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The signs of spring surround us, from blooming roadside wildflowers to increased activity of foraging wildlife. In nature, spring is when most animals reproduce to take advantage of abundant resources and give their young as much time as possible to prepare for winter's harsh realities. This has numerous implications for people due to our pets and interactions with wildlife.
Most intact female pets will seek to find a mate sometime during the spring. Every intact male for miles around will be attracted to her and the urge to reproduce will motivate him to jump, dig or do whatever else is necessary to escape the confines of his yard. Males and females alike will be more likely to fight with those they perceive to be rivals, mark their territory and commit other acts that most people find less than pleasant.
To help ensure your pet is protected, inspect and repair your fence often, be certain pets always wear their collar and tags, make sure vaccinations are current and sterilize them so that this is no longer a concern.
Sterilizing pets is a great way to prevent these issues and also provide health and behavioral benefits. Any licensed veterinarian can perform this procedure, and your vet will gladly answer your questions to dispel myths and alleviate concerns or fears.
Plano Animal Services also partners with the non-profit Texas Coalition for Animal Protection to provide low-cost sterilizations for those who want to be responsible pet owners but may lack the resources to obtain this care at traditional veterinary clinics.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with TCAP, visit texasforthem.org or call 940-566-5551.
Since wild animals are also raising their young, people will likely become aware of their presence and may even stumble upon a baby that they believe needs assistance. In this case, the first thing to do is stop and seek help from an expert. Nearly every wild "orphan" that is "rescued" is actually kidnapped from their caring mother. Many wild species leave their young alone a great majority of the time so that they do not attract predators to them. Young birds leave their nests well before they are able to fly. This is all a natural process that is often misinterpreted by well-meaning people.
To help prevent issues with wildlife, make sure you are not sending out any accidental invitations. Cover holes under porches to prevent them from being used as den sites.
Encourage wandering ducks to move on before they decide your yard and pool would be an ideal nursery. Feed pets indoors so that wildlife don't take advantage of the free buffet that's provided for them.
If you find a wild animal that you think may need assistance, do not do anything before calling DFW Wildlife Coalition at 972-234-9453 or visiting dfwwildlife.org. They can help you determine if human intervention is really necessary.
Jamey Cantrell is the animal services manager for the city of Plano Animal Services.


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I recently received this machine and it really is a great machine and quite strong, however, it will not sew a straight stitch when I change the dial to straight. The zigzags are great. The tension is fine. Everything is great except I can't stitch straight. I don't have the manual and can't seem to find one online so I'm hoping someone here can enlighten me.
On the plus side, my regular machine is a vintage straight stitcher only so they compliment each other but I don't have the space to have both out and the hassle of swapping machines each time I need to change stitch patterns pretty much a pain.
Can anyone help me out? Thank you.

subset: commoncrawl


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As couples held hands and walked through Schmeeckle Reserve on Tuesday night, a mob of university students sprinted past in togas.
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's homecoming week is underway, and this year's theme — "Battle for Mount Olympus: Where Dogs Become Gods" — means all things Greek, from togas to an Olympic competition.
Homecoming for UWSP welcomes back alumni from around the world and includes several events leading up to the Saturday football game, this year against UW-River Falls. For students, it's a chance to compete with each other by earning points in a number of homecoming competitions, ultimately winning the week and earning bragging rights.


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The European crisis has created significant opportunities for U.S. purchasers and others looking to acquire assets in Europe, but international investors need to be aware of the differences between laws and regulations in their own countries and those governing European mergers and acquisitions before deciding whether to pursue these transactions. In this installment of Dechert's Video Briefing Series, corporate partners Jonathan Angell, Ermine Bolot, Eric Deltour, Doug Getter and William Lawlor examine several factors that could make or break such cross-border M&A deals, including due diligence, employment issues, contract conditions and the selection of local counsel.
Watch the video below or on YouTube, or download the transcript (PDF).


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Topic: ADFC, Walk-in Interviews 1st & 2nd September
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Posted: 29Aug2007 at 12:09pm
ADFC, an affiliate of HDFC Bank was established in October 1998 with corporate headquarters in Mumbai. The company is involved in the specialized services of Business Process outsourcing for Banks and Financial Institutions. The company affairs are managed by experienced professionals from the field of Banking Operations and Human Resources Management.The company presently operates with a team of over 5700 dedicated and well trained resources, which are spread across various locations in India, and offers outsourcing support services in various banking backoffice Processing Operations such as Retail Liability, Retail Assets, Credit Card Operations and Corporate Banking Operations such as Cash Management, Clearing, Trade Finance & DP Operations.Our Objective is to expand present scale of operations and aim to be a one stop Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Unit for Banks and Financial Institutions. To strengthen our team we are looking for personnel from Data Processors to Managers.
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Portfolio Recovery Associates Inc. (PRAA - Free Report) reported its first-quarter income from continuing operations of $23.1 million or $1.34 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.29 and the prior-year earnings of $14.8 million or 91 cents.
The strong earnings were primarily driven by higher-than-expected top-line growth attributable to continuous improvement in cash collections on portfolios of defaulted consumer debt.
The amortization rate in the quarter included a $4.0 million net allowance charge, against pools of finance receivables accounts. Portfolio Recovery also witnessed a non-cash, equity-based, compensation expense of $1.7 million.
Business Update
Portfolio Recovery's total revenue increased 34% to $111.8 million, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $108.0 million. The results also favorably increased from $83.4 million in the year-ago period.
This was driven by a growth of 36.0% in cash receipts in the reported quarter from $134.6 million in the prior-year quarter. Portfolio Recovery applied 42.4% of its cash collections to reduce its owned debt portfolios.
Cash collections jumped 40% year over year to $166.7 million from $119.2 million in the year-ago period. Call center and other collections posted an 18% increase, external legal collections gained 39%, internal legal collections grew 46% and purchased bankruptcy collections rose 76%, compared with the prior-year quarter.
Balance Sheet
During the reported quarter, Portfolio Recovery spent $108 million on portfolio acquisitions to purchase $1.49 billion of debt. This debt was acquired in 79 portfolios from 9 different sellers to further improve collector productivity and strengthen the fee businesses.
As of March 31, 2011, cash balances were $35.4 million, down from $41.1 million as of December 31, 2010. During the reported quarter, Portfolio Recovery had net repayments of $10 million on its line of credit, leaving it with $290 million in outstanding borrowings at quarter end. The remaining borrowing availability under the line was $117.5 million as of March 31, 2011.
As on March 31, 2011, Portfolio recovery had total assets of $1.02 billion and shareholders' equity of $515.7 million.
Our Take
Overall, Portfolio Recovery's results have been showing great improvement with higher revenues. The company also benefits from long-term investments made over the past several years. We expect these investments to benefit its core portfolio and help the company overcome the economic volatility.
Besides, the new credit facility has further enhanced the company's liquidity auguring well for Portfolio Recovery's long-term growth plans.
Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, Portfolio Recovery provides outsourced receivables management and related services in the United States. The company serves financial services, auto, retail, utility, health care and government sectors. Its competitor is Asta Funding Inc. .


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What factors determine Earth's climate?
The climate system is a complex, interactive system consisting of the atmosphere, land surface, snow and ice, oceans and other bodies of water, and living things. The atmospheric component of the climate system most obviously characterises climate; climate is often defined as 'average weather'.
Climate is usually described in terms of the mean and variability of temperature, precipitation and wind over a period of time, ranging from months to millions of years (the classical period is 30 years).
The climate system evolves in time under the influence of its own internal dynamics and due to changes in external factors that affect climate (called 'forcings'). External forcings include natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions and solar variations, as well as human-induced changes in atmospheric composition. Solar radiation powers the climate system.
There are three fundamental ways to change the radiation balance of the Earth:
- by changing the incoming solar radiation (e.g., by changes in Earth's orbit or in the Sun itself);
- by changing the fraction of solar radiation that is reflected (called 'albedo'; e.g., by changes in cloud cover, atmospheric particles or vegetation);
- by altering the longwave radiation from Earth back towards space (e.g., by changing greenhouse gas concentrations).
Climate, in turn, responds directly to such changes, as well as indirectly, through a variety of feedback mechanisms.
For more information, see FAQ 1.1, extracted from Chapter 1 of "IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York,
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate/faq/what-factors-determine-earth2019s-climate or scan the QR code.
PDF generated on 19 Nov 2017, 07:37 AM


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Making Resurrection Cookies is one of our staples for celebrating Easter with our family.... Read More
Fun, Frugal Outdoor Summer Activitiesby Ann Timm
By Kate Tietje, Contributing Writer One of the aspects we enjoy most about the summer is the warm weather. As soon as the sun starts peaking out and tendrils of warmth drift through the air, we are ready to go... Read More
Backyard Bucket List (73 Frugal & Creative Backyard Activities for Kids)by Ann Timm
By Beth, Contributing Writer There are a bajillion ideas out there for super-duper fun things to do in the summer with your kids. Go to the zoo, go camping, exhibitions and fairs galore, summer camps, and the list goes on.... Read More
31+ Fun & Frugal Thanksgiving Activities & Freebies for Kidsby Ann Timm
By Crystal Paine, Contributing Writer Looking for some inexpensive and simple Thanksgiving-related activities for your tots, preschoolers, or grade schoolers? I've culled the internet and put together a list of over 31 of my favorite Thanksgiving-themed activity ideas, plus a... Read More
15 Fun & Frugal Memories To Make With Your Kids This Summerby Ann Timm
Written by Stacey T, Contributing Writer I want to take you back for a moment... What are your favorite summertime memories from when you were growing up? What were you doing? Where were you? Who were you with? Some of... Read More
Starting Traditions as a Young Familyby Ann Timm
When you first get married and have children, the holidays take on new meaning. Maybe you have memories of awesome traditions you had growing up (opening a present the night before Christmas, going caroling, having a big dinner with Grandma... Read More
Explore the Keeper of the Home CollectionHomemade/DIY Real Food Healthy Living For Women Keeping the Home Family Life Do It Yourself Natural Remedies Recipes
Have a Question? Ask Ann!


