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A quarterly magazine of urban affairs, published by the Manhattan Institute, edited by Brian C. Anderson.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • |
Camden on the Brink « Back to Story
Showing 19 Comment(s) Subscribe by RSS RobertO February 15, 2011 at 4:34 PM The yearly salary of $140,000 is awfully high. California Highway Patrol officers start at $50,000 -- last I heard. Camden's problems appear to be happening in other poor urban areas as well. Oakland, CA is having its struggles as well. J.NormanSayles February 12, 2011 at 8:29 PM Camden may be high on the list of worst-case examples of going for reductions in the Police Departments to cut the city's budget, but Stockton, CXa can't be far behind . Living in neighboring Lodi, this is what appears on the inside pages of their newspaper, rotating honors as the worst car theft rate in the country, second-highest violent crime rate in the state, after Oakland, highly developed gang territories that lead to turf wars. And the kicker, while uniformed cops are laid off, five Assistant Chiefs of Police warming their tushes in their offices. Cities five times the size of Stockton don't have that many Assistant Chiefs. The days will come when having to work the Mean Streets with a greatly under-staffed Police Department will not attract high-quality applicants for job openings.Add bleeding heart juries that want to punishinga cop for not waiting for the first shot, and Camdens are going to be common around the country. Camden is yet another example that government spending does not create wealth or prosperity. It's unfortunate that a relatively small percentage of the city's population makes life miserable for the rest. The greater problem is that realistically, Camden's trajectory is one-way, and that's down. A high-crime, high tax city in a high tax state, Camden's general condition and workforce are not inviting to legitimate business. This is a case where managing decline is probably the best solution that can be applied. timcushing February 12, 2011 at 9:04 AM Government unions are destroying this country. They hold the public hostage with threats of massive chaos, and the politicians give into their demands. The politicians do this because it is not their money they give and promise them. These Guilds must be stopped. FritzJ February 11, 2011 at 3:39 AM Thank you, David Brown, for your cogent observation about Israel. It all becomes clear to me now: Israel is the cause of all of the problems in the United States and the world. A simple, uncomplicated, uncluttered explanation for a simple, uncomplicated, uncluttered mind. Howard February 11, 2011 at 3:35 AM More fruits of LBJ's Great Society and the War on Poverty. Pat Knowd February 10, 2011 at 1:53 PM So some police officers making north of $100k per year or about 400% of the median income are unwilling to sacrifice any cuts? rvastar February 10, 2011 at 10:33 AM [We could stop the war in Afghanistan and aid to Israel and give a couple of bucks but that wouldn't fit certain folk's agenda.] That would reduce last year's budget deficit from $1.4 trillion to $1.3 trillion. We're saved!!! Tell you what: as soon as you enlighten us all as to how to get rid of the remaining $1.3 trillion shortfall...plus make the roughly $200 billion INTEREST PAYMENT that will be due in 2011...then maybe we can "give a couple of bucks" to Camden. But then again, recognizing fiscal realities doesn't exactly "fit certain folk's agenda", does it? rvastar February 10, 2011 at 10:21 AM [...few cities face as stark a choice as the hard-luck South New Jersey city of Camden.] "Hard luck" had nothing to do with Camden's problems. Stupidity did - the stupidity of electing Democrats. For decades, the residents of Camden chose to dance to the tune being played by liars and thieves - now, it's time to pay the piper. Unfortunately, the rest of the country isn't far behind them. In the next 20 years, an economic Day of Reckoning is coming that is going to lay waste to this country. What will it look like? Think Detroit...everywhere. David Brown February 10, 2011 at 9:31 AM We could stop the war in Afghanistan and aid to Israel and give a couple of bucks but that wouldn't fit certain folk's agenda. Would it? B. Samuel Davis February 10, 2011 at 6:37 AM Camden is, in miniature, the end result of cities which are in thrall to public sector unions - so much is paid out that government literally cannot do its job. When I was growing up, there was a trade off for government work - lower salaries, in return for which you got was less work, and a certain amount of job security. As an adolescent in the 70's I had some summer jobs with local government, and there wasn't much of a work ethic. It seemed like a few people worked very hard, the rest didn't do much at all. Yes, this is entirely anecdotal, and yes police and fire fighters put their life on the line, but overall, governmental salaries have become insane. There are so many reasons for Camden's problem. Years and years of one party government, which causes enormous corruption. Also low turn out in local elections - with few voters the governmental workers become a significant voting block. An easy solution to that would be to have county, board of education and municipal elections in November, instead of May or June, which would improve turnout, and reduce the ability of public sector workers to influence the elections of the very people who are responsible for their salaries. Of course, a far better solution would be to eliminate public sector unions entirely - few rational people would argue that the experiment with these types of unions has worked. Public sector unions are entirely a creation of government - there is no federal statutory right for state governmental workers, that right is entirely based on state statute, and what the state can grant it can take away. However, elimination of public sector unions will not happen in New Jersey. Why? Two reasons: first, public sector unions, including the teachers union contribute heavily to one party in New Jersey - the Democrat party. The New Jersey legislature is overwhelmingly Democrat, and there is NO chance - none - of this party cutting itself off from a huge source of funding. The unions pay heavily and they get something for all that money - protection. Second, when it comes to media, being next to New York, and Philadelphia, New Jersey is in the belly of the beast. The media is overwhelmingly pro-Democrat and pro-union. Governmental officials, elected or otherwise, know that they will be roundly condemned if they take anti-union positions. There is such an irony in the fact that because Camden pays such a huge amount of money for salaries it cannot even do the job of governing. It will be interesting to watch what happens. Dr. Francis Stocker February 10, 2011 at 5:33 AM Nations such as Taiwan and Singapore execute drug dealers. Columbia University has a professor - Sudhir Venkatesh who has made a career out of tracking the personal finances of drug dealers in Chicago. Venkatesh or anyone else has failed to publicize the costs of illegal drugs in Chicago. Venkatesh failed to track the government money spent on health care for the dealers children among a host of other cost. Patrick February 09, 2011 at 8:28 PM There's a reason why police there make $140K... its the only way they can get anyone to work in such a town. Sam johnson February 09, 2011 at 6:24 PM How's the union working for those cops that have been laid off tionico February 09, 2011 at 5:27 PM The answer to Camden's crime problem is the same as is being promoted in some Ohio counties where there are budget cuts and law enforcement layoffs. Allow the citizens to arm themselves. Wherever the common citizens are denied their right to arms (by bans or onerous restrictions, both of which seem to be common in New Jersey), crime rates soar. Wherever the common people are easily able to be armed, crime rates drop through the floor. Simple solution.. but the bleeding heart liberal socialists promoting rabid gun control will not tolerate this solution. So, what options do the good people of Camden have? None good.... J.NormanSayles February 09, 2011 at 4:46 PM I am devastated; my comments were deleted just as I was writing the final line of a lengthly piece of expository information and examples of the negative effects of unionism. Expletives are not appropriate in this venue,or my 65 year work experinces would provide some colorful examples. J.NormanSayles February 09, 2011 at 4:43 PM I am devastated; my comments were deleted just as I was writing the final line of a lengthly piece of expository information and examples of the negative effects of unionism. Expletives are not appropriate in this venue,or my 65 year work experinces would provide some colorful examples. Tough Love February 09, 2011 at 1:10 PM Camden needs to hire a secondary level of police support (unsworn, and doing all the in-station work), and at 1/3 the pay & benefits). All sworn officers should be on the street... even the old, fat ones. And if the Sworn types make a fuss, refusing to work with them, a Ronald Regan style firing is in order (for insubordination). What is the explanation for the exorbitant salary of police officers in Camden--$140,000? The police union refused concessions because they believed help would come from somewhere. Bad Call! |


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Boost Your Business Marketing with Pinterest
A Pinteresting Social Networking Site
Pinterest is generating a lot of buzz lately not only because of the reported spam issues in its system, but because it is one of the fastest growing social networking sites. Of course, the number of users is not equally at par with those of Facebook and Twitter. Yet, Pinterest is gaining a strong foothold on many end users, especially with women.
So, what is it with Pinterest? Basically, it is an online pin board where members can make themed boards according to what they are interested in. Users can upload or pin images, photos or videos directly from their computer or the ones they found over the Internet and organize it into categories like DIY, cooking, gardening and parenting among others.
What makes Pinterest so unique is that it makes it easier for consumers to find companies, products and places. It is also a great place for users to search for creative ideas that they can greatly benefit from. All they need to do is follow someone on the site, check out their pins and "repin" stuff that they find interesting. The whole concept that Pinterest would like convey is to share things that people truly enjoy and relate with.
Pinteresting Opportunities for Marketers
While Pinterest is fun for both users and consumers, it actually presents a whole lot of opportunities for marketers to build their brands. Many experts believe that at the rate that this social networking medium is gaining its followers, businesses can actually take advantage of its power to get in touch with potential costumers and increase awareness about their brand.
In October last year alone, an estimated 3.3 million unique visitors have visited Pinterest. And while there is no guarantee that that these these people will buy directly from the site and its affiliates, one thing is for sure: Popular images can be repinned thousands of times on different user boards, which is a great way to spread the word out about a business.
Pinteresting Your Business
If you own a business that rely heavily on driving high volume traffic to your website in order to increase sales, it's probably worth your time joining Pinterest. However, because the users over at Pinterest do not have time to check bland content and are focused in finding visually appealing ideas, images and graphics, it pays to be creative. Below are some ways how you can drive your business sales through Pinterest.
Get invited. At the moment, Pinterest is an invite-only social networking site. So, request an invitation from the site or get invited by a user who is already a member.
Be Pinteresting. Adding a few boards and pins won't get you any further. It is important that you take the time to tie your brand to your pins and repins and also make sure that you establish relationships along the way. For instance, you can ask your fans to pin photos of themselves with your product and tag you. You can then repin those on your VIP board and as a means to say thank you, you can give them a shout out as well. It also pays to regularly keep your presence alive on Pinterest so as not to lose the interest of your followers.
Create specific and relevant boards. One of the most important things that you have to remember is to pin ideas and not your products. By taking this approach, you are more likely to attract more followers who are passionate about specific subjects.
Utilize other channels. Do not make Pinterest the end all and be all of your marketing strategy. You can promote your boards on other platforms like Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter. Also add the Pinterest follow button to your site, as it makes it easier for your website visitors to share the images and other visual contents you have, exposing your brand to a new league of audience. You can also network with other members by interacting with their pins and promoting their boards (cross networking).
Optimize, optimize. When you post visuals, make sure that you do some optimization such as adding descriptions, file names, links and call to action when necessary. Pinterest can even recognize hashtags, so make sure to use it in keywords and categories.
Beware of the legalities. Copyright and trademark violations are two of the biggest concerns over Pinterest. That said, when you are pinning make sure that you do not infringe the content rights of another person.
The post was written by Graphic Designer Robert Kirk who works for RFK Print Solutions an online print based company. RFK Print Solutions sell high quality business cards along with other printed products such as flyers, leaflets, letterheads etc.

