text:
The purpose of this study was twofold:1) to determine whether at high altitude cerebral blood flow (CBF) as assessed during CO2 inhalation and during hyperventilation in subjects with acute mountain sickness (AMS) was different from that in subjects without AMS and2) to compare the CBF as assessed under similar conditions in Sherpas at high altitude and in subjects at sea level. Resting control values of blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (V MCA), pulse oxygen saturation ( ), and transcutaneous were measured at 4,243 m in 43 subjects without AMS, 17 subjects with AMS, 20 Sherpas, and 13 subjects at sea level. Responses of CO2 inhalation and hyperventilation onV MCA, , and transcutaneous were measured, and the cerebral vasomotor reactivity (VMR = ΔV MCA/ ) was calculated as the fractional change ofV MCA per Torr change of , yielding a hypercapnic VMR and a hypocapnic VMR. AMS subjects showed a significantly higher resting controlV MCA than did no-AMS subjects (74 ± 22 and 56 ± 14 cm/s, respectively;P < 0.001), and was significantly lower (80 ± 8 and 88 ± 3%, respectively; P < 0.001). Resting controlV MCA values in the sea-level group (60 ± 15 cm/s), in the no-AMS group, and in Sherpas (59 ± 13 cm/s) were not different. Hypercapnic VMR values in AMS subjects were 4.0 ± 4.4, in no-AMS subjects were 5.5 ± 4.3, in Sherpas were 5.6 ± 4.1, and in sea-level subjects were 5.6 ± 2.5 (not significant). Hypocapnic VMR values were significantly higher in AMS subjects (5.9 ± 1.5) compared with no-AMS subjects (4.8 ± 1.4; P < 0.005) but were not significantly different between Sherpas (3.8 ± 1.1) and the sea-level group (2.8 ± 0.7). We conclude that AMS subjects have greater cerebral hemodynamic responses to hyperventilation, higherV MCAresting control values, and lower compared with no-AMS subjects. Sherpas showed a cerebral hemodynamic pattern similar to that of normal subjects at sea level.
- mountain sickness
- Sherpa
- transcranial Doppler
- transcutaneous carbon dioxide
acute mountain sickness (AMS) is usually a benign and self-limiting illness that strikes healthy individuals who ascend to altitudes above 2,500 m without sufficient acclimatization (10). Failure to acclimatize may lead to AMS, which may develop into high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), both being lethal complications of AMS. The process of acclimatization involves the onset of progressive hyperventilation secondary to the hypoxia from reduced ambient air pressure (23). It results in hypocapnia, which causes cerebral vasoconstriction and a decrease of cerebral blood flow (CBF). This effect of hypocapnia on CBF is counterbalanced by the effect of hypoxia, resulting ultimately in a net increase of CBF at high altitude (4, 16, 27, 28). In an attempt to treat subjects with AMS, the addition of 3% CO2 to the inspired air showed in one study an increase of CBF in half of the subjects (11), whereas in another study an increase of CBF velocity (V CBF), measured with transcranial Doppler, could not be demonstrated (3). Otis and co-workers (22) showed that in subjects inhaling 5% CO2, first at sea level and later at high altitude where some of the subjects developed AMS,V CBF increased more at sea level than at high altitude. In contrast, it has been demonstrated that in healthy subjects the increase ofV CBF during hypercapnic hyperoxia at altitude was greater than the increase of V CBFat sea level (15).
The data from these previous studies might suggest that CO2 inhalation produced a smaller increase of CBF in subjects with AMS than in healthy subjects. However, responses to CO2 variations on CBF have not been studied in subjects with and without AMS at altitude. The hypothesis of this study was that the cerebral hemodynamic response to CO2 inhalation and to hyperventilation, expressed as vasomotor reactivity (VMR = fractional change of V CBFper Torr change of ), was different in subjects with AMS compared with subjects without AMS. Accordingly, the purpose of the present study was to determine VMR in an attempt to identify a mechanism for altered CBF at altitude. Therefore, we assessed at 4,243-m altitude in newcomers with and without AMS the response of the blood flow velocity of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) (V MCA), measured with transcranial Doppler (TCD) sonography, to CO2 inhalation and to voluntary hyperventilation. In addition, because there are inadequate data on CBF responses to changes of CO2 in high-altitude residents, theV MCA was assessed under similar conditions of high and low CO2 in a group of healthy Sherpas and was compared with a control group at sea level.
Subjects and AMS score.
The study was approved by the Institutional Human Investigation Committee of the Academic Medical Centre. It was carried out at the health post run by volunteer doctors of the Himalayan Rescue Association in Pheriche, a village situated at 4,243 m in the Khumbu valley in Nepal. The investigation took place during the months of October and November. Trekkers from many parts of the world who come to climb Kala Patar (5,545 m), a mountain adjacent to Mount Everest, normally stay for 1 or 2 nights in Pheriche. The trekkers who during their stay in Pheriche volunteered to participate in the study were previously healthy, smoking and nonsmoking, male and female subjects of varying background. They all resided normally at <600 m above sea level. Before they were studied, they stayed above 2,800 m (Lukla) at least for 4 nights, of which 3 nights were above 3,440 m (Namche Bazar). All volunteers were accepted for participation in the study, whether they came to Pheriche over land from Kathmandu, or after flying to Lukla, or by reaching Pheriche after crossing the Chola pass (5,420 m). Some of the trekkers with serious signs and symptoms of AMS were referred by the doctors of the health post.
AMS was assessed by using the Lake Louise AMS scoring system, which is a standard scoring system involving a self-reporting questionnaire to assess AMS (29). This self-report questionnaire includes five main symptoms of AMS: headache, gastrointestinal symptoms (anorexia, nausea, or vomiting), fatigue and/or weakness, dizziness and/or lightheadedness, and difficulty in sleeping. Each symptom is rated on a scale ranging from zero to three points. The AMS self-report score is the sum of responses to these five symptoms. In this study, a total score of three or more points in the presence of at least a mild headache was considered as AMS (AMS group) (29). From zero to two points was considered as no AMS (no-AMS group). Subjects with three or more points but no headache were considered as not having AMS. However, three subjects who had three or more points and no headache, but who showed signs of HAPE and HACE, were included in the AMS group. The questionnaire was completed by each trekker before the measurements were performed. Data of 43 trekkers without AMS (mean age 35 ± 12 yr; 37 men and 6 women) and of 17 trekkers with AMS (mean age 38 ± 12 yr; 13 men and 4 women) were used for the study. A group of 20 healthy Sherpas (mean age 37 ± 12 yr; 12 men and 8 women), who are Himalayan natives of Tibetan ancestry, were born in the Khumbu area and were living in and around Pheriche, were also studied, as well as a group of 13 healthy Dutch hospital workers (mean age 31 ± 6 yr; 9 men and 4 women) who were studied at sea level and who served as control group. In total, data of 93 subjects, divided into four different groups (no AMS, AMS, Sherpa, sea level), were analyzed.
Pulse oxygen saturation ( ) and transcutaneous were measured by using the Fastrac Respiratory Status Monitor (model 765500-101, Sensormedics). The transcutaneous sensor was heated to a temperature of 42°C and then was attached to the skin below the clavicle with a double-sided adhesive ring. The barometric pressure of the Fastrac monitor was set at 447 Torr, corresponding to the altitude of 4,243 m in Pheriche.
V MCA was measured by using a 2-MHz pulsed TCD probe (T2-64B EME, Ueberlingen). TCD insonation of the stem of the MCA was performed according to the methods described by Aaslid (1). The meanV MCA is calculated and displayed automatically by this TCD instrument. It is computed as the time mean of the peak velocity envelope, being the trace of the peak flow velocities as a function of time, and is expressed in centimeters per second. Doppler signals from the left MCA were identified through the temporal window with a hand-held probe and measured at a depth of 45–55 mm, corresponding to the proximal segment of the MCA. In each subject, a constant depth-range and angle of insonation were kept throughout the study. When the Doppler signal was inadequate at the left side, the right MCA was insonated.V MCA values, as calculated by the TCD apparature over four to five heart cycles, were registered, and, for every individualV MCA measurement, four consecutive registrations were averaged.
Study protocol.
Subjects rested in the supine position for ∼15 min, after which , trancutaneous , andV MCA were measured at three different levels of .1) First, the values were measured with the subjects at rest while breathing ambient air (resting control value). 2) Then, the values were measured during hypercapnia. Hypercapnia was produced by CO2 inhalation. CO2 (0.6–1 l/min) was added to the ambient air and inhaled through a nonreturning valve connected to a mouthpiece. In this study, the inspiratory CO2 concentration was not controlled exactly. However, with a mean minute ventilation of 12 l/min as has been measured in subjects after 3–5 days at 4,300 m, the inspiratory CO2 concentration is calculated to be at least 5% (12). Measurements were made when transcutaneous and remained stable for ≥5 min.3) Finally, the values were measured during hypocapnia. Hypocapnia was induced by forced voluntary hyperventilation with a fixed respiratory frequency of ±25/min, and the same set of measurements was performed when transcutaneous and remained stable during ≥5 min. VMR was calculated for the hypercapnic state as well as for the hypocapnic state, yielding a hypercapnic VMR and a hypocapnic VMR.
Data analysis.
Comparisons between resting control values and between effects of CO2 challenges were assessed by using ANOVA, and, when significance was found, a post hoc test (Bonferroni-Dunn) was performed to delineate where differences lay. The relationships between variables were subjected to linear correlation analysis by using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Comparisons and correlations were considered significant whenP < 0.05. Data are expressed as means ± SD.
Resting control measurements.
The age did not differ among the four groups. Resting control values ofV MCA, , and transcutaneous of the four groups are presented in Table 1. Regression analysis showed a weak negative correlation between the resting control values ofV MCA and in the no-AMS group (r = −0.43,P = 0.0038) as well as in the AMS group (r = −0.58,P = 0.0138). In the Sherpa group, no correlation could be demonstrated (r = 0.07, P = 0.77). No correlations were found between the resting control values ofV MCA and transcutaneous in any of the four groups.
VMR during CO2 inhalation.
Responses of CO2 inhalation onV MCA, , and transcutaneous are shown in Fig.1. The absolute increases as well as the fractional increases ofV MCA were not significantly different among any of the four groups. The increased ventilation from the CO2stimulation produced an increase in in all three groups at altitude, and this increase was significantly greater in the AMS group compared with the no-AMS group (10 ± 6 and 5 ± 3% respectively; P < 0.0001). Increases of were not significantly different among any of the four groups. Hypercapnic VMR values, as shown in Table 1, were not significantly different between any of the four groups.
VMR during hyperventilation.
Responses of hyperventilation onV MCA, , and trancutaneous are shown in Fig. 1. The absolute decrease ofV MCA in the AMS group was significantly greater compared with the other three groups. However, the relative decrease ofV MCA was not significantly different between the AMS and the no-AMS group. The increase of during hyperventilation was significantly higher in the AMS group compared with the no-AMS group (13 ± 9 and 6 ± 6%, respectively;P < 0.0001). During active hyperventilation, the decreases of were significantly different between the sea-level group (12 ± 2 Torr) on the one hand and the no-AMS (9 ± 2 Torr) and the AMS groups (9 ± 3 Torr) on the other hand. Hypocapnic VMR values of the four groups are shown in Table 1. VMR values in the AMS group were significantly higher compared with the no-AMS group (P < 0.005). There was a significant negative correlation between the hypocapnic VMR and the decrease of in the no-AMS group as well as in the AMS group (Fig. 2). This correlation was weak in the Sherpa group and could not be demonstrated in the sea-level group.
Responses in Sherpas.
Responses to CO2 challenges in Sherpas are shown in Table 1 and Fig. 1. During CO2 inhalation, the Sherpa group showed no significant differences with any of the three groups concerning the absolute and relative increase ofV MCA, the increase of , and the VMR. However, the Sherpas had a significantly smaller increase in compared with the AMS group (6 ± 3 and 10 ± 6%, respectively;P < 0.05). During hyperventilation, the absolute and relative decreases ofV MCA in Sherpas were significantly lower compared with the AMS group but were not significantly different between the Sherpa group and the sea-level group. The increase of in the Sherpa group showed no significant difference with the no-AMS group and the AMS group. There was also no significant difference among any of the three groups concerning the decrease of . The hypocapnic VMR values in the Sherpa group were not significantly different compared with the sea-level group but were significantly lower compared with the no-AMS (P < 0.005) and the AMS group (P < 0.0001).
In this cross-sectional study, subjects at altitude with AMS showed an increased cerebral hemodynamic response to hyperventilation compared with healthy subjects, but the response to CO2 inhalation was not different. The study demonstrated that Sherpas had resting controlV CBF and cerebral VMR values to CO2 inhalation and to hyperventilation that were not different from those of native sea-level dwellers. The study also confirmed earlier findings that subjects with AMS had significantly higher resting control V CBF and lower values compared with those of healthy subjects (4).
TCD sonography.
TCD was used as a noninvasive device to measure CBF. Although TCD does not provide a direct measure of CBF, relative changes in V MCAaccurately reflect relative changes in CBF, provided that the diameter of the insonated vessel remains constant (5, 6, 19). There is now ample direct and indirect evidence to support the contention that the diameter of the MCA does not change significantly with changes in (6, 14). Jensen et al. (15, 16) showed in two studies during isocapnic hypoxia with levels to 60–70%, a good agreement between TCD data and CBF measurements. This may suggest that the diameter of the stem of the MCA did not dilate significantly at the moderate degrees of hypoxia as were measured in our study.
Transcutaneous .
Normally, end-expiratory and transcutaneous give both good correlations with arterial . End-expiratory is normally 3–5 Torr below arterial in patients without lung disease. In one study, where the Fastrac monitor was used with the sensor heated to 42°C, mean transcutaneous was 1.7 Torr below arterial (17). In our study, we measured transcutaneous in subjects with AMS, who may have had some degree of pulmonary edema, possibly leading to a larger arterial-to-alveolar difference than in no-AMS subjects. In these AMS subjects, end-expiratory would underestimate arterial compared with no-AMS subjects.
Resting control measurements at rest.
V MCA was similar in the three groups who were healthy, despite different environmental (no AMS, sea level) and adaptive (Sherpa) backgrounds. The normal value of V MCA at sea level varies from 41 to 94 cm/s, with an average of 60 cm/s during the awake and resting state (2). This is in accordance with the meanV MCA of 60 cm/s of the sea-level group in our study.
Previous studies have shown an initial increase of CBF (16, 27, 28) and of V CBF (4, 13, 22) on arrival of the subjects at altitude. These increases returned to sea-level values after 3–5 days (13, 16, 27, 28). In the present study, all volunteers, with and without AMS, stayed at least 4 nights above 2,800 m, of which 3 nights were above 3,440 m. ThusV MCA in these volunteers could have been expected to have returned to within preascent values, because the measuredV MCA in the healthy subjects at altitude was similar to that of the sea-level group.
Several authors established a relationship between the increases in CBF (27) or V MCA (9,22) and the occurence of AMS. But in two other studies this relationship was not evident (16, 24). Baumgartner and co-workers (4), however, demonstrated a significant correlation between the increase ofV MCA and the presence of symptoms of AMS, probably from a lower arterial than in healthy subjects. The results of our study are in agreement with those of Baumgartner et al. We demonstrated a significantly higher resting controlV MCA and lower resting control in the AMS group compared with the no-AMS group. There was also a significant inverse relationship between the resting control values of andV MCA in the no-AMS group and in the AMS group. These findings suggest that the lower in the AMS group, compared with the no-AMS group, may be one of the mechanisms that could explain the higher V MCA.
VMR was calculated as the relative change ofV MCA per Torr change of (5, 19). Correspondingly, the sea-level group showed a relative increase ofV MCA of 5.6 ± 2.5% per Torr change at the hypercapnic level, and a relative decrease of theV MCA of 2.8 ± 0.7% per Torr change at the hypocapnic level. This corresponds to a CBF increase of 6% and a CBF decrease of 2% per Torr change, respectively, as found in normotensive healthy men (30), indicating that the changes in TCD values we measured can be taken to reflect changes in CBF (6).
In this study, no significant difference in the hypercapnic VMR values could be demonstrated among any of the four groups (Table 1). However, hypocapnic VMR values were significantly different between each of the four groups, except between the Sherpa group and the sea-level group. Normally, at sea level, VMR values are unchanged in the same subject when remains unchanged during CO2 inhalation and during hyperventilation, because the VMR is independent of the change of within the range of 25–50 Torr (18, 25). However, during CO2 inhalation and during hyperventilation at altitude, the increase of the ventilation produced substantial improvements of arterial oxygenation, which were under both circumstances larger in the AMS group (10 and 13% , respectively) than in the no-AMS group (5 and 6% , respectively). These effects of changes of as well as of onV MCA are opposite at the hypercapnic level and additive at the hypocapnic level. However, it was not the aim of this study to define the relative contributions of the CO2 and hypoxia effects onV MCA.
Measurement of VMR at altitude is an attempt to evaluate whether other mechanisms than the direct effect of changes contribute in the regulation of CBF at altitude. Besides the effect of hypoxia on theV CBF (15), there are two other factors that might explain the difference in VMR between the no-AMS and the AMS groups in our study. First, the gradual declines of and cerebrospinal fluid bicarbonate during the process of acclimatization at altitude result in larger pH changes per Torr change and consequently in largerV MCA changes per Torr change. Second, the respiratory alkalosis from the acute and active hyperventilation in our subjects might have produced an increased affinity of oxygen to hemoglobin (Bohr effect). This Bohr effect results in less oxygen availability and causes theV CBF to respond to hypoxia (31). However, with the resting control values and the changes during hyperventilation being similar in the no-AMS group and the AMS group, it is possible that these two factors do not play an important role in explaining the difference in VMR values between these two groups.
During hyperventilation, a significant negative correlation between VMR and the decrease of could be detected in the AMS and the no-AMS group (Fig. 2), but not in the sea-level group, since VMR is at sea level relatively independent of the change of within the range that we measured. The subjects with small decreases of produced large relative decreases ofV MCA. A possible explanation might be that the contribution of the increase onV MCA has a great effect on V MCAwhen the changes of are small. On the other hand, with large changes of , the same increase of contributes relatively little to the change ofV MCA.
Ringelstein and co-workers (25) measured in humans at sea level total vasomotor reactivity (TVMR), defined as the sum of the fractionalV MCA increase (52.5%) during maximal dilatation of the cerebral vessels from 5 to 6% CO2 inhalation and the fractional V MCAdecrease (35.5%) during maximal vasoconstriction from hyperventilation. By using this method to calculate TVMR in our groups (Fig. 3), we found in the sea-level group, the no-AMS group, and the AMS group a pattern of resetting of TVMR in which the hypercapnic section becomes smaller in favor of a larger hypocapnic section. Otis and co-workers (22) found in subjects at sea level during 5% CO2 inhalation a hypercapnic section of TVMR of 45%. This is similar to the 39% observed in our sea-level group. After ascent to 4,100-m altitude, the hypercapnic section decreased significantly to 23% in their group, compared with 24% in our AMS group. They attributed this blunted hypercapnic response to CO2inhalation at altitude to the exhausted potential of cerebral resistance vessels to further dilate. The explanation for the pattern of resetting of TVMR in our study may be the increased vasoconstriction of the brain resistance vessels caused by the improvements in these groups. An additional contributing factor to this pattern of resetting of TVMR could be the increased sensitivity of theV CBF to hypoxia, as reported by Jensen and co-workers (15) in newcomers after 5 days at altitude.
Resting controlV MCA of the Sherpa group was similar to that of the sea-level group. To our knowledge, no studies are available in which CBF has been measured in Himalayan highlanders. However, several studies performed in Andean high-altitude natives indicate that their CBF is significantly below normal sea-level values (20, 21, 29). A possible factor that might contribute to this discrepancy between the Andean high-altitude natives and the Sherpas is the hematocrit, which is an important marker of blood viscosity and which has a marked influence on CBF at sea level and at altitude (21). Winslow and co-workers (31) found that the hematocrit in Sherpas in Nepal was significantly lower than in high-altitude Andean natives (48.4 ± 4.5 and 52.2 ± 4.6%, respectively; P < 0.003). This difference in hematocrit might contribute to the higherV MCA in the Sherpas compared with the Andean natives.
Interestingly, the Sherpas exhibited similar VMR values as the sea-level control group during CO2inhalation as well as during hyperventilation. However, in contrast to the sea-level group, they showed increases of 6% during CO2 inhalation and of 9% during hyperventilation. Milledge and Sørensen (21) demonstrated that the cerebral vasodilatory response to hypoxia was preserved in Andean high-altitude residents, even after lifelong exposure to hypoxia. Despite this preserved vasodilatory response to hypoxia, the hypercapnic and hypocapnic VMR values in the Sherpa group and the sea-level group were similar. An explanation for the similar VMR values is that a higher blood viscosity in the Sherpas, due to a higher hematocrit, has a slowing-down effect on the changes ofV MCA during the alterations of arterial oxygen and CO2tensions.
The Sherpas, who are Himalayan natives of Tibetan ancestry, and who have lived in the Himalaya far longer than the high-altitude natives in the Andes, show a cerebral hemodynamic pattern that is normal by sea-level standards. Similar patterns of adaptation to lifelong hypoxia on the Tibetan plateau have recently been shown in other studies (7,8).
In the present study we showed that in subjects with AMS the cerebral hemodynamic response to acute hyperventilation is increased compared with subjects without AMS. We confirmed that in AMS subjects at rest the CBF velocity is higher and is lower. We also found that Sherpas, studied at high altitude, have the same V MCA and essentially the same VMR pattern as do native sea-level dwellers.
The authors acknowledge the subjects for their cooperation and the doctors of the Himalayan Rescue Association, Fiona McPherson and Caroline MacKenzie, for their enthusiasm and motivation of their patients to participate in the study. The authors thank Dr. Joseph Odoom for critically reviewing the manuscript and Prof. Can Ince for constructive criticism.
Address for reprint requests: G. F. A. Jansen, Dept. of Anesthesiology, H-1-Z, Academic Medical Centre, Univ. of Amsterdam, PO Box 22600, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Copyright © 1999 the American Physiological Society