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While apparently not understanding the "shall not be infringed" part of the 2nd Amendment, there is high concern that the Obama administration in cooperation with Attorney General Eric Holder may be considering an Executive Order to require all firearms be equipped with biometric technology and/or bracelets which will restrict the firing of said firearm to the registered owner.
The threat is evidently real, as demonstrated by the fact that Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is warning the Obama administration to not issue an executive order requiring that all new guns be made with biometric technology, such as finger-print recognition or bracelets.
Cornyn raised the issue in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, who in testimony earlier this month highlighted biometric bracelets and fingerprint identification as a safety issue.
Cornyn wrote:
"Your testimony has raised serious concerns for my constituents given President Obama's track-record of acting beyond the scope of his legal authority and your hostility to the individual right to self-defense under the Second Amendment,"
"Is the Obama administration currently exploring the possibility of an executive order requiring all firearms to possess the technology capabilities you referenced in your testimony?"
Note that such an order would also enable the federal government to build a national gun owner registration database.
Source: thehill.com
Video link
Last year we reported in an article Executive Order Imminent For Gun Control Says Biden that the use of executive order is a distinct possibility for this administration to take substantive action against the 2nd Amendment.
Last year Vice President Biden said, "The President IS going to act…they're executive orders, executive action, that can be taken…we haven't decided what that is yet, but we're compiling it all with help of the attorney general and, uhh, and all the rest of the cabinet members, as well as the legislative action we believe is required…"
It looks like they may have decided.
Obama has made it very clear during his State of the Union address and during other statements, that he has a pen – and he is not afraid to use it to get what he wants.


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Simon Chege
December 21, 2015 · Public
You're replaceable . Your customers, strategic partners, suppliers and teammates will always appreciate your contributions, but there is always going to be someone that's better, smarter and nicer than you are. Never
stop treating people well. Do these things and you'll be irreplaceable.


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"I've been on my knees for days!" admits designer Juan Carlos Arcila-Duque. Coproprietor of the Design District showroom called ROOM and soon owner of a-d furniture interiors, Arcila-Duque hasn't taken on a new position as a presidential intern. He's just adding the job of curator to his résumé, since he's been spending his spare time sifting through 7000 photographs from the estate of German photographer Horst P. Horst.
Known for elegant dramatically lit shots of celebrities, interiors, and objects, Horst was born Horst Paul Albert Borhmann in 1906. A protégé of celebrated photographer George Hoyningen-Huene in the Thirties, he became a mono-monikered American citizen after World War II, hoping to dispel notions that he was related to Hitler crony Martin Bormann. Evident in his deftly arranged still lifes or his soigné portraits of notables such as designer Coco Chanel and artist Salvador Dalí that often were seen in Vogue and House & Garden, Horst had a distinctive tranquil style that borrowed heavily from classical paintings. The 93-year-old photographer died in 1999. Ironically he left behind an immense body of work that he considered journalism but the rest of the world embraced as art.
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Inspired by a show of Horst photos he saw last spring at New York City's Wessel + O'Connor Gallery, Arcila-Duque realized, "This is the kind of sophistication that needs to come down to Miami." And owing to his efforts, it will in a major retrospective, a first for South Florida. Several platinum prints will be displayed in a booth at Art Miami, which also will offer a lecture about the legendary lensman at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. For the next ten weeks Holly Hunt Showroom will exhibit more than 100 portraits, and ROOM will highlight a series of still lifes. "For photography it's an incredible moment in the world," notes Arcila-Duque. For Miami it will be too.


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Mixing real models with animations and illustration is the hottest trick in fashion editorials and ad campaigns these days.
The technique is perfectly utilized in this editorial "Practice Makes Perfect!†from the recent Fall/Winter 2008-09 issue of Commons & Sense magazine.
Photographer Damien Blottiere captured male model Cole Mohr, who was styled by Yoko Miyake with a captivating backdrop of illustrations by Jeanne Detallante.
Implications - The 'Practice Makes Perfect' Commons & Sense editorial spread is truly scary. With a father-figure teacher, the student is depicted as slowly cracking under pressure. The illustrative element of dreary colors creates an overall eerie effect that makes the 'Practice Makes Perfect' spread even more harrowing.
Surreal Illustrated Editorials
More Stats +/-
Real Models as Dolls
Cartoon Fashion Fusion Ads
Mixing Real Models & Animation
Sensual Sportswear Editorials
Limited-Edition Monochrome Work Boots
"Practice Makes Perfect!" in Commons & Sense Mag
- By: mediterraneanApr 17, 2009 Updated: May 27 2011
References: commons-sense.net & homotography.blogspot
References: commons-sense.net & homotography.blogspot


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Sports Management Certification $85
NOTE- You will be given a reference e-book to read which has 213 pages And the test will be based on that e-book , you can take the test only after 10 days Of purchase.
What is Sports Management?
Sports management refers to an educational field which is mainly focused on sports on the business perspective. It involves combining skills that are essential to planning, directing, budgeting, evaluating, leading, controlling and organizing a department or a business organization which products and services are linked to physical activities and sports. Sports management is essential in making sure that all sports coaches, fans, financial backers and players continue to coexist on a peaceful manner. This process works effectively in ensuring that various sports events are carefully planned, publicized, coached and administered. The process also encompasses some of the most vital elements of accounting, economics, law, communications, psychology and marketing as it relates to sports. Other crucial areas that are covered by sports management are the following:
Brainmeasures Sports Management Certification Program
Sports management is such a broad area so taking part in a sports management certification program is one of the wisest moves that you can ever take in your attempt to become an expert in this field. Your best choice is the sports management course offered by Brainmeasures. This online certification from Brainmeasures is developed by renowned experts in the field while sticking to strict ISO standards and regulations so you have a hundred percent assurance that it can provide you with the highest level of information especially about the most commonly used sports management applications and principles.
With the help of Brainmeasures, you will receive a highly comprehensive sports management training which will allow you to obtain a clearer view of the exciting and exhilarating sports industry from a business perspective. You will become more familiar about the psychological and sports management principles that work behind them. Receiving your sports management certificate from Brainmeasures is also an indication that you have a strong foundation of skills and knowledge in the business field while having the ability to closely examine the interaction of the sports and the business industry. The sports management certification course is definitely a major help in your attempt to become a real expert in the field.
Highlights of the Sports Management Certification Program from Brainmeasures
Brainmeasures sports management certification program covers a wide array of topics that will definitely help you reach your aim of becoming a sports management expert. Among the major topics that form a vital part of the sports management certification program from Brainmeasures are the following:
Beneficiaries of the Sports Management Certification Program
The sports management certification program offered by Brainmeasures aims to provide all its participants with a more comprehensive and detailed introduction and information to all the principles and practical applications behind sports management and how different sports organizations operate at state/provincial, national, community and international levels. The sports management certification course is most suitable for venue managers, facility operators, event managers, project managers and new and existing leaders in the sports industry as well as individuals and professionals who wish to qualify in various areas of sports and sports management.
Job Opportunities after Completing a Sports Management Certification Course
Sports management is a highly competitive field and industry so you can expect your sports management certification to help you receive numerous job offers. Completing your sports management certification course will open up doors for you in the following positions:
Expected Salary for Sports Management Certification Holders
If you are planning to complete a sports management certification course, then you have to keep in mind that your experience in this field is not the only factor which can affect the amount of salary that you will receive. Other factors that may affect it are the location where you practice your profession, your position, your employer, the level of your skills and certification received as well as any special skills that you have that will allow you to become an even more effective sports management expert. Note that sports management certification holders are now earning a stable income within the range of $44,000 to $116,000 per year. Most of those that receive the highest level of salary in the field are those that are working in high-paying states like New York, Massachusetts and California.
We Guarantee Brainmeasures Certifications Are Just Worth
Brainmeasures is an ISO 9001-2008 certified company, Brainmeasures is a leading online skill testing company. Our certifications are acknowledged by employers worldwide. Reason behind this trust is our world class testing standards. Brainmeasures offers skills tests in over 1200 varied fields and over 100 professionally developed courses and certification programs.
What will you Receive from Enrolling in the Online Courses Offered by Brainmeasures?
1.Course Material
You will receive course material in a format of an e-book and final certification
exam is entirely based on the provided course material
2.Hard Copy Certificate
On successfully clearing the certification exam you will Get a laminated hard
copy certificate Of your accomplishment depicting your feat, which will be mailed
to your provided address free of cost. Have a look at Hard Copy Certificate
3.Postal charges of hard copy certificate is absolutly free
No extra charges for Postal of the certificate to your place
4.Soft Copy Certificate
You can download the soft copy of your certificate immediately on taking the test
from your individual account.
5.Transcript ID
Using your transcript ID you can showcase your results online to your employer
by just going to Brainmeasures home page, your complete result report will appear.
6.Result Forwarding Facility
Using this feature you can send your scores to your employer and friends by using
through e-mail.