subset: commoncrawl


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(Reuters) - Brazil is widely celebrated for having some of the world's best beaches, soccer, and Carnival festivities.
Wines? Um, no.
Nevertheless, Brazil is considering steps to protect its tiny domestic wine industry from an onslaught of imports, in what may be the most bizarre - and controversial - example to date of rising trade protectionism in South America.
President Dilma Rousseff's government recently agreed to evaluate an emergency request from Brazilian wine producers that, if approved, could raise tariffs on many imported wines from countries including Chile, France and Spain. A final decision is expected by August, officials say.....
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Website | tatvasoft.com |
Blog | tatvasoft.com/blog |
@kksheth01 | |
Category | Software |
Phone | +917940038222 |
ketul.sheth@tatva... | |
Employees | 275 |
Founded | 2001 |
Description | Custom Software Development |
TatvaSoft is a CMMi ML 3 software development company that focuses on highly qualitative, timely delivered and cost-effective offshore software development. Our global software outsourcing model makes sure we deliver maximum targeted result to YOU.
Brief Insight: Over 10 years of IT industry experience CMMi Maturity Level 3 Company Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Team of over 200 professionals Over 100 customers across the globe Dedication to meet deadline Providing Low risk delivery model Intellectual property protection
Services We Offer: Application Development Web Development .NET Development Silverlight Consulting PHP Programming Flex Programming Sharepoint Consulting Application Maintenance


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- 29 March 2012
What Is The Purpose Of Driverless Car HQ?
Driverless Car technology is one of the most exciting, transformative technologies under development right now anywhere in the world. Currently over 30,000 Americans die on our roads each and every year. World-wide, the figure is over 1 million and is the #10 cause of all death in the world today according to the WHO.
It will also make a huge difference in mitigating pollution (Driverless Car tech is much more likely to use electric vehicles) and reducing US dependence on oil, thus increasing national security.
It is the goal of Driverless Car HQ to bring the news of these developments to the world and promulgate the advantages of this technology to the world.
We are a group of enthusiasts who now update the FB page in our spare time.
We're a group from America, Australia and Canada trying to make a small dent in the universe. Like us on Facebook – facebook.com/driverlesscarhq.


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Kiel Institute Focus 5
May 25, 2009 |
Redistribution through the Geithner Plan*
by Dennis J. Snower
Under the threat of the present economic crisis, U.S. financial institutions have received huge bailouts and guarantees. This support is leading to large increases in the national debt, which will need to be financed through taxes in the future. In the process, a massive redistribution of income is under way.
The public is vaguely aware of this redistribution and is angry about it. Why, people are asking, are we giving such generous payouts to the financiers who got us into this mess? How large might this redistribution turn out to be? Is this redistribution necessary to restore the financial industry to health?
These questions are tough to answer since the banks' toxic assets, along with the resulting bailouts and guarantees, are fiendishly complicated and intransparent. The only way to grasp what is going on is to take a simple example. Consider an asset that has a 50% chance of being worth $100 and a 50% chance of being worthless. So the asset's value is $50, the average of $100 and $0. (I leave you to add enough zeros to each dollar figure so that the example looks realistic to you.) Suppose that the asset is toxic, which means that we don't yet know how to value it, since we aren't yet aware that the asset has a 50-50 chance of yielding $100 or $0.
Now let's work out how U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner's plan would deal with this asset, and how much income would be redistributed in the process. Although arithmetic is boring, I assure you that the outcome of our calculations won't be. Because they will show that there is something fundamentally wrong with the Geithner Plan: It generates a potentially gigantic amount of redistribution and, furthermore, the redistribution is completely unnecessary, since it is completely irrelevant to the job of bailing out the banks.
A Frightening Scenario
Since the asset is toxic, its current valuation is inevitably somewhat arbitrary. So suppose that the bank currently values the asset at $55 – which is $5 more than the asset is actually worth – and if the bank were to receive $55, it would return to financial health. Moreover, suppose that a private-sector bidder indeed offers $55.
Under the Geithner plan, the government finances 92% of the asset, the private bidder finances the remaining 8%, and the private bidder and government each receive the same amount of equity. If the asset costs $55, then the private bidder contributes $4.4 in equity (8% of $55). The government also contributes $4.4 in equity. So the government loan is $46.2 (which is $55 minus the $4.4 private equity, minus the $4.4 government equity).
Recall that the asset has a 50% chance of being worth $100. If that happens, then the government loan can be repaid. The remaining profit is $53.8 (which is $100 minus the loan of $46.2). Since the private bidder and government have the same amount of equity, this profit gets shared equally between them. So each gets $26.9 (half of $53.8). The private bidder's yield is $22.5 (which is $26.9 minus the $4.4 that the private bidder paid for the asset).
The asset also has a 50% chance of being worth $0, and if that happens, then the government loan can't be repaid. So the private sector loses $4.4 (its equity stake) and government loses $50.6 (its loan of $46.2 plus its equity stake of $4.4).
Let's take stock. On average, the private sector's gain is $9.05 (which is the average of its $22.5 gain in good times and the $4.4 loss in bad times). So the private bidder winds up with the fabulous rate of return of 205.68 % (namely, its $9.05 average gain relative to its initial investment of $4.4)!
But the government, on average, makes a loss of $14.05 (which is its $22.5 gain in good times and its $50.6 loss in bad times). This means that the government is left with a horrifying rate of return of -319.32 % (namely, its average loss of $14.05 relative to its initial investment of $4.4)!
Observe that the government's average loss ($14.05) is higher than the private sector's average gain ($9.05): the government and private sector together make a loss of $5. This is the amount they overpaid for the asset.
It's now easy to see what redistribution has taken place:
- $5 gets redistributed from the private bidder to the bank (since the bidder paid $55 for an asset worth $50) and
- $9.05 gets redistributed from the taxpayer to the private bidder.
The really sad thing is that only the first payment is necessary if we wish to return the bank to health through a bailout. But under the Geithner plan, the taxpayer winds up paying $14.05. That is 181% more than was needed to save the bank!
But that, unfortunately, is not the end of the story. Since the private-sector bidder made a rate of return of 205.68 % on his equity investment, the other bidders may be expected to bid up the price of the asset. The following table shows what will happen:
Price Offer | Average Private–Sector Gain | Average Government Gain | Private Rate of Return (%) | Government Rate of Return (%) | Excess Redistribution (%) |
55 | 9.05 | –14.05 | 205.68 | –319.32 | 181 |
60 | 7.60 | –17.60 | 158.33 | –366.67 | 252 |
65 | 6.15 | –21.15 | 118.27 | –406.74 | 323 |
70 | 4.70 | –24.70 | 83.93 | –441.07 | 394 |
75 | 3.25 | –28.25 | 54.17 | –470.83 | 465 |
80 | 1.80 | –31.80 | 28.13 | –496.88 | 536 |
85 | 0.35 | –35.35 | 5.15 | –519,85 | 607 |
As the price of the asset is bid up (from $55 to $60 to $70), the private-sector rate of return gradually falls (from $205.68 to $158.33 to $118.27 …). Eventually, once the offer price has reached $85, this rate of return has declined to 5.15%. At this point, there is little to be gained from bidding the price up further and so the price of the asset may be expected stabilize at around $85.
At this price, as you can see, the government's rate of return is an eye-popping -519.85%. Now the redistribution scheme is this:
- $35 gets redistributed from the taxpayer to the bankers (since $85 was paid for an asset worth $50) and
- $0.35 gets redistributed from the taxpayer to the private-sector bidder.
But since the bank just needed $5 to be restored to health, the taxpayer is paying in excess of 600% more than is required.
Other Frightening Scenarios
The exercise above is just one of many possible frightening possibilities. So far our calculations were based on the premise that only $5 – the equivalent of 10% of the true value of the bank's toxic assets – is required to save the bank. But suppose that more money were required, say 20% or more of the value of the toxic assets. How would the Geithner Plan perform then?
The next table shows the amounts of excess redistribution corresponding to different amounts of bailout.
Excess Redistribution for Different Bailouts
5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 | |
55 | 181 | ||||||
60 | 252 | 76,00 | |||||
65 | 323 | 111,50 | 41,00 | ||||
70 | 394 | 147,00 | 64,67 | 23,50 | |||
75 | 465 | 182,50 | 88,33 | 41,25 | 13,00 | ||
80 | 536 | 218,00 | 112,00 | 59,00 | 27,20 | 6,00 | |
85 | 607 | 253,50 | 135,67 | 76,75 | 41,40 | 17,83 | 1,00 |
The numbers in the first row are the size of the bailout. So if a bailout of $10 is required (which is 20% of the true value of the toxic asset), then the bank will accept at least $60 for the asset and thus the excess redistribution is 76%. But, as we saw in the previous table, the private rate of return is high and so the price of the asset will get bid up to $85, corresponding to excess redistribution of about 253%.
In this way, the table shows clearly that as the size of the required bailout rises, so the amount of excess redistribution falls. If it should turn out – by coincidence – that the required size of the bailout ($35) is about equal to the amount by which the Geithner Plan induces the private bidders to overpay for the asset ($85 - $50 = $35), then there will be virtually no excess redistribution. But this, as noted, could only happen by accident.
But what happens if even an overpayment of $35 – corresponding to 70% of the true value of the toxic asset – is insufficient to return the bank to health? Specifically, suppose that $40 (amounting to 80% of the value of the toxic asset) is required. What then? The first table gives the answer. At $40 overpayment, the asset must be valued at $90, and then the private rate of return would be about -15%, that is, the private bidders would be making a loss. So clearly no private bidders would be willing to offer $90. This means that the Geithner Plan would not work, since the banks would require an overpayment in excess of what the bidders would be willing to offer. There would be no takers, and the government's offered loan would remain unused. Then, in the absence of any further rescue package, the bank would have to default.
What is the upshot of this woeful portfolio of frightening scenarios? Which one is likely to apply? The answer is as simple as it is important: We don't know. It's the essence of a toxic asset that we don't know. If we knew what the asset was worth, it wouldn't be toxic. If we knew how large a bailout each financial institutions needs, the policy response would hardly be a challenge.
But we shouldn't be disheartened by the answer. We don't know the external temperature will be when we install a heating system in our house. And we don't need to know, provided that we have a thermostat, so that the internal temperature adjusts automatically to whatever the external temperature happens to be.
This is precisely what we need to address our financial crisis. Some financial institutions have highly toxic assets (great uncertainty about the returns), others have none. Some institutions need a large bailout to return to health, others need none. What we need is a rescue package that automatically adjusts to the problem at hand.
And that brings us face to face with a basic weakness of the Geithner plan: It is not an automatic stabilizer. Instead, it's like a thermostat that is stuck at one temperature, so that we might freeze in the winter, but boil in the summer. As we have seen, the plan can be fabulously wasteful when the banks need only modest bailouts. Then far too much money may be redistributed from the taxpayer to the financial sector. And when the banks need big bailouts, the plan may turn out to be completely ineffective. Only through a massive coincidence could it happen that the plan transfers the right amount of equity to the banks.
In short, this is a hopeless plan. Of course, it's true that some of the redistributed money will probably make its way back to the taxpayer through pension funds, mutual funds, and other institutions that invest in the financial sector. But is this redistribution sensible? Do we want to take potentially huge amounts of money from the taxpayer and give them to the financiers, just as the economy slides deeper and deeper into recession? Do we want to rely on a policy that we know will become ineffective as soon as the banks are in really big trouble?
I find it hard to believe that the American public would have accepted the Geithner plan, if these possibilities had been presented to them. No, I think that the main appeal of the plan lies in its complexity, enabling voters to retain the hope – for the time being – that the banks will get the funds they need through the capitalist system, free of government control.
(Slightly revised version of an article published on VoxEU.org on May 20, 2009).
*The Kiel Institute Focus Series presents papers on current economic policy topics. Their authors are solely responsible for their content and their views or any policy recommendations they may make do not necessarily represent the views or recommendations of the Institute.