text:
Shirley Chisholm of Brooklyn, New York, was the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives, in 1968.
In her autobiography Unbought and Unbossed, she credited "womanpower" with her victory.
In 1972 Chisholm became the first African American to run for president in the Democratic primaries.
She said she wanted "to open the way for women to think that they can run," but many women's groups did not back her candidacy.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Deborah Amos Saudi Arabia To End Ban On Women Driving By Deborah Amos • Sep 27, 2017 Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: In Saudi Arabia, women are celebrating the king's decision allowing women to drive. MADEHA AL AJROUSH: As a woman, I really feel that my self-dignity and respect is returned. What To Know About Saudi Arabia's New Crown Prince And The Issues He Will Face By Deborah Amos • Jun 21, 2017 Saudi Arabia, a close ally of the United States, is not known for surprises. But in a sudden shift in power, the 31-year-old son of the 81-year-old Saudi king moved one step closer to the throne on Wednesday. King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud promoted Mohammed bin Salman, his youngest son, to crown prince. At the same time, the king ended the career of his nephew, 57-year-old Mohammed bin Nayef, the previous crown prince, who had served as interior minister since 2015. For Refugees And Advocates, Trump Immigration Order Stay Leads To Disarray By Deborah Amos • Feb 13, 2017 Groups that resettle refugees in the United States are facing uncertainty, disarray and possible deep budget cuts as a result of President Trump's executive order on immigration, even after a California appeals court has temporarily halted enforcement. Here's why: The federal appeals court that blocked the president's travel ban on people from seven majority-Muslim nations did not directly rule out two provisions in the executive order. Refugee resettlement agencies are scrambling to figure out what they will do if those provisions survive. Trump Backers Want Ideology Test For Extreme Vetting By Deborah Amos • Feb 4, 2017 The Trump administration says it is suspending all refugee admissions to the United States until it can come up with a plan for "extreme vetting." So what could that mean? Refugees are already subjected to multiple interviews and a security vetting by nine U.S. law enforcement, intelligence and security agencies that check their backgrounds, social media activity and the reasons they fled their countries. The process usually takes 18 months or more, according to resettlement agencies. Trump Takes Action To Cut Flow Of Refugees Entering U.S. By Deborah Amos • Jan 27, 2017 Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Trump Signs Executive Action To Impose 'New Vetting Measures' For Refugees By Deborah Amos • Jan 27, 2017 Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: How One U.S. Group Turns Migrants Into Employees By Deborah Amos • Dec 28, 2016 When Almothana Alhamoud, a 31-year-old Syrian data analyst, arrived in Chicago two years ago after fleeing the Syrian war, he jumped at his first job offer, a nightshift cashier at a convenience store. "When I came over here I just want to find anything to survive," he says over dinner with his family in Chicago. His parents and two sisters fled Damascus six months after he did. The family has applied for asylum in the U.S. After Trump's Election, Uncertainty For Syrian Refugees In The U.S. By Deborah Amos • Nov 24, 2016 Osama, a Syrian refugee who resettled five months ago in Princeton, N.J., did not sleep on election night after listening to the results. "The whole world is affected by American elections," he said during an English lesson with his wife, Ghada, the next morning at their dining room table. The family, which still has relatives in Syria, has asked that it be identified by first names only. For Refugees And Advocates, An Anxious Wait For Clarity On Trump's Policy By Deborah Amos • Nov 15, 2016 Donald Trump's election has sent tremors through America's refugee advocate community, and caused fear and uncertainty among the most recently resettled refugees, the Syrians. They listened with alarm as candidate Trump called them "terrorists" and blamed them, incorrectly, for violent attacks in America. For Syrian Refugees In Connecticut, A Helping Hand From Private Volunteers By Deborah Amos • Oct 30, 2016 Fadi al-Asmi has learned to adjust his Syrian pastries to American tastes at the City Steam Brewery café in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. "America, chocolate!" he says, as he adjusts his baseball cap and serves his latest chocolate-encrusted confection. It's not the only thing he's learned since he and his family were catapulted into a new life after arriving as refugees in May. The Hopes (Security) And Fears (Bears) Of Syrian Refugees In New Jersey By Deborah Amos • Sep 17, 2016 On a bright spring afternoon this May, Tom Charles drove to Newark International Airport to pick up a family of Syrian refugees. Charles is an attorney and a bank consultant, devoted to data and details, but he had scant information on the family that would become part of his life for the next year. He was also sure the Syrian family knew nothing about his team from Nassau Presbyterian Church, who would drive them from the airport to a donated house in Princeton, N.J. As U.S. Politicians Shun Syrian Refugees, Religious Groups Embrace Them By Deborah Amos • Aug 10, 2016 When 31 governors called for a ban on Syrian refugees coming into the U.S. after last November's terrorist attacks in Paris, it united faith-based communities across the country. They are challenging the wave of opposition to these refugees by taking a leading role in resettling them. U.S. Is On Target To Accept And Resettle 10,000 Syrian Refugees By Deborah Amos • Aug 5, 2016 The Obama administration is on track to make its goal of admitting and resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees before the end of September, despite concerns that Islamic militants could enter with them. "The current pace of arrivals will continue thru the end of this fiscal year so we may exceed 10,000," said Anne Richard, assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration in a conference call with reporters on Friday. "For next year, we will continue to welcome large numbers of Syrians." Long Guarded And Reserved, Saudi Arabia Goes Big And Bold By Deborah Amos • Jan 12, 2016 Here's something that never used to happen in Saudi Arabia: In the wake of the crisis with Iran, Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's deputy crown prince and defense minister, as well as King Salman's favored son, gave a five-hour interview to a reporter from The Economist, and the British news magazine published the entire transcript. In Ways Big And Small, Saudi Arabian Women Are 'Pushing Normal' By Deborah Amos • Dec 30, 2015 I first saw Saudi Arabian women "pushing normal" before I knew this concept had a name. I was walking down Tahlia Street in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. It's a trendy weekend hangout spot, a strip of fast food burger and brand name coffee shops popular with young Saudi men. It was striking to see three young women stride down this all-male domain defying the kingdom's conservative social codes enforced by the religious police and the judgments of family and neighbors. Pages1 2 3 4 … next › last »