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Montgomery County's speed cameras are netting even more cash than expected this year -- not through violations but through additional fines. Drivers who do not pay the $40 ticket within the allotted 30 days are hit with a $25 late fee.
Violators who skip the late fee risk a flag on their vehicle registrations. To release the flag, drivers have to pay $50 to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. The county gets a $20 cut from that fee.
County budget-minders expect to collect $1.1 million in late fees this fiscal year, far more than the $309,000 they originally anticipated, according to The Washington Examiner. Add more than $270,000 for the flag fee, and that brings the county's total take well above $1.3 million. Just for late fees.
County Public Information Officer Esther Bowring pointed out that speed cameras are in place to slow people down.
"It's not the county's intent to collect late fees or speed camera fines. Our intent is to get people to slow down and obey the law," Bowring told NBCWashington.com.
Under state law, traffic cam receipts can only be used for initiatives that involve traffic safety or other forms of public safety.
But the windfall begs the question why drivers are not paying their tickets on time. AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend theorized it's because the county's $40 fine is low, compared to other jurisdictions around the country that charge $400 and up for speed camera tickets.
"It's not because of the economy, it's not because of a wanton disregard for the ticket," Townsend told the Examiner. He said it may simply be that many drivers do not place a high premium on paying the ticket.
Whether one agrees with speed-camera-as-safety-device proponents or speed-camera-as-cash-cow critics, the bottom line is the same: The failure to act on a speed cam ticket can quickly parlay a $40 fee into a $115 headache.


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SAN MATEO (AP) — A 2-foot-wide section of pipe burst Sunday during a high-pressure water test along the same Pacific Gas & Electric pipeline in Northern California that had a deadly explosion last year, sending mud, debris and a pipe cover into Interstate 280 and shutting down parts of the freeway for several hours, authorities said.
The pipe, which sits about 250 feet on a hill above the freeway in Woodside near San Mateo, burst at about 3:20 p.m. and saturated the hillside, PG&E Vice President for Gas Engineering and Operations Kirk Johnson said.
The pipe would normally carry natural gas at a pressure of 300 pounds with a maximum of 400 pounds, Johnson said. Workers were sending water through it at a pressure of 550 pounds.
Johnson said that while the problem was not encouraging he was glad it was discovered during a test.
"We want to make sure any possible weakness in the pipeline is found this way," Johnson said. "In terms of the test itself this is exactly what we are looking for," he said.
All northbound lanes of I-280 were shut down as utility crews cleaned up the mess. All lanes were reopened within several hours.
The burst pipe was about 20 miles south of the section of pipeline in San Bruno that exploded in September 2010, killing eight people and destroying 38 homes in Sept. 9, 2010.
Johnson acknowledged that the line — number 132 — was the same, but downplayed the connection, saying it was of a different size and type and a good distance away.
"It's completely different pipe," he said.
Since the explosion the utility has been conducting hydrostatic tests like Sunday's on 150 miles of its pipeline.
"The whole point of a test like this is to make sure these pipelines can operate at a pressure well in excess of what they're designed for," Johnson said.
On Thursday PG&E crews doing a hydrostatic test found a small leak on the same line 132 in Palo Alto.
Gas service was not affected by the burst because it had already been routed around the pipe for the test.
Johnson said the burst section of pipe would be replaced this week with hopes of performing similar tests next weekend.
(Copyright 2011 The Associated Press)


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How to Turn Physical Comedy into a Race Issue, by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
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If you didn't see the Super Bowl, you didn't see this ad air:
Now that's funny…unless you are an incredibly dense, race baiting Congresswoman:
Jackson Lee said it was ridiculous for the soft drink maker to air the advertisement during African-American history month.
"In this month of African-American history where we're trying to celebrate what is good and great, it certainly seems ridiculous that Pepsi would utilize this kind of humor," she said. "It was not humorous. It was demeaning – an African-American woman throwing something at an African-American male and winding up hitting a Caucasian woman."×
101 Things All Young Adults Should Know
by Sir John Hawkins
John Hawkins's book 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know is filled with lessons that newly minted adults need in order to get the most out of life. Gleaned from a lifetime of trial, error, and writing it down, Hawkins provides advice everyone can benefit from in short, digestible chapters.Buy Now
Jackson Lee said she has a sense of humor and believes in the First Amendment. She also said the Super Bowl is a great time for "fellowship" with family members.
"That is why I'm so disappointed with the Pepsi advertisement that showed a demeaning role for African American women, in an ad that showed a can being thrown and being utilized to wound someone else or hit someone else," she said.
I wonder what that's like. I mean, I wonder what it is like to see an ad like that and not see the awesome humor that is physical comedy, but to only see the density of melanin in the skin cells of the actors.
It must be awful.
Cross posted at All American Blogger.
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Duane Lester
Duane Lester is co-founder of All American Blogger, and the primary writer. Following graduation, Duane entered the United States Navy as a journalist. He spent five years touring the world, reporting on local news and sports. Following his enlistment, Duane spent almost 10 years working with adjudicated youth in residential treatment environments. Duane discovered politics after September 11. He credits Erich "Mancow" Muller for opening his eyes to his conservative beliefs. Since then, Duane has devoured books and literature on politics, reading everything he can from Adam Smith to Larry Elder to Thomas Sowell. He refers to his style of politics as "conserva-tarian", a mixture of conservative and libertarian beliefs.


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KAI RYSSDAL: It being a Friday afternoon, what say we check the week on Wall Street with David Johnson down in Dallas, Texas. How are you, David?
DAVID JOHNSON: I'm fine. I'm fine. Let's hurry along here. I don't know that I can spare all that much time. You know, we're in great demand nowadays.
KAI RYSSDAL: Busy, busy man that you are with this week that has gone by.
DAVID JOHNSON: Yeah, it's kind of funny how, you know, when the market goes up everybody returns your phone calls. Everybody loves you. You get fruitcakes that are just piled up to your eyeballs. So we got a new all-time high on the Dow Jones Industrials average. Good week. But so what are you going to do? What are you going to play today?
KAI RYSSDAL: Well, I think, let's see. You look around. Everything was up. I think it's the happy music, yeah.
DAVID JOHNSON: Well, OK. And far be it from me to argue since we do better in bull markets, but there were 210 more stocks down than up today.
KAI RYSSDAL: Is that right?
DAVID JOHNSON: Yup. There were more stocks down than up, so it is, you know, it's a coin toss but it also, it kind of reinforces what was going on just today because this is the third Friday of the month. It's the end of the quarter. It's virtually the end of the year. And it's not the clearance sale. It's quadruple — it's kind of like that — it's quadruple witching day when the options and indexes and futures and everything all expire at once. It doesn't really matter except that you trade a lot of volume and you never know where you're going to end up, so we end up mixed today.
KAI RYSSDAL: Yeah, I mean, just the industry's on this upside stuff. Was it worth anything? Should we make a note of that or not?
DAVID JOHNSON: It's all right. I mean, we've got a truly mixed market right now. The oil stocks sort of trended down a little bit because everybody knows OPEC cheats. Oil was up today, up 92 cents, but you know, those guys aren't going to be able to cut back all that much.
KAI RYSSDAL: No, no, no.
DAVID JOHNSON: And the housing market, we've seen the housing market get beat up. Now we're sort of beginning to see the fallout from that. We saw, you know, Centex and Lennar and D.R. Horton and . . .
KAI RYSSDAL: Home builders.
DAVID JOHNSON: . . . all those guys sell off, but did you see what happened this week? United Technologies was down this week, and did you see why?
KAI RYSSDAL: No, no.
DAVID JOHNSON: They own Carrier, the air conditioning people.
KAI RYSSDAL: Oh, sure.
DAVID JOHNSON: And then today, Black and Decker — unfortunately, Black and Decker is making a habit of this, you know, saying that our numbers are going to be bad — but Black and Decker was down $8.66 today at $78.26 and again they blame the housing market.
KAI RYSSDAL: Hmm. Are you worried at all about that consumer inflation number that came out today? Are we softening too fast? Yes, no, maybe? All of the above?
DAVID JOHNSON: No. It's just perfect. And that's what we've seen and this is why the market's done so well here recently and why it's just really confounding the shorts, the people who, you know, sell stocks hoping to go down because when you get numbers like this that are just benign, not really inflationary, no signs of recession, the shorts get squeezed.
KAI RYSSDAL: Yes. Indeed, you do. Listen, before I let you go, have a look at the calendar for me, would you? Where are we?
DAVID JOHNSON: Yeah, I see it over there.
KAI RYSSDAL: All right. Now, take a look. Count how many days until the end of the year.
DAVID JOHNSON: Oh, yeah. You know what's happening?
KAI RYSSDAL: Yeah.
DAVID JOHNSON: You're right. That's one of the cross currents, too. I forgot all about that. It's tax selling. Everybody's rushing around looking for some losses to offset some of the gains, trying to buy back at the last minute. That's going to go on for a little while, but I think we saw a lot of that this week.
KAI RYSSDAL: All right. Well, we shall see it next week, I suppose. David Johnson down in Dallas, Texas. Thank you, David.
DAVID JOHNSON: Yeah, just another day in paradise.
KAI RYSSDAL: Oh, yeah. Life's always good when you're David Johnson.