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Ticket To Work Information The Michigan Commission for the Blind strongly supports the concept of informed choice for all consumers. Because of this, we wish to explain the Ticket-to-Work Program that was introduced by the Social Security Administration. Ticket-To-Work is a nationwide program with the goal of helping Social Security Disability beneficiaries find employment and training more easily. The program is designed to assist people with the training and support they need to go to work by increasing their choices. Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities can find employment, vocational rehabilitation and other support services from public and private providers, including the Michigan Commission for the Blind. The main aspects of this program are as follows: A. This program is VOLUNTARY! No individual is required to use their Ticket-To-Work. Refusing to use the "Ticket" will not affect your benefits. B. The Ticket-To-Work Program will be implemented in phases to be completed nationally by 2004. The Social Security Administration will determine the schedule for the mailing of "Tickets." Michigan recipients will begin receiving "Tickets" in early November, but individuals may also request "on demand Tickets" by contacting the Ticket-To-Work administrator, MAXIMUS. If beneficiaries receiving these "Tickets" want to go to work, they contact and assign their Ticket to a local entity called an Employment Network. C. Eligible beneficiaries may go to any registered Employment Network to obtain assistance with employment. Michigan Commission for the Blind is one of the registered Employment Networks for our state. A list of others will be available on the Social Security web site or by calling the Ticket-To-Work Help- Line. D. Once a Ticket-holder identifies the Employment Network to which they wish to assign their "Ticket," the Ticket-holder and Employment Network develop an individualized employment contract, so that together they can agree on the employment goals desired. After this is done, the "Ticket" is considered "in use." E. When a person's "Ticket" is in use, no Social Security Medical Continuing Disability Reviews take place, as long as the beneficiary demonstrates they are making "timely progress" and/or working to meet the goals identified in their plan. Michigan Commission for the Blind staff is dedicated to providing consumers with additional information regarding this new program. If you have the need for further information, please contact the Michigan Commission for the Blind office in your region. For your convenience, important contact information regarding the Ticket-To-Work Program is listed below: MAXIMUS Ticket-To-Work Help-line: 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY) Michigan Commission for the Blind Toll-Free Line: 1-800-292-4200 or 1-888-864-1212 (TTY) Ticket-To-Work Web site: Social Security Administration Web site: Michigan Commission for the Blind Web site: |


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OU falling behind Oklahoma State in Bedlam Blood drive
OU still is looking for a little Sooner magic to make up the deficit in the Oklahoma Blood Institute's Bedlam Blood battle.
As of Wednesday evening, Oklahoma State University led the competition with 792 participants to OU's 745.
The Bedlam Blood Battle began Monday and will continue until Friday.
Kelley McPhail, organizer of the blood drive, said OBI is advertising across campus to urge students to donate.
"We're even asking those resting on the beds to get out their phones and use Facebook to encourage their friends to come down to the Armory," McPhail said.
McPhail said they've signed up 199 students since the beginning of Thursday, but she expects business to pick up during the afternoon.
Each donor receives a T-shirt and a chance to win two tickets to the upcoming Bedlam game in Stillwater. In addition, a football autographed by Bob Stoops will be given to one donor each day of the blood drive.
"This turnout [of 199 students] is less than what we had Monday, and I think the cold weather has something to do with it," McPhail said.
Kelsey O'Grady, anthropology junior, volunteered for OBI by handing out flyers on the South Oval. O'Grady also said he believed that the cold front influenced students' willingness to give.
"Most of them are rushing by with their hands stuffed into their coat pockets," O'Grady said.
The Bedlam Blood Battle will continue until 6 p.m. Friday at the Armory. OBI also has their Bloodmobile outside Oklahoma Memorial Union and a donation site set up at Catlett Music Center.
The winning university will receive a trophy and the spoils of bragging rights.
All blood donated will go to Oklahoma City metro hospitals and more than a hundred medical facilities across Oklahoma.
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Comic profile: Wichen
Most recent comments left on Wichen
Yes I know :), I'm gonna do that I've been studying for my final exams and that's why I wasn't here, and I don't know what to draw cuz I can't keep focus on a story :))
Left on Chapter 1 part 2Your comic style is sooo cute. But I hate having to scroll around to view your pages! Please, make them a little smaller? Pretty please? :)
Left on Chapter 1 part 2


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You're watching...
Is Obama's climate change strategy realistic?
President pushes to eliminate environmental threats
Jun 20, 2013
You're watching...
President pushes to eliminate environmental threats
Jun 20, 2013
Also in this playlist...
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The president's turning his attention to what he calls the global threat of our time.
That threat is climate change the administration planning a renewed push on the environment after the issue to the back -- to other priorities during the first term and now.
One of president Obama's advisors is laying out exactly what the president hopes to accomplish.
She -- at the White House tonight at the White House hasn't even officially unveiled a plan and already the other -- mounting an opposition.
That's right -- the bottom line is is a legacy item for the president as you mentioned time it's.
The clock is ticking for him to get some of these items -- what -- told from some of his advisors he'll do as early as next week is unveil.
Some tough new regulations for coal fired power plants.
Republican critics like John Boehner already saying this will result in their power companies passing on higher prices for your energy costs at home.
The president insists though.
This is the last best shot at reducing pollution in dealing with climate change piglets.
For the sake of future generations.
Our generation must move toward a global compact to confront big change -- climate before it is too late.
That is our job of that is our test we have to get to work.
I think this is absolutely crazy.
Why would you want to increase the cost of energy and kill more American jobs at a time when the American people still ask him a question where the jobs.
Now the other part of this that -- Boehner and other Republicans are upset about is that the president would be taking executive action.
Having the Environmental Protection Agency put these new -- regulations in place basically bypassing congress response from the White House is -- congress is getting a lot done there -- -- around.
And wait for them.
-- Ed the president is feeling the pressure from both sides of the environmental issues.
Of his former campaign -- sent him an open letter today.
Demanding that he block the completion of the keystone XL pipeline which is intended to transport Canadian oil.
Two refineries along our Gulf Coast.
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A master spy's memoir of playing the game in the most strategically influential country in 1960s Africa Larry Devlin arrived as the new chief of station for the CIA in the Congo five days after the country had declared its independence, the army had mutinied, and governmental authority had collapsed. As he crossed the Congo River in an almost empty ferry boat, all he could see were lines of people trying to travel the other wayout of the Congo. Within his first two weeks he found himself on the wrong end of a revolver as militiamen played Russian-roulette, Congo style, with him. During his first year, the charismatic and reckless political leader, Patrice Lumumba, was murdered and Devlin was widely thought to have been entrusted with (he was) and to have carried out (he didn't) the assassination. Then he saved the life of Joseph Desire Mobutu, who carried out the military coup that presaged his own rise to political power. Devlin found himself at the heart of Africa, fighting for the future of perhaps the most strategically influential country on the continent, its borders shared with eight other nations. He met every significant political figure, from presidents to mercenaries, as he took the Cold War to one of the world's hottest zones. This is a classic political memoir from a master spy who lived in wildly dramatic times. Larry Devlin was raised in California, enlisted in the army reaching the grade of captain in World War II, joined the CIA in 1949 and was appointed Chief of Station Congo in 1959. He subsequently served as Chief of Station, Laos and Chief, Africa Division and retired in 1974. He resides in Virginia and Provence, France.
HARDCOVER ISBN 978-1-58648-405-7 Pub date: 03/12/07 Price: $26.00/31.50 Canada 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 304 pages 8 pp. b/w photos Carton Quantity: 34 African Studies, History Selling Territory: W Rights: First Serial, British Commonwealth, Translation, Audio, and Electronic Rights: PublicAffairs Performance Rights: Author PAPERBACK ISBN 978-1-58648-564-1 Pub date: 03/31/08 Price: $14.95/18.00 Canada 5½ x 8¼ 320 pages 8 pp. b/w photo insert Carton Quantity: 48 Autobiography, History Selling Territory: W Pub history: |