text:
Coming Soon
By Ammar Alvi | Published: 12th January 2014 12:00 AM |
Last Updated: 10th January 2014 04:07 PM | A+A A- |
Maruti Suzuki will soon introduce a technology allowing manual gears to be used like automatic transmission without engaging the clutch. Ammar Alvi has more Maruti-Suzuki is set to unveil automated manual transmission (AMT) in India with the Celerio.
AMT is a revolutionary technology that allows gears in manual transmission to be changed like in an automatic without engaging the clutch. This combines the convenience of an automatic to fuel efficiency of a manual. The technology is affordable and should not increase the price of the car significantly.
Maruti will be the first in India to debut AMT, a technology expected to improve driving experience. The technology patented by Magneti Marelli, is owned by Fiat SpA. The Celerio will be launched with 69PS 1.0-litre K10 petrol engine with 5-speed manual transmission.


text:
As summer gets underway, I am reminded of the looming tax hikes and the looming fiscal fight, otherwise known as "Taxmaggedon" in the media and in Washington, that are set to hit hard-working Americans like you starting in 2013. In addition, Congress will have to tackle automatic cutbacks to defense spending, an expiring payroll-tax break and the rising estate tax. These increases would take place if Congress allows current tax cuts to expire at the end of the year. In my view, we must act well before that.
Raising taxes amid an economic downturn could plunge the country back into recession and only saddles families with more uncertainty. Small businesses, too, cannot afford more taxes at a time when they are working to invest and grow our nation's economy -- and are struggling under the weight of increased regulations handed down by the administration. Even former President Clinton recently suggested that lawmakers "avoid anything that would contract the economy now." As your representative in Congress, I have supported more than 30 bills currently awaiting Senate action that hold the line on taxes while creating economic opportunities for small businesses, which, in turn, will result in job creation. In order to get the tax cuts reinstated, the House may have to compromise with just an extension in order for the Senate to take action because as it currently stands the Senate continues to refuse to act on these job creating bills.
As it stands, failure to maintain the current tax cuts would be devastating to our economy. A recent study found that letting the current tax cuts to expire would increase taxes paid by all Americans by $494 billion. Right here in the 9th District, the average increase per tax return would be $2,424.
With unemployment above 8 percent, where it has been for a record 40 months, it would be irresponsible to raise taxes on you and your neighbors. In fact, if the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts are allowed to expire, it would represent the largest tax increase in American history. Even credits, such as the child tax credit, earned income tax credit and education incentives, would be phased out if Taxmaggedon occurs at the beginning of the year.
In light of these startling facts, I have voted in support of recent legislation, the Small Business Tax Cut, which would enable small businesses with fewer than 500 employees to use extra capital to invest, grow and create more jobs through a 20-percent tax deduction. I have also cosponsored the Tax Code Termination Act, which would make any new federal tax system that is introduced simple and fair; apply a low rate to all Americans; and provide tax relief for working Americans. The tax code needs to be fair, competitive and simple. Congress also needs the tax cuts to be permanent to add certainty to businesses and families. Unfortunately, our current tax system fails on all three of these elements.
We need a tax system that rewards Americans like you for hard-work, entrepreneurship and innovation. These ideas made America great in the past and they are exactly the kind of ideas needed going forward if we want to grow our economy in the future and compete in the global economy. The end of the year is shaping up to be a battle as the tax cuts teter on extinction.
Rather than wait until the last minute, it is important that the House and Senate come together as soon as possible to vote on legislation to prevent the largest tax increase in history, and I am eager to stand up for America's taxpayers by supporting an extension of the tax cuts so we can avoid tax increases at a time Americans can least afford it.
Source: http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/news/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=300444


text:
14744 Greenwell Springs Road, Greenwell Springs, LA 70739Request info Add to list
To view building contacts please sign in with your Pro account or create a pro account.
Justin L.
Company: requires Pro account
Email: requires Pro account
Phone: requires Pro account
Building Details:
14744 Greenwell Springs Road is aland property for lease in Greenwell Springs, LA.
Request Property Information
Please describe your commercial real estate requirements. We'll introduce you to local properties that match your criteria.


