.
"Jethro. Are you ready to begin?" Clay asked, gently stroking Gibbs' soft hair, soothing him with an easy touch
"Yeah. I'm ready."
"This won't be an easy night. You've sunk pretty deep this time. You let it go too long."
"I know."
"You've got some harsh time ahead. You up to the challenge?" A.J. continued.
"Usually." He amended, smiling. "Tonight, though, it's the truth, so I'll let it slide. Clayton, will you show Anthony the cabinet and gather up what we'll need to get started?"
Clay stood and headed toward the left hand wall where a pair of tall doors was inset. Retrieving a small ring of keys from his pocket, he opened the doors, revealing a shallow closet with several shelves, some holding objects and items Tony at least recognized, though he blushed brightly, and some laden with things he couldn't even imagine names and uses for. Clay quickly picked up what he needed, closed and re-locked the cabinet and pointed to a stack of six lightweight exercise mats lying on the floor. "Can you grab those?" he asked. Tony nodded, hefted them and followed the other back to where Gibbs and A.J. still knelt. Clay showed him how to lay the mats out so that they formed a large rectangle. After a minute or two of shifting and settling, the three most heavily involved in the session were kneeling together on the padding as they had been on the floor and Tony was seated cross legged a foot or two away, watching intently for the most part, only turning his gaze away when it threatened to become embarrassing. A.J. caught him at this and admonished him gently.
"Anthony. Eyes up. You need to see everything. If we can't be here to help him, it'll fall to you. You could hurt him if you do this wrong."
"Sorry. It's... I've never..."
"Showers in the locker room are a few years back. I understand."
"I never showered with the other cops. I always waited 'till the room was empty. Unwritten rule number one is those who get caught looking get their heads beat in."
A.J. arched an eyebrow but made no other comment.
"The rules here are different. You need to see how we do this."
"Pop quiz later?"
"Yeah. Hands on pop quiz. On yourself."
Tony lost most of his normal color. It was replaced a moment later with pale green.
"Oh. Uh... good incentive to pay attention."
"Isn't it?" Clay replied with a grin, continuing to stroke and caress Jethro's cock, enticing it to fill and lengthen. When the other man was about half hard, A.J. picked up one of the items Clay had taken from the closet and showed it to Tony.
"Cock ring. I add a tiny smear of lube around the inside to prevent chafing... slowly push it up... and secure it around the base." he directed, intent on his task.
"But... the point of... that'll stop him from..."
"Yes, it will. He doesn't get to come until he's earned it."
"Earned it?"
"He gets relief when he acknowledges that he didn't cause what happened... that the terrorist getting in, that young man getting shot... none of it was his fault. Once he can say that, and make us believe that *he* believes it, the ring, and whatever else we decide to use, disappear."
Gibbs scowled at Clay and spat a response through his teeth.
"Go to hell."
"It can be a long night or a short one, Jethro. It's up to you." A.J. told him stoically, turning to Tony again. "For every half-hour he stays stubborn... one more item gets used. Nipple clamps, an anal plug... as you saw that cabinet holds plenty of choices."
"But... how long can you keep this up? You could do damage to his... to him if you leave that ring on..."
"It won't get that far... will it Jethro?"
"Hell it won't..."
"Every single member of your team is over eighteen. You are not completely responsible for them and you are *not* responsible for some terrorist's agenda."
"I'm the leader. My job is to protect them..."
"Protect them when you can see the threat coming, yeah. Did you see this asshole coming? Huh? Answer me, Jethro." Clay demanded
"I should have..."
"How? Are you psychic now? Is that why you think you should have predicted the infiltration?"
"I should have guessed... been faster... smarter..."
"He had people you care about hostage, Jethro. At gunpoint. Speed and brainpower wouldn't have changed anything. You know that..."
"No, I don't, damn it! I was supposed to save them! They trusted me!"
"They trusted you not to come charging into that morgue and get them and yourself killed!"
"You don't understand... you weren't there, you weren't in my shoes..."
For the next twenty-five minutes Tony watched and listened as the three men argued back and forth. Always, one or the other had a hand on Jethro's shoulder, back or hair, calmly touching and reassuring, ignoring the fact that their subject only seemed to be more and more furious and tense as time went on. Finally, exactly as half an hour elapsed, Clay beckoned to Tony and he knee-walked closer, grimly accepting the clamps and connecting chain.
"I'll talk you through it, okay? Here... see how they loosen... right. Don't tighten them too much... watch how they're positioned... good. Nice job."
Jethro groaned and the young man flinched, reaching out to remove the metal device, but A.J. grabbed his wrist. They remained in that position, locked in a silent showdown for several seconds, until Tony gave in, dropped his eyes and was released. He laid a hand on Gibbs' knee, gently rubbing and trying to give comfort as the others had been doing, and was relieved when he wasn't reprimanded and sent back to his former place.
"That's good. Keep it up. It won't be much longer."
"Okay, back to work, Jethro. Tell me again why you're to blame. Explain to me how it is you let this happen."
"I let them down... I failed Gerald... failed Ducky and Kate..."
Slowly, Gibbs collapsed onto his side, curled up in a ball. Tony thought that now, at last, this clear sign of surrender would make the questioning cease, or at least ease the tone, but the others only pushed harder.
"So you opened the door for him? Handed him the gun and invited him in for coffee, did you?"
"No... God, no..."
"You told him how to get past the security, then. How and where to find exactly what he was looking for."
"No! Shut up! God, shut up..." he begged, eyes tightly shut against onrushing tears. Watching Gibbs rock back and forth, and knowing he wasn't allowed to help, Tony was in pain as well, but he somehow stayed in control and didn't interfere.
"Then how are you to blame? What did you do to grease the wheels so Gerald would be shot? Was that bullet hole in you part of the plan?"
Jethro moaned deep in his chest, sounding like a wounded, terrified, inconsolable child, but he refused to answer.
"Did you plan the attack? Did you sit down with that creep and work out every detail? C'mon, Jethro, answer! Talk to me! Did you plan this?"
"no..." was finally forced from Gibbs' lips, though it could barely be heard.
"One more time. Louder."
"Again. Did you have anything to do with the attack on NCIS headquarters? Yell it this time, damn you! Scream it!"
Gibbs shuddered violently all over, clenched his hands into fists so tight that blood oozed from one palm and abruptly let out a bellow that seemed to shake the room.
The sound momentarily frightened Tony, who fell backwards and lay half-prone, stunned and unable to think. A.J. and Clay, however, were instantly wrapped around a sobbing Jethro. They whispered in his ear and soothed him with soft, consoling words.
"That's right... you didn't hurt them... it wasn't your fault..."
"I tried... I couldn't be stupid... couldn't risk them..."
"I know... you did everything right... nobody blames you... let it go..."
Tony, now recovered and back in a sitting position, gazed at his boss. Seeing the pain in his expression, A.J. gave up his place behind Jethro and encouraged Tony to supplant him. The younger man did so, tentatively, but when a hand grasped his, pulling it around to the front of Jethro's body, he balked.
"I can't... he doesn't want that... not from me..."
"You'd be surprised. You can do it... release this... that's right... slide it down and off... wrap your hand loosely... set a rhythm with your strokes... just like you would on yourself... perfect..." Removing the clamps, A.J. and Clay both backed off then and let instinct lead the way.
His own tears now flowing, despite his efforts to contain them, Tony spoke close to Gibbs' ear as A.J. had been doing. As he murmured comfort, Jethro began to come in his hand, pouring out his delayed orgasm along with the last of his anguish.
"God... oh, God... please... I'm so sorry... God, Gerald... I'm sorry..."
"So am I, Jethro... so am I. You and me, we're gonna make a deal. I know it's your way not to talk about the shit you're going through... but no more, okay? Starting now... when you need anything, you tell me. Maybe I won't be able to get or fix whatever it is... but I wanna hear about it... Understand?"
As he descended from emotional and physical heights, all Gibbs could manage was further shivering and a dubious, non-committal sigh. "On second thought, forget it for now. We'll talk about it later."
Tony felt a vague nod against his collarbone and took that as agreement to defer the conversation. As Clay draped a heavy blanket over them and nudged pillows under their heads, Tony gratefully closed his eyes and began to drift, belatedly realizing that he was exhausted.
"Anthony, remember?" Dinozzo responded muzzily. He had been partially awakened by the restless shifting of the body in his arms and had forced himself to consciousness in case Gibbs was having a nightmare.
"Session's over."
"Listen... I know you have a million questions..."
"Actually... just one. For the moment."
"What the hell is an MA and why did your friend apply the term to me?"
Webb answered the question himself as the pair approached and crouched down.
"MA stands for Marzipan Angel. Around here it means someone who's especially sweet and innocent."
"And looks good enough to eat." A.J. added with a grin. "You doing better, Jethro?"
Gibbs groaned faintly as he sat up.
"Yeah. Much. Man... you guys shoved with both hands this time."
"Long as it worked, that's all that counts."
Turning to Tony, A.J.'s grin widened and took on a distinctly mischievous cast. Dinozzo began to slowly crab crawl backwards.
"You weren't serious. Tell me you weren't..."
"I never joke when it comes to sex, son." When Tony continued to sidle away, Chegwidden sobered and his voice became commanding. "Do I need to say it? If I say the word, I'll have no choice but to choose something from the closet."
"If I were you, kid... I wouldn't mess around." Clay chimed in. "No sticky white fluid, remember?"
"The ring really isn't that bad, Tony." Gibbs reassured him. "He won't hurt you. You can trust him..."
"Trust? I trust him as much as I trust anybody else. That's not the point!"
"I see that." Clay intoned quietly. "A.J... back off a minute. Let him breathe. You're wrong, you know, Tony."
"About what?"
"Jethro. And, if I had to make a guess, relationships in general, but we can discuss that another time. He wants you. He has for a long while now."
Tony's face darkened.
"I've been wanted before. It starts out good... but by the end it sucks like you can't possibly believe."
"Go on. Keep talking."
"I don't know... I'm just not sure it's worth it anymore. You get close... you start to put the breakable parts of you out on display and wham! The person who "wanted" you yesterday, wants something or somebody else today and doesn't give a damn how it affects you. Just wanting isn't enough and I won't go through that again."
A.J. reached out cautiously and touched Tony's face.
"Amazing... to be his age and be so open... I thought the breed was extinct."
"I was certain of it. Jethro... you need to tell him."
"Did you not hear that little bit of eloquence he just put out there? He's been hurt as badly as you have. Tell him the truth."
Gibbs grimaced, squirmed and finally turned to his young colleague. He started to speak twice, but abandoned whatever he was going to say. Finally he managed a word, but stalled out. Dinozzo, however, wouldn't let him get away with that.
"Yeah? That all? You know my name. Terrific. Take me somewhere we haven't been."
"Damn it, Dinozzo, will you let me talk?"
"Is that what you were trying to do? Sounded like we were doing introductions, but since I already know who I am..."
Gibbs growled in frustration, leaned in and drove Tony down onto the mats, hands on his shoulders, mouths locked fiercely together. He didn't pull back until oxygen deprivation became an issue and Dinozzo was a puddle of unresisting, man-shaped goo underneath him.
"Now who's incoherent?"
"Thought so."
"You love me."
Gibbs grinned.
"Duh." He replied, dropping another brief kiss on Tony's lips and then whispering in his ear. "You ready to try this?"
"What? I... I guess."
"I'm telling you, babe... the ring can be really amazing. However bad you need to let loose... it just builds on that... and builds on it 'till you'll do anything for the chance to come."
"Half an hour... I couldn't take that."
A.J. stepped in to reassure the younger man.
"No, son. That was a session. This is nothing but pleasure and showing us you were paying attention."
"Oh... okay. I'll try."
"Good man." Clay praised, pressing the small device into Tony's hand. Initiating another kiss in the hopes he could keep his young lover anxiety-free, Jethro slowly snaked a hand down Dinozzo's body and lowered his zipper. A low cry of surprise burst against Gibbs' lips and he quickly spoke to soothe any fear.
"It's okay. Easy... you're okay."
"Sorry. It's... been a while."
"Dinozzo, the perpetual chick magnet?"
"Not so much. More like perpetual liar. Working where we do... covering becomes a habit."
"I know."
"Shhh. I promise this is just the start... I won't let it be all there is to remember." He vowed as he reached in and gently released Tony's cock.
"Ahhh... whoa... warm hands... forgot how good that could feel..."
"Compliment appreciated. It's about time for that pop quiz..."
"Oh... oh yeah."
In spite of a distinct tremble in his hands, Tony was able to correctly place and secure the cock ring. Jethro then proceeded to touch, stroke and tease the other man until tears were threatening to spill down his face.
"God... no more... please let me take it off... let me come..."
"Go ahead." A.J. told him. "You'll want to let go immediately, but try and hold it together, just for a few seconds. Let Jethro be the one to take you over the edge."
"I'll... try..."
Once the ring was slipped off, Clay took it away for cleaning and the admiral followed, leaving the other two on the mats alone.
"Don't touch me... just for a second... let me..."
"Okay. You tell me when you're ready. It's all you..."
Tony clenched his eyes shut, willing his frantic breathing to slow just a little. When he felt he had regained some measure of control, he gazed up at his new lover and nodded. Gibbs took him in hand once again and caressed him with skin and voice.
"Let go, Tony... let me feel it, see it... can't believe I get to touch you... watch you lose it. That's it... pump your hips... beautiful... yeah... I can picture you on top of me, moving like this... driving into me deeper and faster... pouring all this hot come into my body..."
As Tony finally relaxed, the aftershocks of his intense orgasm relenting at last, Jethro lay down next to him, pulled him close and dragged the blanket back over the both of them. Tony looked at his lover and was faintly shocked to see him licking his fingers clean.
"Can I help it if you taste as good as you look?"
"Uh... yeah. If you say so." He responded, the last word distorted by a yawn. "Man I'm beat. Wish I could go back to sleep... but I guess we have to go home."
"Nah. A.J always reserves the suite for the night. Go ahead and rest. I'll be here."
"I know, but will you be sleeping or keeping an eye out for boogeymen?"
Gibbs looked at him critically at first, but the lesson of the night had been deeply ingrained and was not easily pushed aside.
"Atta-boy, boss."
"You're such a brat, Dinozzo."
"And you love me anyway."
"God help me, I do."
"Then all's right with the world. Night, Jethro."
"Good night, Tony."