text:
I slammed into the ground, my heart pounding ferociously in my chest. My lungs burned with the fury of a thousand of Celestia's suns, and my legs wobbled beneath me. Volley after volley of arrows flew around the rock I had landed behind, breaking themselves into millions of splinters upon impact with the tough surface.
But I refused to submit. I flew around the side of the rock at full speed, a rumbling war cry rising out of my chest. The arrows glanced off of my armor, leaving deep scratches in my already worn copper-plated barding. I was blinded with blood lust as I flying apple-bucked the Earth pony archer in the face, causing the bow to fly from his hooves and sending him sprawling off the chariot. I turned to the pony driving the chariot, the edges of my lips rising into a grim smile. Seconds later, his head lay at my feet, easily decapitated by my custom, gold-inlaid bronze wing blades.
I turned from the falling body in front of me, and began scanning the ground for the archer I had incapacitated earlier. Though he may have been out of the fight, kills are the only things that hold worth in war. I spotted him not far to my left and began slowly limping towards his unconscious body. With the adrenaline wearing off, I realized that I had broken my back right leg in the initial impact with the archer. He was going to pay for that.
I loomed over the archer's mutilated face, staring down at the brutal lacerations that had come from my spiked horse shoes. My eyes were drawn to the identification tags around his neck. I grabbed the chain in my mouth and pulled, the copper chain cutting deep into his neck. I began twisting it back and forth, but the chain refused to break, only digging a deeper gash into the stallion's neck, and causing even more blood to splatter into his mane. Finally, the chain gave way, and I was able to get a look at his ID.
Army SGT
So this was the leader of the squad that killed my bodyguards. I felt the rage begin burning in my chest, and I slowly raised my front hoof, the hoof claws I wore glinting in the bright midday sun. Suddenly, the barely recognizable lump of horse meat below me began to stir. I decided to wait until he was looking at me before I went in for the kill. The look of fear and defeat in an enemy's eyes right before he fades to lifelessness is one of my favorite sights. His crimson-coated head slowly turned up towards me, and his eyelids drew back. Vibrant green eyes stared deep into my own violet pair. As our eyes met, the world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of us, and those amazing eyes, full of life, caring, and bravery. My heart melted along with my body, my muscles becoming more relaxed than they had been in years. There was no way I could bring myself to kill this stallion. I knew I had to save him.
All of a sudden, those eyes started to close, getting smaller and smaller. His eyelids drooped and his head began to fall to the ground. I dashed over to him, pressing my ear to his chest and listening for a pulse. Thankfully, one still remained, though it was faint and irregular. As I withdrew my face, I realized how much blood covered the side of my muzzle, and more importantly, his chest. He had lost an incredible amount of the vital fluid and was losing more every second. His breath came in erratic, ragged gasps, each one a bit shallower than the last. He wasn't going to last much longer.
I turned my head around, retrieving a healing potion from my saddlebags with my mouth. I poured it down his throat, the sickly purple liquid oozing down his throat. He coughed, choking on the half-congealed liquid, but the bleeding began to slow. I tore the hoof claws off my front hooves and gripped his massive, dying body with my fetlocks. It was time to save a life, instead of taking one.
I guess I should explain the events leading up to the time I first met Big Mac. My name is Rainbow Maralyn Dash, a general in the Pegasi Army's military, and the bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony.
If you don't understand what that last part means, let's just say that at the core of my being, I represent loyalty and faith. The honor that comes with my holding of the Element has raised me to an elite tier in society, and I am often thought of as a minor deity. I don't really deserve this respect. I'm just a regular old pony like everyone else. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the social perks as much as the next pony, but I can't help but feel a bit of guilt when I use my status to my advantage. In all truth, I really shouldn't even be a general. There are ponies much better suited for the job. I'm just your average fighter.
The whole idea of "war" is a new concept to our lives. We've had a few small skirmishes here and there, a couple of fights, maybe a battle or two, but the idea of all-out war is a brand new thing. The current conflict started about five years ago, when the leaders of the Pegasi Army realized there was a different way to acquire supplies from the Earth ponies than to work for them.
You see, before this war, Earth ponies ruled the land. With their natural intuitiveness and problem-solving skills, along with their "Scientific Method," they had come out ahead in society. They had machines that could make work easier, ways of recording the languages we speak, and crafts that could traverse the land and the sea far faster and longer than any normal pony. But the Earth ponies were not content to share their advancements with their Pegasi and Unicorn brethren. No, the Earth ponies are a trade-minded people, and they requested large favors in return for supplies and technology. The Pegasi and Unicorns had no choice but to agree, for they were not able to support themselves in this developing world on their own.
The Pegasi were tasked with controlling the weather. Every Pegasus old enough to fly had to put in long and dreary hours of clearing the skies, timing rain showers, and making the Mudders', as we had taken to calling the Earth ponies, favorite airborne, visual treat: rainbows.
The Unicorns had it even worse. They were the lowest class in the Earth pony society, almost a slave race to their tyrannical Earthly masters. The Unicorns, with magic that had still not been researched or mastered, could only perform simple levitation and other such small spells. This was perfect for the Mudders, as the Unicorns made great assistants and workers for jobs that either required extravagant detail or were too dangerous to get within hoof-touching range. Sadly, the most common job held was of the latter type.
Finally, the Pegasi Army decided that enough was enough. If the Earth ponies were going to horde their inventions and treat the other ponies like trash, then there was going to be a price to pay. Agreements were made, meetings were held, supplies were acquired, weapons were forged, and plans were made, all in secrecy. One fateful night, under the bright and beautiful moon of our Goddess Luna, the Pegasi and the Unicorns struck.
The battle was brutal, bloody, and long. Arrows rained from the sky, lightning bolts flew, and bronze was driven deep into flesh. The Pegasi Army defeated the Mudders with relative ease, the element of surprise on their side. Going into this battle, the Pegasi Army had assumed that after their brutal demonstration, the Mudders would submit and share their knowledge. That bright and optimistic idea, however, was not the case.
This is where I come in. I had been about 17 when the war first started. I had been forced to submit to the Mudders for almost ten straight years, and let me tell you, it was pretty darn bad. Each day was long, physically exhausting, and tedious. By the setting of Celestia's sun, my legs felt like they were ready to fall off from kicking so many clouds into nonexistence. So when the Pegasi Revolution first started, I was all for it. I joined up immediately and began taking out Mudders by the dozen. I advanced through ranks quickly, due to my efficiency on the battlefield, and when my Element was given to me by the divine kindness of the Goddesses, I was quickly promoted to a non-combat rank. It's easier to be a figurehead if you're not getting hit with arrows, I suppose.
That was the life I lived. I would travel from town to town making speeches and posing for propaganda. My face and the glowing necklace of my Element that took the shape of the rainbow and lightning bolt "Cutie Mark" that covered my flank quickly became the poster child of the Revolution. It was a boring life. Not nearly as much battle and adrenaline as a half-invincible adventure pony like me prefers, but as long as I knew I was serving the Army in the most effective way I could, I was content. That is, until the life-changing day that my convoy was attacked by a squad of Earth pony charioteers.
I burst through the door to my cloud palace, the fluffy white floor turning pink from dripping blood. The Earth pony soldier was still in my hooves, and I could feel his heart beat through his chest. It was fading. I rushed to my bedroom and carefully placed him upon the bed, before flying to my bathroom. I ripped open my medicine cabinet, withdrew every potion, elixir, and drop of drug that I had, and returned to the bedroom.
I had never been much of a medical pony, but I knew enough from my basic soldier training to help him through this. First, I checked to see if he had any broken bones. There didn't appear to be any, so I assumed it was safe enough to move on to the next step. I carefully grasped a bottle of Hydra in my mouth, a dangerously addictive drug that has regenerative properties (thank the goddesses for unicorn magic). I poured it down his throat carefully, making sure not to spill any. The magic started to take hold, and I sat and watched for a second as some of his wounds started to knit themselves back together. It was working, but I doubted it would be enough. I dumped the rest of my healing potions into his mouth and gave him a shot of pain killer. He seemed stable enough, but I was still nervous about what I had to do next. It was time to take desperate measures.
I stumbled through the door to the hospital, the pain coming from my leg almost causing me to pass out. Even with the healing potion I had saved for myself after treating Big Mac, I was in no state to function, let alone treat a patient. I had left him at home, hopefully stable enough to last until my return, and gone to seek medical attention. I needed to steal some medical supplies anyway.
As soon as the nurse at the desk recognized me, I was surrounded by doctors, bombarding me with questions. I was having trouble making sense of anything by this point, so I just pointed a hoof at my leg, and waited for myself to slip into unconsciousness.
I awoke about eight hours later, lying in a hospital bed. According to the eggheads, I had fractured my leg in six places, and should be thanking the goddesses and our Unicorn allies for my amazing recovery. They also told me I should remain in the hospital for the next week or so.
After some semi-polite discussion, a few reminders of my rank and status, and a couple hard looks, I managed to convince them that I would be able to take care of myself in my own home. I also convinced them to load me up with medical supplies and some advice on how to treat severely wounded patients. Even with all this, I took the time to pick the lead doctor's pocket and steal the key to the medical stores, just in case I needed a few prescriptions refilled.
I made it back to my cloud palace about twelve hours after I left. I was pretty sure that Big Mac was in good enough condition to hold on that long, but I was still worried out of my mind. I opened my door and made my way to the huge bedroom I called my own.
The sergeant was still lying on the bed, asleep or unconscious. I trotted over to him and emptied my saddle bags of the medicine I had been given. He breathed in and out at a steady rate, and I found that his pulse had become stable. The wounds on his exterior had stopped their bleeding, and from the fact that he was still alive I inferred that the same could be said about the wounds to his interior.
I followed the directions the hospital mares had given me, hooking him up to an IV of a healing elixir, and wrapping medicinal bandages around his midsection. Hopefully that would be enough for now. When he woke up I could ask him where he thought he needed attention. Earth ponies had developed amazing medical techniques, and I hoped that he had at least some knowledge of them.
In the meantime, I picked up one of the medical books that the hospital had loaned me. The cover displayed, of course, two Earth pony doctors. When we began this war, we lost many of the technological gems the Mudders had created, including the making of papyrus. I snuggled down into my cloud arm chair across the room and began to read.
The book was about as boring as you can get. I had never been a smart pony, and these long words were making my thinker-box hurt. My eyelids began to droop, and in a few moments, I was as asleep as the pony in the bed in front of me.
I awoke to find a knife pointing at my throat and two piercing green eyes staring at me from above the mouth that gripped the offending blade. My training immediately kicked in, wings snapping from my side as I flew above the object about to cause my demise. Or at least, that's what I tried to do. What really happened was my wings pulled on the leather cords that bound both them and my legs, and I began struggling against them, much to the humor of my captor.
The knife moved in closer, and I once again noticed the green eyes staring at me. I guess the Earth pony had woken up. I returned his gaze with one of my own, trying to instill fear in his heart with my violet eyes. His gaze was unwavering, however, and he soon began to speak.
"Who are you and what do you want?" he attempted to spit around the handle of the knife, but it came out so garbled I could hardly understand it.
"What?" I replied, thankful that he hadn't gagged my mouth. He seemed to think for a second before figuring that I wasn't going to pull anything in my current state, and he set the knife on the table beside me.
"I said, who are you and what do you want?" he asked again. I pondered his question for a moment, trying to decide the correct military way to respond.
"My name is Rainbow Maralyn Dash, General in the Pegasi Army. As for what I want, I-I don't know," I said. I realized that I hadn't really thought through what I planned to do after he recovered. I had been too caught up in the moment until now to think it through. "I guess I just thought I should save someone for once. You should be grateful."
He gave me an untrusting look before saying, "Are you sure? There are not any traps in this here house, or interrogations?"
"Look, buddy, the Pegasi's policy isn't to interrogate or let Earth ponies go. We kill 'em on sight. So if I wasn't trying to help you, you wouldn't be alive right now. No other pony knows you're here, so how about you cut me loose, and we talk this out." Maybe I was being a little more arrogant than I should have been, after all he had a knife to my jugular, but I was kind of ticked off. I just saved this stallion's life, and here he is trying to force information out of me.
He still seemed wary, but I suppose he might have been experiencing the same feeling I felt when I first stared into his eyes. He easily picked me up in his strong arms and placed me on the ground, before walking behind me and cutting me loose. I stood up, shook myself off, and turned to look at him.
Without the armor and blood covering him, he was quite the impressive stud. He easily stood a head higher than me, which is saying something with pony anatomy, and he had a brilliant hay-colored mane flowing down his neck. He certainly was a respectable soldier.
"Here, how about we go into my kitchen, have a mug of beer, and I'll explain what went down after you passed out," I said. He certainly seemed to become happy at the mention of ale, so we walked to the kitchen, poured two frosty brewskis, and I began talking.
I explained how I had taken him home, knowing that without immediate medical attention, he was a dead pony. I talked about what I had done, where I had gotten help, and the process I had used. He seemed grateful for all I had done, and after a few pints, we were both feeling good and talking like old friends. We exchanged war stories, talked politics, debated over the Hoofball teams before the war, and just had a good time. By the time we were done, it was deep into the darkness of Luna's night, and I insisted he spend the night at my house, as he was in no condition, neither medically nor mentally, to try to find the way back to his people. He agreed.
I set him up in my guest room, said goodnight, and walked to my own bedroom. His blood still stained the cloud mattress, but I was too tired and drunk to do anything more than rotate the clouds a bit. Big Mac seemed like a nice buck. A good friend, and maybe even more. With that thought dancing in my spinning head, I fell into a deep and happy sleep.
It had been six months since the first night Big Mac stayed at my house. What had begun as the simple extending of a helping hand had developed into a friendship, then into a deep kinship, and from there into a relationship. Big Mac, the stallion of my dreams, had rescued me from the boredom and monotony that was my previous life and turned every day into a playground of happiness.
He had at first stayed because of his medical condition, and because we didn't have a surefire way to get him home. Any movement on my part was tracked, and the chance of getting caught was just too great. Though I promised I would keep working on getting him back to the ground, I didn't devote nearly as much effort and time as I could have. I don't think he really cared, though. He enjoyed staying with me, talking and laughing, and being free from the responsibilities of home. After awhile, the project of getting him home was all but abandoned, and it seemed like he might just remain with me forever.
