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VSS eNewsletter - 05 March 2009
VSS eNewsletter
05 March 2009
In this issue...
VSS 10th Anniversary AGM - Sat, 28 Mar, 2-5pm
Let's Go Fly A Kite - A Tribute To Shakib Gunn – Sun, 8 Mar
Letter In My Paper
Vegetarian Steamboat Near Chinese Garden
A Somewhat Long And Very Scary Article
A Very Nice 6-Minute Video
March Workshops From Wholesome Living
Health Carnival At Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre – Sat, 7 Mar
NUS Food Fair – Sun, 15 Mar, from 5pm
VSS 10th Anniversary AGM, Sat, 28 Mar, 2-5pm
Sat, 28 Mar, 2pm-5pm, VSS will hold our 10th anniversary AGM at The Giving Place, the HQ of the National Volunteer and Philanthropic Centre, located at 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #04-88, The Central, just above Clarke Quay MRT on Level 4, in the MPH room.
Light refreshments, including a vegan birthday cake by Halimah, will be served. For directions: http://www.nvpc.org.sg/Pgm/Others/NVPC_F_ContactUs.aspx
Please attend the AGM to celebrate what VSS has done over the past 10 years, to discuss what we will do in 2009 and beyond, and to explore how you might be involved in our urgent task of educating the public about the benefits of moving towards diets that are part of a kinder and wiser way of life.
Let's Go Fly A Kite - A Tribute To Shakib Gunn – Sun, 8 Mar
Last month, long-time VSS activist Shakib Gunn passed away. Two of Shakib's great loves were kite flying and vegetarianism. This Sunday's event brings them together. Fortunately, Wing Lee, President of Singapore Kite Association, which Shakib helped to found, has agreed to grace our event. At about 10am, he will be bringing some of his kites for flying as well as some leftover Valentines Kites from the Singapore Kite Day event 2 weekends ago, which Shakib designed.
Event: Let's Go Fly a Kite - A Tribute to Shakib Gunn
Venue: Pasir Ris Park (west end), field adjacent to PA bungalows (see map)
Parking: Car Park F (free parking)
Date: 8 Mar (Sun)
Time: 10am till the sun sets
Remarks: We are going to have a picnic lunch, so bring your own vegetarian food and picnic mats! Bring your own kites too, and if possible, bring extra kites. We will have some extra kites, but chances are there will not be enough to go around. The event is free but please register via email to fangqi@.... After registration, a contact number will be provided for use on the day of the event, if needed. And, don't forget rain gear.
1) Take the MRT to Pasir Ris, exit on the left, then left again, and keep walking straight to the bus interchange.
2) Take bus #403 (on the right side of the bus interchange). On the bus, keep a lookout once it hits Pasir Ris Road where all the semi-D's/bungalows are. Right when the bus does a 180-degree turn at the roundabout at Pasir Ris Road , get off the bus!
3) Then proceed to the specific area marked on this map: http://skitch.com/funkeemonk/bgqmj/lets-go-fly-a-kite
Theme song for this gathering: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGaTfGHELV4 and for those that have met Shakib, don't you think the guy in the video looks like him?
Letter In My Paper
VSS had a letter published in the 4 Mar issue of My Paper, p. A29. http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/ep040309cnd_opf_files/ep040309cnd.js&ver=Gen
Vegetarian Steamboat Near Chinese Garden
Zhu Lin is the name of a stall offering vegetarian steamboat at less than $10 for adults and $7 for children. Plus, they do packet lunches for factories in Jurong.
Address: Block 414 Jurong West, Street 42, #01-783
Tel: 8139-7755, 9450-7878
Bus: 334
Open: Daily 6.30am-10pm
Specialty dishes: Steamboat Buffet, Carrot Cake
Onion & garlic: No
Organic: No
MSG: Yes, but you can request without
Eggs: Yes
Brown rice: Yes
Dairy: No
Delivery: Yes
Catering: Yes
A Somewhat Long And Very Scary Article
Here's an article from New Scientist magazine discussing the possible, increasingly inescapable consequences of global warming: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126971.700-how-to-survive-the-coming-century.html?page=1
In the article, James Lovelock, famous for originating Gaia Theory - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis - is quoted as follows: "Humans will survive as a species, but the cull this century will be huge".
Readers of the VSS eNewsletter know that reducing meat is one way to address global warming, but the article's only mention of vegetarianism (on the third page) is about a kind of forced vegetarianism, as marine life die and little land remains for raising our fellow land animals for food.
Vegetarianism gets much more positive play in the video in our next item.
A Very Nice 6-Minute Video
Here's a simple – which is sometimes the best – message from HK. http://ilovekyurii.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-arey-ou-doing-personally-to-change.html
March Workshops From
Chef Oh Chong Fah is doing another series of tasty and education workshops this month. Here's the lineup:
Fermentation 1 08/03 & 15/03 (Sun) 3-6pm
Supercharged with Raw Energy (I) 21/03 & 28/03 (Sat) 3-6pm
Tempeh Temptation 22/03 (Sun) 3-5.30pm
Sprouting Made Very Easy (I) 29/03 (Sun) 3-6pm
For details, please visit http://wholesomeliving-sg.com/schedules.html, call 6560.1337 or write to info@...
Health Carnival At Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre – Sat, 7 Mar
On 7 Mar (Sat), 10.30am-4.30pm, Zenxin Organic is hosting a Health Carnival at their shop at Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre. The carnival will feature a Hand Reflexology Master, Vegetable Juicing, Vegetarian Food by New Green Pastures Café from Fortune Centre, and Back-to-Nature cleaning solutions - Envizyme.
Together with this Health Carnival, Zenxin Organic will offer organic vegetables at a 20% discount. Zenxin is at Blk 14 Wholesale Centre, #01-25, S. 110014, Tel: 6779.7839, 6778.7369, Email: taisengyee@..., W: http://www.zenxin.com.my/2009/
NUS Food Fair – Sun, 15 Mar, From 5pm
NUSSU SAVE (Students Against Violation of the Earth) is working to change eating habits in order to slow global warming. One of their projects involves film showings. Another is a food fair to be held on Sun, 15 Mar, from 5pm onwards at the UCC Courtyard at NUS.
Visit http://www.vegetarian-society.org/?q=fdl
for a comprehensive list of vegetarian eateries
or email us at info@...
to notify us of new places.
Chief Editor: Dr George M Jacobs
Editorial Consultant: Mr Gangasudhan
Back issues are available at http://www.vegetarian-society.org/index.php?q=taxonomy/term/3
Subscribe to the newsletter via email@example.com and unsubscribe via email@example.com
The VSS eNewsletter is non-copyrighted, and readers are encouraged to share the content.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by the Vegetarian Society of Singapore.
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The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
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subset: commoncrawl


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louis rams
louis rams (09/13/1943 / new york city)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
*********************childrens Pain***************1979
to look upon your childs face
to hold your child in a warm embrace
to be able to soothe their aches and pains
and kiss away the falling rain.
read more >>
- Hits: Number of visitors who read the poem on the given date.
- Posts: Number of visitors who posted the poem to a friend (via e-mail) on the given date.
- Dates that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list.
- Dates, poems and poets that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list. Statistics are generated daily.


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QUIRCC is a coalition of six children's hospitals whose purpose is to develop a consensus for best practices of optimal CT scan techniques and dose index in children related to patient size undergoing CT scans for common medical indications. Through the use of well-tracked data, this group used a registry and identified the state of CT practice at their own institution as well as within the coalition, promoted transparency of practice within the group through sharing de-identified data, created a process of continuous improvement, enacted change locally through the development of a quality team at each site to standardize performance of the CT scans across the coalition. The coalition continues to work on resources for quality improvement education.
Dose indices for pediatric exams are a part of our Dose Index Registry (DIR). QUIRCC draws on pediatric data from DIR for any registry data needs. DIR participants receive a separate feedback report for pediatric dose indices using data submitted for children age 0 through 18. This report includes comparisons to other pediatric and non-pediatric facilities. If you are a pediatric facility interested in dose monitoring, we invite you to review our most recent DIR pediatric report and to consider joining the Dose Index Registry.
QUIRCC publication: Diagnostic reference ranges and the American College of Radiology Dose Index Registry: the pediatric experience. Goske MJ. Pediatr Radiol. 2014 Oct; 44 Suppl 3:506-10.


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Francesco Aquilante
Francesco Aquilante received the Doctoral degree in theoretical chemistry from Lund University in 2007. His thesis, under the supervision of Prof. Björn Roos, focused on the development of accurate quantum chemistry methods applicable in large-scale electronic structure calculations. From 2008 to 2010, he was a Postdoctoral Associate at the Department of Physical Chemistry at Geneva University, Geneva, Switzerland, in the group of Prof. Laura Gagliardi, where he also participated in teaching activities and supervision of a Ph.D. project. Since December 2010, he holds a position of Assistant Professor (Forskarassistent) at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. His expertise pertains to the development of reduced-scaling techniques in the framework of standard quantum chemical methods. More specifically, he has given a decisive contribution in the Cholesky decomposition-based technology. The whole set of developments in this area of research, as well as a number of insights in the nearby area of density fitting, has seen important contributions from his work. Moreover, he has formulated a new method for orbital localization —essential ingredient of most linear-scaling correlated methods— and has also investigated the possibility to use a new type of natural orbitals in multiconfigurational perturbation theory. These developments were instrumental in making feasible certain types of calculations for accurate studies of transition-metal systems of interest in biochemistry and material chemistry. For example, the clarification of the electronic structure of peculiar dichromium compounds and that of the reaction mechanism of important biomimetic catalysts show the need for such computational tools. In all cases, besides the theoretical contribution, he has also designed the corresponding algorithms and production code. These are part of the MOLCAS-7 quantum chemistry software, a widely used package for electronic structure calculations.
Biography Updated on 8 September 2012