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
- "You must know every line of that book by heart. How many times have you read it? Ten? Eleven?"
"Nine. Don't rush me, man. Might have a different ending this time."
- — A crew member abroad the CNV Sovereign asking the unidentified Gear how many times he's read the same book
This Unidentified Gear soldier was stationed aboard the CNV Sovereign during the Lambent Pandemic, after the collapse of the Coalition of Ordered Governments. He was known for sitting around the Galley Flat of the ship reading.
Lambent Pandemic
Attack on the Sovereign
- "Hey, Fenix, you wanna borrow this one?"
- — The unidentified Gear, asking Marcus if he would like to borrow the book he's reading
Two years after the sinking of Jacinto City, this Gear went with all the other citizens and left the island of Vectes choosing to stayed aboard the CNV Sovereign. While in the Galley Flat of the ship he spent most of his free time sitting and reading. One of the crew members that was sitting next to him tried to keep count as to how many times he had read the same book over. After a while the crew member asked him, with the Gear replying that he had read the book nine times, but that he hoped that it would have a different ending the next time. Just then Marcus Fenix entered the Galley Flat along with Dominic Santiago and Jace Stratton, the Gear asked Marcus if he would be interested in borrowing the book when he was finished with it.[1]
Later when the Lambent started to attack the Sovereign, he helped to defend the ship from the creatures.[1]
Arrival at Anvil Gate
The unidentified Gear ended up surviving the Lambent attack on the ship and even survived the ship getting wrecked by the exploding Lambent Leviathan. He regrouped with the rest of the survivors of the ship wreck and started to make his way to Anvil Gate along with Clayton Carmine, Samantha Byrne, Jace Stratton and Anya Stroud. But once they got to the fort they were attacked by Savage Grenadier's, Savage Boomer's and Lambent. He survived the encounter and would later be seen helping the rest of the Gears at the fort with preparations for Delta Squad's trip to Mercy.[2]
Second Battle of Azura
The unidentified Gear would stay at Anvil Gate until the Second Battle of Azura, he went along with any able-bodied Gears to Azura to support Delta Squad in the final battle with the Locust and Lambent. He helped to fight off Queen Myrrah's forces along with many other Gears until Adam Fenix was able to turn on his Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon. Once the weapon had been deployed, the Locust and Lambent forces were finally defeated, and he would be seen wearing a COG Combat Helmet celebrating at the base of Pinnacle Tower along with Delta and the other Gear soldiers.[3]
Behind the scenes
- This Gear along with Oscar, Jerry (Sovereign) and a couple other Gears of War 3 NPC's all share the same character head model. The reason for this is because the Epic Games modellers created an assortment of Head Styles, Torso Styles, Leg Styles and Accessories models, then they would use a random generation tool to create the various NPC's in the game by mixing the various models.[4]
- Gears of War 3 (First appearance)