There was only one problem with this. I was still a General in the army and the figurehead of the Revolution. I was loyal to my cause, and the majority of my days had to be committed to delivering speeches, performing in flight shows, and helping create propaganda. I tried to be with Big Mac as much as possible, but my time was limited, and I had to try to split it between the two. It was a difficult task, since spending too little time with either had undesirable consequences. If I spent too much time with Big Mac, and too little with the Army, they might get suspicious and start questioning my loyalty. If I spent too much time with the Army and too little with Big Mac, he might become angry or depressed, question my loyalty, and leave. Eventually, however, my problem resolved itself.
It was late one night, nearing the end of fall, when an incident occurred that ended my paradise and sent my world tumbling into a pit of depression. I had been forced to stay late at work for another boring meeting and was hurrying home to Big Mac. I felt sorry for him staying at my house, as he had to stay in there all the time and his days consisted mostly of reading any books I could get my hands on. I wished there was something else I could find for him to do, but with the Pegasi's policy of dealing with Mudders, and with my house under near-constant surveillance, it was pretty much impossible.
I opened the door and stepped into my not-so-humble abode in the sky, lighting the new magic lamps with a switch as I stepped inside. (I guess unicorns are good for something after all.) I looked around for the large red stallion, but he wasn't within seeing range. I called out his name, but received no reply. That was abnormal, as usually Big Mac would wait and greet me as I arrived, but I figured he may have gone to sleep as it was pretty late. I continued through the house until I came to what had gone from being "my" bedroom to being "our" bedroom. He wasn't in there. I began searching more frantically now, looking in every room of the house and yelling his name as loudly as I dared with the surveillance outside. Finally, in the kitchen, I noticed a small note written on what appeared to be a black page of papyrus torn out of the back of a book.
"Dear Rainbow Dash,
My time here with you has been some of the best months of my life, and I enjoyed every last moment of them. However, after much mental and emotional debate, I have reached a conclusion. It is simply too dangerous for me to remain here any longer. If I were to be discovered, you would be ruined, cast out by your Army, and more than likely killed. I couldn't stand seeing that done to you, especially if I was the cause of it. I have decided that I will be riding with a griffin mercenary caravan down to the earth this very night. I'm sorry.
I will miss you, Rainbow Dash. The way your coat glistens in Celestia's bright sun, how your eyes sparkle when they stare into mine, tearing away any fake personality or emotions I would normally show. I'll miss the way you can make me laugh and comfort me, and the way I can do the same to you. I'm sorry I'm leaving you Dashie, but I can't live with myself knowing I'm putting you in danger and causing you grief. Even though you don't admit it, you are becoming an emotional wreck. You're trying to split your time between your responsibility and myself, and your fierce loyalty and belief in both of them won't let you abandon or devalue either of them. Even with your super speed, you can't be in several places at once, and even if you try and somehow achieve that, you can't be effective in any of those areas with your time so split. So I decided to take one of the options away.
I'm sorry Dashie,
Big N. Macintosh"
I sat there and stared at the note. No. No, this wasn't possible. I read through the note several more times, analyzing every sentence, phrase, and word for some hint of where he really was, where my lover could be hiding. He just couldn't be gone.
I started crying. The tears fell from my eyes like the rain that I used to prevent. They soaked into the cloud beneath me until it turned gray with the water, and still I cried. I just couldn't stop. I couldn't accept that he would just leave me, without telling me. I know he was probably smart to do what he did. His presence here was putting both of us at risk, and if he had told me he was going to leave, I would have done everything short of killing him to get him to stay.
My tears continued to fall. The clouds below and around me became heavy and wet, soaking up the water coming from my eyes. Soon, they could take no more, and began to rain, my tears emptying from them down to the earth below. Their brothers joined in, and soon the whole city of Cloudsdale that I called home was pouring rain. That night, the clouds wept with me.
I imagine that I was just as surprised as Rainbow Dash when I left. I had been contemplating leaving since the day I had woken up surrounded by blood in the cloud bed of a strange Pegasi, but as Rainbow Dash and I grew closer, the thought of leaving and returning home was pushed further and further to the back of my mind. Why would I want to leave such a beautiful, fun, and kind mare? I knew I would never find someone as perfect as her ever again. So I decided to stay.
But as the days stretched into weeks, and the weeks into months, the problems with my presence became more and more apparent. I tried to ignore them at first and simply go on living with the mare of my dreams, but with all the free time on my hands, they eventually wiggled their way into my brain. Dashie, as I had taken to calling her, was becoming more and more distressed by the day, and even if she wouldn't admit it, she was worried that I would be discovered. The Army was becoming suspicious of her mental state too, and had stepped up security and surveillance to try and discover what was wrong. I was just causing too much danger for me to be willing to stay.
I started developing a plan about four weeks before I left. I recorded the patterns of the Army's security personnel and noted the griffin mercs that passed by the palace every few days. Above all, though, I kept these things from Dashie. If she found out, she would feel betrayed, and any chance of me leaving and keeping her from danger would be destroyed. So I carried on in secrecy.
One night, I finally worked up enough nerve to sneak out of the palace during one of the Pegasi spies' shift switches and hailed down some of the griffin mercs. After paying them a sufficient amount of stolen bits to keep their beaks shut, I offered them a deal. In two weeks, on their next night fly-through, I would pay them a large sum of money in order to fly me back to the surface. They agreed, and flew away before I sneaked back into the house.
Two weeks later, I wrote Dashie a note, had a good cry and looked around the house to retain memory, before sneaking out for the second and final time. The griffins arrived, I paid them the large sum of bits I had slowly stolen from Dashie's vast and unused wealth over the two weeks, and climbed onto one of their backs. Before I knew it, I was back home.
It had been five years since the night I left my marefriend, and not a single day had gone by that I didn't think about her. She filled my thoughts constantly, and I was tortured every night by mental debates concerning whether what I had done was the right thing to do.
When I first arrived back at my home town of Marephis, everything went the way I had expected it to. All ponies that I knew were awed, having abandoned hope of me returning and falling into the belief that I had been killed over half a year ago. After the initial and emotionally charged greetings of missed friends and family, I was whisked away to the military encampment for debriefing and questioning.
The question on everyponys mind was the same. "Where were you?" I replied with the truth, though it was somewhat twisted. I said that I had been rescued from the brink of death by a Pegasi mare and slowly nursed back to health by her love and care. This statement was met with shock and awe, but I knew what was going to come next.
I was bombarded with questions about the Pegasi military's tactics, what technology they still had access to, the size of their army, and who was their current leader. I was loyal to my military, and told the scribes everything I knew, watching as they scribbled down every word I said with their reeds. I made sure, however, to never mention Dashie. I didn't want her to be involved in any of this. The questions then turned more sinister. Was I tortured, did the Pegasi eat dead ponies, just how uncivilized are they? I made my case as best I could. "The Pegasi are the same as you or I," I claimed, "and should be treated as such."
My leaders were stunned by this, but they couldn't coax any bad information out of me. I wouldn't help in the making of slanderous propaganda.
My return and story quickly escalated me to near-celebrity status. I was awarded for my "heroics" and the information I had given, and I soon found myself a high-ranking officer. The only high-ranking officer that believed we should be working towards a peaceful solution.
Many of my Earth pony brethren shared my peaceful opinion, and it seemed the Pegasi had a similar group within their society. Negotiations began, and work towards agreements started. I was the spearhead of the peace movement, using my status to get meetings arranged and messengers sent. Within three months of the first peaceful contact in years, a meeting of the leaders of the Encalve and Earth pony army was organized. Thankfully, I was selected to go.
I arrived at the meeting on a bright afternoon, the brilliant heat of Celstia's sun beating down upon my back. This first meeting was to be held in the clouds, a location which was decided by the flip of a bit. I took a seat in my plushy cloud chair and began reviewing the notes for my opening speech. My fellow military officers sat on either side of me, most of them looking bored. Though they had understood and taken an interest in a peaceful solution, a good number of them thought that it was a futile effort and that fighting the war to its end was the only way. I hoped that this conference would be able to sway more of them to my side.
Finally, the Pegasi officers began to stream in through the door, taking seats opposite from us at the cloud table. I greeted each one in turn, receiving some grateful smiles, but more than a few condescending glares. They didn't faze me, however. This was the only efficient way to end this war. I managed to keep my cool through all the varied looks, and after everyone was seated, I moved back to my spot at the table. That's when I noticed the open seat directly across from me.
"Excuse me, but are you missing someone?" I asked the Pegasi officers.
"Blast, is she late again?" one of the Pegasi mumbled. "I'm sorry about that, That mare has been a bit sleep -deprived of late. She's been getting everything organized on our end for this conference. We can start without her if you wish."
"No, no," I said. "I can wait. I'd prefer to have the mare that got all of this working present." I calmly waited, tapping my hooves together. Suddenly I heard the soft pitter patter of hooves on clouds, racing down the hall that led to the conference room.
"Sorry! I'm sorry I'm late!" a voice called. That voice; it sounded strangely familiar. But there was no way my luck was that good. It was simply too good to be true…
Suddenly, a familiar mare burst into the room. My heart skipped a beat, and I almost fainted. It was HER!
I woke up late on the day of the peace conference. It had been almost five years since the night Big Mac had left my life. Every day had become a battle, an uphill climb against the part of my brain that told me to just give up. The part of me that just wanted to lie on my bed, eat a tub of fig, and drink myself into a state of delirium. But I fought that part of me with all of my will.
Once Big Mac had left and I had finished my mourning, I decided that something needed to be done. I needed to find a way to end this conflict and restore peace so that Big Mac and I could be together. I started incorporating talk of peace into my speeches, much to the anger of my superior officers. They told me to stop, to let the war run its course, but I trudged onward. I was determined to be with my Big Mac once again.
Not once did my loyalty stray from him. I never once thought about another buck, or even considered finding a new special somepony. I would settle for no less than that magnificent sergeant I had saved. We would live happily into old age if I had my way.
Eventually, my peers came around. Negotiations were held with the Earth ponies, and talk of a peace conference filled the air. Apparently, somepony on the ground was just as eager for a peaceful resolution as I was.
I began coordinating the peace conference. A coin was flipped, and it was decided that the negotiations would take place in Cloudsdale, my hometown. I worked all day and night, figuring out where we could hold it, when they Earth ponies would arrive, how they would get here, and other such matters. Logistics became my life.
Pretty soon, the day before the conference was upon me. I had worked my hooves to the bone, but everything was ready. My colleges gave me a pat on the back, thanked me, and said I should go get a good night's sleep. I took their advice. It was the first deep sleep I had had in almost a month.
All too slowly, I awakened from the deep sleep I had fallen into, and checked the sundial to the side of my bed. There was only thirty minutes before the conference. I stumbled out of my bed, tripping over the white, fluffy blanket and falling onto my muzzle. I made my way to the bathroom, and looked at my frizzed mane. It was messy, but it would have to do. I carefully slid into my officers barding, and grabbed an oat bar in my mouth as I dashed out the door.
I had always been regarded as a fast flier, but as I shot across town to the meeting hall, I made record time. I smashed into the ground in front of the building at full speed; combat rolling several times before I managed to make it to my feet. I kept my momentum going as I ran down the long hall towards the conference room; the guards letting me pass with a nod.
"Sorry! I'm sorry I'm late!" I yelled as I charged down the hallway. I shot through the door, and my eyes were immedialty drawn to the stallion at the head of the table. The dark-red stallion with brilliant green eyes. It was Big Mac! My legs seemed to stop working, and for the second time this morning, I found myself with my head in the clouds. I lifted my head, and our eyes locked. He gave a confident wink, which to the casual passerby would appear simply friendly, but was a message in a movement to me.
I picked myself up off the ground, and made my way to my seat. "Again, sorry everybody," I said. Big Mac simply nodded as I took my seat, and he rose to his feet. He began speaking in a clear, confident voice, the voice of a man who had just been victorious, and achieved the goal he had set out for. His gaze passed from pony to pony in front of him, his eyes lingering on me for a second longer than normal before sliding away.
After his magnificent speech that left everypony awed, the negotiations began. Distracted as I was by seeing my lost lover for the first time in five years, I managed to pay attention. Some serious progress was made that day, and it seemed like a peace treaty might not be far off.
The first session of the conference lasted two grueling, slow hours, before we finally took a break. I left the conference room, and headed down the hall to the restroom, the fact that Big Mac was here dominating my mind. I made it about half way there before I was quickly grabbed and pulled into a spare room. I turned to see who had wrapped their arm around me, and saw two vibrant green eyes staring back at me.
I relaxed, and turned to observe my lost buck. He looked almost the same, the only change being a few strands of gray in his straw colored mane, and the worry lines on his brow. He leaned forward and nuzzled the side of my head.
"I missed you," he whispered into my ear. I took a step back. My first instinct was to slap him for leaving me alone and depressed all those years, but I suppressed that urge. It looked like he had suffered just as much as me from his decision. Instead, I wrapped my arms around him and began to sob.
"I missed you too," I mumbled into his apple-red coat. "I never forgot about you in all these years." He began to brush my rainbow-colored mane.
"I'm sorry I left you. It tortures me every night to know the pain I caused you, even if it may have been for the greater good. But its okay now, Dashie. Because now we're together again. Together forever," he said softly, as I cried into his shoulder.
"Yea," I mumbled back. "Together forever."
Rainbow Maralyn Dash
It had been seven years after the peace conference. The negotiations that took place and the friendships that were forged at that meeting put a peace treaty on the fast track, and within four months the war was over. The Pegasi got better trade agreements, the Earth ponies shared their technology freely, and the Unicorns were allowed to develop their arcane science as equal members of society. The world was finally starting to come together in harmony.
Most importantly, however, was that I was together with Big Mac. Even after the treaty was signed, we had to be careful, and we were forced to pretend to forge our relationship from the beginning. But eventually, we were together. We got married, the first cross-class couple, and settled down. We started a family, our main house in Marephis, and a summer home that was my cloud palace in Cloudsdale. We ended up having two kids, one an Earth pony, and one a Pegasi.
I kept my promise to Big Mac. After all, I represent the element of Loyalty and Faith. We lived together for the rest of our years. Together forever.