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The George Carlin Collection Volume 3
Release Date: 14 July 2010 | Certificate: To Be Announced
£10.09 includes FREE UK Postage (other delivery options available)
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UK - Shipping Included
United Kingdom
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George Carlin: Back in Town George Carlin: You Are All Diseased George Carlin: Complaints and Grievances George Carlin's Personal Favorites.)
Release Date: 14 July 2010
Certificate: tba - To Be Announced
Region 2
Sound: Dolby Digital
Main Language: English
For more information and our Delivery Policy see here.
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Catalogue No: ABD4849


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All Cartesian Collection Products
Master BathroomView RoomMaster Bathroom Cartesian 24" x 15" x 21" vanities in ocean with plumbing drawer and night light, 12" x 7-1/2" x 21" vanities in ocean with full drawer and night light, 12" x 15" x 21" vanity in ocean with full drawer and night light; Main Line 24" x 40" penn valley framed mirrors in white; Decorative Glass 3-1/8" x 11-5/8" x 3-13/16" sconce in mirror with chrome finish https://kohlerrobern.blob.core.windows.net/media/89748/coastal_v1.jpg https://www.robern.com/inspiration/inspiration-gallery/#/inspiration/2781/
Master BathroomView RoomMaster Bathroom M Series 24" x 40" x 4" cabinet with right hinge, electric, night light and defogger; Cartesian 36" x 15" x 21" vanity in white with plumbing drawer and night light https://kohlerrobern.blob.core.windows.net/media/89744/coastal_v3.jpg https://www.robern.com/inspiration/inspiration-gallery/#/inspiration/2799/
Modular Design
Customize around your own needs. Expand the functionality by customizing vanities for your bathroom, bedroom, hallway or any space that requires flexible storage solutions.
Drawer Options
Available in plumbing, full and tip out options for concealed storage to keep all of your essentials close at hand. Tip Out Drawer is available only in the 7-1/2" height (H1).
Night Light
The night light provides a soft light that illuminates the drawer interiors to help locate items in the middle of the night.
Organization Kit
Adjustable drawer dividers provide storage right where you need it and prevent items from moving or sliding in the drawer.
Vanity Tops and Sinks
Stone vanity tops are available in Lava Black, Stone Gray or Quartz White and include a separate white rectangular sink. White glass vanity tops with integrated glass sinks can help you build a look you'll love.
In-Drawer Electrical Outlets
Convenient 110-volt in-drawer electrical outlet supplies power to items such as electric razors, hair dryers and curling irons. This outlet can be paired with an optional hair dryer organizer with the full drawer option.


text: Sounds like someone did not do their homework. If you have been on 7+ cruises you should know how to shop for a cruise line's best price by now, if not shame on you. It sounds like once you found out how much more you paid that was when you began finding things wrong. Looks like sour grapes. We have been on the Sun a few times and always found it to be very nice. Not the best but far from the worst ship. Try a Carnival ship sometime and tell me how bad the Sun is.


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Only a matter of time at this point.
(MEMRI) — Following are excerpts from Egyptian presidential candidate Bassem Khafaji, which aired on Al-Nas TV on March 7, 2012:
We Egyptians — both Muslims and non-Muslims — refer to the shari'a in many things. I often ask people: How did you get married? Wasn't it according to the shari'a, regardless of whether you are Muslim or not? Weren't you married in accordance with your religion? When somebody in our family dies, how we inherit him? Not in accordance with the shari'a?
No [candidate] should say that he is coming to implement the shari'a, because part of it has already been implemented. What the Egyptian people want is to complete this implementation. As president, I will personally assist in the completion of the correct implementation of the shari'a, by consulting the experts [in Islamic law].
Update: Via Patrick Poole.
It bears worth mentioning that Khafagi was deported from the US in 2003 after pleading guilty to immigration and bank fraud charges. At the time, he was community affairs director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), as the Washington Times noted following his guilty plea.


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Once again some nice new items from Visvim have been released over the weekend. The new Lapland 3L Gore-Tex jacket dropped in black. It comes with a lot of interesting technical features, including the main zipper, pocket, Gore-Tex shell and patching. Furthermore new pieces of the popular Visvim Ballistic Luggage collection have been released. The Ballistic E-Cat messenger bags come in beige and khaki and feature a patchwork pattern on the bottom, that we have previously seen this season on the Christo sandal. Via Figure.
More detailed images of the new Visvim Fall/Winter 2008 collection releases you can see after the jump.


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Learn how to protect yourself from Internet scams. Read our online fraud prevention tips
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Madrid, Sep 24 (IANS) Spanish stock market index Ibex-35 fell 0.79 percent on Wednesday to close at 9,474.60 points, down from the 9,550.20 points of Tuesday.
Banco Sabadell shares led falls losing 3. 39 percent, followed by ArcelorMittal, Bankinter, Banco Popular, Caixabank and Tecnicas Reunidas that lost 3.28 percent, 3.09 percent, 3.04 percent, 2.53 percent and 2.41 percent respectively, Xinhua reported.
On the other hand, Abengoa "B" shares led rises climbing 26.13 percent, followed by IAG, Gas Natural, Amadeus, Acerinox and R.E.C. that rose 3.77 percent, 0.75 percent, 0.41 percent, 0.39 percent and 0.22 percent respectively.
Spain's risk premium stood at 137.20 points on Wednesday closing time, falling slightly from Tuesday's 136.30 points. Meanwhile, Spain's 10-year bond interest rate stood at 1.9 percent, showing no differences when compared with Tuesday.


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When Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook is feeling down, he heads over to an Apple retail store to get a pick-me-up.
"I go into an Apple store and it instantly changes. It's like Prozac. It's an unbelievable feeling — like no other," Cook said Tuesday at a Goldman Sachs technology conference.
A visit to an Apple store, which is often crowded, reminds him of the company's place in pop culture — and the role it plays in promoting the company's products.
The stores are also ringing up a lot of business for the Cupertino company, averaging more than $50 million each in revenue last year, Cook said.
"Whoever thought a store could do that?" he said.
Apple now has 400 stores in 12 countries and plans to open 30 more this year, most of them outside the United States. The company will open its first store in Turkey this year, he said.
Apple, once criticized for creating its own retail store strategy, something no tech company had successfully done before, now relies on them to market their products, Cook said.
"They are the face of Apple," he said. "People don't think of the Cupertino headquarters — they think of the local Apple store. Last quarter, we welcomed 120 million people in our stores. That's almost 10 million people a week in our stores."
Some Apple stores can't handle the crush of customers, Cook added, so the company is closing 20 stores so they can be remodeled and expanded.
Cook attributed the success of the iPad to Apple's retail stores, where customers were able to play with the device that was new to the consumer market when it was launched in 2010.
"I don't think we would have been nearly as successful with the iPads if it had not been for our stores," Cook said. "Here's a product coming out. It's different. (It was believed to be) this heavy thing the Hertz guy was holding that nobody wanted. Our stores were a place to explore, try out and see what it could do."
Contact John Boudreau at 408-278-3496; follow him at Twitter.com/svwriter.


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A workshop series expressly for people living with type II diabetes!
Class size is limited to 40 participants per session.
Call 678-819-3663 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Novo Nordisk awarded sponsorships totaling $80,000 to 4 metro Atlanta community organizations to support programs that educate people living with type 2 diabetes on how to better manage their diabetes and reduce the risk of long-term diabetes related complications. The sponsorships are part of the Novo Nordisk Community Care program – a new initiative that aims to promote enduring, sustainable change for people living with diabetes. The groups being honored tonight reach a range of diverse communities in Atlanta and will work diligently to improve patients' lives.
"In Atlanta, we know it is better to give a hand up, rather than a handout. I congratulate the organizations dedicated to making real change and thank Novo Nordisk for helping make it happen," said Nazeera Dawood, Health Promotion Program Manager, Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness. "Only by working together can we reach at-risk populations to improve the management of diabetes in our city."
About Novo Nordisk
Headquartered in Denmark, Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company with more than 88 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care. The company also has leading positions within hemophilia care, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. For more information, visit novonordisk-us.com.


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Diecast #23: Phil Fish, Gamer Fury, Company of Heroes
on Jul 30, 2013
I have a non-binding promise from Rutskarn that we'll be getting a new splash image that will include Mumbles. But then Rutskarn didn't show up this week. And neither did Mumbles. So I don't know.
Direct download (MP3)
Direct download (ogg Vorbis)
Podcast RSS feed.
Hosts: Chris, Josh, Jarenth and Shamus.
Show notes:
1:00 What's everyone playing?
Chris is playing Rogue Legacy.
Jarenth is playing SCIENCE! By which I mean he's doing science and not playing many videogames.
Shamus is playing Darksiders, Ultratron, and Strike suit Zero
15:30 Phil Fish vs. Marcus Beer. Too many kinks to round them all up. You're either following this story or you aren't.
37:45 Gamer Fury: Tweets to Call of Duty developer @DavidVonderhaar from angry players over balance changes related to the SMG weapon.
45:30 Company of Heroes and historical inaccuracies. Specifically, charges of being anti-Russian.