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|Rediff India Abroad Home | All the sections
Kalinga Nagar killing spot declared 'Veerbhumi'
January 06, 2006 02:05 IST
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Thursday declared the spot where 12 tribals were killed in police firing at Kalinga Nagar as 'Veerbhumi'.
These tribals had become martyrs and a gathering will be organised on January 2 every year to pay homage to their sacrifice, JMM supremo Shibu Soren said in Bhubaneswar.
Soren, who was visiting mourning tribals Thursday in Kalinga Nagar, said those killed would be given the same prestige as tribal icon Birsa Munda or Siddhu-Kanu.
"Every year thousands of tribals will converge at the spot on January 2 to remember the sacrifice of the 12 and pay homage," he said.


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CALGARY -- A teenager who stole the ashes of a 19-year-old girl last year failed to show up for court Tuesday.
Youth court Judge Todd LaRochelle issued a warrant for the girl's arrest after she didn't make a scheduled appearance to set a sentencing date.
She was also supposed to get an update on a proposed community conferencing, a procedure under the Youth Criminal Justice Act which brings victims and offenders together.
The girl cried during a March court appearance while reading from a victim impact statement prepared by Calgary mom Colleen Ransom about the devastating effect the loss of her daughter's ashes had on her.
The 15-year-old pleaded guilty to theft, mischief and property damage for stealing the ashes of Emma Ransom from a parked pickup truck last August. Ransom, 19, was killed in a highway accident near Nanton in 2009.
A small amount of the ashes which were dumped on a street were recovered, but most was washed away by rain.
A second girl involved in the theft has pleaded guilty and will also attempt to arrange for community conferencing. And a third teen is expected to plead guilty next week and also attempt to meet with the victim.


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SPOILER WARNING: I'm going to discuss events in this weeks comics, specifically BEYOND! #1 so if you don't wanna be SPOILED, read that first, then come back.
Sincerely – Spoily McSpoiler III
This was the most-anticipated book of the week for me. Dwayne McDuffie wrote some of the best episodes of the outstanding Justice League Unlimited TV show, and when I heard about BEYOND! I knew it was a must-have.
The basic setup of BEYOND! is simple: Combine 1984's Secret Wars # 1 with an interesting mix of modern-day B- and C-Listers, and watch the fur fly. McDuffie chooses a fun mix of characters, as the Beyonder repeats his cosmic combat challenge to the likes of The Hood, Kraven the Hunter, Gravity, Medusa, Venom, and others.
By the way, I've never been a big fan of Venom, Eddie Brock style, but I quite like seeing Mac Gargan in the role, his ascension to the big time. The tail added in this issue was a perfect idea, adding something of the Scorpion to Venom's existing schtick.
Medusa has also been underused, and she 's among the abducted. she gets a good scene with Spider-Man, and looks to throw down with Venom next.
Can I cast my vote for Gravity to take up the "relatable everyman" character? You know, the role that everyone seems to think is essential to Spider-Man, but that he in fact long ago vacated? He's the POV in this issue, so he gets some good screen time here.
I'm one of the few who enjoyed Get Kraven, so I dug seeing him in here. I fully expected that the next time someone used him, they'd get nostalgic, and make him act like his dad. "I have taken on the spirit of my father..bla bla bla..." I'm glad they didn't go that route.
I like the art too.
So in short: BEYOND!#1 = Again with the Comics APPROVED.


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Image copyright: anon
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Wish a couple of them were mine.
Whew! What a lot of cute kittens. I hope there is more than one litter in the basket.
So cute!


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UPDATE: Morris Public Library closed due to water damage
MORRIS – The Morris Public Library is closed as a result of water damage following storms over the weekend.
The kick off to the summer reading program with CLIMB Theater next Tuesday, June 10 at 10:30 a.m. has been moved across the street to First Lutheran Church.
Carpet throughout the library was soggy with water, wood paneling was falling off the wall, and light fixtures in the roof were filled with water. Approximately 200 gallons of water were extracted from the carpeting.
"Thankfully, few books were damaged, except that now the air is so humid, the books are absorbing the moisture," said Director Melissa Yauk.
Yauk said the library roof was in the process of being replaced but it was not completed before it rained over the weekend. Historically, the library has had problems with the roof leaking because the drain spouts on the roof can get clogged.
On Monday, city staff and cleaning crews were working to vacuum the water out of the carpet, removing approximately 200 gallons. Fans and a dehumidifier have been moved into the building to control moisture.
Yauk said she didn't know when the library would be able to open again.
Patrons can still return books at the library book drop and renew books online. Patrons can also pick up materials from the staff entrance on the side of the building.
The meeting room is dry and available for use, and delivery pick up will continue as usual.
The pajama storytime and stuffed animal sleepover scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Thursday has been cancelled. Sign ups for the summer reading program are on hold until more is known about the state of the building, Yauk said.