text: I've got postgresql 8 running on my system, and want to do nightly backups of the database. I took a look at the docs, and there are a few methods of doing backups - pg_dump, file system level, and using WAL. I just want to be able to rsync my data every night, maybe every few hours, so that I can recover it if there are any problems...so what's the best way to do this. Are there any scripts or utilities available to make my life easy? Thanks, Pat


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Maria's Catholic Supply House Inc
Maria's Catholic Supply House is located next to Pat's Bridal Center on Van Dyke Road in Shelby Township. It hosts a wide variety of books, statues, CD's and Icons. Be sure to check out the website and use PayPal for all of your religious needs.
46699 Van Dyke Ave, Shelby Township, MI 48317
(586) 254-3369
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- Hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm; Sat, 10am-5pm
- Accessible: yes
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Nemanja Vidic out until Christmas says Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson
Updated: Friday, 02 Nov 2012 16:31 | Comments
Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic could be sidelined until Christmas, manager Alex Ferguson has said.
The Serbian defender was ruled out for a minimum of eight weeks after undergoing knee surgery in September.
But any hopes the 31-year-old might be back before the end of November have proved optimistic with Ferguson telling MUTV: "I think we're talking around December for Vidic. Maybe around Christmas time."
Vidic missed the last five months of last season with cruciate ligament damage but this latest problem is not related.
United have been hampered by defensive injuries this season with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones also currently on the sidelines.
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Undescended Testes
Also known as cryptorchidism, undescended testes is a congenital condition characterized by testicles that do not follow the normal developmental pattern of moving into the scrotum before birth.
In the fetus, the testes are in the abdomen. As development progresses, they migrate downward through the groin and into the scrotum. This event takes place late in fetal development, during the eighth month of gestation. In some newborn boys the testes are not present in the scrotum, either because the testes did not descend or because the testes never developed in the fetus.
Eighty percent of all undescended testes cases naturally correct themselves during the first year of life. Only 3 to 4 percent of full-term baby boys have undescended testes, and half of those complete the journey by the age of three months. Up to 30 percent of boys born prematurely have testes that have not yet made the full descent. In 5 percent of cases of undescended testes, the testis on one side is completely absent. In 10 percent of cases, both testes are completely absent.
Causes and symptoms
There are many different and complex reasons why one or both testes may not descend. Sometimes the failure is due to problems that occur during pregnancy with the tissues as they are developing or with hormone levels in the developing fetus. If the testes did not descend because they are absent, then the likely cause is different than for testes that are present but did not descend. In the case of absence, it is possible that the testes never developed at all because the blood flow was cut off to them as they were developing, preventing their formation. One or both of the testicles can be undescended; therefore, the scrotum can appear to be either missing or lopsided.
When to call the doctor
The doctor will check for the testes in the scrotum during the normal newborn examination. If the parent notices that their male infant's testes do not appear normal or do not appear to be present at all, the parent should alert the doctor. If the testes have not descended by the time the child is six months of age, the parent should call the doctor to begin discussing possible treatment options.