text:
Today, I decided to send my boyfriend a pic text of me naked. I accidentally sent it to my dad and got a text back saying, "You definitely take after your mom." FML
It's in the can!Hey, you uploaded your photo, and you're cute as a kitten!100%
The thumb strikes backYou have left your thumbprint on 2500 comments.0%
The return of the thumbYou have thumbed 5000 comments.0%
Keen reader – Level: student ninjaYou have voted for 15% of the entire collection of FMLs to date.3%
Keen reader – Level: master ninjaYou have voted for 50% of the entire collection of FMLs to date.1%
Keen reader – Level: godlike ninjaYou have voted for 100% of the entire collection of FMLs to date.0%
One more and it's business timeYou've received 68 Hugs on your profile. Kinky.3%
Today, while shopping in the FML store I bought the "Retro Sport Tee," I didn't notice you are supposed to put your own "FML" on the shirt. Mine says "Today, Your Text Here. FML." FML
Today, I spent the whole day seeing how many licks it would take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop: 763. I'm 24. FML
Today, my girlfriend of 2 years and I decided to have sex for the first time. When we were in the room, finally ready to start, she confessed that she had never seen a penis before. To make her more comfortable, I showed her mine. At the sight of it, well, she actually fainted. FML
Today, me and my boyfriend came back to my house after a night on the town. Thinking the house was empty, we had sex. Just as it was getting good my phone rings. It was a text from my mom, "Quiet down. Even your father can tell you're faking." FML


text:
Discussion in 'RAW' started by Stopspot, Feb 1, 2014.
lol this company.
. um HELLO!!!!!!!! You made promos for it for Raw. The only people WWE can blame is themselves
Pittsburgh fans are quaking in their boots now after the RR. Lol.
@Danielson must stand up for his people.
They are all over ohio lately. Dayton, Cleveland, and Toledo.
*deep breath*
the Cleveland crowd was 100 X worse.
they had Ziggler Sucks chants. let that sink in.
How can a company that makes so much money be so stupid?
they prey on children
This smells like bullshit.
I'm sorry, was the reaction not good enough for you, WWE?
Welcome to the real world, bitches.
This company never ceases to amaze me.
well deserved
At least he got cheers from the Raw crowd. A pretty average reaction compared to what they were expecting, but there were cheers nonetheless. That Royal Rumble crowd on the other hand...
Batista is the kin of superstar that will get cheered for a return, not as much as a superstar like The Rock, but he will get cheered. However, when he came in and clearly stepped on DB's toes; well, the RR fans said it perfectly clear.
Are they for real? So it's not Batista's fault he was getting booed? Actually no it isn't, it's the organisations fault for brining him back to win the RR, it's bloody stupid to blame the crowd. He shouldn't even be back in WWE anyway, let alone win the god damn rumble.
Let it out son let it all out!
Haha, don't worry mate, you know me, say it as I see it
I know. Just funny how much we all lost our minds in a bad way over the RR. Been awhile since so many collectively agreed an event was so poor.


text:
As we all know, there are badges for editing on Zombies, Plants, Puzzle Mode, and Mini-games pages. I was wondering if it is possible to have Items badges? The pages are neglected, and seldom ever get edited. Notes I'd like to say:
- These articles have over 80 Members. These are:
- Projectiles
- Armor
- Other things.
- The majority of these are currently Stubs.
- Most haven't been edited in 3 months or longer. They could all deserve some refreshing.
- Some of Items that would have their own articles are currently Redirects.
What do you think? Support or Appose?


text:
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There has been an amicable resolution in Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen's divorce case.
The divorce battle between the once-couple Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen finally is over as they both have reached an amicable resolution in the case. "Both parties have amicably resolved any outstanding issues on an interim basis," Sheen's attorney, Lance Spiegel, said Monday August 14th outside a Los Angeles courthouse with Richards's lawyer, Neal Hersh, by his side.
Those "issues" among others include the restraining order obtained by Richards in April that had been keeping Sheen at least 300 yards away from her and their two daughters Sam and Lola. It is said that the restraining order has been dropped. Neither Richards' attorney nor Sheen's lawyer would comment on the details of the resolution reached Monday during a private hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court.
They also refused to say whether the restraining order remained in effect. A Sept. 12 hearing that had been scheduled for a child custody evaluation will not be held and there are no future court dates, Hersh said.


text:
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007 -- (Senate - March 16, 2006)
Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, on Monday, we heard Secretary Leavitt tell us that the avian flu will arrive in the United States by this fall. And if our worst fears are realized and it becomes a virus that can spread easily from human to human, the avian flu could be here within 30 days.
As Dr. Julie Greenberg, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has said, ``This is the most important threat we face right now.'' We are not talking about hundreds or thousands of lives here--we are talking millions. Millions.
The question, then, is not whether we have taken steps to prepare ourselves for the avian flu. Instead, the question is whether we have taken every imaginable and necessary precaution--whether we have done everything we possibly could do--to combat potentially the greatest global health threat in a century.
I don't believe that we have. But I know that we must. The United States cannot afford to have a Katrina-level of preparedness or a Katrina-like response to an international outbreak of avian flu. With so many warnings and so much knowledge of the threat we face, there is no excuse for failure this time around.
The first thing we need to do is increase our supply of Tamiflu and other medications. Countries such as Japan, France, England, and others have now stockpiled enough Tamiflu to cover a quarter of their populations. The United States has enough to cover just 2 percent.
If the avian flu mutates and is able to spread between humans, we will also need a new vaccine to treat the new virus. But as we saw during last year's flu season, our vaccine industry remains fragile and even the supply and distribution of something simple like a flu shot poses a challenge. This has to change.
Of course, as Secretary Leavitt has pointed out, the time it takes to develop a new vaccine means that we could be without any treatment for up to 6 months after the avian flu first breaks out. And that means that if we have an outbreak, it is imperative that our public health infrastructure be prepared to handle the crisis.
First, we need a clear chain of command. We can't be wondering who is in charge of dealing with an outbreak.
Second, we need an aggressive outreach campaign to warn and educate the American public about what to do in the event of an outbreak.
Third, it is still unclear how much assistance the Federal Government is willing to provide already cash-strapped States to strengthen their fragile health infrastructures. Although States such as Illinois are rapidly increasing their efforts to prepare, many States will need substantial assistance to buy antivirals and other supplies. And our hospitals and health professionals still don't have the capacity to care for large numbers of sick Americans.
The devastation wrought by Katrina last year has shown us that we cannot stop the forces of nature. But as the wealthiest country on Earth, we can prepare, and we can respond in a way that saves as many lives as possible.
We must do that now with the avian flu. The Conrad avian flu amendment will provide the necessary funds for Federal agencies, working with the States, to prepare for potential pandemic. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of the amendment, and I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of it.