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The Ancient Mew Pokemon card is one of the many promotional cards for the Pokemon Trading card game. However, unlike the majority of promo cards, this one isn't legal for tournament play, and is pretty hard to use for casual play unless you know the translation of the card face (in case you don't, I've included it at the bottom of this review). The main purpose seems to be to look pretty... and it does this very well. It was released as a promotional card for Pokemon: The 2nd Movie, and as such is no longer in production.
The card itself is made of the usual Pokemon cardstock, and feels the same as a normal foil card. The only real difference is that this is shiny on both sides. The card face follows the usual pattern for Pokemon cards, with the name in the top-left corner, HP in the top-right, and the card's abilities, strengths and weaknesses all in their usual positions (but in a different style) below the image.
The back of the card however is a radical departure from the norm. Firstly, it is all-over foiled (something never seen before or since), and also has a different image, consiting of a pokeball surrounded by 7 orbs: 1 each for each energy type.
This is a must-have for any Pokemon fan, and no Pokemon card collection is complete without this card.
Card Translation, for if you decide to play a game with it.
Card Name: Mew
Type: Psychic
Attack energy required: 2 Psychic
Attack Name: Psyche
Attack Damage: 40
Weakness: Psychic
Resistance: None
Retreat Cost: 2 colourless
For those that know about the Forza series, you only need to know one thing. Forza Motorsport 3 picks up where Forza 2 left off, and improves on the previous titles in so many ways. Just buy it.
Anyone that doesn't know about the Forza series (not to be called FM, that's Football Manager lol), it's a racing game, as you can probably tell by the Motorsport part of the title.
The basic premise of the game is that you start off with a low budget to buy your first car (something slow and nasty like a Honda Fit), and use that car to win races, thus earning money and allowing you to buy better cars, and upgrade the cars you already own. There are in the region of 200 different cars in the game, from Alfa Romeos to Volvos, tiny hatchbacks to Le Mans winning cars, and everything in between. You can even buy a Veyron, if you want to try your hand in the fastest road car on the planet.
The actual racing in the game can be tailored to suit the individual driver, and the difficulty is very easy to adjust, meaning if you need a line on the road to tell you when to brake, you can do it. You can even choose whether a high speed crash will totally destroy your car (shattered gearbox, dead engine, broken steering etc), or just leave it with cosmetic damage that does nothing other than look pretty. Forza 3 is primarily a simulation game though, so the more assists you have turned on, the lower your prize money will be. There really is an incentive to pushing yourself to be better, when your prize money goes up because of it.
Forza's never been just about the racing though, and the third installment's no different. The graphic editor's back with a vengeance, meaning you can turn your family hatchback into a thoroughbred racer on the outside as well as under the bonnet. Want to put a number on the side? Feel free. Racing stripes? Be my guest. Fancy replicating a real-life rally car in game? Go on then. Basically, if you can imagine it, you can draw it, and with the many and varied shapes available to you to use, literally anything's possible.
One of my favourite features of Forza 3 is the in-car view you can race in. Many racing games only allow you to use a "behind the car" camera to race, but Forza 3 lets you sit inside the car during the races, and every car in the game has a fully detailed interior (including working mirrors... unless you break them off the car), with authentic gauges, trim etc. Basically, if it's in the real car, it's in the Forza version as well.
You can also play online, and even buy and sell cars between other Forza 3 players. However, this requires Xbox Live Gold, and I'm not going to pay Microsoft £15 a month when Sony do the same thing for free with PSN, so I've not tried this.
In summary, buy this game if you like racing games. Even if you don't like racing games, Forza 3 could be the game that changes your mind.
The Lego Coast Guard Kayak is a total waste of money. You spend in the region of £10 (on places like Amazon, it might be cheaper if you can find it in an actual bricks-and-mortar shop), and recieve about 10 pieces and a minifigure.
The actual kayak is made of 9 parts, 2 making the sloped base, the 4 triangular orange bits, a flat-topped orange bit that goes behind the figure, and 2 white flat parts holding the 2 ends together. You also get an oar, and a handful of other pieces to let you make a small floating bouy type thing with a flag on it.
All the parts are, as can be expected from Lego, well moulded and fit together well, but this set is incredibly small for the money. The only real saving grace with this set, other than being able to use the bricks with your other Lego is the figure. Not only does it come with a lifejacket and one of the new-style helmets, but you also get a very characterful head. Gone are the days when every figure looked the same, this little guy's got a great little scowl on his face, and with his sunglasses on, he's full of attitude.
And if you buy this, you'll have a scowl as well when you consider the £ to brick ratio.
I suppose a review of Amazon.co.uk is inevitable really, as this site gives you vouchers to spend there.
As the majority of you will know, Amazon.co.uk is the UK version of the Amazon site. There are others, such as .com, .nl, .fr etc, but this review is for the UK site.
I started using Amazon several years ago to source a book for a present. It was my first foray into internet shopping, and I get the feeling if it had gone badly I'd probably have given up with the whole shopping online thing for ever. Mercifully though, it went without a hitch. I found the book easily, added it to my basket easily, paid easily... and got it from the postie easily. I'd go so far to say it was an easy process ;)
Fast forward a few years to now, and not much has changed. It's still very simple to search for the items you want, whether it's something specific you need, or just general browsing hoping you stumble across the perfect item. There are even suggestions specifically tailored for you, which are based on the items you've viewed, and also the items on your Wish List (see below). The only real problem you might encounter is that the thing you want isn't in the Amazon catalogue, which means you'll need to look elsewhere. With more and more Marketplace sellers (see below) signing up though, the catalogue is growing on an almost daily basis.
Obviously, when you're searching for things to buy, you'll often see something you want but it's either out of your budget, or out of stock. When this happens, it can be tempting to either think "oh well, I'll be able to buy it some day", or "I'll buy it elsewhere". However, instead of just moving on, you have the option to put the item you desire on your Wish List. This is basically... um, a list of things you wish for. Unlike a normal list though, this has 3 purposes.
Firstly (and the main reason for it) it lets you add things you'd like to buy in the future, so you can find them easily when the time comes. Secondly, it makes the suggestions that Amazon makes for products you might like more accurate, as it can see "they like this and this, so they'd probably like this as well". Finally (and arguably the best reason), you can email your Wish List to people, and search through other people's Wish Lists. Stuck for a present for the in-laws? Put their email address in the box, and see what they want.
Amazon isn't just for buying though, oh no. If you set up a Marketplace account, you can also sell on there. The P+P costs seem to be randomised, but you can set your price, add images if necessary (useful if your book's got a rare cover, or signed) and a description, and just wait for the buyers to roll in. The selling fees, while higher than sites like ebay, are still reasonable when you consider the amount of people that could see your item. Obviously, the downside of this system is that not everything you buy on Amazon is dispatched from Amazon, but the vast majority of the sellers are trustworthy and reliable.
I'd recommend Amazon to anyone that needed to buy something. Yes, sometimes the prices can be higher than their competitors, especially if you're looking for something very recent, but at the same time you can pick up some real bargains. Just don't be misled by the fact that some the books are priced at a penny. Some marketplace sellers list the item very cheaply, knowing Amazon sets the postage higher than necessary.
So, go and buy something. Or better still, write more reviews on here, and get something free by using your voucher.
Fallout 3 is one of must-have games for the PS3. A combination of RPG and First- (or Third-, if you prefer to play that way) shooter, Fallout 3 throws you into a post-Nuclear war America. The desolation surrounding you isn't just to look impressive though, it's a very real danger, as nearly all of the water in the game is radioactive to some degree or other, and will kill your character if you stay in it long enough. Assuming the mutants don't get you first...
Without going into the plot too much, the first hour or so of the game will cover your character growing up in an underground facility known as Vault 101, which is basically a tutorial bit showing you how the various controls work, and also guiding you through the character creation process, from what sex your character is and how they look, to whether they prefer Big Guns (rocket launchers, flamethrowers etc) or Small Guns (rifles, pistols, shotguns...). After this is over, you'll be able to explore the wide world and make your story...
The main plot is very well written, and there are several decent twists in it (not least at the very end... hard choices to be made there). The only problem is that once the main story's complete, that's it (unless you buy the expansion packs separately, or the Game of the Year edition of the game, which has them in it). If you want to play more Fallout 3, you'll have to start again. It's definitely worth spending time away from the main plotline, not just to make your game last longer, but because there are hundreds of mini-quests to do, and the rewards are many and varied, from money and unique weapons, to skill upgrades.
However, as with any game like this, there are bugs. Sometimes building textures don't load correctly, so things disappear when you walk by them. The building itself stays there, but posters and things just random vanish, then come back if you retrace your steps. Also, a lot of the bodies (not things you've killed, ones that are scenery) get stuck if you try to move them. I decided to live in a caravan in the wilderness, but the skeleton of the previous owner wouldn't move properly. I ended up with it's leg poking out of the floor, and swinging like an upside down pendulum. It didn't affect the game in any way, but it's not very realistic to have something perpetually moving for no reason...
Another big problem with Fallout 3 is that there are a couple of game-breaking bugs (ones you can't come back from, and leave you stuck somewhere). In one of the areas you'll find on your explorations, if you close the door behind you when you enter, there's no way to get back out. The switch is on the other side of the door, and you can't access it. It's because of these bugs I can't give it 5 stars.
All in all, Fallout 3 is a good game, and any fan of exploration-y games should buy it.
Shredded Wheat is, as far as I'm concerned, the best savoury (as in, not things like Coco Pops and Frosties) cereal you can get. It blows Weetabix out of the water (or rather, milk), and Corn Flakes... not a patch on these. And best of all, the wheat's sourced from British farms, so it's good for the UK at the same time as being good for you.
The ones I had come in a box of 16 "biscuits", and are wrapped in pairs so you can open the box, eat 2, and not worry about the rest going soft.
The texture is pretty much perfect, not too hard, and not too soft. Also, they're very crumbly, so easy to break apart, either in the bowl with your spoon, or to actually sprinkle into the bowl.
The flavour can be a bit bland so you might want to put some sugar on them, but even plain they're better than Weetabix and the like. Obviously, being just wheat, they're very healthy (unless you're intolerant to wheat).
I would recommend these to anyone that's looking for a healthy start to the day, or just a random snack to nibble on at lunchtime.
Here are my favourite 100 Ways To Be Annoying. Enjoy:
Sing the Batman theme incessantly.
In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sensual massage."
Specify that your drive-through order is "to go."
Learn Morse code, and have conversations with friends in public consisting entirely of "Beeeep Bip Bip Beeeep Bip..."
If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
Amuse yourself for endless hours by hooking a camcorder to your TV and then pointing it at the screen.
Speak only in a "robot" voice.
Push all the flat Lego pieces together tightly.
Start each meal by conspicuously licking all your food, and announce that this is so no one will "swipe your grub."
Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inchpaper, 99 copies.
Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
Sniffle incessantly.
Leave your turn signal on for fifty miles.
Name your dog "Dog."
Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
Reply to everything someone says with "that's what YOU think."
Claim that you must always wear a bicycle helmet as part of your "astronaut training."
Declare your apartment an independent nation, and sue your neighbors upstairs for "violating your airspace."
Forget the punchline to a long joke, but assure the listener it was a "real hoot."
Follow a few paces behind someone, spraying everything they touch with a can of Lysol.
Practice making fax and modem noises.
Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc:" them to your boss.
Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
Invent nonsense computer jargon in conversations, and see if people play along to avoid the appearance of ignorance.
Erect an elaborate network of ropes in your backyard, and tell the neighbors you are a "spider person."
Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."
Wear a special hip holster for your remote control.
Do not add any inflection to the end of your sentences, producing awkward silences with the impression that you'll be saying more any moment.
Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears.
Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
Give a play-by-play account of a person's every action in a nasal Howard Cosell voice.
Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
Drum on every available surface.
Staple papers in the middle of the page.
Ask 192 and 118 operators for dates.
Produce a rental video consisting entirely of dire FBI copyright warnings.
Sew anti-theft detector strips into people's backpacks.
Hide dairy products in inaccessible places.
Write the surprise ending to a novel on its first page.
Set alarms for random times.
Order a side of pork rinds with your filet mignon.
Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a "croaking" noise.
Honk and wave to strangers.
Dress only in clothes colored Hunter's Orange.
Change channels five minutes before the end of every show.
Tape pieces of "Sweating to the Oldies" over climactic parts of rental movies.
Wear your pants backwards.
Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints by the cash register.
Begin all your sentences with "ooh la la!"
only type in lowercase.
dont use any punctuation either
Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.
Pay for your dinner with pennies.
Tie jingle bells to all your clothes.
Repeat everything someone says, as a question.
Write "X - BURIED TREASURE" in random spots on all of someone's roadmaps.
Inform everyone you meet of your personal Kennedy asassination/ UFO/O.J. Simpson conspiracy theories.
Repeat the following conversation a dozen times: "Do you hear that?" "What?" "Never mind, it's gone now."
Light road flares on a birthday cake.
Wander around a restaurant, asking other diners for their parsley.
Leave tips in Bolivian currency.
Demand that everyone address you as "Conquistador."
At the laundromat, use one dryer for each of your socks.
When Christmas caroling, sing "Jingle Bells, Batman smells" until physically restrained.
Wear a cape that says "Magnificent One."
As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
Stand over someone's shoulder, mumbling, as they read.
Pretend your computer's mouse is a CB radio, and talk to it.
Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "no, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
Drive half a block.
Inform others that they exist only in your imagination.
Ask people what gender they are.
Lick the filling out of all the Oreos, and place the cookie parts back in the tray.
Cultivate a Norwegian accent. If Norwegian, affect a Southern drawl.
Routinely handcuff yourself to furniture, informing the curious that you don't want to fall off "in case the big one comes."
Deliberately hum songs that will remain lodged in co-workers' brains, such as "Feliz Navidad," the Archies' "Sugar" or the Mr. Rogers theme song.
While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
Lie obviously about trivial things such as the time of day.
Leave your Christmas lights up and lit until September.
Change your name to "John Aaaaasmith" for the great glory of being first in the phone book. Claim it's a Hawaiian name, and demand that people pronounce each "a."
Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
Chew on pens that you've borrowed.
Wear a LOT of cologne.
Listen to 33rpm records at 45rpm speed, and claim the faster speed is necessary because of your "superior mental processing."
Sing along at the opera.
Mow your lawn with scissors.
At a golf tournament, chant "swing-batabatabata-suhWING-batter!"
Ask the waitress for an extra seat for your "imaginary friend."
Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
Ask your co-workers mysterious questions, and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles."
Stare at static on the TV and claim you can see a "magic picture."
Select the same song on the jukebox fifty times.
Never make eye contact.
Never break eye contact.
Construct elaborate "crop circles" in your front lawn.
Construct your own pretend "tricorder," and "scan" people with it, announcing the results.
Make appointments for the 31st of September.
Invite lots of people to other people's parties.
and one more...
Read this entire list to someone.
So, anyone up for having a go at them all? I offer a virtual Dooyoo cookie to anyone that can manage to do them all on a bus without getting kicked off / slapped by the person next to them...