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Meet Dr. Rich
Our Office Policy
In addition to all aspects of basic dental care,
we also feature the following new technologies:
An orthodontic technology which uses clear plastic aligners, which fit precisely over your teeth, in order to generate movement in the same way that conventional braces do. Except, these are INVISIBLE!
Silent Night & Tap3
Treats excessive snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.
Implant Restorations
We are trained and fluent in restoring all implant systems.
Cerec: Porcelain Crowns & Fillings
A computer-generated technology that enables us to fabricate porcelain crowns and fillings in our office in just about an hour. There is no lab involved, no second visit, and you will have a crown or filling bonded into place the same day.
Porcelain veneers for your teeth that do not wear or discolor over time. Lumineers help to create a more beautiful smile with minimal tooth reduction.
Custom mouthpieces and mouth guards that are designed to improve athletic performance while reducing the impact of blows to the teeth and jaw. Perfect for your student athletes and weekend warriors.
TMJ Night Guards
Custom fitted mouth guards that are soft on the inside and hard on the outside, essentially eliminating grinding at night at pain associated with TMJ.
Single Tooth Anesthesia (STA)
A computer-controlled method of delivering local anesthesia to any individual tooth. It is virtually pain free and usually eliminates the typical numbness of the lips and tongue that often comes with traditional injections.
Air Abrasion: Painless Cavity Removal
A technique that eliminates the need for drilling and injections. This allows for removing cavities with minimal reduction of tooth structure. There are no drills or needles involved!
Velscope: Oral Cancer Screening
This test screens for oral cancer using a light with a special wavelength that is able to detect early lesions before we can see them with our eyes. It is recommended annually for anyone over the age of 40, and for anyone who has been a smoker, regardless of their age. We have literally saved lives with velscope screening.
Panoramic X-Ray
This machine takes one x-ray of your entire mouth, giving us the ability to evaluate the bone, the sinuses, and any other potential abnormalities.
Digital X-Rays
Allows for immediate images of your teeth at one-tenth the amount of radiation necessary for the old film x-rays.
Britesmile and Take-Home Whitening Kits
These are teeth whitening methods that work equally well in creating that beautiful white-toothed smile.
White For Life: Whitening Maintenance Program
A new program in our practice which stipulates that once you complete an initial whitening program with us, we will replenish your whitening material annually, at no cost to you, for as long as you remain a patient at our office and maintain your checkup appointments twice a year.


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Making History: The Calm & the Storm
Release: 13th March 2007 - Genre: Action, Strategy
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Making History® delivers the open-ended gameplay of strategy-game classics, but with compelling new economic, military, and diplomatic systems and deep research that lets you play with real historical challenges.
The game drops you into a rich WWII world where every nation has its own agenda, and where events can turn on a single alliance. Work with your nation's historic strengths and weaknesses. Build up your industry, infrastructure, economy, military. Create alliances. Then reshape your strategy as the world evolves with each turn.
System requirements
Minimum: Windows XP, 2000 or Vista Operating System, Pentium III or Athlon 1.0GHz Processor, 512 MB RAM, 850 MB available hard drive space, 32 MB Video Card, Internet connection for multiplayer
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Slimming yoga pants
70% Off
These slimming yoga pants are made of stretchable cotton and spandex. They have an internal tummy trimming panel, designed to flatter and camouflage a rounder midsection. A must-have for style at the gym, yoga studio or spending time outdoors!
- 90% Cotton, 10% Spandex
- Imported
- Machine wash in cold water, gentle cycle.
- Do not use chlorine bleach.
- Hang to dry.
- Iron at low setting.
- Can be dry cleaned.


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Welcome to FASHION FOR HOME. We have detected that cookies aren't enabled on your browser.
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Are items missing from your basket? Log-in to see your basket from your last visit.
Are your designer home accessories all worn out? At FASHION FOR HOME we have sectional sofas and leather sectional couches available for that designer home makeover you have always wanted. Our sectional sofas come in range of styles and designs and they will easily fit into your home interior fantasy. If you are looking for a sectional sofa to match your retro coffee table or perhaps just need a new living room sofa, our sectional sofas from FASHION FOR HOME are the perfect choice.
A sectional sofa can take up a lot of space in your home; therefore it is even more important, that you chose the right sectional sofa. Some of the sectional sofas from FASHION FOR HOME can even be used a substitute for a small sofa bed or a chaise sofa. Your imagination is the limit. The sectional sofas from FASHION FOR HOME are made by top designers and only the best possible materials have been used. You will be able to keep your designer sectional sofa for a life time. Perhaps you are looking for a long sofa? At FASHION FOR HOME we offer that and more, our selection of designer office chairs is defiantly worth a look, and while you are at it, have a look at our designer desks as well.
At FASHION FOR HOME we pride ourselves in selling designer furniture for less, this way everyone can get the designer sectional sofa or computer chair they long for, at reduced and favourable price. It seems only fair, that a sectional sofa should be affordable to everyone, and therefore we offer designer furniture for less. Get the sectional sofa you want at FASHION FOR HOME. Browse through the online shop from the comfort of your own home and enjoy the large selection. Should you have any questions in relation to the purchase of your sectional sofa, contact our customer service for assistance and guidance.
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It's a new month and a new quarter - P&G Everyday Solutions is offering new coupons and samples. There are lots of new P&G Samples available – just head over here to log in or register. If you aren't yet a member then now's a good time to become one!! Let us know what kind of samples & coupons you were able to score!!
I am a member and it came up page not found six different times. I give up.