text:
GraphicRiver Cartoon Seascape 8365772
Stock Vector \ Conceptual \ Nature \ Landscapes
Seascape \ Vector \ Resolution \ Illustration \ Cartoon \ YoungFunny \ Background
Stock Vector - Cartoon Seascape 8365772 by ddraw @ GraphicRiver
Stock Vector \ Conceptual \ Nature \ Landscapes
Funny cartoon seascape. Vector illustration,
Folder contains.
EPS file;
High Resolution JPG file;
High Resolution PSD file, transparent background;
Layered: Yes; Graphics Files Included: Photoshop PSD, JPG Image, Vector EPS; Minimum Adobe CS Version: CS.
The Birth of Evil; Mountain Landscape with Lake; Animals in a Mountain Landscape; Mountain Animals; Cop with Dog; Fashion Woman with Dog Walking on the Street; Guy with Dog Walking on the Street.
Keywords: bubble, cartoon, character, childhood, color, comic, expression, funny, happy, illustration, landscape, mascot, nature, ocean, plant, sea, seascape, shell, smile, summer, tropical, vector, water, wave, young.


text:
Fundraising dinner for Sustainable Table
Thursday 30th June : : 7pm @ Uncommon.
We've joined forces with three of the very best: Rice Paper Scissors, Saigon Sally & Stones of the Yarra Valley to cook up a six course storm, with all proceeds donated to Sustainable Table for their incredible work supporting fair, humane and environmentally responsible food systems & food security projects.
Chefs Ross Magnaye (Rice Paper Scissors), Adrian Li (Saigon Sally), Rod Shokuhi (Stones of the Yarra Valley) and Matt Kennedy (Uncommon) will present a well-executed menu showcasing the best of Yarra Valley farm direct produce, with a twist. Dishes will be free from refined ingredients, gluten & dairy, with no chemical processing and minimal intervention between soil and table.
Limited tickets are now on sale - $90 each, with the option for matched natural wines, $40. Contact email@example.com or call 9510 6655 during business hours to snare one.


text:
Established in the heart of Okanagan Wine Country, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery is located on Highway 97 just north of the charming lakeside town of Summerland, British Columbia. Sumac Ridge is the oldest operating estate winery in the province and was founded by Harry McWatters. Since the 1800s, the area's combination of sparkling water, brilliant sun and fertile land has made it ideal for growing grapes.
Sumac Ridge Estate Winery is the iconic location of three unique brands, Sumac Ridge, Black Sage Vineyard and Steller's Jay. As B.C.'s first estate winery, Sumac Ridge has always been dedicated to producing premium 100% British Columbia grown wines that celebrate the essence of the Okanagan Valley. The VQA approved, award-winning Private Reserve wines are created with food in mind and to fit all occasions and celebrations. Steller's Jay sparkling wines are handcrafted using the French traditional Methode Classique.
PROGRESSIVE PAIRINGS: Offered daily at 11:30am, $15:00p/p Includes, a tasting of six wines and food pairings. Discover the winery's history, experience a tasting in the sparkling wine cave, vineyard and enjoy some perfectly paired small bites in the Black Sage Hall. Book on-line http://www.sumacridge.com
IT'S ALL ABOUT CHEESE: Offered daily at 1:00pm, 2:00pm and 3:00pm $20.00p/p. Enjoy a Steller's Jay sparkling wine as an aperitif before a delicious selection of Canadian Cheeses paired with 5 of our premium Black Sage Vineyard bold red wines. Learn about the special art of pairing wine with cheese. Book on-line http://www.sumacridge.com
BUBBLES 'N' BITES: Offered daily at 12:30pm and 4:00pm $20.00p/p. Visit our Sparkling Wine Cave and discover all of our Steller's Jay portfolio handcrafted using the French traditional Methode Classique. Four vivacious sparkling wines paired perfectly with small bites. Book on-line http://www.sumacridge.com/Winery/Calendar-of-Events
Wine and Cheese Pairing Experiences are on a first come, first served basis. Reservations are recommended for Progressive Wine Pairing Tours and can be made online or by calling 250-494-0451.
Open Year Round
Very Limited RV Parking Available
24h Cancellation required for Wine Tours


text:
0207 657 1443
Amy is a Senior Associate in our Family Law team in London.
She is an expert in family law and specialises in handling divorce cases, dissolution of civil partnerships and separation agreements.
As part of this she manages all financial matters, issues surrounding businesses and property and trusts which form part of the assets to be divided following the breakdown of a relationship.
Amy is highly experienced in cohabitation legal matters, pre and postnuptial agreements and pre and post civil partnership agreements.
She is also skilled in cases involving legal arrangements for children, parental responsibility, paternity, injunctions, property ownership disputes (TOLATA claims) and schedule one claims under the Children Act.
As an expert in her field, Amy often appears on TV, on radio and in print.
She has appeared on ITV's morning breakfast programme to discuss issues relating to relationship breakdown on several occasions and has also been interviewed on Sky news.
"At a very stressful time, I found Amy to be compassionate and understanding. She is extremely efficient and always happy to help with any questions, giving excellent advice. Ultimately we got a great result. Thank you Amy."
Mrs A, East London
"I think myself incredibly lucky to have Amy Harris help me through the most difficult period of my life. Faultless competence and professionalism. I could not have wished for more in the most stressful of personal circumstances. Amy guided me through unchartered territory with compassion and humility, and I will always be thankful. "
Mr Denton, Financial Trader


text:
GraphicRiver Web Active Logo 4135219
Logo Template \ Letters
Elements \ Change \ Configure \ Cannot \ Bought \ Customization \ Backgrounds
Logo Template - Web Active Logo 4135219 by Kapacyko @ GraphicRiver
Logo Template \ Letters
Fully Editable Logo, AI, EPS, CDR, PNG files
Used free font link in the zip folder
Easy work and good luck
Don't forget to rate if you like it!
You bought a logo, but You cannot configure it the way you would like? I can do it for You.
Customization means that you have the logo in which you want to change such as font, color, or non conceptual change some elements, convert to black/white version.
Maybe you need exclusive logo?
Also in my portfolio you can find gorgeous fantasy backgrounds, web elements, textures, beautiful flyers for different events, etc.
Layered: Yes; Graphics Files Included: Transparent PNG, Vector EPS, AI Illustrator, CorelDRAW CDR; Resolution: Resizable; Minimum Adobe CS Version: CS.
Keywords: art, business, clean, clear, company, corporate, creative, design, e, lab, letter, m, market, media, minimal, modern, money, on, orange, red, round, seo, shop, site, store, studio, trade, video, w, web.


text:
Change rooms
Chilled water
Complimentary sweat towels
Specialty classes available
Barre, Barre Cardio, Barre Pre/Post-natal,
Barre Mums & Bubs, HIIT
Christine discovered KX after having her first child and became an addict instantly – it totally changed her body and made it stronger, leaner and more defined than ever before. As a fitness and nutritional devotee, becoming an Owner and Trainer of Kew was the next step to loving what she does everyday!
We offer a revolutionary, fast paced, high intensity, body-toning workout in just 50 minutes. Workout smarter, not longer, fusing elements of traditional reformer pilates with cardio and endurance training for a high intensity workout.


text:
Recent Posts
Monthly Archives: January 2016
Oral Bacteria Can Be "Transkissable"!
Did you know that many of the oral bacteria that lead to cavities and gum disease can be transmitted from one person to another? This transmission can occur vertically (from parent to child), or horizontally (a partner, family member, or … Continue reading
Posted in Health and Education Leave a comment
Exercise and Tooth Decay
IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN EXERCISE AND TOOTH DECAY? During the 2012 Summer olympics, 278 atheletes were examined by a team of dentists as part of a routine check-up for participants. A majority of these individuals, including those from the … Continue reading
Posted in Health and Education Leave a comment


text:
Business / Agriculture / Structure Of Agriculture: The characteristics of the farm sector: most often used in describing changes in the number, size distribution, production traits, and business composition (i.e., type of ownership) of farms and agribusiness firms. Structural change is an agricultural policy issue because of concerns over its economic and social impacts on farmers, rural communities, consumers, and others.
Structure Adverb Synonyms: form, shape, configuration, organization, arrangement, make-up, framework, order, design, formation, system, nature, character
Structure Adjective Synonyms: building, edifice, house, construction
Structure Noun Synonyms: construct, build, organize, design, form, shape, arrange, systematize
Entertainment / Literature / Point Of View: The way a story gets told and who tells it. It is the method of narration that determines the position, or angle of vision, from which the story unfolds. Point of view governs the reader's access to t MORE
Business / Accounting / Point Of Sale (POS): The place where a sale of goods takes place, eg. a shop counter. MORE
Technology / Computers / Point of Presence (POP): A Point of Presence usually means a city or location where a network can be connected to, often with dial up phone lines. So if an Internet company says they will soon have a POP in Belgrade, it means MORE