The 4400 is a strange program, as it appeals to many different demographics. You've got the sci-fi stuff for the geeks, humour for the comedy-lovers, and some very well-written storylines for the people that like to create emotional attachments to the characters they're watching.
The basic premise of the series is that 4,400 people disappeared from the face of the earth over the last 50 years, and are all returned at exactly the same moment. They weren't all taken at once though, so some of the characters react better to their new surroundings than others. Obviously things haven't changed much for the ones that only vanished a year or 2 ago, but for the people that disappeared in the 50s... well, that's another matter entirely...
The show has quite a wide selection of main characters, from some of the people that disappeared and the government officials dealing with it all, to the family members that were left behind and are now reunited with their loved ones.
I've only seen the first 2 seasons of this so far (which I'll be reviewing soon ;) ), but what I've seen has been very good. Yes, some of the plotlines do have to be taken with a pinch of salt, and the end-of-season cliffhangers aren't great for those with a tight budget and watch DVD series quickly, but I'd still recommend this program to anyone that wants to see something a bit different, and it's pretty much essential viewing for any self-respecting Sci-fi fan.
You can buy the complete series (all 4 seasons) for just under £32 on Amazon.
This box set is an ideal introduction to the Tau race for Warhammer 40,000 players. The box features a wide selection of unit types, all of which require cutting from their sprue, glueing together and then painting in the colour scheme of your choice (there are a few suggestions scattered around the edges of the box, and many more can be found using a simple Google search). As with the majority of the Games Workshop range, these models are well designed, and easy to build.
The contents of the box are as follows (unit types for codex-legal army in brackets:
One Tau Crisis XV8 Battlesuit (elite).
One Devilfish Armoured Personnel carrier (including transparent base to give the impression of floating) (troops).
Three Tau XV25 Stealth Suits (elite)
One Markerlight Drone
Six Gun Drones (including transparent bases) (heay support)
Twelve Tau Fire Warriors (troops)
Twelve Kroot Carnivores (troops)
As mentioned, these models do require construction and painting, so you'll need to buy plastic glue, clippers, a good set of scalpels / frisket knives, and of course, the paint and brushes.
As a set, this box has a good choice of models. However, contrary to what it says on the back of the box, it cannot be used as a game-legal army. There is no HQ choice in the box, so you cannot create a 1 HQ and 2 Troop choice + extras army. I would therefore recommend buying a Tau Ethereal (about £6-8) at the same time as you buy this box set. You will also need to pick up a Tau Codex book, so you know what the army's various troops and vehicles can actually do in-game.
Magic: The Gathering is a collectable card game, invented by Richard Garfield, and published by Wizards of the Coast. The game involves players using creatures and spells (which are represented by playing cards) to reduce their opponent's health to 0.
The game will start with each player (called a Planeswalker in-universe) having a deck of cards (called their library), and 20 points of health. Each library must contain at least 60 cards, and there can be no more than 4 cards the same (with the exception of Basic Land cards, see below for a decription of the card types). Each player draws 7 cards from their library to their hand, and the game begins.
Without going into the rules too much (there are far too many to list here, and a few aren't relevant for most games), at the start of each player's turn they "untap" any "tapped" cards (see the card type description bit), and then draw the top card from their library. They can then play up to one land card from their hand, and any other cards they can afford to play. Each card has a "casting cost (CC)", which is how much it costs the player to use the card. As a rule, you only pay the CC once, but there are exceptions with some of the more powerful cards.
After the player has played all the cards they want to from their hand, they can choose which creatures (again, see below) they want to use to attack the opponent. Any creature you attack with cannot block an opponent's attack on the following turn, so planning ahead is important.
Card types, and overview:
Basic Land cards: These are the source of your "mana", the in-game currency which you pay for your creatures, spells etc with. You can have any number of these in your library, but can only play one per turn. They all have a casting cost of 0, so they're free to play. When you "take" the mana from the source, you turn the card sideways (Tap it), so you know you've used it. Each basic land only gives 1 mana of its specific type per turn, so it's important to keep track of what you've used.
Creature cards: These are your friends, warriors, minions, slaves... whatever you want to call them. They come in all shapes and sizes, from weak rats and humans, to towering demons and angels. The more powerful the creature, the higher the CC will be, so a normal rat may only cost 1 mana point, but a near-invincible demon will cost nearer 10 mana points. It's up to you when you make your deck whether you want a few big creatures or just loads of little ones. Most creatures suffer from "Summoning Sickness", which means they come into play tapped and can't attack until the next turn. There are exceptions, though.
Sorcery cards: These are basic spells, with many and varied effects. Some will restore health, others will take it away. There are also cards which will (temporarily) turn your weak creatures into towering behemoths to sweep your opponent away in a deluge of destruction. As with creatures, the more powerful the spell, the higher the cost.
Instants: Instants work similarily to Sorceries. The only difference is that you may play them on your opponent's turn (if you have the mana left to do it).
Enchantments: Enchantments... well, enchant things. Some will make your creatures more powerful, others will restrict the kind of cards that can be played by your opponent.
Artifacts: These are usually items, which you can give to your creatures (such as weapons which give attack bonuses), but can also be creatures in their own right.
The Colour Wheel.
MTG uses a 5 colur system to keep the game balanced. Each colour represents a particular trait, and has its own specific Basic Land type.
White: White is the colour of law, order and justice. A traditional white based deck will contain a lot of weak creatures backed up by powerful angels. White also makes use of a lot of healing spells. The white basic Land type is Plains.
Red: Red is chaos and destruction. It makes use of a lot of destructive spells (such as fireballs), and like white has lots of small creatures, mostly goblins. The red basic land is Mountains.
Black: Black is the representation of death, fear, pestilence and greed. It is, like red, a destructive colour, and has no problem killing its own creatures to get the job done. Black contains vampires, zombies and the like. Black's basic land type is Swamps.
Green: Green respects life, and has lots of large creatures, and spells to make smaller creatures. Many green decks feature elves, as well as treefolk and the like. The green basic land is (predictably) the Forest.
Blue: Blue tends to be the thinking player's colour of choice. Blue mostly revolves around using spells to make your enemy do the work for you, be it redirecting harmful spells back at them, or turning their own creatures against their masters. Blue land is Islands.
I often play MTG against my fiancee (I use a Black / Red "Rakdos Guild" deck, she uses Green / White "Selesnya Guild"), and it's a great game. The rules are complex in places, so it's not great for young kids, but for teenagers onwards it's ideal. The only real problem is the cost of the cards. Ebay are a good source for them, though.
Obviously, with the size of the game I can't cover everything, so if you've got any questions about the game, send a PM and I'll try to help :)
This is my favourite album by the Flaming Lips. I particularly like the way the album's got an over-arching story, which revolves around (predictably) a young girl called Yoshimi being the hero of a war against some huge pink robots.
Released in July 2002, Yoshimi is the 10th album released by the Flaming Lips since they formed in 1983. The entire album is in a kind of electronica/rock style, with thought-provoking lyrics throughout.
Track listing, and my opinion of each song:
1. Fight Test: Great song, very uplifting, just a shame the first and last 10 seconds of the song don't really fit with the rest of it. 8/10
2. One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21: This is a slow song, and I find it works well as a kind of prelude to the war against the robots, detailing how the robots started to think and question what's going on. It's also got a nice, orchestral-style ending. 9/10
3. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1: Being the title song for the album, you'd expect this to be good... and it is. It introduces the character of Yoshimi through good lyrics, a catchy tune, and random robot-y sound effects. 11/10 (Extra points for rhyming "Fight them" with "Vitamins").
4. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 2: I'm not a fan of this track. It seems to represent the actual fight between Yoshimi and the robots, and as such is very beat heavy, and full of sound effects. There's lots of cheering at the end, at the same time as the heavy beat music stops, so I assume the beat represents the robots, and the cheering is the crowd after Yoshimi defeats them. 5/10
5. In the Morning of the Magicians: This is another slow, nice track. It begins with the cheering from the previous track, and goes on to describe the aftermath of the battle. As ever with this album, there are some random sound effects, but unlike the previous track, these make the song better, not worse. 8/10
6. Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell: I find the beat too heavy on this song, the lyrics seem thoughtful, and the main tune complements that well, but the deep bass line is too strong to really let you get into the song. 6/10
7. Are You a Hypnotist??: Another orchestral starter here, this is an odd song. In a way, it seems like they're pressing random keys on a keyboard to start with, it's only when the song gets going you realise it's well planned out. A bit too slow for my liking at the beginning, but aptly it is a quite hypnotic track. It really picks up towards the end, and leads well into the next track. 7/10
8. It's Summertime: Another good use of sound effects here, it even has birds chirping at the beginning. Good lyrics and a nice tune make this one of the better songs on the album. The only real downside is the ending, which just seems to be each instrument stopping one at a time. It could be a minute shorter, and still a great song 8/10
9. Do You Realize??: This is my second favourite song from the album (after the title track, pt1), and was the song that got me into the Flaming Lips in the first place. It's a strange track, with an uplifting tune, but slightly depressing lyrics. 9/10
10. All We Have Is Now: This is a strange song if you listen with headphones. To start with, the music's only on the right side, and the lyrics on the left. Another thought provoker. 7/10
11. Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia): This is another instrumental track, and full of sound effects. Not the best ending to an album I've ever heard, but it works well, especially if you consider the sound effects may be the beginning of a new robot uprising, thus making the album go full circle.
To summarise, if you like random sound effects, and albums that make you think about things, this is for you. If you're looking for a cheery "everything's OK" album, get something else.
Yay, space to fill with info about me (a subject I should know a lot about... in theory, anyway).
01 - How old are you?
23 (although, I might be older by the time you read this)
02 - What colour are your eyes?
Blue (with red bits because of tiredness)
03 - How tall are you?
Between 5foot something and 6 foot... about 5'7"ish
04 - Hair Colour
05 - Do you have any brothers or sisters?
06 - Do you prefer cats or dogs?
How can you pick one? Can I cross-breed them to make dots, and they have all the loyalty of a dog, but the independence of a cat???
07 - What is your job?
Trading card, um, trader on ebay.
08 - Do you like your job?
Usually, when RM aren't striking and delaying in- and out-bound parcels
09 - What is your favorite dessert?
Peanut butter cookies.
10 - Food you loathe that should be banned?
11- Are you a savoury or sweet person?
Savoury, especially things like cream crackers and McCoys crisps
12 - Last 3 films you watched?
1: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strike Back
2: Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans
3: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (not episode 2, but the animated film based on the tv series).
I seem to be a fan of films with colons in their names ;)
13 - Song I can't get out of my head at the moment?
Ghostbusters theme tune.
14 - Favourite programme at the moment?
Ooh, difficult question. Lifetime fan of Buffy, so that's close, but I'd have to go with Heroes.
15 - Where you going on your next holiday?
Probably to see the parents
16 - Favourite Country you have been to?
17 - Favourite Beach holiday?
The only beach holidays I've had were as a kid going to Heacham (near Hunstanton), so it'd have to be that.
18 - Favourite Hobby?
Glueing bits of plastic to other bits of plastic (model building)
19 - Last thing that made me laugh?
The cat rolling off the bed
20 - Favourite Cocktail/Drink?
Hot chocolate, with gingerbread syrup.
So, there's your little insight into me, I hope you enjoyed it.
Hannah Montana is a strange show. It centres around a girl called Miley Stewart, who lives a secret life as a world-famous pop star (predictably, named Hannah Montana). How no-one recognises her I don't know, she must wear contact lenses from the same manufacturer of Superman / Clarke Kent's glasses or something. Miley / Hannah is played by Miley Cyrus, which works well because her dad is played by the Achy Break Heart bloke, Billy-Ray Cyrus.
The program is your typical kids show, very happy-go-lucky, and there are some great songs in it (so much so, I've got the movie soundtrack on my Spotify playlist). The storylines also work very well, with some strong character development between the main characters (including Lilly and Oliver, who also have alter-egos to protect Miley's Hannah identity).
Having seen a few episodes, I think Hannah Montana is a very good show, if you take it with a very large pinch of salt, and overlook how low the acting standard is at times (the majority of the songs make up for that, though. The musical team behind this show rarely get it wrong).
On another note, I think one of the best things to come out of the show is the song Hoedown Throwdown (youtube it ;) ), which will hopefully get rid of the Cha-cha slide song (youtube that as well, if you need to) that's been plagueing birthdays, discos and any other general party with a dancefloor for the last 5 years.
I've only ever used 2 light guns in my gaming life: The bright orange one which came with the original NES to play Duck Hunt, and this, the Desert Eagle replica by Thrustmaster.
Apologies to anyone that doesn't know firearms terminology, this review might confuse you slightly...
My first impressions of this were quite good, it looks realistic (if you disregard the wire coming out the bottom of the grip, which connects to your PS2, PSOne or original PSX). However, after picking it up, any resemblence to the iconic weapon flies out of the window. Considering it's supposed to make your games feel more realistic, they really should have made the gun more substantial, it's far too light. I also don't like the way you can set it to auto-reload if you want to. Normal reloading is also unrealistic, you push a button on the side just under what represents the top slide. They should have just put a button plate on the bottom of the grip, so you can slap it with the palm of your hand as if you're sliding a new magazine into the weapon. Another problem I found is that the trigger spring is far too light. There are some nice touches though, such as the "laser" sight under the barrel having a d-pad on it which is quite accurate to where the calibration dials on actual laser sights are.
I used this on Resident Evil: Code Veronica on the PS2, and aside from the previous flaws, it handles well. The accuracy seems, well, accurate, and there are no delays caused by the long lead connecting it to the console.
I think I might have liked this lightgun more if I didn't have experience with actual firearms in various guises. As it is, I can't look past the "realism" flaws, especially the weight and reloading.
Assassin's Creed is a good, but ultimately repetitive game. Yes, it has a plot, but all that it really involves is walking around a bit, gathering clues about the whereabouts of your target, killing them, and escaping so you can do the same thing again in a different area.
The game is set during the Crusades, and sees you assassinating targets that are causing political disruptions in the area (such as slavery, corrupting the markets, etc). You have several weapons at your disposal to aid with these assasinations (and murders of anyone else you wish to do away with. Be aware though, that killing civilians will result in a minor health loss for the player, for reasons that become apparent as the story progresses), such as a long sword, throwing knives, and Altair's (the cahracter you play as) trademark spring-loaded concealed dagger. It is this concealed dagger that most of your kills will be performed with, as with it you can perform a running attack that ends with a leap at your target, and the blade going through their throat, killing them before they can raise the alarm. General combat with soldiers is fairly impressive, as you parry each others blows until one of you manages to touch flesh with steel. There are a few cinematic effects too, which accompany the more impressive killing blows caused by the player.
The game has several "collection" items, such as flags and banners, and also a secondary objective of killing every Knights Templar in the Holy Land (there are 60 in total), which gives you something extra to do if you fancy a break from the main plot.
My only real gripe with the game, other than the repetitive nature, is that you can only move around and fight from a third-person perspective. First-person is used in-game, but only for the "eagle vision" mode, which will help you distinguish friend from foe by giving them a coloured aura.
Graphically, it's a very good game, with the fights having lots of gory detail. The only down-side is that the cities look very same-y, especially when you climb the highest buildings and look round.
This is undeniably one of the must-plays for the PS3 if you like this kind of game, but don't expect it to last you more than a couple of weeks at most before it gets too repetitive.