text:
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Oct. 22, 2011
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. - The Loyola University of Maryland golf team moved into first place after the second round of the Mission Inn Fall Intercollegiate Saturday afternoon at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort.
Stetson's Sam Ryder shot a 3-under 69 to take over the top individual spot heading into the final round, while the Greyhounds' junior Jon Ross sits second after finishing the second round with a 2-over 72. Ryder leads the way with a 142, while Ross is three strokes behind (145).
Senior Jay Mulieri moved into a tie for eighth place after shooting a 3-over 75 on the day for a 151 after two rounds. Freshman Jack Whelan is third for Loyola, and tied for 14th overall, at 154 (76-78).
Senior Ryan McCarthy recorded the biggest improvement on his second trip through the course, dropping eight strokes to card a 74 on the day. McCarthy moved into a tie for 17th place after finishing tied for 35th yesterday.
Rounding out the Greyhounds is junior Jason Burton, who is tied for 44th at 165 (84-81).
Loyola holds a one-stroke advantage over second place Florida Gulf Coast, 606-607, while Bethune-Cookman is sitting third at 608 and Johnson & Wales (Fla.) is fourth at 609. St. John's, the tournament host, rounds out the top five heading into the final round, shooting an aggregate 613.
The Greyhounds will conclude their final fall tournament tomorrow, teeing off at 9:05 a.m.


text:
19402 Moon Ridge Road, Hidden Valley Lake CA, 95467 (Land Lot)
Status: Active
Last Updated: 7/25/2017 2:01 PM
Description for 19402 Moon Ridge Road Hidden Valley Lake, CA 95467
Buyer to do own due diligence before purchase. Property sold "as is"
Buyer to do own due diligence before purchase. Property sold "as is"
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Room Information
Exterior / Lot Features
No Fence
Raw La, Suburban
Driving Directions
Spruce Grove to Deer Hill, left on Hidden Valley, Left on Moon Ridge
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Hidden Valley Lake Real Estate
Hidden Valley Lake is located in California. Hidden Valley Lake, California 95467 has a population of 6,168.
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text:
Habakkuk 1:12–2:3
I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me. —Habakkuk 2:1
The prophet Habakkuk wanted answers as well, but God chose to take His time. "I will stand my watch . . . to see what [God] will say to me," Habakkuk wrote (2:1). "The vision is yet for an appointed time," God replied. "Wait for it; because it will surely come" ( v.3).
Faith never gives up. It knows that despite appearances, all is well. It can wait without signs or significant indications that God is at work, because it is sure of Him. "Each delay is perfectly fine, for we are within the safe hands of God," said Madame Guyon (1648–1717).
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Soon shall the morning gild
The dark horizon rim,
Thy heart's desire shall be fulfilled—
"Wait patiently for Him." —Havergal
God stretches our patience to enlarge our soul.


text:
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text:
Sylvia Ikaruga Misurugi (シルヴィア・斑鳩・ミスルギ Shiruvia Ikaruga Misurugi?) is a supporting character that appears in the CROSS ANGE Rondo of Angel and Dragon television series. She is the Former Empress of the Empire of Misurugi, and the younger sister of now deceased Former Emperor Julio Asuka Misurugi and former First Princess Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi.
Personality & Character
She was paralyzed waist down after a riding accident, but now uses a Mana powered floating wheelchair to move around. It is later revealed that it is just in her head and after Ange told her she could walk then giving a 'reason' to get up and run she starts walking again.
She was initially a very kind young girl that cared deeply about her family, especially her older sister Angelise.
However, after Angelise was exposed as a Norma, Sylvia grew to hate her, blaming her for the loss of the use of her legs and the death of their mother, even willing to whip her in front of a crowd and sadistically take pleasure in it all while receiving praise from her people. (CROSS ANGE: "The Hometown of Betrayal")
Several instances show her as dependent and weak-willed, compared to her older siblings (especially after Ange's spirit was completely broken in Arzenal). She fainted after Ange was discovered to be a Norma, quickly turned against her to side with her older brother over her sister from the shock, and even screamed at the sight of Julio's blood. All-in-all a follower, Sylvia follows a leading sibling and the statuesque of her kingdom over any feelings towards other people. After Ange used a shuriken to cut Julio's cheek she showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder in the form of a nightmare the next night.
However, when she witnessed Riza Randog's true form naked with Julio in his bed she was quickly horrified beyond what the Norma could ever do and screamed out for Ange's help, showing that deep-down she still held some feelings for her older sister, if not out of desperation to be saved.
Anything of the sort however completely vanished by the time of her next appearance, now treating Riza Rundog as her personal slave in revenge over the latter putting her under her mind control, and took pleasure to whip her make her place known while treating her own position in high esteem. Her feelings towards Ange have also completely worsened calling her a monster to her face and despises her greatly.
After learning from Riza that Julio was responsible for her father's death, Sylvia has started to regain parts of her original personality, starting with crying over the event. With this, she is now regretful in her hatred towards Ange, but she knows that it is too late to repair their relationship with one another. As a result, she is left in the demolished fake Earth to fight and survive with a group on her own.
Skills and Abilities
She once had ability to use the Light of Mana but, once the "space-time fusion" process began and with how Aura was later freed, Sylvia forever loses this power.
Physically, as compared to her older sister, Sylvia as very little capabilities but she does seem to show some competence when using the whip, mainly to satisfy her sadistic needs, when using it on Ange and later Riza; when taking Riza to the dungeon, it can be assumed that Sylvia has some knowledge when using other bondage devices. When Riza escaped she attempted to use a rifle, and seemed to have some degree of knowledge in how to fire it.
It was revealed that Sylvia was perfectly capable of walking but the past trauma had simply caused her to prevent her from doing so. Much later, much like Ange where Sylvia also discarded her royal heritage, she shows some level of proficiency with firearms, possibly improving with the new need of independence on her shoulders.
She fell off a horse she was riding with Angeliese which paralyzed Sylvia. (CROSS ANGE: "Bikini Escape")
When Ange was revealed to be a Norma during the Baptism Ritual ceremony, Sylvia fainted in shock. (CROSS ANGE: "Fallen Princess")
It is hinted that she was the one who assisted Momoka Oginome in locating Ange as she later tries to secretly contact her using her Mana asking her whether or not she has found Ange, yet was caught and taken away before Ange could speak to her. (CROSS ANGE: "Salia's Depression")
After arriving at the Misurugi Palace, Ange was confronted by imperial guards and rescues Sylvia. However, she betrays Ange and cuts her left arm with a knife, blaming her for her paraplegia and the death of their mother. Ange is shocked when she hears Sylvia's resentful words and is captured by the imperial guards to await trial by Julio. (CROSS ANGE: "The Hometown of Betrayal")
After the capture of Ange, she whipped her several times in public, asking her to apologize for being a Norma. After that Julio announced Ange's execution, Ange starts marching to the gallows while singing, Sylvia recognized her mother's song, and says that Ange wasn't allowed to sing it. When Ange is hanged, she is blinded by a strange bright light, when Ange escapes she thanked Sylvia for showing her the true filthy nature of human beings before wounding Julio's face, using a flying blade, which shocked Sylvia who started to cry. (CROSS ANGE: "Goodbye from the Gallows")
The rescue scene, Julio's scarring, and Ange's escape is played back to us as Sylvia Screams on coming out of a nightmare, so disturbed she is about what happened she gets into her chair and goes to her brother's room, but upon hearing voices, she approaches carefully, so as not to be noticed, what she sees chills her heart to the marrow, she sees Riza Randog straddling Julio's waist, naked while he acts like a little kid to his mother, But it's Riza's bat-like wings and that she just dropped a liquid from her fingernail into Julio's mouth, causing him great pain while Riza quietly laugh, Sylvia Gasps and is discovered by Riza, Sylvia tries to escape, to seek help, but there is no escape as a long thin tail wraps around Sylvia's neck and squeezes her neck tight, the last thing we thought heard her scream out for Ange to help her. (CROSS ANGE: "Dragon Song")
Riza (actually a spy of Salamandinay) actually tried to do it to her, but was captured. Sylvia was whipping Riza (now a prisoner of Embryo) for bringing her the wrong volume of an encyclopedia. (CROSS ANGE: "Tuner of Time")
Much later, after Embryo was killed thus his plan to fuse the two worlds still succeeded , Sylvia now leads a group of survivors in a wasteland that was created in the aftermath. From time to time, she would quote her sister's departing words to her where "people must fight if they do not want to die."
- Sylvia's personality, character traits, and phobia of Norma are all a parallel to Ange's before her induction into Arzenal, only less independent and thoughtful, and it was her whipping that made Ange see who she could have been before she was revealed to be a Norma. She also parallel's Hilda's sister as the younger sister scared of the older one, as well as Hilda's mother believing Ange to be the cause of all of her misfortune.
- Sylvia can walk just fine without her mana-powered wheel chair but never did so until forced to by Ange. Despite Mana's supposed ability to heal any injuries Sylvia's wheelchair may imply that such injuries without a way to heal (such as amputation) are not unheard of, but than again do to Sylvia's status as a princess it could be that she had been given a specially made chair just for her use only.
- Sylvia's last words in the series are "Fight" (戦い Tatakai) which poetically and karmatically represent everything she and the World of Mana forced on her sister and what she must now do to survive, which is also what she forced on to her sister.