text:
Health365 (the "Health365 Website") is operated by PharmaCare Laboratories Pty Ltd (ACN: 003 468 219) ("PharmaCare"), 18 Jubilee Avenue, Warriewood NSW 2102 Australia.
PharmaCare is committed to providing you with the best possible customer service experience. PharmaCare is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), which includes the National Privacy Principles.
There are many aspects of the Health365 Website which can be viewed without providing personal information, however, for access to the Health365 Website member only features you are required to submit personally identifiable information. This may include but is not limited to an email address, name, date of birth, gender and a unique username and password. You may also be required to provide personal information to recover your lost password. All of this information is collected directly from you, the user, and by 'opt in' only. If you have completed a purchase from our online store, we will keep data on your order/s for financial records and to facilitate our customer service efforts. To protect your financial details, no credit card details are stored by Health365 and all transactions are completed by a secure payment gateway.
For each visitor to reach the Health365 Website, we expressly collect the following non-personally identifiable information, including but not limited to browser type, version and language, operating system, pages viewed while browsing, page access times and referring website address. This collected information is used internally for the sole purpose of gauging visitor traffic, website trends and delivering personalised content to you while you are at this website, and via re-targetting once you leave the website.
We may use the personal information we collect, and you consent to us using your personal information:
We do not share your personal information unless one of the following applies:
When you register as a member of Health365.com.au we will send you a welcome email verifying your account and confirming your password and username. Members and non-members can elect to receive information on products, services, special deals, and a newsletter. Out of respect for the privacy of our users we present the option to not receive these types of communications. You can unsubscribe via the unsubscribe mechanism at the bottom of each email.
The Health365 Website may contain links to other websites and those third party websites may collect personal information about you. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other businesses or the content of websites that are linked to the Health365 Website. We encourage you to be aware when you leave the website and to read the privacy statements of each and every website that collects personally identifiable information.
You have a right to access your personal information, subject to exceptions set out by law. If you would like to do so, please contact us. You are required to put your request in writing for security reasons. PharmaCare / Health365 will provide a response to all such requests within a 30 day time period. Please contact us for more information.
Should you wish to no longer receive communications from Health365, you have 3 avenues of recourse:
PharmaCare / Health365 reserves the right to make amendments to this Privacy Policy at any time. We will post changes on this Privacy Policy page so that you are aware of what information is collected, how it is used and the way in which information may be stored and disclosed. As a result, please refer back to this Privacy Policy regularly to review any amendments.
If you have a complaint about our Privacy Policy or the collection, use or safe disposal or destruction of your personal information, your complaint should be directed by email: firstname.lastname@example.com.
We will investigate your complaint and attempt to resolve any breach that might have occurred in relation to the collection, use or destruction of personal information held by us about you in accordance with the Privacy Act.
We welcome your comments regarding this Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy and would like further information, please contact us by any of the following means during business hours Monday to Friday.
18 Jubilee Avenue
Warriewood NSW 2102
Email: email@example.com
Phone: (02) 9997 0355
This policy was last updated February 2013.


text:
Moto M leaks with metal body
It looks like Lenovo is planning another device for the Moto family, this one sitting between the Moto G and the Moto Z series. It's called the Moto M and it features a metal body and a fingerprint reader on the back, which is a much more traditional location for Android devices.
Other rumored specs ... Read More »


text: The TIMES editor has some things wrong but still... http://time.com/3001549/marvel-thor-female/ In terms of Captain America, why is Falcon taking up the shield and no mention of Isaiah Bradley, who was the first Captain America (in terms of how the science experiment were conducted; introduced in '03 canon)? I have no issues on this front because Captain America is just a title, not specifically geared towards one individual, and there have been a few other Captain America's. What I don't like about this is that Falcon is taking up the shield which is idiotic as his fighting style is different from the average Captain America's fighting style. Dumb, dumb, move, and it seems they are trying to play off the film's success. As for Thor, I don't like this especially because Thor isn't a title, and Marvel seems to be itching at trying to make it a title. I believe they are trying to make Thor more variable and you know what happens then, Superman becomes a variable title as well. Instead of expanding upon the already established characters, Marvel is seeking to just change the outside. It is lazy and idiotic. Soon we will have a film/comic series with 17 Supermen/women with different colors, looking like fucking rainbowmen/women. Marvel needs to focus on characters they do have instead of trying to be the hot-topic of the day. There are many black and female characters I do happen to like and have wanted marvel to push more like Storm and Black Panther. Their relationship is interesting and, especially Black Panther's history is more interesting and he could be his own movie imo, but they don't focus on him for some asinine reason and want to introduce Falcon as the new C.A. all for some publicity stunt? (They could have used Isaiah Bradely's son, who is more like Captain America than Falcon) Scarlett Witch is one of my favorite characters in just about all of the comics I've read, but no fucking film yet? Marvel needs to get a grip and stop this bullshit.


text:
People love to talk about graphics when a new game console hits the market, how real the games look. We get that but guess what else we're asking about here in public radio - how does the thing sound? New consoles mean new ear candy, especially when it comes to sports games.
Here's NPR's Sami Yenigun.
SAMI YENIGUN, BYLINE: OK, which of these is a real live basketball broadcast?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Game, double teams just off prediction. (unintelligible) clock down is six...
YENIGUN: And which is video game
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: Well, LeBron James - well, probably his best season statistically a year ago, so I don't think there's any question about it, guys.
YENIGUN: Not so easy right? If you guessed that the second one was the videogame, bucket. It's "NBA 2K14," the latest in a long line of basketball games that puts a premium on sound.
JOEL SIMMONS: It allows you to connect more with the game world because it's more realistic to the energy and excitement that happens on the court.
YENIGUN: Joel Simmons is audio director for 2K Sports, which makes sports games for Xbox, PlayStation and more. He says creating a realistic experience for the gamer is incredibly complicated. Thing is, free will is hard to program around. Whatever the game player does, the announcer has to have something to say. Whether it's nabbing a missed lay-up...
YENIGUN: Or draining a jump shot.
YENIGUN: And there's got to be a ton of different ways to describe the same thing, otherwise it gets really repetitive. So the tone can go from mellow...
YENIGUN: ...to fired up.
YENIGUN: No matter what the human player does, the commentary follows, and incorporates what teams are playing, how much time is left and so on.
SIMMONS: The technology has come along ways. I mean, from the Sega Genesis where we had maybe 75 lines of dialogue, we're now up to, you know, over a quarter million.
YENIGUN: That's right, thanks to more computing power and disk space, commentators in sports games now say around 3,000 times more things than they did 10 years ago. And what are said things? If you watch a real basketball game, you'll notice that the announcers aren't just talking about what's happening on the court, they're often talking about what's going on off the court. Newer basketball games, same thing.
SIMMONS: You know, at times we'll talk about stories of the teams...
SIMMONS: ...or it could be something in your own franchise world.
YENIGUN: And because consoles have an Internet connection, if a player in the NBA is on a hot streak, it shows up in the game.
We track the stats and we use that stat information to generate stories that match what's going on in your season.
Here's another way games imitate the real world. "NBA2K" uses recognized broadcasters like Clark Kellogg.
CLARK KELLOGG: I can listen to the game and watch and then I'm thinking, what would I be saying and then it comes out of my mouth.
YENIGUN: Clark Kellogg has been doing basketball commentary for over 20 years. He explains how 2K gets that conversational tone. It starts in a studio. Kellogg puts on a set of headphones and hears pre-recorded lines from his colleagues.
KELLOGG: A lot of it is just responding as you would in a game situation. You're listening to your partner. He's making some comments, whether it's describing a player, a team or a situation. And then you're responding within the flow of that conversation.
YENIGUN: Kellogg says that he spends between 40 to 50 hours every season recording for the videogame. Joel Simmon's job, as audio director, is obviously much bigger. Between these lines of dialogue is crowd noise, squeaking sneakers, players' voices. He says now that a new generation of consoles is on the market, "NBA2K" is stepping its game up.
SIMMONS: On the PS4 and Xbox One, what's interesting is that we can deliver a higher fidelity sound experience. And that adds a lot to the depth and gets us closer to what you hear in a broadcast.
YENIGUN: Oh yeah, the new games, they look pretty real, too.
Sami Yenigun, NPR News.
Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.


text:
Nash's superb value Siren S5 bite alarms are going wireless for 2014 with the launch of the S5 R remote range.
The original S5s, priced at around £25 apiece, were arguably the most exciting buzzers in Britain for the asking price – and justifiably sold by the boatload.
I've used them on my tench rods, and on day-session carp runs waters and have nothing but praise for their performance. But they would have been even better with a remote facility.
Now, bowing to public pressure, the lads at Nash have released a remote wireless variant – denoted S5R – that I reckon will take a huge bite out of the British buzzer market.
Heads, with a choice of blue, purple, red or clear LED lenses, cost £59.99 and the receiver (with a range of 400m in good terrain) is also £59.99.
Visually, the S5R alarms are identical to the pocket-friendly S5 model. Just about the only change is an increase in the size of the on/off switch on the new model. The switch on the original was tiny and fiddly to operate.
Just like the originals, the new S5R heads are minimalist in operational features. There's only a volume control built into the on/off switch but no tone or sensitivity buttons.
They operate off CR2 3v batteries (not included) and, like the originals, have a very slow battery drain for long life.
Heads have a 'run' LED and a 'latching LED. Both are quite small and I like the fact that they're clearly visible, but not massively bright like some, as there's nothing worse than being blinded at night when you get up to hit a run.
There's a built-in line guard and all heads come in good PVC cases that protect them against knocks in transit and ensure the alarms cannot be accidentally switched on and the batteries drained.
The S5R handset is nicely compact and operates off a CR123A 3v battery (not included). Up to four alarms can be programmed in and it is supplied with a lanyard and karabiner.


text: Hey everyone, Seems like no one ever really talks about shindaiwa products, I have the T231 trimmer, a M242 with trimmer attachment, LE2510 edger, EB501 and EB8510 backpack blowers. I like all of them and have never had a problem with them. Also the "Speed Feed" trimmer heads are great. Million times better then any other head out there. Just want to know what other people think about Shindaiwa Products, also has anyone ever used their powerbroom, it looks cool Thank you to all who comment Tom


text:
I am moving this topic from the discussion on Kokopelli's, as a chowhound posted there saying she was about to move to Carson City (I assume from the Bay Area somewhere....) and wanted chow tips. Steve Timko works a lot in Carson, and usually has the best thoughts. I assume the OP saw the discussion about Viet Pho, which just opened. I like the Mexican taco place on the main drag just about across the street from Viet Pho, but I can't for the life of me remember the name. Adele's is probably the best (upscale) dining. Remember that Reno isn't that far of a drive for dinner, especially the south side of town. Speaking of south Reno, Steve, did you see the thing about the new Hawaiian BarBQue place opening in what used to be the Wild Alaskan Fish Co? Might be worth a taste....although I guess it is a Hawaiian chain.
As for produce, I like Raley's. There is a farmer's market in Carson, but unfortunately its ended for the year.