text:
School Vouchers: Past Lessons and Future Prospects - The Implications of Government "Strings" on Vouchers
Engage Volume 3, October 2002 Supplement
|Religious Liberties Practice Group
MS. SMITH: It certainly has been an interesting week for religion in the news. We heard from the 9th Circuit, at least a panel of it, that public school kids can't say the words "under God." And now we've heard from the Supreme Court that at least certain kinds of school vouchers like the ones in Cleveland are constitutional in that they don't violate the Establishment Clause. Now comes the next round of debate and the next round of litigation. If vouchers are okay in private schools, what kind of strings can come with them? What must be done by religious schools that accept voucher money? I thought it was very interesting, even in the Zelman decision, that they noted that the Cleveland program places certain restrictions on private schools that accept that money. Although this was not a topic of that decision, I think it will be an interesting part of the next round of debate. What they say is that private schools must agree not to discriminate based on race, religion or ethnic background, or to advocate or foster unlawful behavior or teach hatred of any person or group based on race, ethnicity, national origin or religion. It sounds pretty nice on its face, but as we get deeply into it, will this raise issues of unconstitutional conditions? For instance, can private schools that accept voucher money ask for the baptism records of kids? Can they ask for the religious denomination of the kids' parents? Can Catholic schools prevent Protestant kids from taking communion? Are all of those things hatred, or are they some sort of improper discrimination based on religion? That'll be the next round of constitutional questions, or some of them at least, that are likely to follow and be raised as vouchers are increasingly accepted by religious schools.