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Find the perfect accommodations for vacations, romantic weekends and adventurous getaways. Find the right accommodations for your travels, from budget to luxury!
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Lander, Wyoming Campgrounds & RV Parks - Wyoming Accommodation: Campgrounds/RV Parks A complete service park. Full hook up and pull through spaces.Tent/ large tent spaces available. Wi-Fi, DirecTV, game/laundry room, store, clean restrooms, dog park, playground, horse shoes, dump station
Lander, Wyoming Hotels & Resorts - Clean, budget friendly lodgiing, with a cheerful atmosphere
Lander, Wyoming Hotels & Resorts - Convenient at door parking. 56 rooms,King and Queen beds and suites with 32' flat screen tv's. ,Free continental breakfast,newspaper,and internet. Hot tub,exercise equipment,conference hall, picnic area with outdoor deck on the Popo Agie River.
Lander, Wyoming Dude Ranch - Wilderness Dude Ranch offering guided family vacations for riding, fishing, camping, climbing and hunting in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. Cozy rustic cabins, alpine lakes, pine forests, glaciers and solitude.
Dubois, Wyoming Horseback Riding - Wilderness Base Camp accessed by horseback. Providing full suvice pack trips for fishing, sightseeing and hunting. We also provide gear drops for climbers into the Gannett Peak area.
Lander, Wyoming Hotels & Resorts - The BEST WESTERN Inn at Lander offers a great place to stop and rest while on your way to Yellowstone National Park, the Black Hills, Denver or Salt Lake
Lander, Wyoming Hotels & Resorts - The Silver Spur Motel Lander is located a mile outside of downtown Lander, on Highway 287.
Lander, Wyoming Hotels & Resorts - The Holiday Inn Express and Suites in Lander, Wyoming is conveniently located off US Highway 287 and is within minutes of the historic downtown district.
Kelly, Wyoming Dude Ranch - Red Rock Ranch, a premier family owned summer Guest Ranch located in the beautiful Bridger Teton National Forest just outside of scenic Jackson, WY, and minutes from Teton National Park. Families, Adults Only weeks and Corporate groups.
Jackson, Wyoming Bed & Breakfasts - The inn is located 3 blocks west of the town square in beautiful Jackson Hole just south of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The inn features 37 guest rooms and 12 suites. The style is reminiscent of turn of the century architecture.


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Lost our beloved Di today. Bone cancer.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_VmrunOp7Tp0/S3TDR ... 17_041.jpg
Strange, she was born, raised, raced and had babies in Colorado. She got very sick Tuesday and we scheduled her then to be euthanized
today, and it snowed here in Dallas the most ever since keeping records. She loved the snow. I'm impressed with her connections.
Travel well.


text: From toll, follow the right hand exit ramp to a light at South River-Cranbury Road (CR 535). Turn left on Cranbury Road (CR 535), toward Cranbury and proceed south 1.6 miles. Cross US Route 130 at a "Dog-Leg" intersection. Continue on Cranbury Road south 0.1 miles to a Right onto Plainsboro Road. Follow Plainsboro Road 0.2 miles to a Left onto North Main Street, Cranbury. Richard Grubb & Associates is located at 30 North Main Street on the left side of the street and is housed in The Odd Fellows Building.


text: GOD MORNING! I'm so excited for tonight! Woop! I would like to share some of my own pictures from my year with GUESS. And yesterday, while looking through, this was one of the first I found. And this one made me smile! I forgot that I had it. This is from the first meeting with Paul after we decided to do this collaboration together. I was in LA for meetings. I thought I would have another two weeks, just to find inspiration. My plan was to go to Capetown, by my self. Just to really have some time to think, to make this perfect. I was so wrong… "We need the first 14 schetches in two days, before you leave LA" So, no Capetown, no two weeks of inspiration. Instead the first thing I asked for was to meet Paul. I wanted him to tell me his story, I wanted to know who I actually was gonna design for. 40 minutes later we met up in his archive. No one is more excited then Paul when he get the chance to show all the campaign images through these 30 years. He explained EVERY moment, told me EVERY story. After that meeting I didn't have any doubt of what I wanted this collection to be about. I wanted to make a collection, inspierd of the history of GUESS, of Pauls story. Make the iconic pieces that we have seen over and over again, but in my way. How I would wear them 2012. Here are some of the pictures I took from that meeting. As you can see, it has a lot of inspiration from the matadors as from the 90s..


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I lightly batted him on the head. "Oh, shut up Anthony. It'll be fine. I know how to handle Julius."
"Food. Watch. Hey, Julius?"
"You know, my mom's been teaching me how to cook…"
Perking up, he stared at me. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yep. She says what I cook tastes exactly how hers tastes."
"You're kidding."
"I am not. So if you're nice, maybe I'll cook for you."
If Julius was a dog, his tail would be wagging fifty times a second by now. "Really? I'll ne nice! I'll be nice!"
Anthony gave me an impressed look as I smirked smugly. "Sure thing, Juju."
"I've just got one request."
"What's that?" Anthony asked.
Julius gave him a serious look. "Ellie is like a little sister to me. I don't want to go to bed, and hear you to banging each other in the next room."
My cheeks blossomed red at his comment. "J-Julius!"
"What? I know you two our sexually active. I'm not stupid."
I glanced at Anthony, and was shocked to see he seemed a little proud. "Anthony! What's that look for?"
"What look?" he said innocently.
"You know what look!"
He grinned. "No I don't."
"I'll try to go out on some nights," Julius continued, shoving his hands into his pockets, "that way you can have your private time. But, you know, be safe."
"Oh God," I groaned. I so did not want to have this conversation with Julius.
"I'd rather, you know, go out and get you guys… things… than have Ellie become pregnant."
"Julius!" I cried.
He blinked at me. "What?"
"Just… stop! Stop."
"What, are you embarrassed?" he inquired, grinning maliciously.
"Yes!" I told him.
Anthony chuckled, putting his arm around my shoulder. "Don't worry, Ellie. It's a natural thing."
"Guys, really," I pleaded. "Stop talking about this."
Julius nodded. "Alright, alright. As long as you promise to not annoy the neighbors when I'm gone."
I slapped myself on the forehead. "I hate my life."
Laughing, Julius headed into the kitchen. "I'll make lunch. You two bring in the rest of the stuff from my car."
"I'm helping Ellie with her stuff," Anthony called back to him. "Do it yourself."
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Willa Holland | as Ellie Cauffrey |
Matt Lanter | as Anthony Quinn |
Alex Pettyfer | as Julius Montgomery |
Brant Daugherty | as Mason Cauffrey |


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KALEIDOSCOPE MAN - A new sci-fi film
Help Kaleidoscope Man save the Earth...
Kaleidoscope Man is a fantastic new sci-fi movie we're making - And we're making it in phases. For phase 1 & 2 we sucessfully crowd-funded over £12,000 and have shot various scenes that fit around the main story and characters.
For phase 3, we're planning another even larger crowd-funding campaign to start just before Christmas up until mid February. We're preparing some fantastic rewards for people who support
us. Make sure you're following us on Facebook and be a part of the journey.
Video Diary 21 - Dreams of a Superhero
This was the final shoot for the scenes featuring Young Tom and Young Freddie - The next time we meet them, they will be adults!
All three of our cast gave very powerful performances and there was some true magic and touching moments from Charlie who played young Tom. I can't wait for you all to see it!
On making this video diary I really wanted to ensure that I wasn't giving to much of the story away, hopefully we got the balance about right. Do let me know what you think.
Special thanks to Laura Dangerfield for shooting this.
Kaleidoscope Man promo
This cool and catchy track is produced by Gareth Cousins (he's worked with Sting, Phill Collins and on loads of top movies). Feel free to share it with your friends!
Download our fantastic FREE Kaleidoscope Man posters
Help yourselves to these high-res JPEGs, produced by our concept artist, Matt Allsopp. Matt is currently working on some very high profile movies, and is an artist to watch out for (and we discovered him!!)
An alien harverster delivers its human cargo. A3 Poster by Matt Allsopp.
JPG Image [380.5 KB]
An Alien Harvester prepares to strike! A 3 poster by Matt Allsopp
Incoming attack.jpg
JPG Image [496.4 KB]
Tom is surrounded by Harvesters. A3 poster by Matt Allsopp.
JPG Image [890.2 KB]
Tom's pod is blasted through a lava vent. A3 concept artwork by Matt Allsopp.
JPG Image [4.9 MB]
London gets hit! A3 Poster by Matt Allsopp
Nuclear Attack.jpg
JPG Image [543.6 KB]
Harvesters surround Tom. A3 Poster by Matt Allsopp
JPG Image [515.0 KB]
Please share these fantatsic posters with your friends!


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Tottenham Hotspur star Luka Modric is expected to sign for Manchester United after the European Championships.
Saturday, 09, Jun 2012 09:32
By Rich Ward
Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has admitted he is likely to have played his last game for England after he was overlooked by Roy Hodgson for Euro 2012.
Having being left out of the initial group selected to travel to Poland and Ukraine, Ferdinand might have expected a reprieve when Chelsea's Gary Cahill suffered a broken jaw in the final warm up match.
However, Hodgson instead decided to call on Liverpool's inexperienced defender Martin Kelly, leaving Ferdinand to ponder his future.
"If I'm not getting picked now, especially when people are out injured, then it's unlikely I will be picked again," he told the Sun.
However, the 33-year-old vowed that he would remain available should England require his services for future tournaments.
"I always said I wouldn't retire from international football until I stopped playing and I won't. I will still be available," he said.
Ferdinand added that he is surprised the 2006 World Cup was his last tournament and expressed his disappointment at not having reached 100 caps for his country.
England, minus Ferdinand, begin their campaign against France on Monday.


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Puzzle Shuffle is a little puzzle game, where you load an image, which will be shuffled. You will have to solve the shuffled puzzle by moving pieces to an empty spot. It is very fun and hard at the same time, it has a very nice user interface and you can change images for the puzzle whenever you like, even when playing!!!! The game is based on little game with numbers (1-15)! There's also an image included with numbers so you can play it like the original game!
Platform:Windows, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
System Requirements: There is no specific requirements