text: We are pleased to welcome you at the 6th Annual Africa Banking & Finance conference. The event will be held on May, 31st – June, 2nd 2016 in Alisa Hotel Accra, Ghana. Join us at the conference and learn more about "Promoting Financial Inclusion: Connecting people to Banking & Financial Service". Our team will be expecting you at Stand #3!


text:
Jul 29
Dynamic pathfinding(Cutting edge research!)
Today, I went to an awesome presentation by Vadim Bulitko about his most recent research. Here's the presentation, but I'll summarize what the presentation was about for general use. (I just found that the pdf didn't come through the pdf export very well, apparently.) This was a presentation at UBC-Okanagan, in Kelowna, BC for reference. Vadim is thinking about taking his sabbatical here at UBC, yay!
Its a rather innovative technique, and delivers great results for only a bit of computer power.
The Big Granddaddy Algorithms
First, a bit of background as to what has been done before. The Big Granddaddy of pathfinding algorithms is the A*(called the A-star) algorithm. It makes the complete plan, every step needed, to get from one point to another, then executes it. Unfortunately, the amount of time this takes scales exponentially with the size of the map. It, however, does provide an optimal path.
The other algorithm is the LRTA* algorithm, which looks ahead, and moves based only on that information. For example, it looks ahead, maybe 3 steps, and sees what sequence of 3 steps will bring it closer, in a straight-line measurement, to the goal. This has the benefit of always executing within a certain amount of time. Unfortunately, walls between the agent and the goal can and will prove difficult to surmount.
An addition to the LRTA* raises the "distance" weighting of a node every time the agent goes over it, thus eventually forcing the agent to go around the wall. But it still takes bumping into the wall three or four times to finally find the correct path.
Its all real(time that is).
There are a few constraints that pathfinding needs to work under in games, and even in robotics(Phoenix Mars Lander anyone?). You need to have something that can operate and find its way with only a bit of computation, and predictably work well. It would be a disaster for a $70 million dollar robot to keep bumping into a rock.
As well, with ever more powerful cpus and gpus, gamers demand more and more units, and bigger and better maps. The irony is, that with increasing hardware power… comes even less time to compute pathfinding and general AI. Computer power has only quadrupled a couple of times since Starcraft, yet, we demand 100 times more units, with smarter and more intuitive AI, coupled with four or five times bigger maps.
Dynamic Lookahead
So, the way that D LRTA* works is first, they have dynamic lookaheads. Some squares on a map require more searching to find a near optimal solution, particularly around corners. One way to determine the lookahead value for a square, is to naively compute the required minimum lookahead depth to any other possible square. Then, store the pairs of coordinates and that lookahead depth, and just look it up! Simple, eh?
Not really. On a 512×512 map, that results in ~68 billion pairs to store. On a normal desktop, that would take about 2 years to compute(probably a lot less on a compute farm… google could likely do it in one minute, because its an extremely parallelizable problem.) This is quite unacceptable, both due to time constraints and space constraints. This is where the research group's second innovation comes into play.
A house divided…
They found that splitting up the map into spaces, and then computing the optimal lookahead depth from one space to another worked very well. In the worst case, it devolved into LRTA*. However, there must be a better way to divide things up…
Clique Abstraction
[Sturtevant, Buro 2005]
Clique abstraction was developed in the above cited paper. It is the concept of taking adjacent tiles, and lumping them into one larger tile. For example, four adjacent tiles that are all interconnected, could be replaced by one larger tile. And so on, with larger and larger abstraction at each level. (Take a look at page 38 from the PDF)
It becomes a lot easier to pre-calculate the optimal lookahead depths when you have a sufficient level of abstraction. Granted, you lose a bit of that oh so sweet optimalness, but its worth it for getting things to work within a certain amount of time. Of course, walls and pockets on maps still give the budding algorithm a bit of trouble. Which leads us to the next addition to D LRTA*:
Setting goals
The team found that by setting intermediate goals, they take advantage of a small property of lookahead algorithms: they're more accurate closer to the goal. By setting goals in each of the subdivided spaces, its plainly obvious to the algorithm that going that-away is better than going this-away.
As well, by not placing goals in spaces that are obviously farther away from the ultimate goal than the starting point, it makes the algorithm ignore those spaces.
Right now, there are two ways to do dynamic lookahead: pre-calculated with clique abstractions, or calculated on the fly with sub-divided spaces and intermediate goals. They both come with their pros and cons, and if the game company can afford it, it appears that precomputed is much more reliable.
Optimal lookahead:
Stored Lookahead
I do have a few questions about the research, that unfortunately I didn't ask at the time, for example, the outliers on the graph on page 70. One of the results for the little dots was very efficient, but the other two dots are optimal, yet expanded lots and lots of moves. As well, I'd like to know exactly what the different algorithms that were used for the graphs, specifically. I will ask the presenter today.
What else?
What needs to be done to expand this research, is to look at how to handle dynamically changing maps, and moving targets. As well, they haven't looked at memory storage techniques or compression of precomputed files.(According to Information Theory, the data files could likely be extremely compressed, on the order of 75% compression or so.)3 comments
3 Comments so far
zylum July 30th, 2008 7:48 am
That's some interesting stuff. Definitely something I'd love to research. It's a shame the presentation slides are missing most of the text.. I was thinking of other ways of pathfinding and was wondering why most maps use tiles. This system is sort of crude and creates a lot of problems when there are large spaces with no obstacles (ie adds lots of unnecessary computation). I was wondering if there are any good algorithms based on computational geometry. Such as defining obstacles as polygons or whatever and find paths that are lines wrapping around the obstacles (sorta hard to explain what I'm thinking). Computational geometry is fairly mature so I'm guessing there are many techniques that could be used to make this process fast. Plus there would be few objects to run the algorithm on rather than thousands of tiles.. Of course this method would have some disadvantages. I don't see it working very well in a maze-like environment.
Zeroth July 30th, 2008 5:11 pm
Actually, I should note that if you use Foxit PDF reader, the pdf slides work. Adobe doesn't work.
Well, for larger, more open spaces, then one could use, I believe, navigation meshes. Or, just simple lookahead. However, most of the pathfinding problems are in fact, due to small maze-like maps. Take a look at the actual paper, its a lot more refined. http://ircl.cs.ualberta.ca/files/webfm/lrts/pubs/bulitko08a.pdf
Recent Faves Tagged With "pathfinding" : MyNetFaves September 12th, 2008 4:35 pm
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Additionally, our warehouses are fitted with the state of the art security measures, which ensure complete safety of your goods. Our excellent customer service and support, which is available to all customers 24 x 365 as well as the flexibility in our approach is perhaps the main reason for our loyal clientele and success over the years.
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Sinton European Logistics Limited is one of Europe's leading freight services, which believes in transporting your high value freight anywhere in Europe and the UK in minimum time and with maximum safety.
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Not long ago, it appeared that the Reds' Joey Votto and the Cardinals' Albert Pujols were going to duke it out in the National League's Triple Crown race as well as the MVP balloting.
Now, maybe the Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez has a chance to win both. Gonzalez hit a three-run home run in Colorado's 4-3 win against the Reds Tuesday night at Coors Field.
He and the Rockies are surging. In his last 15 games, Gonzalez has hit .525 with seven home runs and 21 RBI.
Gonzalez's .340 average and 100 RBI lead the NL. His 32 home runs are three short of the leader, Pujols.
"All you heard for Triple Crown was 'Votto and Pujols.' Now CarGo has a realistic shot," the Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki said in the Denver Post. "He's not going to talk about it, but I will.''
By Mel Antonen
Daily Pitch is a baseball fan's destination for breaking news, emerging trends and enlightening banter. With a veteran group of reporters positioned in three time zones, we provide a balanced, comprehensive glimpse at our national pastime, with a nod to both the passion and complexities that make the sport irresistible to many. More about our reporters