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People gathered at the war memorials last week and, by coincidence, I had learned of two buildings in Castle Cary that mark a direct connection between the peacetime occupations of the surrounding dairy country and the first world war. One is Park Cottage up on the slopes south of the town, and the other is a substantial building of brick and stone in south Cary, formerly the cheese store of Mr Mackie, the cheese factor.
In December 1914 a letter from one of the three young Mackie sons, all serving in the Somerset Light Infantry, dropped on the mat of Park Cottage, and others followed regularly from overseas throughout the war. They have been preserved and published in Answering the Call (Raby books, 2002), edited by the writer's nephew, John HF Mackie. All three brothers survived the war.
In September 1915, James Mackie writes from Port Blair in India: "I am glad you have such a fine litter of pigs," and goes on to comment on the price of eggs and butter at home. One letter refers to a cheese that has arrived in perfect condition after completing the last leg of its journey from the cool cheese store in a hot Indian train, and in March 1916 he writes of another, "a real beauty, even better than the last one".


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Was able to successfully install CM 10.1 using this method....but I am missing something.....how do I go to HOME, PREV.....there is no soft buttons? Is it a known issue
EDIT: I am missing Notification bar also?
EDIT 2: Resetting navigation from setting did not work...
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire2 using Tapatalk 2


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True to his word, UFC boss Dana White has followed through on his vow to discipline fighter Michael Bisping for his unsportsmanlike behaviour Down Under at UFC 127.
After weeks of verbal exchanges between Bisping and American Jorge Rivera leading up to their bout last month, tensions boiled over both in and out of the octagon and the Brits actions gave the company a bit of a black eye.
White told MMAFighting.com recently that Bisping missed out on a $250,000 bonus for kneeing Rivera in the face while he was down and for spitting on one of his opponents cornermen after winning the bout.
Believe me, that hurts worse than anything else that anyone could have done, White said.
He said he also had a talk with Bisping.
I let him know exactly how I felt about it and what I expect of him in the future, White said.
White said it was actually a shame the fight went down the way it did because Bisping and Rivera had a big hand in creating buzz about the event.
The reality is people were curious and wanted to see their fight, White said.
The two fighters began feuding after Rivera posted videos on YouTube mocking Bisping.


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1015 Tasting Notes
I was a bit apprehensive of this tea because honestly, orange and gingerbread don't necessarily sound like a good combination to me. However, after brewing this for a good long time I actually like this tea! I don't know if I love it, but with a little honey it is smooth, rich, and only slightly citrusy. I'm not getting a ton of gingerbread but I am getting just enough to understand the name of this tea. The orange is really juicy and delicious though! I would definitely recommend at least trying this tea.
Well, I just had to make this tonight! I found a Dark Chocolate Breve Creme at the store earlier and when I saw it, I knew that the creamer and this tea were a match made in heaven. This is really good. The mint is still prevalent, but now there is an extra dose of chocolate. Wow, I'm really enjoying this tea tonight!
I decided that a day like today called for the Emperor. Unfortunately, I probably only have enough for one more pot of this delicious tea after today. But, I'm determined to enjoy it while it lasts.
This tea is, as always, a true delight. Very much a roasty, chocolate, and tangy tea that is amazingly unique. I would never have imagined that the combination of those flavors could create a tea that was so delicious.
On a side note: I used a bit of this tea yesterday to make tea eggs. I'd never made them before, but I have to say they turned out pretty tasty. There is a definite chocolatey, tangy presence in the eggs that I'm attributing to this tea.
First of all, thanks to threewhales for sharing this tea with me. This is really awesome! I couldn't believe the smell of the dry tea: very floral and sweet. After pouring water over the leaves, the honey aroma exploded and I seriously stood over my teapot enjoying the aroma for the entire steep time. This tea is a very rich, honey color, but not at all what you would expect from a black tea. My first sip made me think I was dreaming. This tea couldn't possibly be that delicious, right?
No, actually it is that delicious and perfect. I love this tea. As others have mentioned, this tea is naturally sweet and light. The taste of orchids is present throughout the end of the sip with the honey sweetness taking over at the beginning. I love that there seems to be a texture to this tea, almost biscuit-like yet smooth. This is certainly a treat and I'm looking forward to subsequent infusions.
This tea does remind me of the Honey Orchid Phoenix oolong from Tao of Tea, but this tea from GM is MUCH, MUCH better! Wow, I just can't believe how delicious this is!
Kristen – Here it is!
You can purchase it in various sizes – not sure which I'll spring for yet!
Second infusion is probably my favorite so far. I find this tea to be rich, slightly buttery, and naturally sweet. I've mentioned in the past that Silver Needle tastes like Chamomile should taste and I once again am drawn to that conclusion. I also wanted to mention that these are the fuzziest leaves I've seen on a Silver Needle, reaching your hand inside of the pouch results in your hand being covered in soft, downy fuzz.
I finally have Silver Needle back in my cupboard again, thanks to threewhales! I have severely missed having this tea. Very smooth, lightly sweet, and almost a bit buttery (or maybe I'm imagining that…) I also really love the look of this tea: the little fuzzy leaves are so adorable! This is a welcome tea tonight because I'm starting to feel a bit under the weather. Hopefully good tea will pull me through.
I'm really, really glad that honeybush doesn't get bitter. I kind of forgot about steeping this tea and realized this about 40-50 minutes later. But wow!! This is better than ever. Really tastes like Neapolitan ice cream when all the flavors are starting to melt and mix in the bottom of the bowl. I absolutely love this tonight. Perfect way to end a Monday!
This is really, really good. I'm getting a lot of strawberry and vanilla with a hint of chocolate. It really does taste like Neapolitan ice cream! I knew it would be great though – Frank rocks honeybush! As a result, honeybush has quickly become my nightly vice. Delicious! My cup is disappearing way too fast…


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Tanzanian Devil! This Eric is so smart.
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Tanzanian Devil! This Eric is so smart.
Man, this country has surly drivers.
Or maybe they just remember these folks from the previous day...
And why is that idiot Guido talking about "the field getting smaller"? Is he paying attention? It didn't!
Lmao "Where's Andre?"
We're not Canadians, but we were once US territory. Does that help? :winkgrinQuote:
Originally Posted by Lucy van Pelt;2296631;
I wish they would STOP with the accent.
What is with the WEIRD accents from Mirna & Charla?
Now Charla's starting to develop Mirna's "accent".
Ah. Here goes Mirna with the "talk to Portuguese speakers" in broken Spanglish.
"Whyyyyy noottttt die-eeel nowwww..."?
Every time Charla and Mirna speak in those stupid accents, a little piece of me dies.
No, you should be forced to be delayed by stupid sports events! :laughQuote:
Originally Posted by Leo;2296646;


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In an exclusive interview on the TODAY show Friday, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo hit a funny bone.
The technology mogul revealed to Matt Lauer that the people he would like to see most on Twitter include female funny people Melissa McCarthy, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Costolo, who himself is a former comedian that frequented the Windy City's comedy scene, said he hopes to use some of his Chicago ties to get a few of the comedy icons onto the site.
"I should be able to use some of my pull from my Chicago improvisation days to get a few of 'em onto the platform – and I'll make that my goal," Costolo told Lauer.
It's clear his time in Chicago's prominent comedy realm may have colored his selection as Melissa McCarthy hails from south suburban Plainfield and Tina Fey began her career at The Second City.
Costolo moved to Chicago shortly after graduating from the University of Michigan to work in improv and take classes at Second City.
He credits that improv background for bringing him to his role as CEO.
Costolo told Lauer that his comedy experience gave him the ability to react to virtually anything that happens in or outside the company.