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More from a remarkable couple
Trying to sum up the life of Ned and Lizie Goldwasser is one of the tougher assignments I've had as a reporter.
Today's "Are We There Yet?" column in The News-Gazette focuses on their 70 years of marriage, and the active life they continue to lead. The Goldwassers, 92 and 91 years old, respectively, still drive across the country to visit their five children and grandchildren and zip off to Europe for various anniversaries. Up until last year, when he was sidelined by a stroke, Ned swam several days a week. He also loves tennis, something he asked Lizie to learn when they got married, along with playing bridge and opera (which she now adores).
But Ned's career as a physicist and University of Illinois administrator, and their family history, could fill a book -- i.e: a story about Ned's meeting with former President Lyndon B. Johnson on plans for a high-energy physics lab in the Midwest; a photo of FDR shaking hands with Lizie's grandmother, a feisty Democratic soapbox speaker who was routinely sent to neo-Nazi areas of New York City because party leaders figured no one would attack a 4-foot 10-inch old lady.
I thought I'd share a few of the stories they related last week, when we spent several hours reminiscing at their Urbana home. We also put segments of the interview online, so you can hear them in their own words.
Ned Goldwasser initially chose physics as a major at Harvard because he'd done well on a high school physics exam. His father had hoped Ned would follow him into business, a career he had adopted after first working as a teacher and principal. But Ned wanted to do something he loved. He eventually became deputy director of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, which has led to major discoveries in medicine and our understanding of matter, energy and the origins of the universe.
His own research, in partical physics, was highlighted by his work with pi mesons, or pions, subatomic particles that helped explain nuclear force. But he said his biggest contribution was as a scientific organizer, bringing together researchers to work on experiments and "grease the wheels to make it go," as at Fermilab.
"One of the things I loved about physics: It's a truly international occupation," he said. "Physicists all work on similar problems. Everyone is trying to understand the world better than we do."
He's proud that, during the Cold War, he persuaded President Richard Nixon to allow scientific exchanges with Soviet physicists at Fermilab. The Soviets were doing similar work, and "we had the most powerful accelerator in the world," he said. "The things we were doing were so far removed from applications of defense or anything to do with it."
The first year, the Russians came with a "commisar" to look over their shoulder, he said. The next year, they came alone. The year after that, they brought their spouses, and the next, their children.
"That's the way the world should work," Goldwasser said.
But he also had to stand up to the Soviets, who once refused to invite the recommended number of Israeli physicists to an international physics meeting in Tblisi. Goldwasser, who headed the organizing committee, threatened to cancel the meeting. The Soviets backed down, but warned him, "You won this time; don't try it again."
Goldwasser learned Italian from a fairly famous teacher: Laura Fermi, the wife of Nobel prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi.
A high school physics teacher and author of other science books, Laura Fermi was working with a committee of scientists, including Goldwasser, to develop a new high school physics curriculum in the 1950s. Goldwasser mader her an offer: teach me Italian, and I'll buy you dinner every night for a month.
Still, he didn't feel confident enough to lecture in Italian when he arrived in Rome for a year while on sabbatical in 1957-58. For his first talk, he carefully translated an introductory paragraph into Italian, explaining why he would have to deliver the rest of the speech in English.
A man in the audience raised his hand and said, "Sorry, Ned, nobody in the audience speaks English." He lectured that entire semester in Italian.
The effort to secure federal funding for a high-energy physics lab in the Midwest took 10 years, culminating in the creation of Fermilab in 1967.
Four years earlier, Goldwasser had accompanied a group of scientists to Washington pushing for a slightly different type of accelerator in Wisconsin. Their proposal was being considered for funding, but budget cuts were also on the table, so the group was scheduled to discuss it with President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had just succeeded the late John F. Kennedy.
Goldwasser was eager to get a lab in the Midwest, and told federal officials that Midwestern universities could be graduating more physicists if the region had a facility where the brightest scientists could do their research. One of Johnson's advisers dismissed the concern, saying most scientists were from the east and west coasts anyway.
Goldwasser had been greeted by Johnson as he got off the elevator, the president throwing his arm around Goldwasser's shoulders like they were old friends. The next person to arrive was Hubert Humphrey, who was disgruntled that the president had killed a project for another lab in Minnesota that Johnson had supported as vice president.
Johnson replied, "Well Hubert, it's like this: now, I'm president."
The president then announced that the Wisconsin project was also being canceled, his mind clearly made up before the meeting started, Goldwasser said.
Later, Goldwasser and Fermilab's eventual director, Bob Wilson, attended a hearing of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy on the proposal to build Fermilab. A senator from Rhode Island asked a witness from the Atomic Energy Commission what use Fermilab would be for the defense of the country. He didn't have an answer.
According to Goldwasser, who recalled the story years later in a speech at Fermilab, Wilson stood up and said, "It has nothing to do directly with defending our country except to help make it worth defending."
"It was such a beautiful answer to that question," Goldwasser recalled last week. "It's so true. Funding science does nothing to make you a better coffee pot. But it does make meaningful contributions to a better understanding of our world and ourselves, and that's what makes this country worth defending."
The Goldwassers traveled to China with a group of other physicists during the Cultural Revolution, in July 1973, just after President Richard Nixon's historic visit. The group was shepherded around the country by "apparatchik people" as they visited Shanghai, Beijing and Hanjo, Lizie Goldwasser said.
It was unusual in those days for westerners to be in China, and the group was always surrounded by people. The Cultural Revolution turned out to be a "terrible thing" for opponents of the government who were jailed (and worse), Lizie said, but "there was a kind of purity around China at the time. Not like today, with capitalism and pink plastic.... It was all for the people."
The new regime had yet to figure out what the school system would look like, or even health care. "It was all very new," he said.
"Barefoot doctors" would travel to villages dispensing medicine and birth control pills. The Goldwassers saw acupuncture used to treat patients with schizophrenia and as the sole anesthesia for thoracic surgery and a Ceasarean-section delivery.
"It was an amazing trip," Lizie Goldwasser said.
Goldwasser was on the UI faculty from 1951 until he was hired by Wilson at Fermilab in 1967. He remained on leave from his UI post, and 10 years later was recruited back to campus as vice chancellor for research and graduate dean by then-Chancellor William Gerberding and Morton Weir, vice chancellor for academic affairs. Goldwasser called it a "very hard decision emotionally," but felt the campus was an interesting place with bright people at the helm.
The following year both Gerberding and Weir left the UI. In what he called "one of the stupidest decisions of my life," Goldwasser agreed to serve as both vice chancellor for research and vice chancellor for academic affairs.
That arrangement lasted for one year, when Goldwasser resigned from the research position. He continued as vice chancellor for academic affairs until his retirement in 1986.
In his view, one of his chief accomplishments was saving University High School. It was yet another time of budget cuts, and Goldwsser asked the College of Education to trim several hundred thousand dollars. Without consulting Goldwasser, the college decided to close Uni High and instructed stunned students to look for another school.
"I had 50 or so students in my office crying and screaming about saving their school," Goldwasser said. "I decided that if the College of Education felt it wasn't important to keep Uni, then my office would take over administation for it" -- but the college would still have to cut $200,000 from its budget.
Goldwasser and others felt Uni was "tremendously important" to the UI's ability to attract top faculty. Nobel-winning physicist John Bardeen wrote to Goldwasser, offering to back his decision publicly if needed. "I would not have come to Illinois if there had not been a Uni High," Bardeen said at the time.
Goldwasser also worked hard to secure research funding for faculty, especially new professors who needed money for startup projects; revived an honors program for undergraduates that had "lain fallow" for years; stepped up minority hiring at both the UI and Fermilab; and created a spousal hiring program to help the campus with faculty recruitment.
The UI had an anti-nepotism rule, so a husband and wife couldn't both be hired on the faculty. That left spouses (usually women, back then) with few options, unlike Boston, New York or the Bay Area where they could find jobs at other top universities.
Goldwasser's office would provide money for spousal hires for the first few years if individual departments didn't have the money to cover the position, as long as the person was desirable.
"I didn't want to foist some clod on a department," he said.
In a speech for Ned Goldwasser's 80th birthday, his youngest son, Rick, said his father's "dedication to his profession is completely dwarfed by his dedication to his family. I can not remember one time during my childhood when I felt like he didn't have time for me, whether it was for a silly children's game like Chutes and Ladders or for help with my homework on the rare occasions when I got around to doing it."
Rick, a tennis instructor and photographer, said he cherished his father's "complete and unwavering support in whatever decision I have made. I am sure that it didn't seem right for a man who holds degrees from Harvard and Cal-Berkeley to have a son who couldn't finish his undergraduate work at Northern Illinois University. But I never once got the feeling that he disapproved of what I was doing."
When Rick was 8 years old, his parents took him to a Chicago White Sox game. They left after the first game of a double header, with few other fans on the street. As Rick watched helplessly, his father was beaten and robbed at gunpoint, "the most horrifying thing I have experienced in my life."
Four years later, Rick and his friend rode the train to a night game at Comiskey, unaccompanied. Rick later asked his father why he and Lizie weren't afraid to let him go.
"He said he was so happy that I wasn't scared to go back to Comiskey Park and he didn't want to give me the impression that what had happened to us that day was a normal occurrence," Rick wrote. "He said that so many parents and people in general live their lives trying so hard to avoid negative things that they are not really living life."
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Interesting stories, but would like to hear about Mom Goldwasser, if this is about a couple it seems at least from these clips that the coverage is one-sided.
Also, recommend some edits: "origins of the university" is most likely "origins of the universe" and "Unit was "tremendously important" to the UI's ability to attract top faculty." should most likely be "Uni was..."


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Manchester United Boss, Sir Alex of Ferguson, literally handed the Premiership trophy over to Liverpool head-honcho Rafael Benitez today in what was said by some to be "confusing".
United were said to be cruising to yet another title before Liverpool's 4-1 thrashing of the team that still tops the premiership but Fergie, 89, decided that the game was up:
"It's no point thinkin otherwii, yanoo? The man's godit sowed up so I say it's all over. Aye?" queried Sir Alec as he took another swig from the Newcastle Brown Ale bottle he had secreted upon himself.
Benitez, 16, was delighted to have been personally handed the trophy and announced victoriously:
"Rafa FTW! You suck, I rule, beards where there were no beards before are shocking and cool."
Chelsea were unavailable for comment but someone told me that Guus Hiddink looked confused. All the time.
It is likely that the Premier League will begin some sort of investigation into the incident, probably within the next decade or so. West Ham are likely to pay a huge fine though.


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Dear Basenoters,
I am looking to consolidate my wardrobe a little and sell fragrances that I have bought and simply do not wear.
To this end, I have the following fragrances for sale:
Tom Ford Italian Cypress 50ml (with box) - Greater than 45ml remaining - SOLD
The above sale prices do not include postage, and in the event of International shipping, I accept no responsibility for customs issues.
Please feel free to PM me if interested.
Last edited by tyler-durden; 10th August 2012 at 01:11 PM.


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Artist description:
drawing time 6h. :-)
Java Draw Created Nov 30, 2013 1024 x 736px Unless noted Copyright 2013 MiaMiou.
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Love the colors and the reality in her face. like fav add
amazing work ! love it so peaceful and soft , like and fave
Beautiful portrait!! Love her eyes and how you gave it such a cold feeling through the colors and background. Excellent work!
amaaaaaazing work.
so beautiful people are so hard you did such a great job. she is so beautiful!
Another awesome draw, love the way you make the colors vibrant yet soft.
Lovely work..Like :)
wonderful portrait ! love the style and the softness !
good portrait! very professional
beautiful drawing, style and colour, liked :)


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Fri, 2014-06-13 11:54 News Staff
The Southern Xplosion 16U Softball Team from St. Bernard Parish finished first place in the USSSA Chalmette Classic NIT Tournament played at CHS Softball Complex the weekend of June 7 and 8. The Southern Xplosion team went to the championship game with a record of four wins and zero losses. The Southern Xplosion only gave up six runs throughout the tournament, while scoring 38 runs against their opponents.
To view more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition. http://www.etypeservices.com/St.%20Bernard%20VoiceID370/


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Civil rights investigators from the U.S. Justice Department will hold a public meeting June 15 in Harahan to hear about hiring and promotion practices in the city's Police and Fire departments, Mayor Vinny Mosca said. The meeting begins at 11 a.m. at City Hall, 6437 Jefferson Highway. City employees and the public are invited, Mosca said.
The meeting comes two months after the Justice Department asked Harahan officials for data on employees hired, fired and promoted since 2006, broken down by race, sex and job classification. It's part of an effort to determine whether Harahan is complying with a consent decree that was reached after the Justice Department sued Harahan and 39 other Louisiana municipalities over their record of hiring women and African Americans.