text:
Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is one of the most common personal bankruptcy types for individuals. It allows you to keep your property and pay part or all your debts over time -typically 3 to 5 years-, with the exact repayment period depending on the size of income and debts. It's sometimes referred to as reorganization bankruptcy […]Read More
Effective Tips That You Don't Know Which Can Prove Ideal In Your Attempt To File Bankruptcy
Are you thinking on how to file bankruptcy as a personal debtor? If yes, this write up is for you. Read on to know more on this. Bankruptcy is often an effective but a drastic method you can use to shield yourself from your creditors. Basically, different proceedings involved in bankruptcy are usually governed by […]Read More


text:
Call it chance. Call it fate. Call it coincidence. A simple request to take a photo in a hotel lobby produced a "goosebump" moment for one East Tennessee combat veteran on a return trip to Vietnam.
"I think it is just a spirit of my dad," said Mai Le glancing at a man she just met, former Army flight school instructor and war pilot Howard Shoudy. She had asked him to take a photograph for her in front of a flower display in the lobby of a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City when the two struck up a conversation and made what she described as a "shocking" connection.
"I'm so happy if it is, you are my dad's instructor," Le said.
The now 73-year-old Shoudy served as one of the U.S. military instructors for South Vietnamese pilots during the war in Vietnam. Shoudy taught them to fly using drawings because most incoming trainees only had 30 days of schooling in English. His detailed sketches helped them better grasp the complex mechanics of helicopters.
Shoudy recalls many of the students knew only how to ride a bicycle, but he had them flying within 30 days.
"This moment here brings back the moments I had with the pilots," said Shoudy, rendered almost speechless by the possibility that he might have trained Mai Le's father.
Shoudy took a good look at a photo Le showed him, but so far hasn't made a direct connection with his memory or through any paperwork proof.
Regardless, "I think my dad is a hero," Le said, explaining that her father died on duty when she was just five years old. His helicopter was shot down in 1972 trying to rescue villagers in the path of a war zone.
She cherishes the pictures she has of her dad. And from now on, she will cherish the connection she made with Howard Shoudy in a random meeting she doesn't feel was so random.
"All I can say is I think my dad was telling me, telling us to meet," Le said with a smile.


text:
By James Johnson
On Sunday night, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives hijacked the most effective free-market healthcare system in the world and subjected it to the chronic failure and bureaucratic incompetence of the federal government.
In doing so, they have also done something else. They have nationalized state politics. From the Congress to the county courthhouse, many voters will vote straight-ticket "Republican" simply because of Obama-Care (and whatever else comes next).
By ramming a federal takeover of one-sixth of the nation's economy down the throats of an unwilling American public, Democrats have unwittingly awakened the ghost of Howard Beale, and have turned him lose on the electorate.
In the 1976 film "Network," actor Peter Finch played Howard Beale, a television network news anchor, who, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, completely "loses it" during a live newscast.
In a rain-soaked trench coat, Beale tells his viewing audience, "You've got to get mad!… Get up, go to the window, open it, stick your head out, and yell, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!'" They do. And he becomes an overnight sensation.
Why? Because he knows their frustrations, gives voice to their anger, and tells them what to do about it. He connects with his audience, and the network ratings go through the roof.
The unscripted (and unteleprompted) rant touches a nerve in ordinary people — people who just want to live quietly, raise their families, and play by the rules — but people who, nevertheless, must endure an economic crisis, soaring living costs, rising taxes, and declining standards of decency. And his voice becomes their voice.
On Sunday night, the whole 2010 political game changed. Granted, it was already going to be a Republican year, but it didn't have to be a Republican tsunami. Now it will be.
Obama-Care is now front and center in the mind of most Americans. It (or quite possibly the President himself) has become the object of nationwide rage, or as Ronald Reagan would put it, "the focus of evil in the modern world." And now, nearly every state and county election will be nationalized to some degree.
Concern for potholes and bottle bills will give way to alarm over the monstrous growth of the federal government and the unconstitutionality of the Obama-Care takeover of the private medical industry.
Candidates will now have to field hotter and perhaps ruder questions then in past years, because the anger is way more palpable. Conservatives who speak clearly and boldly can win, even against entrenched incumbents, if they tap into this rage.
Why? Because these are not ordinary times. America is in crisis, and the times demand a certain type of leader. Now is not the time for the summer soldier or the sunshine patriot. Nor is the perennial peacetime leader needed. People today are looking for wartime leaders. They want Churchills, not Chamberlains.
Not since the Vietnam War have Americans been so angry and so fed-up with go-along and get-along politicians. They want a new breed of leader. They want a Braveheart — one who comes to "pick a fight" with Longshanks.
The Democrats have given the Republicans a huge gift: a "Get out of jail free" card. The judgment from 2006 and 2008 has passed, and a new day has dawned.
Anger toward the Democrats is so strong right now, that the GOP is in a position not only to take back control of Congress but also many state legislatures and county courthouses.
Republicans had better not blow it this time. Let us not repeat the spend-a-holic tendencies of the first six years of the Bush administration. That will only get us back into the wilderness.
I recommend the Howard Beale strategy: get mad, get up, and speak out. And if necessary, wear a trench coat.
blog comments powered by Disqus


text:
Centralia College Scholarships
Centralia College offers on average more than 150 scholarships each year, and you may be eligible to have all or part of your tuition paid for by a scholarship. You can find out whether you are eligible by checking the Scholarship Eligibility section below. Even if you're not sure whether you are eligible, you are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Valedictorians and Salutatorians: Full tuition scholarships (up to 18 credits) are available for valedictorians and salutatorians who apply through the college's online process.
- STEM Students: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) applicants follow the regular online application process and must also complete the STEM section of the application. Criteria to meet STEM eligibility is listed on the application.
- Bachelor's Degree Students: Visit the Bachelor's Degree programs webpage for more information on applying for scholarships.
How to Apply for CC Scholarships
Submitting the online scholarship application will include you for consideration in Centralia College Foundation Scholarships. If you are eligible, you will be considered for all scholarships in which you meet the specific selection criteria established by the donor. Selection criteria may include academic achievement, intended major, leadership ability, and financial need. Your application will be matched to an appropriate scholarship. Notification of awards will come in the spring for the following fall quarter.
2017-18 CC Scholarship Application
- To complete your scholarship application, you must first apply for admission and have your Student Identification number (SID):
- For maximum scholarship consideration, it is strongly recommended that you complete the 2017-18 FAFSA application prior to March 1 (Centralia College school code is 003772).
- Complete the 2017-18 Centralia College Scholarship Application form and submit to the college by March 1.
About CC Scholarship AwardsCentralia College has scholarships that have been established by the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends of the college. The Centralia College Foundation plays a major role in raising scholarship dollars. Students may receive scholarship awards based on grade point average, community service/work experience/school activities, recommendations, and an essay. Scholarships range from $500 to full tuition and may be available for a second year if recipients reapply. See Centralia College Foundation Scholarships for a list of previous recipients of CCF scholarships.
Scholarship EligibilityStudents receiving Centralia College Scholarships must comply with the following policies:
- Scholarships are awarded for the entire academic year and will be credited to your student account, one third each for the fall, winter, and spring quarters. Scholarships cannot be used for summer quarter enrollment.
- Scholarships require that you are enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits (full time) each quarter and maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
- Scholarships can only be applied towards the cost of tuition unless otherwise indicated. Should you at any time exceed the cost of tuition by receiving other scholarships, financial aid, 529 pre-paid tuition plans (excluding loans and employment earnings) which is required to be applied to tuition, your scholarship or other financial aid may be reduced or withdrawn accordingly.
- Students who receive scholarships are required to write a thank you letter to the donor(s) and attend the fall Scholarship Award Night.
- Full eligibility criteria is available in the scholarship application packet.
Reporting Outside ScholarshipsAdditional financial assistance will be applied to any remaining unmet financial need. If your demonstrated financial need has already been met with other federal or state programs, this additional funding will result in your need-based financial aid being reduced.
If your need-based financial aid must be reduced, the reductions occur in the following order: work-study, scholarship, and state grant assistance.
State grant or waiver programs are need-based awards and will be reduced in a financial aid package if the total amount of scholarships combined with the grant assistance exceeds demonstrated financial need.