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There's always that uncomfortable feeling, when you decide to set foot in the housing market, that you might be making a mistake. That there's something you don't know, but everyone else does. You're selling when you should be buying or buying when you should be selling, and generally doing everything at the worst time in the housing market cycle.
Well, the good news about the current situation is that no one's doing any better than you. For the moment, anyway. Latest figures from the website Hometrack show that in January, according to 5,000 estate agents and surveyors, there was a 0.5 per cent drop in house prices across the country.
Not only that, but the number of houses on the market went down by 5.4 per cent and the number of would-be buyers by 9.5 per cent. This is compared with a drop of 2.7 per cent in January 2010.
"This suggests that the housing market is facing more underlying issues than the usual post-Christmas slowdown," warns Richard Donnell, Hometrack's director of research. "What's more, the supply of houses for sale is likely to dwindle further over the next two quarters. While it is too early to see evidence of spending cuts having a material impact on local markets, this may change over the course of 2011."
It's hard to see how it won't. While credit crunch pain has, over the past two years, been inflicted primarily on the private sector, now it's the turn of the public sector. Chancellor Osborne's axe will finally descend on Britain's town halls. But which part of Britain is it going to hurt the most?
According to economic analyst Jacqui Daly of Savills estate agents, some 23 per cent of the workforce in the North East of England is employed in the public sector, compared with just 17 per cent in the South East. Meanwhile, in the North West and Yorkshire, the figure is 21 per cent, while in Wales it's 24 per cent, and in Northern Ireland 29 per cent.
This means that when local authorities start handing out P45s, it will have a disproportionate effect on the housing market above the Watford Gap. Already, house price recovery has been less resilient in the North. Prices are lagging by 12.9 per cent behind their peak, as against just 5.5 per cent in the South.
"We now expect these differences to become wider," says Daly. In weather terms, then, we're all in for some rain, but some people are going to stay drier than others.
The good news, though (or bad, depending on where you live), is that not everywhere in the North is going to suffer in equal measure.
Further research from Savills, carried out exclusively for The Daily Telegraph, predicts that, by 2015, property prices will have risen by 1.7 per cent in Yorkshire and Humberside (compared with 2010 levels). Meanwhile, prices will have increased by 3.3 per cent in the North West and by a breezy 17.2 per cent in what are termed the "prime" northern locations. These include areas such as Morpeth, Tynedale (Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe), Harrogate (including Ripon and Knaresborough), and the prosperous commuter parts of Cheshire, including Altrincham, Hale, Sale, Knutsford, Wilmslow and Prestbury.
Even so, homes are hardly going to sell like hot cakes wherever you live in England. The average time it takes to shift a property is currently 10 weeks and rising, says Hometrack. And you're likely to have at least 11 viewings before you make a sale. There are, however, two small spots in the UK where the sun is peeping through.
"If you are selling a second home in the South West, there is a ready supply of buyers," says Liam Bailey, head of residential research at Knight Frank estate agents. "The idea of a 'staycation', where you holiday in the UK rather than going abroad, seems to have gained acceptance over the past couple of years.
"There has also been a 1.1 per cent increase in central London prices over January, making a 10.3 per cent rise in the past 12 months.
"That said, though, a lot of these have been international buyers, taking advantage of the weakness of the pound. Some 54 per cent of purchasers in the £2 million-plus bracket are from overseas, and 60 per cent in the £5 million-plus bracket."
None of this is much good to the Mr and Mrs Averages, who don't happen to live in Kensington or Knightsbridge. So desperate are we sellers becoming, it seems, that we are even being nicer to estate agents.
"There has been a definite shift in attitudes among vendors, towards seeing the selling of their house as a team effort," says Tom Hayman-Joyce, of Hayman-Joyce estate agency in the Midlands. "People are realising, to coin a phrase, that we are all in this together."
How to give yourself the edge in a competitive market
Sort out your finances, so you're ready to move at once.
Schmooze the estate agents. It is in your interests.
If you find a place you like, visit it twice (at different times of the day).
Strike while the iron's hot. If you like a property, make an offer.
Keep on the case. Badger estate agents and solicitors, make them get a move on.
Clear up your house. Clutter just puts people off.
Buy new kitchen appliances. It inspires confidence and improves the look.
Finish any unfinished DIY tasks. Buyers can't see beyond ungrouted walls.
Be vague as to why you're moving. Don't give buyers a bargaining weapon.
After a viewing, ask your agent to be honest about what the buyers thought.


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Live Commentary
That wraps everything up however, thanks for reading!
It comes to nothing though and Andre Marriner blows the final whistle almost immediately. That wraps up a second half that starkly contrasted to the first in terms of excitement. Reading will be disappointed not to have taken the three points having taken the lead twice and gone so close late on but in Demba Ba, Newcastle have a striker in form and will be pleased to leave the Madejski with a point.
90' + 3'Hold up! Chance for Newcastle to load the Reading penalty box after the referee awards them a free kick!
90' + 3'Newcastle have a throw inside the Reading half and that looks to be that.
90' + 2'That looks to be the last chance for the home side, who remember have yet to win since their return to the Premier League. They have just about deserved the three points though in my book. Newcastle on the whole have been rather disappointing.
90'OFF THE POST! Reading go oh so close to a winner as their captain McAnuff rattles the post with a curling effort from the edge of the area. What a superb effort. So unlucky!
89'The home side are doing all the attacking as the clock ticks towards 90. Can they find that little bit of extra quality? There will be 4 minutes of stoppage time.
87'Jason Roberts has just gone close to grabbing a winner for Reading twice in the space of a minute. First, McCleary beats his man on the right-wing and plays perfectly to an onrushing Roberts to bring a superb save from Steve Harper. The ball then eventually finds its way back to Roberts in the box and his shot on the turn just goes past Harper's left-hand post. Close.
86'SubstitutionNoel Hunt Adam Le Fondre
85'The away side can sense a potential win here and Hatem Ben Arfa has just seen a long-range effort flash over the bar. For all of his talent, Ben Arfa has been rather wasteful this afternoon.
83'Assist Shane Ferguson
83'Goal Demba Ba
GOAL!!!!! 2-2! Scrap my previous comment, Newcastle are level! A fantastic cross from substitute Shane Ferguson finds Demba Ba who handballs it past Reading keeper Alex McCarthy. Yes, you read that correctly. The Senegal striker does go to head the ball but misses it and instead the ball hits his hand and it trickles in.
80'Reading are just beginning to sit back a little, perhaps wary of the fact that they are on the brink of getting off the mark in the Premier League. However, Newcastle aren't exactly overloading the home side with mass pressure. Reading certainly aren't hanging on. Hatem Ben Arfa has a shot from outside of the box but sees it blocked.
78'SubstitutionPavel Pogrebnyak Jason Roberts
76'A heart-warming moment here at the Madejski as Jason Roberts makes his first appearance of the season from the substitutes bench. The 34-year-old had a massive role in the Royal's promotion last season.
74'Newcastle have found it difficult handling the pace of Reading's wide players all afternoon and Jobi McAnuff has just taken Perch to the cleaners before producing a cross that Pogrebnyak just can't quite connect to.
73'Yellow Card Jonas Gutierrez
73'Reading go close to getting the goal that would make this game safe as Gorkss attacks a Nicky Shorey free kick with gusto but his header flies over the bar.
70'SubstitutionJimmy Kebe Garath McCleary
70'Ben Arfa explodes into the box and sees his cross-cum-shot almost sneak past McCarthy at his near post. Newcastle just beginning to push on a little now.
69'SubstitutionPapiss Cissé Shola Ameobi
69'SubstitutionGael Bigirimana Shane Ferguson
68'Newcastle look a little shell-shocked after that Hunt goal and with good reason. They must have thought they were right back in it with Ba's superb equaliser only to be undone by Reading's second goal. Perhaps Pardew will be regretting taking off central defender Steven Taylor only minutes earlier. Papiss Cisse has gone off for Newcastle, the wait for his first league goal of the season goes on.
65'Phew! Need a bit of a break now! The home fans can sense that their side's first league win of the season could be in the offing and are now creating an almighty racket at the Madejski. Newcastle are set to react by bringing on Shola Ameobi. Cometh the man...
62'Assist Jobi McAnuff
62'Goal Noel Hunt
GOAL!!!! 2-1 Reading. it's raining goals here at the Madejski and after an extremely slow first half, this game has really caught fire. Again it's McAnuff who creates it with a swinging cross from the left that is met by the head of Noel Hunt to put the Royals back in front.
58'Assist Jobi McAnuff
58'Goal Jimmy Kebe
GOAL!!!!!! 1-0 Reading. I said at half-time that Jimmy Kebe would be the key to Reading getting anything out of this game and so it's proved. Reading counter-attack swiftly and a fine ball from captain Jobi McAnuff finds Kebe who slots it past Steve Harper.
58'Assist Cheikh Tiote
58'Goal Demba Ba
GOAL!!!!! 1-1. Demba Ba equalises within seconds for the Magpies. A superb long-range pass from Tiote finds Ba who fires an unstoppable volley past McCarthy. The Reading keeper didn't have a prayer there.
56'SubstitutionSteven Taylor James Tavernier
55'Newcastle have brought on James Tavernier for his Premier League debut, in place of Steven Taylor.
54'At last Cisse comes to life for Newcastle. The Senegal international takes the ball quite superbly after it is fired into the box, looks to take it past the Reading defender before his goal-bound shot is well blocked by Nicky Shorey. He's had a slow start to the season but after his goal at Old Trafford in the week, Cisse just looks like he's coming into form.
53'Yellow Card Mike Williamson
50'Both keepers have looked imperious when coming to claim the ball so far today. Harper's just confidently claimed another Reading corner.
48'The game is stopped as both Steven Taylor and Noel Hunt require treatment from the physios. This is certainly not helping the tempo.
46'Pogrebnyak escapes from the clutches of Mike Williamson down Reading's right but cannot find find strike-partner Noel Hunt. The second half has begun in a similarly sedate fashion to the first.
46'Newcaslte kick off the second half.
Newcastle on the other hand look more than content to go into half-time goalless. You get the feeling that after a couple of away defeats recently, Alan Pardew would happily take a draw away from the Madejski Stadium.
And there's the half-time whistle. It hasn't been a classic, it's fair to say. Reading have made all the running but just seem to lack a bit of both confidence and quality on the ball. More will be expected from Kebe in the second half for the home side.
45'In the very last action of the half, Reading nearly grab the opening goal. Pogrebnyak takes a cross down on his chest quite brilliantly but just as he is about to pull the trigger, James Perch arrives out of nowhere to nick it away from the Russian.
44'Yellow Card James Perch
43'It's not been a scintillating half but Newcastle youngster Gael Bigirimana has done particularly well on his first Premier League start for the club. Playing in central-midfield, the man signed from Coventry in the summer has acquitted himself comfortably.
40'This first half seems to be petering out somewhat. There's a distinct lack of confidence in Reading's play, which is perhaps not surprising considering the winless run in the Premier League.
38'Reading are trying to get Jimmy Kebe on the ball as much as possible but the wideman, on his first league appearance for the Royals this season after he picked up a pre-season injury, is getting no joy out of Toon left-back Davide Santon.
34'Newcastle just coming back into the half, primarily through Ben Arfa and the mercurial Frenchman has just forced his side's first corner of the afternoon. However, it leads to nothing and Alex McCarthy claims it confidently.
31'Jem Karacan has a pop from distance that balloons over the bar but at the moment its all Reading. Whenever Newcastle manage to get the ball, it's quickly mopped up by the home defence.
29'First real sight of goal. A cross deep into the box finds Pavel Pogrebnyak and the big Russian forces Steve Harper to tip his header over the bar. The resulting corner leads to nothing but the home side certainly look more likely to score at the moment.
27'The game is being played at a really slow pace at the moment. Newcastle look happy soaking up what little pressure Reading are putting them under. Ben Arfa is looking lively though.
23'Nicky Shorey takes advantage of Hatem Ben Arfa's unwillingness to track back and manages a spectacular volleyed attempt at goal that flies over the bar. Reading just carrying the greater threat.
20'Papiss Cisse almost forces the ball into the net for Newcastle after a free kick from deep drops invitingly in the Reading box but cannot quite get a connection on it. Even contest so far.
18'A spell of concerted Reading pressure results in a cross that Steven Taylor clears. Suspicion of a handball from Taylor though. Reading aren't happy.
16'The ball's out of play as Cheikh Titote, who has only recently just got back from injury for the away side, is in need of treatment.
11'Ben Arfa with a typically tricky, jinking run that beats two Reading defenders before his cross *just* eludes Demba Ba at the far post
9'A free kick from Reading's Nicky Shorey looks like it could cause Newcastle's defence problems but Steve Harper does well to punch away.
6'Scrappy opening really. Both sides taking turns to gift possession away.
1'Reading kick us off.
Reading: McCarthy, Shorey, Gorkss, Mariappa, Cummings, McAnuff, Karacan, Leigertwood, Kebe, Hunt, Pogrebnyak Newcastle: Harper, S Taylor, Williamson, Perch, Santon, Bigirimana, Gutierrez, Tiote, Ben Arfa, Cisse, Ba
Hi all, I'm Adam Mazrani and welcome to Goal.com's play-by-play of Reading v Newcastle.