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Reference: MCOG10 / MCOG10 / 12285
Profile wedding ring half round yellow gold 750/000 or 18 kts.de 2.2 mm in width and 1.2 mm high, made by jewellers "Master craftsmen."
Weight of the ring or Alliance: 2 grams
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The price of this Alliance is to finger measures between 10 and 14 of the TATUM lastra.
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Genre: Man and woman
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Discount 47%
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Staff at Monash University's Berwick campus are meeting on Monday morning to discuss the potential closure of the 20-year-old campus in Melbourne's outer east.
The pro-vice-chancellor called the meeting late last week, advising staff the university "has been considering the future arrangements for its Victorian campuses over the past several years".
"This has included careful deliberation on the provision of tertiary education in the south-east of Melbourne and the long-term future of Berwick campus," Professor Leon Piterman wrote.
Some 1800 students were enrolled at the Berwick campus in 2014 – about 3.5 per cent of the Monash student population. The Monash Union of Berwick Students was understood to be included in discussions with campus management and would keep students updated.
Victorian opposition spokeswoman for training, skills, and apprenticeships Steph Ryan said the Coalition would fight for students in the area.
"The options in the south-east suburbs are certainly limited and having this campus close without any other provider to take it on leaves a gap for students," she said.
Last year Victoria University turned down an opportunity to buy the campus and take over education.
The site also hosts the Gustav Nossal High School and the Inisight school for blind and vision impaired students.
The Berwick campus was first announced in 1992 as a high-technology campus for up to 4000 students. When it opened in 1996, it was "one of the most technologically advanced university buildings in Australia", according to then director Professor John Anderson.
During its 20-year history it has taught engineering, tourism, mass communications, electronic commerce, disaster resilience, multimedia systems, and games development. It still offers a diploma of tertiary studies for people who want to enter university without an entry score. Courses on offer include business administration, education and nursing.
In 2009, Monash's vice-chancellor said it was looking at expanding the campus to 12,000 students under a Rudd government proposal to have 40 per cent of young people tertiary educated by 2025. As recently as 2010, Professor Piterman was saying the school could double in size in coming years as it added health and education courses.


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Cameron Diaz Gossip
Cameron Diaz gossip, latest news, photos, and video.
The Annie trailer
The first trailer for the new Annie movie was released yesterday starring Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx, and Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan. God I want it to be good. I want it to be good so bad, SO BAD. But this trailer is scaring the sh-t out of me. Let's start with Cameron Diaz. I don't believe her. Full Story
Cam D is a Rat too
There are a lot of Rats in Hollywood. 1972 seems to be a big celebrity year. In addition to Gwyneth Paltrow, there's also Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Jude Law, Eminem, Sofia Vergara, and Cameron Diaz. Cam stepped out last night in New York at the TAG Heuer flagship opening in an amazing coat and fresh skin, looking like she's ready for whatever sh-t the Horse is about to jam in her face. Full Story
Chickpea soup for Cameron Diaz?
247PapsTV/ Splash
They're close friends, Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow. G has been advising you what to put in your body for a while now, since the launch of GOOP. Chickpeas and water is what she's recommending to start your year. Cameron Diaz has just released her first book The Body Book. Cam says she too indulged over the holidays: "We eat pork roast for Christmas, tacos the next day. Full Story
Friends with The Other Woman
I think maybe I have too much holiday cheer. Because I just watched the first trailer for The Other Woman starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, and Jaime Lannister and…my first reaction wasn't "it sucks". Not that that means it's amazing. For starters, they probably gave away too much of the movie in the preview. Full Story
The Cameron Diaz Lifestyle
Cameron Diaz Instagrammed this photo of herself yesterday. She's wearing (relatively) little makeup. She's holding a copy of her book The Body Book. It goes on sale on New Year's Eve. Here's the description from the publisher: Cameron Diaz shares her formula for becoming happier, healthier, and stronger in this positive, essential guide that is grounded in science and inspired by personal experience. Full Story
Cammie dances in Annie?
Bauer, Splash
Annie Charlie's Angels! Cameron Diaz is currently shooting Annie in New York. She's playing Miss Hannigan, stepping in for Sandra Bullock who was supposedly originally offered the role. As I wrote at the time the casting was announced, I like this decision. Full Story
Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Suri
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/ Getty
More information from that deposition is being leaked. In case you missed it, Tom Cruise is suing IN TOUCH for saying he abandoned Suri. Click here for my initial post about it last week. During the deposition, in addition to blaming Scientology for his alleged estrangement from his daughter, the magazine's lawyers suggested that Tom was so disconnected from Suri that he went to Cameron Diaz's birthday party instead of being with his child. Full Story
Cam's holding hands with Jason
It's on the set of their new movie, so don't get too excited. But still. She looks great. HE looks great. Like, when's the last time we talked about Jason Segel's jawline, right? If this is one of the side benefits of him not drinking anymore, I say that's good motivation too. But Cam apparently was out with Benicio Del Toro the other night and people were trying to make something of it. Full Story
Cameron Diaz house porn
ELLE Décor
I don't think I've ever been inside a 2,400 sq ft apartment. Cameron Diaz wants you to see what hers looks like. Cam's showing off her NYC home in ELLE Décor. Wait don't look yet. Just…tell me first what you think her taste would be. I was seeing white. White and open. Full Story
Cam & Jason Segel?
Jason Merritt/ Getty
Let's begin with a disclaimer: the source for the following is LIFE & STYLE. So… you know. According to the magazine, the two went on a date in the Hamptons. They also went grocery shopping together. Since Gwyneth Paltrow is in the neighbourhood, am assuming she approves. Full Story
Cameron's Oscar Performance Finally Revealed?
"…with Oscar Winner, Cameron Diaz!" Do you like the sound of that? Can you accept a world where that's a true statement? A significant amount of buzz would have us believe that's the reality we're headed towards, and today we get to see why with a new Cameron-heavy trailer for The Counselor. Full Story