text:
sndstretch_xmms is an xmms plugin to adjust pitch and speed separately
with two sliders.
sndstretch can be compiled as an effect-plugin, with one major drawback
- the time and the visual plugins don't synchronize with the song
and a very basic oss-output-plugin with some limitations:
- no additional effect support built in (at least not yet).
- the mixer device and pcm device are fix coded as "/dev/mixer"
and "/dev/dsp"
- the effect is written for normal signed short (S16_LE) and will
probably only work if xmms plays such data (...i think mostly it will).
No installation instructions: this port has been deleted.
The package name of this deleted port was: xmms-sndstretch
PKGNAME: xmms-sndstretch
distinfo: There is no distinfo for this port.
NOTE: FreshPorts displays only information on required and default dependencies. Optional dependencies are not covered.
No options to configure
Number of commits found: 21
2011-09-01 astro/gkrellmoon: Abandonware
2011-09-01 astro/spacechart: Abandonware
2011-09-01 audio/adpcm: No more public distfiles
2011-09-01 audio/aube: Abandonware
2011-09-01 audio/festvox-aec: BROKEN for more than 6 month
2011-09-01 audio/gtkgep: Abandonware
2011-09-01 audio/gtkhirad: No more public distfiles
2011-09-01 audio/opmixer: No more upstream
2011-09-01 audio/swami: Abandonware
2011-09-01 audio/x11amp: Abandonware
2011-09-01 audio/xmms-sndstretch: No Master Site
2011-09-01 cad/linux-gid: No more public distfiles
2011-09-01 chinese/gbscript: No more public distfiles
2011-09-01 chinese/mplayer-fonts: No more public distfiles
2011-09-01 chinese/oxford: No more public distfiles
2011-09-01 chinese/vflib: No more public distfiles
2011-09-01 databases/mysql++: No more public distfiles
2011-09-01 databases/mysql_last_value: No Master Site
2011-09-01 databases/p5-DBIx-Table: No more public distfiles
Turns out that some geocities sites are more dead than others.
My apologies for the inconvenience.
Meanwhile, s/BROKEN/DEPRECATED/ which is what I meant anyway. :-/
Geocities has been gone for almost 2 years now, so let's remove
references to it.
Deprecate ports whose only MASTER_SITE is (was) geocities
- Get Rid MD5 support
- Remove duplicates from MAKE_ENV after inclusion of CC and CXX in default
Bump portrevision due to upgrade of devel/gettext.
The affected ports are the ones with gettext as a run-dependency
according to ports/INDEX-7 (5007 of them) and the ones with USE_GETTEXT
in Makefile (29 of them).
PR: ports/124340
Submitted by: edwin@
Approved by: portmgr (pav)
- Remove USE_XLIB/USE_X_PREFIX/USE_XPM in favor of USE_XORG
- Bump PORTREVISION
Approved by: portmgr (xorg cleanup)
- Welcome X.org 7.2 \o/.
- Set X11BASE to ${LOCALBASE} for recent ${OSVERSION}.
- Bump PORTREVISION for ports intalling files in ${X11BASE}.
Bump PORTREVISION on glib12/gtk12 consumer ports to ease the upgrade path.
Discussed with: kris
Approved by: portmgr (implicit)
Approved by: krion@
SIZEify (maintainer timeout)
Bump PORTREVISION on all ports that depend on gettext to aid with upgrading.
(Part 2)
- Update to 0.7
PR: ports/57576
Submitted by: UMENO Takashi <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Approved by: maintainer timeout (1 month)
chase lib version change of multimedia/xmms
PR: ports/56505
Submitted by: Espen Skoglund <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Remove the USE_GNOMENG macro.
After repo copy from graphics category, update all appropriate
dependency references from both audio and graphics to multimedia
audio/xmms --> multimedia/xmms
graphics/avifile --> multimedia/avifile
graphics/divx4linux --> multimedia/divx4linux
graphics/ffmpeg --> multimedia/ffmpeg
graphics/libdv --> multimedia/libdv
graphics/libdvdcss --> multimedia/libdvdcss
graphics/libdvdread --> multimedia/libdvdread
graphics/libmpeg2 --> multimedia/libmpeg2
graphics/linux-realplayer --> multimedia/linux-realplayer
graphics/mjpegtools --> multimedia/mjpegtools
graphics/mplayer --> multimedia/mplayer
graphics/mplayer-fonts --> multimedia/mplayer-fonts
graphics/openquicktime --> multimedia/openquicktime
graphics/win32-codecs --> multimedia/win32-codecs
Repo copied by: joe (cvs hat)
Approved by: knu (portmgr hat)
Use USE_GNOMENG.
Submitted by: Edwin Groothuis <email@example.com>
Chase xmms shared library version bump.
Fix typo.
Add xmms-sndstretch-0.5, a plugin for xmms to change the pitch and/or speed
Servers and bandwidth provided byNew York Internet, SuperNews, and RootBSD
No vulnerabilities have been reported in the past 14 days
* - modified, not new
All vulnerabilities


text:
Hide Images
1Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, mix Meatloaf ingredients well. Press mixture in ungreased 8x4-inch loaf pan. Bake 40 minutes.
2Remove from oven. Spread 1/4 cup ketchup evenly over top. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in center of loaf reads 160°F. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