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Last month, on Saturday, September 17, against LA Galaxy, Joe Cannon played in his 300th career MLS match – becoming only the second goalkeeper in league history to do so. It was not always guaranteed that Cannon would reach the feat this season though. He and fellow goalkeeper Jay Nolly have pushed each other for playing time all season, but as Cannon explains, that is something he's been used to his entire life.
Brotherly love
Cannon grew up in a family of four boys: older brother Dave, younger brothers Cody and Colt, and twin brother Jon. It was with the latter where he especially developed his competitive edge.
"It was tough, every day was like a different battle," said Cannon of growing up with a twin brother. "It was great training, day in and day out. We'd play basketball, baseball, football, videogames, you name it. We had a competition about everything."
Among their athletic endeavors was competitive ski racing during the winters in Sun Valley, Idaho where they were born. In fact, that was the reason that they originally found their way onto the soccer pitch.
"We started playing soccer at age six," said Cannon. "My mom got us involved to help my twin brother and I get our legs stronger for the upcoming ski season."
Playing soccer was no different than anything else. Each wanted to be the best, and Jon was certainly no slouch.
"He was a very good athlete," recalls Joe. "He was a forward and he used to score a bunch of goals, but he decided to get into baseball because that's where his talent lay."
Each has gone on to accomplish a great deal in their respective careers. Jon played 11 years of minor league baseball, including being named pitcher of the year with the Tucson Sidewinders – the former Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks.
Joe, meanwhile, continued along his own path.
Full steam ahead
"I think I was 14 when my head coach told my dad I could get a scholarship," remembers Joe. "I made that my goal and then I never looked back."
That scholarship eventually came at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He would play one season there before transferring to the University of Santa Clara – where he spent three successful years. His 518-minute shutout streak in 1995 ranks second all-time in school history.
From there, he began his professional career with San Diego Flash in 1998; he played his first ever road match in Vancouver against the 86ers. He followed that with his first taste of Major League Soccer with San Jose Earthquakes from 1999-02 – a league which was much different than it is today.
"It used to be a crapshoot. You'd say to yourself and joke with your friends, 'well I hope to see you after the off-season'. But now that's not the case. If you look at the last four expansion teams, I don't think you could write a script any better with where the league is headed right now. I think commissioner Don Garber has done a great job and I think the skies are blue for MLS."
Apart from his time in North America, Cannon also spent some time playing in Europe. In 2003, he moved to Lens, France to play for Ligue 1 team Racing Club de Lens.
"It was incredible," tells Cannon of the experience. "Off the field, it was great to learn about another culture and learn another language. On the field, it was a much higher level than I had played here in MLS at the time. The team was put together for the UEFA Champions League that year and although it took awhile to adjust, I came back knowing I could play at that level.
"I also realized how hard the children of other football countries work at a young age to play a game that up until that point, I had taken for granted."
Everlasting bond
A two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Joe probably would have never made it as far as he has if not for his brother Jon – even if he was at times more of a fierce rival than a brother.
"It was great because it made us both better as far as the athletic stuff goes, but it took its toll on our relationship when we were adolescents," said Joe of his twin brother. "Now I think it's brought us so much closer."
Jon now has a family of his own with a wife, two children and a very busy schedule. Joe, on the other hand, has in his own words, "a wonderful girlfriend, an Xbox and a ton of free time". But the respect that he has for his brother is unmatched.
"His work ethic and dedication to his family have taught me that I have a long way to go before I think that I'm anything in this world. He's my best friend and my favourite person in the world. I can't say enough about him."
And that is something that he will never take for granted.