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FORMER prime minister Kevin Rudd has admitted the hard-line asylum seeker policy Labor implemented in mid-2013 was "not a perfect answer" but says his government was facing a practical, moral and political dilemma.
The now retired Mr Rudd delivered a lecture titled "On Politics" at Oxford University on Saturday night.
Mr Rudd urged 300 students who he said would become future world leaders to meet five challenges.
He asked them to preserve peace, fight for liberty, work for inclusive capitalism, face the rise of China and take seriously the "gargantuan challenge" of climate change.
A student subsequently asked if his policy of turning away asylum seekers was consistent with his advice to always pursue peace and liberty.
As prime minister in July 2013, Mr Rudd unveiled his so-called PNG solution.
Under the policy, continued by Tony Abbott's government, Australia no longer accepts any asylum seekers arriving by boat and instead sends them to PNG for processing and possible resettlement.
Mr Rudd acknowledged the policy was controversial but said it was implemented in the context of 12 million refugees languishing in camps around the world, with another 40 million people internally displaced.
He insisted Australia was the third most generous country when it came to resettling UNHCR refugees behind the United States and Canada.
Mr Rudd said "a large slice" of people arriving by boat weren't genuine asylum seekers.
"Where it got to by the end of 2013 was the number of folks coming by boat was overwhelming the whole (Australian) refugee intake," he said at the prestigious Oxford Union.
"The lesson that sent out to people smugglers was 'You come by boat, we'll get you there quickly (but) if you stay in a camp somewhere around the world, in some hell-hole, you're never going to get anywhere'."
Mr Rudd said Labor was facing a "practical, moral and political dilemma".
"It's not a perfect answer," he admitted of the ALP policy, before adding all the facts had to be considered before judging if it was right or wrong.
Iranian man Reza Berati, 23, died at the Manus Island detention centre in mid-February following a riot.
Originally published as Rudd defends asylum policy at Oxford


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No approved endorsements
About Bob Rosenthal
Bob Rosenthal is a seasoned professional hands-on leader of business operations. With over 25 years of experience leading successful groups for such companies as United Behavioral Health, W. W. Grainer and Ameritech, Bob has accumulated knowledge and experience to drive success in operating units. Bob is a certified champion of Six Sigma, and uses these skills day to day.
After completing an undergraduate degree is Psychology at Emory University, Bob used his knowledge to enter and improve the then growing business of Call Center services. With his understanding of the drivers of motivation and satisfaction, Bob was able to increase sales, improve employee satisfaction and reduce turnover.
His first experience as a General Manager was with The Signature Group (a subsidiary of Montgomery Ward), where he built their call center outsourcing business from the ground up. Here, Bob directly built and managed twelve call centers, a dozen call center vendors, as well as operating the outsourcing business. Clients included major financial companies, publishers and major retailers. While at the Signature Group, Bob earned a Masters in Business from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, majoring in Marketing and Organizational Behavior.
Bob joined W. W. Grainger in 1998 to be a part of the leadership team for start-up Internet division. During his tenure, Bob built the Customer Care operations, and helped build the strategy that allowed for hyper-growth. Between 1998 and 2001, Grainger.com went from about $10,000 in sales per week to over $2 Million per day.
But, it was his experience with United Health Group where Bob showed his real strength. During his first two and ½ years with the company, Bob worked with their operating unit, Uniprise, where he oversaw the consolidation of the business. Bob directly managed two call centers for Uniprise, ultimately closing each physical plant and creating work from home teams. It was here that Bob formalized his Six Sigma training.
Late in 2004, Bob was promoted to Vice President of Operations for United Behavioral Health, and was accountable for all back office functions from contract data entry to claims and customer service. During his tenure, Bob developed and executed the strategy that identified and quantified their business challenges and put fixes into place. Overall performance improved many times over, with claims processing cycle time moving from over 30 days to under 10, and accuracy increasing from approximately 95% to over 99%.
For family reasons, Bob and his family returned to Chicago late in 2006. He currently works as Director of Operations for a $200 million software company, CCC Information Services, that facilitates communications between auto insurers and auto body shops. He and his wife Kerrie have been married since 1985, and have two teenaged children, In his spare time, Bob practices and teaches the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do, where he is a second degree black belt.
If you notice offensive or incorrect information, please contact us.


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Friday November 3, 2017
At this summit, aside from Level 1, we are also delighted to be running the Google Apps Educator Level 2 Certification preparation. If you're an educator who is a super user and enthusiast of Google tools in the classroom, having the Google Educator Level 2 certification proves your expertise. Rather than focusing on rote knowledge of apps the course and certification exam focuses on the practical application of the tools in the classroom. This day will focus on Educator Certification including a voucher. Many that attend this training quickly become Google Certified Educators and are qualified to become Trainers or Innovators. Exams are taken independently after Bootcamp.
Following the Fundamentals Training, we will utilize Google Classroom for this professional development experience (learn what it is like to be a student for a day in Classroom!) as well as Hangout Chats, Document, Slide and Drawing Collaboration for Engaging Learners, The Many Faces of Forms, Collaborative Calendars, and more. We will get your testing account setup and apply your voucher so you are ready to take the exam within days of the Bootcamp. Note: 'Passing the test is not guaranteed.'
Graduate Credit is now offered through the College of St. Joseph for only $150 per credit! Learn more!
Bootcamp Leader, Allison Mollica
Allison has all the Google Edu Certifications ~ Trainer, Innovator & Administrator. She is has been a teacher and an edu technology coach for 18 years. Currently, Allison is a Virtual Instructor of Computers and Web Design at VLACS and a global educational tech leader, facilitator & enthusiast!
Allison has has a Master's in Technology in Education and Advanced Certificate in Online Instruction through Lesley University, Boston, MA, USA. She also coordinates speakers & curriculum for AppsEvents.


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Free Samples, Coupons and Competitions for Women in the UK – Get your Free Stuff Here.
July 27, 2015 | Videos
I am certain I would never tickle a shark but it is pretty touching to see. This brave soul takes a break from cleaning to play with a shark at the Aquarium des Lagons in New Caledonia.


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|By Theavatardemotivator
|More from Theavatardemotivator
|Very Positive
|Keeping a Secret
|Chapter information
|Written by
|Release date
|Last chapter
|Next chapter
|This Kataang one-shot takes place in The Painted Lady.
Chapter Fifty-Three: Keeping a Secret
He leaps out from the behind the boulder, breathing just a little more heavily than usual. "My name's Aang!" he says by way of greeting. "I'm the Avatar. "
The spirit turns away, keeping her face hidden under the brim of her hat. "Well. Hello, Avatar." Her voice sounds strange and muffled. "I wish I could talk, but I am very busy . . ."
"Yeah, me too," he answers, "I hate that." I've to figure out who she is! Maybe I can flatter it out of her. Like how Katara convinced those boys in Gaoling to show us where the Earthbending tournament thing was going to be. She said she used her charm. Yeah, that's it! Tilting his head in an attempt to see under her hat, he tries, "You know, you're really pretty for a spirit. I don't get to meet too many spirits, but the ones I do meet—" He shudders, thinking of Koh. "Not very attractive."
The spirit laughs nervously, again turning away. "Thank you, but—"
I've heard her voice before. "You seem familiar, too." Wait a second. Helping people? Healing?
"A lot of people say that," the spirit says, clearly attempting to divert his attention.
He attempts to sneak another peek at her. "No, you really seem familiar." Don't tell me . . .
"Look, I really should get going," the "spirit" answers, already moving away.
Hesitating at first, he blows a gust of wind at her that takes the hat straight of her head, sending it sailing through the air; she barely catches it.
"Katara!" he cries. I can't believe she would do this! This is just so . . . so like her.
She smiles sheepishly. "Hi, Aang."
"You're the Painted Lady?! But how—?!"
She shrugs. "I wasn't at first. I was just trying to help the village, but since everyone thought that's who I was anyway." She glances at him, the worry clear on her face. "I guess I just kind of became her."
"So you've been sneaking out at night?" he inquires. And I thought I was devious! "Wait, is Appa even sick?"
She sounds apologetic. "He might be sick of the purple berries I've been feeding him," she tries, "but, other than that, he's fine."
"I can't believe you lied to everyone so you could help these people," he says, his voice full of awe. Wow, I know why I like her!
"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have." She frowns.
He shakes his head. "No, I think it's great; you're like a secret hero!"
"Well, if you want to help . . . there's one more thing I have to do." He leans in, and she glances left and right. "But you have to promise you won't tell anyone! Not even Sokka and Toph?"
He grins. "I'm the Avatar! I can keep a secret." He points to his arrow. "Avatar's honor."
"Okay . . . here's the plan . . ."
I love this scene so much, and yes, I did add more dialogue. I like to provide closure.
I love the aftermath scene, too, when they return and Sokka yells at them. Sadly, I wasn't able to put that into ABCLAF . . . but perhaps a sequel?
Why did I decide to start the chapter where I did? Good question. I attempted to start it at an earlier point, but it felt forced. This seemed to me like the perfect starting point.
I love the line: "Wait, is Appa even sick?"
See more
For the collective works of the author, go here.