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I have a bunch of crisp fresh white irises as yet unfurled in my great-aunt Mary's blown glass vase. (She lived to be one hundred and one!) In the heat of the fire-warmed room, they are slowly begining to open. This feels appropriate for the new year's eve.
Reading through A Journal of a Solitude*, I came across this ~
I asked myself the question, "What do you want of your life?" and I realized with a start of recognition and terror, "Exactly what I have - but to be commensurate, to handle it all better."
Another word for commensurate is proportional. I've been thinking on that ~ things in proportion. Everything in moderation ~ to find my balance of work and play, concentration and time off. That idea intrigues me as I start this new year.
What are you thinking about as the year turns?
*may sarton


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This spice-rich chicken curry preparation of Kerala has regional variations in terms of ingredients used, but nevertheless has the same combination of spices that adds to its flavour.
Chicken - 1 kg
Onion - 400 g
Green Chilli - 20 g
Ginger - 20 g
Chilli powder - 2 sp
Coriander powder - 3 sp
Chicken masala powder - 2 sp
Curry leaves - 2 g
Coconut oil - 150 ml
Coconut milk - 1.5 ltr
Salt - to taste
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Method of preparation
Cut the chicken into medium pieces and marinate it with a little chilli powder and salt for a while. Make the first and second extract of coconut milk.
Heat kadai (pan), add coconut oil and saute sliced onions, green chilli, ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Then add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and chicken masala powder. Put the chicken pieces in the kadai till it is half done. Add the second extract of coconut milk and get it cooked gently in slow fire.
Finally add the first extract of coconut milk and serve hot.
Courtesy: Michael's Inn, Thekkady.


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RUNNING; For Spectator, Warm Thanks From a Cold Runner
By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
Published: November 7, 2006
Tens of thousands of amateur and elite runners from around the world come to the New York City Marathon each year and get a street-level tour of the city's five boroughs. Titus Munji, a 26-year-old professional runner from Kenya, learned Sunday how daunting the city's streets could be when he suddenly found himself on his own.
Munji has the 11th-fastest marathon time in history (2 hours 6 minutes 15 seconds), but he never made it to the finish line Sunday.
Only minutes after he crossed the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan with the lead pack of elite men's runners, Munji sat shivering in a bodega on First Avenue with ripped plastic bags over his legs and a spectator's jacket on his back. He had no idea how to get to the finish area, where he knew his fellow countrymen in the race -- and warm clothes -- would be waiting for him.
Trudy Christ, a resident of the Upper East Side, was watching the race on First Avenue and noticed Munji stagger off the course at 80th Street. She said he was wincing and holding his stomach.
''It was my first time I ever dropped out of the race,'' Munji said. ''I didn't know what to do.''
Some spectators, apparently not aware that Munji was injured, quickly crowded around him for a photo, Christ said.
''He just stood there and looked forlorn, and I got my courage up to approach him,'' she said. ''He was just standing there sick. He had little clothes and was freezing. I approached him and said, 'Let me help you.' ''
As Munji continued to walk off the course, Christ put her jacket over him and looked for marathon officials but did not see any. She went to a parked police car and asked for help, but the officers told her they did not know how to reach marathon officials and could not permit Munji to warm himself in the back of their car. They offered to call an ambulance, Christ said, but Munji refused.
''Nobody was interested to help us,'' he said.
Christ then took Munji into a corner deli. The attendant was not helpful at first but became more accommodating once Christ persuaded him that Munji was an injured runner. Christ said she covered Munji's legs with plastic bags taken from behind the counter.
Another spectator retrieved a large blanket and covered Munji. About 20 minutes later, a marathon official was located, and Munji was led to a medical station near 78th Street, Christ said.
Christ left Munji at the medical station but told him she would return. When she did, an hour later, Munji was gone.
''I couldn't sleep last night,'' Christ said. ''I was tossing and turning all night wondering if he was O.K.''
Mary Wittenberg, president of the New York Road Runners, the organization that conducts the marathon, said Munji was picked up and taken to his hotel at about 12:45 p.m. -- a little more than an hour after he dropped out of the race.
Wittenberg said race officials patrol the course every half mile, walking back and forth looking for medical problems, and there is a medical station to treat runners every mile. In addition, a van rides behind the elite runners to pick up any who drop out of the race.
''For whatever reason, that van missed Titus and the ham operators on the street didn't see him because he had walked off the course,'' Wittenberg said.
Munji said yesterday that stomach pains, which he described as ulcers, forced him to stop running.
''The whole race it hurt,'' he said. ''I thought it would be over. After 10k, I stopped feeling it. But at 16 miles it became worse and I decided to drop off the race.''
Before heading to the airport yesterday for a flight to Italy -- where he was to receive treatment for his ailment -- Munji asked a reporter to put him in touch with the woman who had helped him. He said he wanted to return her blanket and thank her.
After she was located, Munji, blanket in hand, walked about 15 blocks from his hotel to Christ's office at West 35th Street and Avenue of the Americas. On the fourth floor, they were reunited. He returned the blanket, although it was not Christ's; the other spectator had given it to him. No matter. Christ teared up as they hugged, and Munji repeatedly thanked her and said he wanted to stay in contact.
''He called me again before he left,'' Christ said. ''He said he was coming to Puerto Rico to run a half-marathon next year and that he may come back to New York to visit me.''
Photos: Borrowed blanket in hand, Titus Munji walked to the office of Trudy Christ, below, to express his gratitude. (Photographs by Robert Caplin for The New York Times)


text:
Photographer in fear of family's safety after pipe bomb left outside home
A PHOTOGRAPHER fears for his family after a pipe bomb was discoverd outside his house in the North last night.
Mark Pearce, from Mayobridge near Newry in Co Down, has worked as a photographer for over 20 years.
His family was woken by police shortly after midnight today at their home in Carraig Crosain. Six homes in their street were evacuated.
Mr Pearce, 39, has a daughter aged 14 and a son aged 12.
He said his family was concerned about what this evening could bring.
"As photographers, we have this ability to distance ourselves from what happened. To a certain degree it does not seem real - but this is real. This is my family, this is my children. It is horrible."
He said he had no proof of who may target him, but believed it may have happened because of photographs which he had taken.
The cameraman added he had recently received a death threat.
Army bomb disposal officers dealt with the viable bomb which had been left outside Mr Pearce's front door. His two children were in the house at the time.
Residents were allowed to return to their homes about 5.20am.
Police have appealed for information about the attack.
Sinn Fein MLA Caitriona Ruane said those who left a pipe bomb at the home of the photographer represented an affront to democracy.
"In any civilised society a free press is paramount in maintaining democracy and this attack needs to seen in that context," she said.
"While people may not agree with sections of the media, there is no excuse to attack them or their families."
SDLP MP Margaret Ritchie said the perpetrators were intent on causing serious injury.
"Disruption was caused to that family and to local residents who returned to their properties earlier this morning. The thoughts and prayers of the entire community are with the family," she said.
"The message is clear to those who perpetrate these despicable acts - get off our backs and let us live in peace and harmony."
Alliance Party assembly member Trevor Lunn said freedom of the press is paramount in any democratic society.
"There should never be any attempt to silence the press through the use of violence. I would like to extend my support to Mark and his family," he added.