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Feb 28, 2012
Alright, other than sci-fi, out of curiosity, what genres do you think you would place ITC in?
Aside from the nanomachines, the AIs and the aliens, ITC is a relative modern fantasy and a military fiction.
Ah, military for the win, at least I hope it is fiction. It may be cool, but its quite scary.
Me being myself, I felt that it was appropriate given the circumstances involving Trinity. As stated in the profile on Trinity itself, its acknowledged presence nearly sparked an international incident.
There's also more to ITC than what I have in my gallery too - I recently allowed SlingBlade87 to write about the affairs of a North African nation, that exists by 2032 in ITC, called Numidia. Just look for Numidia Rising.
Well that's interesting, but it's always nice to let others delve into your world like that. And yeah, I can see how something like Trinity could cause an international incident, dangerous business that stuff can be.
Indeed. It's the exact reason why TTF1 is an international unit.
And as for the whole thing of being an international unit, not that'd I'm familiar with how they'd work, but couldn't that be problematic as well, with every country in the world tugging at them in some way?
From what I already have planned, TTF1 as a whole answers to the UN when called for; otherwise they remain attached to their home unit. Of course, that doesn't stop certain nations from searching for loopholes, or its UN-delegated bureaucratic chief from making himself look good at the expense of his subordinates, and it's something that Major Patterson has to contend with from time to time.
So if they're dubbed Trinity Task Force One, was the name chosen due to the assumption that a second task force would be formed at an unknown point future or other reasons? I can also see how skewed things could be with the media too.
Trinity Task Force One was chosen for the former reason. The unit itself was more or less a test-bed to see if such a unit could be organized.
Feb 29, 2012
Ah, what does TTF1 deal with as an international unit anyway?
Its roles are wide and varied, from peacekeeping QRF (quick response force) to counter-terrorism. As a general rule of thumb, if there's a need for intervention on an international scale, TTF personnel are likely to be found there amongst the regulars.
Since they respond to the UN is it possible for a member nation to not allow TTF1 to operate on their soil?
It's possible, depending on the nation in question. Nations that are hosts to TTF1 personnel are obliged to permit TTF1 as a whole to operate within their borders however.
As far as I've written, the only exception is when it is not possible to keep the peace as hinted by a reference to a possible second Korean War, which also implies that South Korea is a host nation.
I've also put thought into what would happen if two host nations wage war on one another or if another world war breaks out, and it will be covered in the story at a later time. However, I will say that TTF personnel are internationals first, nationals second, and that one of their responsibilities involves Trinity.
Ah, so then it's entirely possible in that respect for nations to attack them during outright. Another thing, being an international unit would a country have to go through a process before becoming a host nation? Inspection, checks, the providing of a base?
The only requirement that a country must adhere to when becoming a host nation is to permit access to military personnel records on demand for TTF1, as it recruits via invite only, and only from the reg force - no spec ops or reserves. The process by which a candidate is selected is akin to a university scouting out players amongst high school sports teams.
TTF personnel wear two cap badges so to speak; that of TTF1 itself, and that of their "home unit" - the unit that they were recruited out of. It is only fitting that TTF personnel are stationed with their home units and conduct training with them, all the while keeping their responsibilities to both camps separate.
Also, would it be possible for a country to change their mind about being a host nation if they are already one?
Host nations that decide against hosting TTF personnel would have to discharge all resident TTF personnel from national service in the process of opting out. It's not a likely possibility, but then again I've only scoped out the first five years of TTF1's existence.
You really did think all of this out. Although I'm quite curious, do you think it would be possible for a host nation to deny TTF1 the right to invite any of its forces during wartime? Since, many countries try to keep their numbers up, and the sudden death of an invited person(s) would likely be awkward.
It depends on how much international support has been invested in the region and who the belligerent is, and it's not always up to the host nation in question to make the final call.
Mar 1, 2012
So would TTF1 buy their own weaponry or would those also be supplied by host nations?
In its founding years, TTF1 was reliant on the weapons and equipment supplied by host nations, which had its problems tagging along with it - notably, lack of standardization. As much as universally-distributed equipment would benefit the unit however, it was an uphill battle against the bureaucracy within UNISC (UN International Security Council).
Ah, yeah, well the UN itself has always been a pain in the ass in all of its branches, that's the problem when you have groups like that. But that's humanity for you.
Is TTF1 a large unit?
By 2040, it has comparable manpower to a very large battalion and then some - roughly 1500-2000 personnel. Individual platoons - 30-35 personnel each - are associated with one of the 42 host nations at the time.
Mar 2, 2012
That's quite interesting actually. You've really thought that world out haven't you?
I'm sure there are some aspects that I haven't touched yet, but you could say that.
On a side note, when it comes to fiction I'm always looking for ways to make it seem plausible in the real world. Depending on how things go in the next 20 years ITC could either be an alternate timeline or a reality. That's how I look at it.
I'm sure there would be some aspects of ITC that would be better off staying fictional, but it can be good when fiction and reality match up of course.
But yeah, obviously there are some aspects of it that you haven't touched, it's an entire world that you have to think about and I'm sure that can be hard on the brain sometimes.
Agreed, although it's not like the world we live in is all sunshine and lollipops either. In terms of the setting, it's mostly just our world 20 years from now. All that really needs to be thought about is what has changed in that period of time and what has resulted from that change.
In line with this, ITC is all about causality with Trinity being the catalyst. I personally hand wave the fantastic elements of ITC by invoking Clark's third law and by fluke of chance of course, but that's not the important part - it's the chain of events that happen as a result that I've focused on.
Mar 14, 2012
Is it possible for Trinity to be effective by means other than injection, such as exposure to wounds and/or consumption?
Amusingly enough, I've already got that planned out for future chapters. To clear up any doubt however, injection isn't the only vector but it's by far the most reliable - Trinity merely requires iron or previously-dissolved biological compounds to remain stable, so transmission via exposure to open wounds is plausible.
As far as consumption goes, it would have to be of sufficient quantity to survive being broken down in the gastrointestinal tract before entering the bloodstream and stable Trinity in solution is a weak alkali.
Alright, I was quite curious about that, since Trinity is obviously a substance that would have to be kept under careful observation, although that brings up a few other questions. Despite injection being the most reliable and since open wound exposure is plausible, wouldn't that mean Trinity is a substance that could essentially be used in biological terror attacks?
As far as I've revealed, I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility of Trinity being used as a possible nanotechnological weapon. The one thing I have to say about it is that it wouldn't be all that effective - at most, it would merely incite panic amongst the locals as those afflicted start turning into anthropomorphic animals, and the overall reaction depends on the disposition of those afflicted. Nevertheless, if it involves Trinity, no matter the intent or who is involved, it will not be taken lightly by TTF1 for very personal reasons. It is in fact the only time TTF1 may deploy in force regardless of outside authorization, deploying proportionately to the scale of the event.
Another curiosity is other military alliances, TTF1 is a international military group, which I understand and I know you mentioned major countries had an interest in using Trinity as well, but would multinational groups like NATO and the EU have an interest? As I'm sure many other parties would be interested in military forces under the banner of alliances like that with Trinity as well as the nations of the world.
TTF1 was formed in order to avert what had almost become WW3, which had almost started because of that prospect. Given enough time and enough members from its host nations and it might be possible for TTF1 to branch into national units that still answer to the UN collectively, but not at its current strength. The thought hadn't really occurred to me about multinational groups, but the most I can say is that since military operations conducted by multinational groups are through coalitions as opposed to through a single unified army, TTF personnel can only be treated as a task force detachment.
Another factor I was curious about too is the technology. The starting date is 2032, but what exactly is the world like in terms of advancement?
By the start of ITC, the level of technology used is patchwork, much like it is nowadays. Railguns and direct energy weapons are being employed on military vehicles and vessels (propellant-based small-arms are still in use), the biotech industry is making a killing off of bio-petrol and prototype terraforming procedures with transgenics, sentient AIs for medical purposes coming online, nuclear fusion powering much of the developed world, and permanent lunar colonies mining uranium since the mid-2020's. In terms of electronics, hard drives with memory space measured in petabytes (or even exabytes) are commercially available along with optical computers. LCD and plasma screens are still in use, but interactive hologram projectors are in the running for business and commercial applications on the market.
Mar 15, 2012
Being a UN sanctioned group, if enough member states voted in favor of it, would TTF1 have to give samples of Trinity to selected groups? In this case I'm meaning if UN member-states came to a majority vote to get TTF1 to actually give it to certain groups, would they have to accept that decision?
Straight off the bat, institutions dedicated to research are given the clearance to have access to Trinity for research purposes only and only under direct supervision. I can understand that it's not exactly foolproof - I'm sure a furry assisting a university professor on a research project might attempt to procure a small sample for personal use later - but it's the only way for TTF1, and through them the UN, to permit access to Trinity while simultaneously keeping it locked tight.
As it is, programmable nanotech is a relatively new field of study for humanity by 2032, and many of the same fears we hold today about "Grey Goo" scenarios are still prevalent at the time - very much to the point where any form of nanotech is treated like weapons-grade plutonium. Similar fears, mostly Luddite in nature, are expressed about genetics and cybernetics to varying degrees, even though the latter two have been available in the public domain for some time.
Although I'm sure if someone actually took a sample of Trinity at all, they could be punished heavily. After all, since you said that programmable nanotech is a new field of study, theft of research materials would likely warrant a heavy punishment. Even more so if they went out of their way to use it on themselves or someone else, although honestly I could see for many people, whether or not they had a furry/anthro obsession, that anyone with the choice to use such a substance would be faced with a test of humanity as the change can't be reversed.
Indeed. With regards to the latter point about using/abusing Trinity, I'd also like to point out that the final decision to become a member of TTF1 requires a lot of conviction when choosing between the proverbial blue and red pills.
Of course, "research purposes only" I assume would just be for study and understanding it further, because under a vague term like that many scientists could research how to weaponize it and simply take notes elsewhere or report back to others than who they work directly under. So, I'm not going to even ask how good the supervision is, because I assume it'd be good enough with those circumstances.
You're correct on the assumption, for one logical reason - as of 2040, Trinity's programming and its relation to its subsequent properties are relatively unknown, and it would be rather foolish for someone to attempt research on how to do anything with it without first understanding the actual programming.
Also, being an international force, would that mean they could be deployed to areas as a peacekeeping force,(Not essentially non-violent as NATO as shown many people by getting involved heavily and in some cases units donated to the UN forces), in areas that are experiencing conflict?
TTF personnel may be deployed on peacekeeping operations, more so as part of a force rather than being the main force at its current strength.
Other than that I like how much thought you've put into everything so far, and I can imagine that TTF1 would be the source of not only political, but religious tension as well (in fiction and real life unique groups like that tend to be targets of media or militant political-religious groups, but I'm sure you're quite aware.)
It's to no surprise, even if people have a habit of thinking that way. Personally, I'm sure conspiracy theorists would have a field day if TTF1 were to exist in our universe.
Mar 23, 2012
Does TTF1 have any personnel that haven't been exposed to Trinity and are just there for things like desk jobs or other aspects? Or is the unit just composed of various types of soldiers? [Meant to say just those who have been exposed to Trinity instead of soldiers. Basically wondering if the unit is 100% Trinity.]
It is something I will cover in the story at a later time, but the least I can say is that the entirety of TTF1's fighting force are Trinity hosts and that recruiting hasn't turned out well in terms of support trades (intel, logistics, medical, technical, ect) for the few short years after the unit's formation.
Jun 03, 2012
This is purely a what if here, but if another military force were to acquire and and subject some of its own members do it (voluntarily in this case) would there be any action taken against them for this by the UN or TTF1?
The unauthorised use of Trinity alone will invoke action by TTF1, regardless of the intent. The usual result for this particular case is an enforced cease and desist order upon which the home nation must release all info on military members to TTF1 as if it were a host nation, but it may vary on a case-by-case basis. Refusal is more or less considered an act of hostility.
And what would happen to the members of said group that have been subjected to Trinity if they were to cease as ordered and release the information to TTF1? Would they be subjected to any sort of punishment as they willingly went along with it?
As the damage is already done, there's not much that can be done in terms of actual punishment beyond disciplinary and/or administrative measures of the ones who illicitly authorized Trinity use. Probation and/or quarantine of affected personnel and/or populace is mandatory for a set period to mitigate further use or contamination.
Afterwards, the unit might either be inducted as part of a TTF or completely remustered as a new TTF, without home unit designation, depending on the size and level of the unit.
In regards to that last one, if the organization chooses to deny the peaceful option and openly admit hostile intent after they have used Trinity what would be the procedure?