text: Page authority is a metric, developed by SEOMoz, to predict the ability for a specific page to rank in search engines. Page authority uses a 0 to 100 logarithmic scale. A high Page authority score means your page has the potential to rank well in search engine results.What is Page authority?, FAQ


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Each month, Rated People connects over 50,000 homeowners with quality tradesmen - simply enter your job details in the form above to get started.
We'll match your job to the relevant tradesmen in your area - those interested will pay to see your contact details and call you to quote.
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After the work is complete, return to the site and rate your tradesman based on their quality of work, reliability and value for money.
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about 3 meters in total needs welding
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two rooms fit and supply edging and underlay 30 sq mtr total wood floor going to tile clean...
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If you are looking for honest, hard-working, reliable tradesmen, these are your guys. Floor preparation was unparalleled - after 4 previous floor disasters, I've got a good understanding of how this all works. To ensure a level floor, they ground down high bits and used a self-leveller to bring up the low bits. They worked late when necessary to get it finished in time - and I mean late - 10 or 11pm. They cleaned up after themselves and we had a team here every day until the job was complete. Excellent job!
I now have an outdoor space I not only can use, but love.Ken gave me excellent advice on what would work and I am more than thrilled with the results. Rose
Very good hard woker good job I will use him if do any more work
Managing your job is easier with the Rated People Homes App, download it today.


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Macs running unannounced OS X 10.9 appear online
November 11, 2012 at 4:01 pm
Apple is reportedly working on OS X 10.9, the next version of its Mac operating system.
AppleInsider reported seeing over 30 total visits in their online tracking log from machines running the OS X 10.9 in the past few weeks.
The site writes that the data may be fake, but says that the "timing and IP addresses are in line with what we expect from beta testers of the next version of Mac OS."
Apple has been updating OS X on a yearly basis.
Apple's current 10.8.2 version of the OS X, the Mountain Lion, was released in July.
It is unknown if the next version of OS X will be launched in the summer of 2013.


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In its June 2012 issue, Technology Banker Magazine (http://www.technologybanker.com), interviews world-wide banking expert Clifford Brody, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of New York-based GBI – Global Bankers Institute (http://www.globalbankersinstitute.com). In the article (http://www.technologybanker.com/magazine/archive/TechnologyBanker_issue1_june2012.pdf), Brody is asked about the challenges and risks to banks as they offer mobile payments and other services – contrasting the approach of M-Pesa in Kenya where a mobile network operator took the lead, versus that of banks in Nigeria where banks are working with the Central Bank of Nigeria to bring mobile money services to market.
Brody, who has worked with Access Bank, Bank PHB, Diamond Bank, Ecobank, FCMB, Guaranty Bank, UBA, Unity Bank and Zenith Bank in Nigeria, goes on to discuss the similarities of the struggles of mobile money platforms to the emergence of the ATM decades ago where the first to market were Citibank (then First National City), Barclay's Bank and then Chemical Bank with hardware from companies like Diebold, NCR, IBM and Fujitsu, but it took the interbank network providers like NYCE, CIRRUS, Maestro, Interac and others, to provide the interoperability that gave the technology the critical mass and momentum it needed to become the ubiquitous convenience it is today.
Dr. Linda Eagle, President and Founder of Global Bankers Institute stated, "It is always our pleasure to support the African banking community and we applaud the efforts of Technology Banker Magazine to empower bankers in Africa with a world-class news service of such high quality."
Set up your profile to connect with members of Journal Community.
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Participate in engaging dialogue on topics that matter to you and other members of your group.
When you join groups you'll find them for easy access here. Learn new perspectives and educate each other.....


text:
Posts by aznkid
Total # Posts: 1
To make a bounce pass, a player throws a 0.70-basketball toward the floor. The ball hits the floor with a speed of 5.9 at an angle of 70 to the vertical.If the ball rebounds with the same speed and angle, what was the impulse delivered to it by the floor?
- Pages:
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Silt Transportation by Sacramento and Colorado Rivers and by the Imperial Canalby C. E. Grunsky,
Serial Information: Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 1930, Vol. 94, Issue 1, Pg. 1104-1133
Document Type: Journal Paper
Subject Headings: Silt | Canals | Rivers and streams | North America | California | Colorado River | United States | Sacramento
Services: Buy this book/Buy this article
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Will my CCC 3.5 license work with CCC 4?
No, CCC 4 requires a new license. However, if you purchased a CCC 3.5 license on or after June 2, 2014, we will grant you a FREE license for CCC 4. Individual and Pro licenses purchased prior to June 2, 2014 are eligible for upgrade pricing.
I purchased a license for CCC 3.5 on or after June 2, 2014. How do I get my FREE CCC 4 license?
When you open CCC 4 for the first time, it will attempt to retrieve your new license using the details from your CCC 3.5 license. If this succeeds, you will receive an email containing your new license and details for applying the new license to CCC 4. If this does not occur (e.g. because your system can't be connected to the Internet), provide your CCC 3.5 license details in the form at the top of this page to retrieve your CCC 4 license.
What licenses are eligible for upgrade pricing?
CCC 3.5 Individual and Pro licenses are eligible for upgrade pricing.
What licenses are not eligible for upgrade pricing?
Legacy licenses such as a Department or Site license, as well as licenses purchased under the Volume License Program are not eligible for upgrade pricing. The Volume Licensing Program offers a Maintenance option which provides a comparable (or better) discount to upgrade pricing.
Can I apply an EDU discount to my upgrade purchase?
No, additional discounts cannot be applied to upgrade pricing.
How do I purchase a license for CCC 4 at upgrade pricing?
If you are (or were) using a registered copy of CCC, download and open CCC 4. CCC 4 will recognize your CCC 3.5 license and check it for upgrade eligibility. If our automated system can determine that it is eligible for upgrade pricing, CCC will retrieve a coupon code that will automatically be applied to your in-app purchase.
You can also enter your CCC 3.5 license code into the form at the top of this page to retrieve a coupon code that can be applied to our online store. If you have any problems with or questions about purchasing an upgrade, please don't hesitate to contact us for help.
What are the system requirements for Carbon Copy Cloner 4?
CCC 4 requires OS X Mountain Lion, Mavericks, or Yosemite (when available). If your Mac's OS is Snow Leopard or Lion, you can continue to use CCC 3.5 to maintain your backups -- you do not need to purchase an upgrade. While we will no longer provide updates to CCC 3.5, we will continue to support that version of CCC.
My Mac is too old for CCC 4. If I purchase a license for CCC 4, will that work with CCC 3.5?
Yes! If you purchase a license for CCC 4, that license will be recognized by CCC 3.5.4 or later. If you upgrade your Mac to Mountain Lion, Mavericks, or Yosemite at a later date, you can upgrade to CCC 4 and continue to use your CCC 4 license.
Will I be able to run CCC 3.5 on Yosemite?
No. Due to architectural limitations, we are unable to update CCC 3.5 to support new features and functionality on OS X Yosemite. We are grateful that CCC 3.x was able to support so many OSes over the years, but the last couple OS releases have made it clear that major changes would be necessary to continue supporting Apple's yearly-published future releases.