text:
A/N: Okay, here's a pairing that everybody thinks is strange! Am I right? Well, I'll have to admit, this was a very difficult story to write, seeing as most people consider Tsubaki to be more like Black Star's sister-figure than anything else. They're around 18 in this fic, though, so I think it worked out all right. Just telling you now: Black Star is REALLY out of character! He's much more grown-up in this fic...sorry if that offends anyone. Also, I'd like to point out: I have NOT finished the Manga yet; only the Anime, so "Tsubaki/Maka's uniform" is just the one that Maka always wore in the Anime.
Warnings: Sexual content, foul language, and a VERY out of character Black Star! You have been warned!
Standard Disclaimers Apply
Do not copy or redistribute without author's consent!
"Okay, we'll do this one more time, and then we'll call it quits, okay, Black Star?" Tsubaki asked warily, her pleading, blue eyes on her rambunctious partner.
The former member of the Star Clan scoffed, crossing his arms over his tightly muscled chest like the child which he no longer was. "Yeah, yeah, whatever! We're done when I say we're done, woman!" he flippantly replied, holding his hand out in a silent order for her to transform into Enchanted Sword mode so they could continue their training session.
Tsubaki nodded—not before growling her disapproval at his tone—and did what he wanted, flipping into the air and landing as the Enchanted Sword in his opened palm. "Black Star, I'm warning you. Too much practice is going to earn us both a one-way ticket to the infirmary."
"You think I don't know that? Besides, it's my job as the meister to worry about that kind of stuff, not yours. So just keep quiet and do as I tell you." Although his voice remained rather calm throughout the lecture, inside his temper was rising. Why the hell was she talking back to him all of a sudden? A bigger part of him knew the answer to that.
In the five years since the Kishin's death, things had changed drastically between all of the parties in their little group. Aside from the obvious growth spurts, emotions were pretty much tearing all of them up inside, particularly he and Tsubaki. It was by a tiny glimmer of pure luck that they hadn't bitten each others' heads off yet. It wasn't that they wanted to be angry with each other all of the time, but the stronger feelings that they kept hidden under lock and key were suddenly and harshly lashing out, trying to claw their way to the surface. 'And I can't let that happen, no matter what! If I were to suddenly admit these emotions out loud and Tsubaki accepted them, then she would be vulnerable to a whole WORLD of ridicule, and I can't put her through that; I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she were to fall victim to what I had to go through my entire life...' were his thoughts on the matter. With a decisive nod of his head, he cleared his mind of everything but the sudden surge of power he felt entering his body from Tsubaki.
"Shadow Star...Zeroth Form...Masamune..." His voice was just above a whisper as he said this, and he suddenly felt a spike in Tsubaki's soul. Smirking at her anticipation, he closed his eyes, feeling their souls resonating perfectly in sync to perform the technique. He was practicing restraint when he felt her soul's wavelength timidly surround him, and when he opened his eyes again, they were of a much darker color, black streaks painting themselves in a criss-cross pattern across his cheeks and up into his hairline. Taking in a few deep breaths as he felt the coolness of the shadows wrap around his neck in a scarf-like fashion,—no matter how many times he did this, it still made his skin crawl (not that he'd ever admit it)—Black Star pressed the dull side of Tsubaki's blade against his forehead. "Initiation technique: Infinity," he murmured, and he could have sworn he felt Tsubaki tremble lightly at the action. Before he could ponder it further, the shadow-scarf dove for the nearest tree, slicing it in two.
In a split second, before one could even think to blink, a multiple number of swords appeared from seemingly nowhere and cut into the bark of the tree. The sharp blades were unrelenting, mincing the tree into tiny splinters of wood. Black Star watched with mild fascination for a while, but then when the tree was completely destroyed, he silently beckoned the swords to return to him. They heeded his demand and flew in his direction, hovering inches away from his skin. If he were in a humorous mood at the moment, he would've almost compared the deadly blades' actions to that of a dog.
"Well done, Tsubaki. I think that's it for today," he sighed out quietly, relieved that everything had gone according to plan. Not that he'd ever admit that out loud, of course.
The slightly erotic sound of her deep, heavy breathing soothed him of his insecurities as he threw her into the air, and as she transformed and touched down, he could see sweat glisten off of her forehead and chest. "You mean it? We're done?" Her tone was hopeful as she brought her fists to her eyes and rubbed hard, yawning simultaneously.
Smiling and nodding, he grasped her slender wrists lightly and pulled them away from her face. "Well, you're done. I'm gonna stay here and do some additional training by myself to strengthen my soul's wavelength. You should go home and get some sleep; you look practically dead." It was very strange for him to show concern, and that plus the tender touch made Tsubaki wonder what he was thinking.
Before she had a chance to question him, though, she felt her eyes droop as he ran a hand across her forehead, wiping away the droplets of sweat that had accumulated there. Yawning again, she closed her eyes completely as his finger passed by her ear, curling her hair behind the heated appendage. "Mmm...Black Star, you work too hard. Come back with me," she whined slightly, protruding her lower lip in an adorable pout that Black Star was having a hard time refusing. Since when did she acquire the ability to act so innocent?
Shaking his head of the thought and sighing, Black Star was reluctant. "I gotta work hard, Tsubaki, 'cause the day's gonna come when something bad is gonna happen to you, and I gotta know how to protect you by myself without your help." His voice was strained as his gaze connected with her slightly irritated one. 'God, she's hot when she's mad...wait, what? Oh, crap...'
"If that isn't the most macho, condescending, testosterone-laden statement I've ever heard—" but the woman was cut off from her angry monologue as Black Star lifted her and threw her over his shoulder as if she weighed no more than two pounds.
"Shut up. I'll go back home with you, but you owe me," he muttered stubbornly, ignoring the way his body reacted when she struggled only slightly in his grasp.
It took very little time for them to reach the apartment they had shared since they were thirteen, and as Black Star kicked open the door and entered the dimly lit room, he gently placed Tsubaki on the couch before flipping on the light switch. He turned his attention back to her, ready to tell her what he wanted for dinner, but words could not make it past his lips as he watched her still form. 'She's asleep!' he mused, smiling as her lithe body snuggled deeper into the couch's cushions. She had grown so very beautiful over the years.
Her once-long hair had been cut short, cascading past her shoulders in inky waves and just barely reaching her waist. Her hourglass figure had not changed in the slightest, save for the fact that she somehow managed to become even more curvier than before. Long, slender legs adorned white, thigh-high, thick-heeled boots, leaving just a sliver of skin visible before the ivory flesh disappeared behind her plaid skirt; she had taken to wearing the same kind of school uniform that Maka normally wore because she claimed that it provided easier movement (although, for Black Star, it served as more of a distraction than a helping mechanism). The tan sweater vest that covered her upper half hugged her figure nicely, coming down and resting on her hips in a not-so-innocent fashion. He gulped as her slightly-erotic body caused a very prominent stirring in his loins, and he had to look away before he did something he'd regret. So as not to be tempted, he covered her alluring body in a blanket and set to preparing a dinner of microwaveable ramen and raw vegetables. Little did he know that as he was rummaging around the kitchen, a pair of blue eyes was watching his every move.
Tsubaki wasn't the only one who had gone through noticeable changes throughout the years, and as she admired her meister from afar, she listed off his multiple transformations in her head. He had gotten taller, by a lot, and now stood about three inches taller than her. He was well-built; not meaty, but not scrawny by a long shot. His blue hair still came into a point at the top of his head, looking like a star as it came down to his shoulders, but the locks that swept across his forehead had grown out, brushing past his eyes and drawing attention to his long, dark lashes. His voice was much deeper, and was rich and flowed evenly when he talked. Even his attitude, she noted, had changed drastically. Although he was still a tad haughty, he had dropped the whole "surpassing God" motif, claiming that, since he had allegedly beat Kid on numerous occasions, he didn't need any more proof that he was number one.
A soft smile lit up her face when she recalled what he had said to her.
"If I were to surpass God, I'd have to leave you behind eventually, and I don't want that."
Even though he acted like a loud mouthed, egotistical jerk sometimes, his heart was in the right place, and she knew he cared about her more than anything else.
Snapping her eyes shut tight when she heard footsteps heading in her direction, she beamed inwardly when the smell of ramen hit her nostrils. He had made her dinner.
"Hey...Tsubaki..." he whispered, his lips inches away from her ear. She shuddered, then fake-yawned, stretching and opening her eyes to find that his face was directly above hers, his body in a slightly bent position so he could look her in the eyes from where he sat on the floor beside her. "Wake up, sleepy head. It's chow time."
She smiled at his lack of vocabulary, then yawned again—this time for real—and sat up. "Mmm...you didn't have to make me dinner, Black Star. I could have done that when I—"
"Yeah, well I wanted to," he interrupted, breaking her chopsticks apart for her and extending his arm to hand them to her. "Here. Eat up." Nodding in compliance, she sat cross-legged on the ground beside him, digging into her dinner without an argument.
Comfortable silence surrounded them as they sat and chewed, and in a short while, they were both finished eating. They both sat in front of the television after that, watching the news and digesting.
The silence turned awkward when Black Star's thigh brushed Tsubaki's accidentally, causing a blush to creep onto her face. It darkened when he didn't even bother to move. 'What is he doing?' she thought curiously, her eyes connecting with his. She could've gasped at the intense emotions swimming in the otherwise emotionless orbs. 'Black Star...'
'Dammit! What the hell am I doing?' His body was working of its own accord, and he didn't have the will power to make it stop. With little effort, he had her on her back, hands braced on either side of her head and legs straddling her hips. Damn her for being so fucking beautiful, even when she was in shock! 'She's gonna kill me...she's going to fucking kill me!' But what she did next surprised him. She cried.
Deciding she'd had enough of this stupid dance, the idiotic game they kept playing, Tsubaki lost the fight, succumbing to her sudden urge to let the tears fall. Big, fat tears spilled down her face as she clenched her fists, fingernails piercing her skin and causing blood to trickle down her wrists. Black Star was the most infuriating, indecisive, insolent, annoying, caring, loving, protective, handsome jerk she had ever met! And he was driving her absolutely insane! "S-stop, Black Star!"
He was shocked when she spoke, her voice hoarse and gruff from crying. Fuck him against a wall; that was the hottest sound he had ever heard! But, aside from her sexy tone, her words stung. 'Awe, shit! I'm going to hell for this...she thinks I'm going to force myself on her or something...' he reprimanded himself mentally, sitting up on his haunches, his body hovering over her in indecision.
Noticing the way his soul's wavelength seemed worried, Tsubaki immediately regretted what she had said. He was castigating himself for forcing himself on her because he thought she didn't want this, which was the exact opposite. She was just too confused, and frustrated, and that brought on a whole new slew of tears. Realizing that she was doing the same thing to him that he was doing to her, she placed a shaky hand on his forearm softly to keep him from moving off of her completely. "N-no! I know what you're thinking, and that's not what I meant in the slightest! It's just..." taking in a staggering breath, she willed herself not to cry, "...I don't understand, Black Star...you've never showed even the slightest of interest in me, so...why now?" She could see that he was about to defend himself, and for argument's sake, she added quickly, "I know you love me...like a sister or a mother. I know that. I just never thought that I was appealing enough to you for you to—"
"Don't even think about finishing that sentence, woman," he growled angrily, yanking her up and into his embrace. Sitting cross-legged with her in his lap, he held her tightly to his chest and buried his face in her neck. "Tsubaki...do you remember five years ago? When Asura almost killed both of us?" A simple nod from his companion told him he had her attention. "Honestly, the injuries I suffered were minuscule to someone like me, and I could've continued to fight..." He choked up at this part, and he could feel a slight pinch at the back of his eyeballs. Taking in a deep breath, her beautiful, feminine scent calmed his nerves, giving him the courage to continue. "...but when I looked over and saw you lying there motionless, blood caked everywhere on your body, I lost my will to live. I couldn't even find the strength to stand as terrible thoughts ran through my head. In all seriousness, the worst case scenario, that you were dead, flashed through my mind, and I almost considered giving myself to Asura so I would be able to join you in the afterlife..."
"Black Star!" she gasped, grasping his head between her hands and forcing his gaze to connect with hers. "Don't you ever say that again! Do you hear me? Never!"
He scoffed, pulling his face away from her soft hands and yanking her back into his embrace. "You know as well as I do that I've never been good at following orders. Anyways, after Maka defeated the Kishin, and I found out you were alive, I made a silent promise to myself that I would never let you fall into harm's way again.
"When we were practicing in Enchanted Sword mode today, it made me really think. I can't always rely on you to protect both of us. After thinking that, I couldn't stop thinking about how terrible my life would be if you were to die..."
Tsubaki waited in anticipation as he paused, nuzzling her neck affectionately. As pleasant and surprising as it was to have him acting so openly emotional, she still wanted to hear what else he had to say. "Black Star?"
"And then..." he began again after a while, cutting her off before she could ask him anything, "...then I started thinking about how shitty my life would be if you were to still be alive, but not with me. If you were to...not be my weapon anymore." She noticed the subtle way he tightened his hold on her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck in reassurance. "If any guy were to ever touch you the way I am now, I wouldn't know what to do." He chuckled dryly. "I'd probably tear his arms off and smack him with them." As he said this, he moved his fingers lightly over her back, soothing her into a very languid state. "I guess all of the jealousy caught up with me, and I lost control. Sorry to scare you or make you think that I'm forcing you into anything, 'cause I'm not. I just...I want you to know how I feel..."
A couple of silent seconds passed by before Tsubaki looked up into his twin pools of blue. He was so beautiful, and she wasn't sure if he knew just how beautiful. "Black Star..." she began, but wasn't sure what to say after that. "Ah, to hell with it!" she shouted, flinging herself at him, pressing her lips to his and knocking him onto his back. "I love you, and I won't ever leave you," she whispered when they parted. Those nine words were music to his ears. "But I still have one more question..." 'Oh shit...' "...if you care so much about me, why are you always biting my head off over the stupidest of things?"
He sighed to cover up his laugh. "I could ask you the same question!" At her blush, he kissed her nose softly. "If I were to say 'sexual frustration', would that make any sense to you?" Her blush deepened, and he laughed lightly. "Don't tell me you don't feel it, too. I know you can, and do you wanna know how I know?" One would have to be completely dense to miss the mischief that had risen into his eyes, and Tsubaki gasped as she felt two fingers press into her pantie-covered private area. "This is how I know," he stated sensually, bringing his fingers up in front of their faces. "Look what you did to my fingers, Tsubaki! They're completely soaked." He grabbed hold of her chin, making her watch as he licked her feminine juices off of his digits.
"B-Black Star..." she murmured as he took her lips captive again, tasting herself as his tongue came down to meet hers. "Mmm...Black Star...s-stop! I have to go take a shower, and Maka and Soul said they'd stop by later for a study date, and...oh!" She was silenced when his teeth knocked against her collarbone, causing an erotic version of his name to slip from her parted lips. Tsubaki could barely contain herself as she felt his lips and tongue dance across her neck.
"I don't care," he growled out, bringing her small, delicate hand to his lips. She groaned as his tongue flicked out, lapping up the blood that had spilled from the wounds she had inflicted on herself. He replicated his actions on her other hand, chuckling deeply when she mewled like a kitten. "You taste kinda good," he admitted, nuzzling her flushed cheek.
She smiled contently, then shook her head and moaned when he bit at her earlobe. "Oh, no you don't! I don't want Maka and Soul walking in on us in the middle of 'the act'—"
"It's a little late for that..." a slightly embarrassed voice stated to the side, and it took both Tsubaki and Black Star a moment to register that Maka and Soul were standing rather uncomfortably in the doorway, the former with a face the color of a tomato, the latter scratching at the back of his neck with a slight smirk possessing his features.
Finally, once they realized how awkward the situation was, they sprung apart, dual blushes rising to their cheeks. "Oi! Haven't you guys heard of knocking?" Black Star shouted grumpily, crossing his arms over his chest and willing the blush to fade. Tsubaki did nothing more than clasp her hands behind her back and nod in agreement.
Soul's smirk widened. "We did knock, asshole, but you guys didn't answer. We thought something bad had happened, so we came in without a second thought..." He blinked, coughing to hide his laugh of amusement at their shocked countenances, "...you can hardly pin the blame on us...maybe you guys should have taken it into the bedroom before you started going at each other like wild animals." A number of things happened after this. Black Star growled in warning, Maka smacked Soul upside the head, Tsubaki squeaked like a mouse, and Soul (after getting Maka-chopped) only continued to smirk. "By the way...nice tent, Black Star."
And that was the day that Soul found out just how painful a Tsubaki-chop could be.
A/N: So, yeah...please review! If it's just a review telling me that you didn't like Black Star and the way he acted, then you have been warned in advance: I will NOT reply!


text:
Full-body tan pictures and movies at Brdteengal
These sluts finger, use dildos, strap-ons and squirt their pink pussies in lesbian porn by WhenGirlsPlay. Sort movies by Most Relevant and catch the best full length Gentleman movies now! Teens at the beach pictures and movies at Brdteengal. Man And His Caught Tight Amateur Blonde MILF In Bath Dressed and Undressed Photos. Un sacco di grande free porn damn bang clip di sesso per tutti i gusti al sito porno xnxx.
Tanned Pussy Picture Thumbs, Free Tanned Porn Thumbs, Tanned Sex Thumbnails. Malena and her BFF enjoys sauna and lesbian 788 days ago 8 pics 28 days ago Twpornstars. Tanned Big Tits Pics at Big Tits Melons.
Director Gil Bendazon brings you hot Brazilian chicks getting all anal action and liking it! She was feeling hot and decided to cool off by stripping down and getting into the pool. Tanned busty lesbian princess Jelena Jensen is ready to put her tongue to use.
Moms Teach Sex - Mom Seduces Her Virgin Stepson Mature Woman Seduces Young Girl-lesbian Confession-f70. Turki Lesbi mp4 hd desi mms download video indian young Girls Scandal fucking Bollywood Actress. Nothing beyond the disturbing disassembled pieces cyber sex bots they are - sex bots.