And would the soldiers be punished then if they had decided to follow orders and resist along with their superiors as well? Assuming that they are alive if conflict occurs afterwords.
Should all other options fail, TTF1 may very well have to be deployed in force to engage and defeat the unit, if not apprehend the commander who ordered without authorisation. At certain levels, it's possible that entire nations could end up at war. Should the volunteers choose to follow their commander willingly, Trinity on Trinity is unavoidable and the unit will be condemned and disbanded upon defeat.
Now, what about when it comes to TTF members wanting to retire? After all being a military organization, even if one is not in combat it can be stressful, so are there any rules than differ from standard groups?
Retirement is an odd subject for TTF members, as Trinity-induced immortality, if yet to be exactly proven, has the potential to cause more than a few headaches for national governments when handling pensions. Due to this same fact however, it's just as likely that members will have much longer service lives in the profession of arms. With that in mind, it's recommended that members retire from national service no later than the maximum age of service (here in Canada, it's 65). It is also encouraged that they find themselves meaningful post-retirement employment. They may be called back into service by their assigned TTF if they're short on personnel however.
Regarding nations, or even small political regions and large organizations in military and government. What were to happen if a country, region of one or a large multinational group that dealt with military and government issues decided that it did not want to comply with the rules/laws set forth regarding Trinity?
With the UN being what it is, this is where the loopholes start. The UN as a whole holds no administrative authority over any individual nation, region or multinational group, and while it alone is responsible for all things relating to Trinity, it has to delegate its member states with security and research grants. You're bound to encounter states that are more than a little discontent in that kind of scenario. Multinational units provide a more difficult situation that could easily lead to a global conflict if intervened.
As I've brought up before, the world of ITC isn't sunshine and lollipops - what helped prevent a version of a world war may have helped spawn another in the unforeseeable future.
Since the story of ITC is set in the future what would you say the economic state of the developed countries is compared to what it is now?
The world as a whole is still recovering from the energy crisis that spanned from the late '10s to the mid-'20s. Not unlike the events that followed the Great Depression, global crises provided most of the driving force behind the recovery.
Now, on a similar subject that to that of retirement, what if a member of TTF wanted to just outright quit the organization and not be a part of it? Reasons varying from person to person of course.
In all practicality, full-fledged members are members for life, whether it's actual service or by merit. Circumstances vary between cases, but meritious members - those who no longer desire active duty within a TTF - with no criminal history are free to return to active duty if they change their minds.
Is there anything major that can get someone expelled from TTF? Or things that can heavily bar them from becoming part of the organization?
Criminal acts are treated no differently from national forces, but crimes against humanity, including violation of the Geneva Conventions, is considered treason, as is unauthorised Trinity distribution and/or application. In terms of the initiation, competition in physical fitness and personal administration can lead to close calls that may or may not include a high drop-off point.
Jun 05, 2012
As a member of TTF how much freedom would one get in comparison to military personell in other countries? Such as leave, or what they're allowed to do in comparison to normal military forces?
Even as an international unit, members are still subject to the policies laid down by their host nations, including leave. TTF1 in particular wasn't exactly the most uniform of military units in the first place, and UNISC is, well... UNISC.
The UN Declaration of Human Rights pretty much outlines any additional freedoms that might not be present within some host nations, however.
Jun 24, 2012
Since TTF was essentially caused by aliens, not directly of course, but with Trinity and all... Would they have any authority when it comes to dealing with first contact of another species coming to Earth or would that be left solely up the the UN and the governments to deal with?
A first contact scenario hasn't been officially considered, but should the possibility arise it will likely be dealt with by governments should they [the aliens] be positively confirmed as the "we come in peace" kind, possibly with security provided by TTF if not by some other security detail.
Of course an invasion, open or covert, would definitely invoke TTF's involvement in the conflict at first notice, no holds barred combat-wise.
And if TTF presence was requested by said visitors during first contact?
At this point there is only one species that would make that specific request should first contact come about with them, and that's because they were directly involved with the development of Trinity and its subsequent introduction to humans. I have yet to reveal whether or not Eric makes public the agreement he made with HAL, but it wouldn't be a big surprise if the Twelve volunteered themselves should an entity from the same species make that request. Other than that and a communication barrier, it really just comes down to conventional diplomacy.
Now in terms of command structure are the twelve in charge of TTF when it comes to the internal workings of the organization?
More or less, although the majority of them are actually in support trades.
Infantry: Eric (Officer), Brendan (Officer), Carlos (Soldier), Vanessa (Soldier)
Engineers: Vance (Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Officer), Patricia (Vehicle Technician), Rebecca (Officer)
Intelligence: Drake (HUMINT Officer), Madelena (HUMINT Officer), Sara (Information Operator)
Medical: Jessica (Officer)
Eric and company are more than aware of the consequences of personal relationships within the unit and have gone to extreme lengths to avoid conflict of interest. Thankfully, their chosen professions differ enough to prevent couples from being in the same chain of command at different levels, although O-groups within TTF1 may become less formal the longer they carry on.
And how would the twelve of them feel about the concept of another sanctioned 'anthro' unit? Not with Trinity of course, just hypothetical [likely a seperate species altogther].
That will depend on the nature of the anthro unit. Are they transgenics? Are they a separate species altogether? Do they have any affiliations and with whom? What methods do they use?
In any case, it's very likely that the twelve will keep a wary eye on said unit, even if working cooperatively. One affiliated with the UN or at least one host nation might be better off though.
And then there's the personal impact it might have of individuals. The Twelve are largely indifferent with the exception of a few.
Jun 25, 2012
So as long as said unit wasn't using Trinity or have done anything to give cause for hostilities, TTF would have no reason to have to combat them?
Pretty much.
Whats the world's status with population? I know as of Halloween 2011 it was estimated to be seven billion, but in ITC, what do you think it would be by 2032?
When the teen members of the Twelve were nine years old, there was a worldwide pandemic due to weaponized Ebola - no-one really knows who unleashed it - that killed two-thirds of the global population at the time. By 2032, it's likely that 3-5 billion people make up the global population.
Another goes for space exploration two, I know China and Russia wanted to put stations up in orbit over the next twenty years and apparently there was a space elevator due for construction between 2020 - 2040 (the start of at least), curious how you would say humanity's journey to the stars has advanced.
The 2020s was a time when lunar colonization began taking hold, thanks to the rejuvenation of lunar exploration by the Chinese at the end of the previous decade. On to top of that, it wouldn't be unfeasible to think that manned missions to the Red Planet would have happened or are in progress by the start of the novel. Beyond news bulletins that may pop up at times in the novel however, space exploration will merely be part of the scenery at best for now. ITC's timeline is based off of our own, so it's safe to assume that such projects occur in ITC.
Between now and the beginning of ITC how much would you say the world has changed on the map? Political borders and all that. Not asking for an extremely specific answer, but would you say there have been developments of new nations and the fall or division of old ones?
Numidia Rising is probably the best example of some of the changes that have happened by 2032 in ITC, and that was only North Africa. The nation-states of the 1st-World haven't significantly changed borders, but it's quite substantial amongst the developing world.
With the drop in the population, was the strain on the world's resources lessened any?
As the pandemic struck particularly hard in heavily-populated urban centres, it has alleviated some of the strain, but not necessarily in the places it's direly needed.
What areas of the world would you say the pandemic with the weaponised Ebola affected the most?
Heavily-populated and well-travelled cities were the most affected, especially where medical provisions are not sufficient. India, China and the US were particularly hit hard by this, and even into 2032 they were still blaming each other for unleashing it. And that's not to say that Europe, Canada and Latin American nations weren't affected either.
Jun 26, 2012
So if lunear colonization is starting up then how are the advancements in flight technologies?
Scramjet-propelled sub-orbital planes are more commonplace by 2032, but it's still a turbine-dominated sky. As for spaceflight, scramjets are also used to ferry passengers and cargo to and from the surface to orbital relay stations, where the standard rocket-fuel propulsion systems are used for the remainder of the voyage to the moon. As much as ion drives are being developed, they're still a ways away from exiting experimental stages.
What about naval technologies? Any changes there?
Railguns, magnetic propulsion and vector-manoeuver jet systems pretty much sum it up. Some coastal nations are even making use of catamaran and trimaran hull designs.
And advancements in communications?
Satellite phones have replaced regular cell phones for the most part. If you have the money, claytronics (suggest you look it up) is also available in a stationary capacity. The Internet's the Internet as always.
Jul 18, 2012
Out of curiousity, what is the nuclear policy for countries when ITC begins in 2032? Especially for Canada.
Weapons - very little has changed here. Canada still has its policy against WMDs, and the nuclear giants are still holding onto their stockpiles out of paranoia. That said, a few fission reactors are still running towards their end of commission, or are being built by developing nations (fusion reactors are ridiculously expensive during construction), with a few producing byproducts for medical or, less frequently, military use.
Oct 28, 2012
In terms of naval craft in the ITC setting would there be anything remotely like the Helicarrier from The Avengers or would it just be all the regular sea-based stuff?
Given the technology level of the setting, it's entirely possible for such airbourne vessels aside from regular zeppelins to exist. It would take quite the infrastructure for something the likes of a Helicarrier mind you, but with the right stabilization one might more likely see close equivalencies to the frigate-sized Titans from Battlefield 2142.
Even so, the only issue with them is not whether they're possible, but rather whether they're practical. Only a handful of nations - including Brazil, China and Numidia - have tested their effectiveness, the result of which has thus far condemned the vessels to one of two roles: patrolling over difficult terrain with VTOL escorts, or delivering large quantities of supplies to disaster-stricken or otherwise isolated locations - tasks that can usually be done by conventional aircraft instead.
In the end, naval craft of the 2030s are mostly going to be maritime vessels with the few exceptions already mentioned.
Alright, what about the opposite? Crafts being able to submerge and taking on the dual role of a surface craft and a submersible like a sub?
Submarines are and will always be an integral part of modern maritime navies that can afford them, especially attack subs and boomers for their tactical and strategic value respectively. Unfortunately, subs with surface capabilities, especially submersible aircraft carriers, would run immense development costs, let alone the fact that they would have such a limited niche to work in. All in all, and I do quote Wikipedia on this: "...it is unlikely that any navy would consider their construction worthwhile."
That said, I'm not denying the plausability that a sufficiently funded navy could design and build such maritime craft for service by 2032 or any time thereafter, given the fact that a handful of designs were actually built and fielded during both world wars (Japan's Sen Toku I-400 class subs for instance).
Mar 20, 2013
what's with the huge increase in the number of furries?
We've only encountered four people so far who are confirmed to have associated themselves with the furry fandom, of which only one individual - Jessica - is among the twelve who were experimented on. As for the twelve themselves, it has to do with the nanites and how and to what extent they interact with the hosts.
Why does everyone take it so calmly? I'd expect massive melt-downs in people seeing a goddamn dinosaur walking around.
That is the kind of question the twelve are asking themselves, in response to individuals like Sabrina.
Generally speaking though, it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if the mainstream public acknowledges the furry fandom as a mere subcultural fad, regardless of stigma. As such, people are currently assuming that the ones who were experimented on are furries in suits, and the twelve haven't given them much reason to think otherwise yet outside of immediate family, medical practitioners and a handful of others.
Daniel's case is unique to say the least and is enough to warrant its own chapter later on though.
Mar 21, 2013
Furries aren't that well known as a 'group' in today's society yet in your setting they appear generally accepted and acknowledged, if only to the point of being tolerated, not liked. That indicates a huge surge in popularity of 'furry'-ness, which hasn't happened here. Any reason for that, or is it just natural increase?
Taking into account the Internet, it's safe to assume that a significant number of working adults by 2032 grew up with at least some exposure to furries, just like how the previous generation was with the punk subculture.
Jan 24, 2015
What's the status of AI on Earth in ITC?
There's a functioning medical AI that was developed in India by 2032, among others. Nothing on a massive scale, like the one administering New Mombasa according to Halo: ODST, however.
How advanced is it?
The AI in question, whose name is an ironic reference to the android in a recent Bollywood film, is a well-trained and qualified surgeon by trade. Independently of this training, it also learned theology on its own, with a PhD to show for it, much to the surprise of everyone involved with the project, and is a practitioner of a modified form of Hinduism. Presumably, this may have been attributed to influences during its early development stage.
How much space does it require?
In terms of physical space, you'd be looking at a compartment about the size of a human torso for all the required hardware. That is, not including the necessary hardware for data input and output to and from the system, nor does that include a power source.
If you have any questions about ITC, leave a comment below or in the ITC thread on SpaceBattles and I'll get to you as soon as I possibly can.